Peter123's reviews, planned reviews, first impressions and comparisons AKA Peter's Place | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org

peter123 · Sep 22, 2015 at 8:47 AM

WELCOME TO PETER'S PLACE!

The intention of this thread is to collect stuff that I post and belive can be of value for others. It may be full reviews as well as first impressions and comparisons. Some of it may have been originally posted in other threads and some will just be posted here.

This thread is primarily an archive for my own use since I've noticed that it's often very difficult to find back to earlier posts in threads that moves fast but hopefully it'll be useful for some other people as well.

Feel free to ask any questions in here that regards stuff that I own or have heard.

The first couple of posts will be containing "old news" since I like to get some of my older reviews and posts in here as well. I do believe that some of it is still valid so it may be of use for some people.

peter123 · Jan 14, 2018

peter123 · Sep 22, 2015 at 8:48 AM

Comaprisons:

In this post I'll try to collect comparisons made in other threads or in PM conversations that I feel can be valuable to more people.

This is an open box unit that's been used for a review at Hifiheadphones so I'd assume that they're burned in already.

I started listening to three songs:

1. Jack Johnson - Better together
This recording is quite bassy and if I find an IEM to have too much mid bass on this song there's a big chance that I'll never get along well with them. Only exception I can think of is actually the CKR10's. The 1PLUS passes this test with flying colors.

2. Lupe Fiasco - Deliver
I love the bass in this song and with the 1PLUS I've got a big smile on my face after 10 seconds of the song so it's safe to say that they passed this test as well.

3. Melody Gardot - Somewhere Over the Rainbow
My go to song to check soundstage and details as well as female vocals. To put it short I don't think I've evere heard Melody's voice so seductive and the details and soundstage is also very good although I've heard better in this area. I listen to a lot of female vocals and the way the 1PLUS handles those is extremely impressive to me.

After these three songs I knew they were keepers. Now I'm gonna get lost in music for a while

I'm also surprised about how different and much more airy they are compared to the Rockets. I'd expected the 1PLUS to be thicker and warmer sounding tbh. I'm really happy that I got them both now (especially at $370 delivered for both of them).

Edit:
I cannot believe that anyone makes IEM's with memory wire though. I'll definitely need to get a new cable for these....

For the first time I find myself listening to an IEM that I cannot fault in any way sound wise, everything just sounds right and perfectly natural. No compromises at all for my preferences, quite a satisfactory feeling tbh.

Of course one can always wish for more and better accessories, better fit, materials etc but soundwise I wouldn't change a single thing even if I could. Despite being the most expensive IEM I've ever bought theyre still so very much worth it.

Although they scale up with better gear they still sound amazing from every source I've paired them with and also with every kind of music I've thrown at them. To my great pleasure they sound excellent with older recordings like Rodriguez and even 80's pop, not picky but still highly detailed I didn't even thought that was possible....

Tape modded LZ a2:

Just like with the Delta's mid bass is reduced enough to be in the right side of boomy for me with all kind of music. Other postive effects (also similar to the same mod on the Deltas) is more forward vocals, better clarity, a more airy presentation and a wider soundstage.

The trade off is less subbass in both impact ~~(not necessarily bad) and depth but there's still enough for me~~.

My immediate impression is that I enjoy them more with the vents taped and poked with a needle.

Will spend some time with them modded and then go back to stock a see how I feel.

Edit:
Ok after listening to the music that I didn't feel that the A2's perormed their best with when writing the review and that I enjoyed much more wiht them tape modded Celldweller - Unshakable came up on my playlist and I just had to rip the tape off

I realized that I was trying to making them sound average with everything instead of letting them exceed at what they do best. I've now been through the whole Testuo Youth album from Lupe Fiasco and although the bass occasionally are too much for me it sure makes me smile and that's what the A"'s all about to me: havinfg fun.

I've got enough other IEM's that sound fantastic with the few recordings where I don't enjoy tha A2's the most to have the need to cripple them

Ok, first two things :

1. My Delta's are modded with tape over the back vents and a very small hole poked in them with a needle.

2. I've only got a couple of hours on the LZ A2's so far.

To begin with these two are more similar than I expected but there's still obvious differences.

The Delta's has slightly better soundstage width while the A2's has better depth.

The overall presentation on the modded Delta's are quite airy while the A2's are more intimate and fuller sounding.

Vocals are more forward on the A2's. Despite of this female vocals comes across as very similar on the two, maybe with s slight advantage to the Delta's, while the fuller signature on the A2's gives male voices more weight and a better texture.

Subbass impact and depth is pretty similar but the A2's has more controlled bass. Mid-bass impact and presence is also very similar but the A2's bass is tighter and faster.

The treble presentation is very similar on them.

Take it for what it is: quick and dirty initial impressions

I won't have the time to this thorough now but here's some initial impressions/thoughts:

I couldn't help smiling for myself when I switched between thw two for the first time. The feeling is very similar to that of shifting between the CKR9's and 10's, you can clearly hear that they're siblings but despite of that the presentation is very different between them.

The BE's has a much more airy sound and an overall slightly brighter signature with better soundstage width.

The AN16's on teh other hand has a much more intimate presentation with an fuller sound and better soundstage depth.

Despite the AN16's being overall fuller the subbass extension on both is very similar.

Just like the CKR siblings they're much more complements to each other than direct competitors.

I really couldn't say that one's more technically capable than the other but your prefernce, music, source and mood would be the deciding factor on which to choose.

The XE800 is much more similar to the BE's but with a bit softer bass and ever so sligthly more recessed mids.

Someone asked me to compare the Pro80 and the HI2050. Maybe someone else is interested as well so I leave it here also:

Finally got some time to sit down with the Pro80's and the HI2050's.

Let me first say that both of these are great headphones at their respectively price. Iirc correctly I paid less than $80 for both, pretty amazing.

The closed Pro80 naturally has better subbass extension and impact but the difference is not as big as one might expect. I do feel that the bass on the Pro80 is a bit tighter and less boomy (better quality) also. The HI2050 has more mid-bass bloom while the Pro80's sound very clean and clear.

Surprisingly enough the Pro80's are also a bit brighter sounding and because if this feels more energetic in its presentation. The Pro80 can also sound slightly hollow in vocal reproduction occasionally (something I find typical for closed cans so they're not worse than any other in this aspect). Treble extension is quite similar on the two.

Soundstage on the HI2050 is naturally better (due to them being half closed) but again the difference is smaller than one would expect. Although the HI2050 has a more airier presentation the difference is not big.

In all these are quite similar sounding so the differences are by no means huge (after all they do use the same drivers). The biggest difference is definitely in the bass and with some music without prominent bass they sound almost identical (with the Pro80's being slightly brighter).

Build is very similar but the headband on the Pro80 is of better quality and feel more sturdy.

If I had to pick a winner I'd go with the Pro80's because of the less intrusive mid-bass and better headband, others might choose differently though. I seriously doubt anyone would love one and hate the other, they're way to similar for that.

I usually prefer open headphones so this is quite an surprise to me.

Also, the price for less mid-bass on the Pro80 are a bit less full male voices.

Please note that I use both with Brainwavz HM5 velour pads.

I just brought out the E80's again to do an a/b with my Ltd's. Iirc I did the same in my e80 review and concluded that the E80's could very well have been the smaller brother to the top CKR offerings. I still feel the same, they share some similarities but the Ltd's are definitely on a different level. Although bass reaches almost as low on the E80's the Ltd's has more impact and also more mid-bass giving them a much better layering in the bass. The E80's are more calm while the Ltd's are more in your face. Clarity, details and treble extension are noticeable better on the Ltd's.

To me the Ltd's are clearly a step up from the E80's although they're also one of my favorites.

Been listening to the back and forward for the last hour out of my X3 using my regular demo playlist.

Build and fit of both IEM's are both excellent with the S2 a bit a head on quality due to more solid materials, the VSD3S are all plastic.

Isolation on the S2 is below average while the VSD3S islolate very well.

This is really a tough one since the S2 is one of my all time favourite IEM's and the VSD3S are the exciting new kid on the block.

The voice reproduction is very natural although it have some sibilance, not as much as the Intopic's and nothing that really bothers my since I'm not very sensitive to sibilance. The voice reproduction on the VSD3S is it's weakest point for me. There's something a little bit artificial or metallic sounding about it if that makes sense. This is most notably on acoustic music with female singers. I detect no sibilance on them but they're not overly smooth like the Tenores either.

The VSD3S has a bit deeper bass and also a bit more impact. The S2 are by no means bass light but I feel that the Vsonics are a bit more "fun". I think that you might like more bass than I do so maybe you'll prefer the bass of the VSD3S. I still think that the S2 have enough bass to be a great all rounder. For reference I feel like the sub bass of the Tenores are near to perfect.

The S2's are overall more natural sounding and are very well balanced. The VSD3S on the other hand are much fuller and richer sounding. Every time I went from the VSD3S to the S2 the S2 sounded very thin for about 10 seconds before my ears and brain adjusted but after tat they just sounded balanced.

For electronic music and music like Metallica etc I think that the VSD3S are more entertaining but with everything else the S2's are nicer. The S2 are much closer to the VSD3S on electronic and rock than the Havi B3 though.

I'll say that the S2 are technically superior but the VSD3S are more fun. Again the S2 are far from boring but for me there's something very addictive to the full and rich sound of the VSD3S.

I think that the S2 probably are the best all round IEM I've got but the combination of the VSD3S and the Havi B3 still beats it. The B3 are technically superior into every other IEM I've ever heard (and maybe even every headphone I've heard as well) and the VSD3S are extremely fun, killer combination for me.

The B3 are very special, it has totally changed my perspective not only on IEM's but also on full cans and music reproduction in general and that's probably a good deal of the reason why I put the combination of them and the VSD3S above the S2 alone.

So if I were to chose between the S2 and the VSD3S as my one all rounder I'll go with the S2.

VSD3S vs Havi B3Pro 1
Here’s my not so short take on these two fabulous budget IEM’s:

Introduction:
I won’t elaborate much on the built of these two since they’re pretty similar in style, fit and built quality. They both offers nice cables, solid plastic housings, great comfort and next to no microphonics due to over the ear styling. The big difference is of course the removable cable on the VSD3S which is a really nice feature and added value.

They both offer at least average isolation (tip dependent).

Accessories are also pretty basic on both but it might be worth mentioning that it took much longer time for me to find the right tips for the B3’s than it did with the VSD3S. I’m using Philips Fidelio S2 tips on the B3’s and stock biflange tips on the Vsonics.

Another important thing is that the B3’s really needs an amp to show their true potential while the Vsonics are much easier to drive.
This comparison was made with a mix of FLAC ripped CD’s, high resolution FLAC and 320kbs MP3’s listening through the uDac2 which I find to work well with both IEM’s.

For those who care the VSD3S has about 30 hours on it while the B3’s got hundreds of hours of use.

Sound:
The Havi B3’s offers an exceptional soundstage in both width and depth and has very good instrument separation. It’s actually stupidly good in these areas and though the VSD3S also offers very good soundstage depth and width it lags a bit behind in separation. I think this it’s mainly due to the fact that they offer a much fuller sound with more mid bass than the B3’s. The voice reproduction on the B3’s is the most natural I’ve ever heard in any IEM and again while the Vsonics are very good they don’t quiet sound as natural as the B3’s.

Listening to music like Beck, Peter Malick Group feat. Norah Jones, Cowboy Junkies , Ane Brun, Passengers etc. really brings out the best in the B3’s and I think they outperform the VSD3S here. That does not mean that the Vsonics is not good in these areas, it’s just that the B3’s are even better.

(Fun Fact 1: Listening to Cowboy Junkies “Blacked Eyed Man) on the B3’s during this comparison I suddenly realized I’ve listened to several tracks for pure enjoyment and forgotten all about what I was doing. That kind of says it all about the Havi’s with this kind of music to me.)

My main (and possible only) grip with the B3’s is the lack of bass. The bass it does offer have great control and there’s zero bass bleed. It does however offer decent sub bass but I would have preferred that they’d been able to go even deeper and had a bit more impact. The VSD3S on the other hand gives me the impact that I miss with the B3’s.

When listening to Robyn, Daft Punk, Infected Mushroom, Pharrell Williams and my beloved Depeche Mode the B3’s sounds too thin and the lack of bass impact is obvious. The Vsonics on the other hand make listening to this kind of music pure enjoyment. It fuller sound really comes in handy and I’m not missing any bass at all (please note that I’m the kind of guy that find the Q701 to have a great bass in both quality and quantity). As a matter of fact on some tracks I find the bass to be on the verge of boomy and a tiny bit slow but in all I’d say that they offer pretty much the ideal bass quantity for my liking and also very good bass quality.

(Fun Fact 2: Listening to Depeche Mode “Construction Time Again” on the VSD3S during this comparison I suddenly realized I’ve listened to several tracks for pure enjoyment and forgotten all about what I was doing. That kind of says it all about the Vsonics with this kind of music to me.)

Listening to “classic rock” like Eagles, Doors, REM, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits etc. the natural voices, excellent separation and huge soundstage of the B3’s excels again and the slight lack of bass impact are easily forgiven. Moving up to more heavy stuff like Metallica, Alice In Chains, Celldweller, Nirvana and even Foo Fighters the extra weight in the sound that the VSD3S offers comes in very handy and makes the difference from enjoying it with the B3’s to go head banging with the Vsonics.

Summing it all up:
The overall sound of the Havi B3Pro1 is organic and natural. They’re very well balanced and lack a bit of bass impact. Listening to music on them reminds me of listening to vinyl through a tube amp.

The Vsonic VSD3S is a full sounding IEM with great bass reproduction that still feels well balanced. Listening to them reminds me more of listening to a CD on a digital amplifier.

These are both great budget IEM’s and while the VSD3S come across as the better all rounder I still feel that the B3’s are the best with the “right” kind of music (just take a listen to Amber Rubart’s “Sessions from the 17’th Wards” binaural recording with them and you’ll see what I mean, epic). I do, however, think that the VSD3S will be preferred by most people due to their fuller sound and more instant wow factor. The fact that you don’t need an amp to enjoy them will also make them more appealing to most people.

Ever since I’ve got the Havi B3Pro 1 about half a year ago I’ve been looking for the perfect supplement to them for all kind of music played straight from my phone and tried out A LOT of different IEM’s without feeling that they’ve satisfied me but now I’ve finally found it.

Please take this for what is: one man’s opinion from one man’s perspective and preferences.

peter123 · Sep 22, 2015 at 8:48 AM

In this post it's my intention to put up some kind of ranking of the stuff that I own. I only need to figure out good way to do it since I've got a problem with strictly putting everything from 1 to 100 since there's so many things to consider.....................

Charliemotta · Sep 22, 2015 at 9:02 AM

Reserved 4

peter123 · Sep 22, 2015 at 9:21 AM

charliemotta said:
Reserved 4

LOL! Welcome Charlie

peter123 · Sep 22, 2015 at 9:30 AM

Today's catch:

A brand spanking new pair of my all-time favorite closed cans the Takstar Pro80's pimped wuth Brainwavz HM5 angled velour pads

My old pair was literally worn to pieces over three years so the rumors about the Pro80's being discontinued made me pull the trigger on a new pair.

Charliemotta · Sep 22, 2015 at 9:47 AM

I see you have 'Planned Reviews'., Do you have 'Planned Parenthood' too?

Charlie ♫

Charliemotta · Sep 22, 2015 at 9:53 AM

peter123 said:
Some of the stuff that I review are loaners, some are review samples for me to keep and some are bought by me and found to have something about them that I'd like to share with others.

Published reviews

Headphones:
http://www.head-fi.org/products/philips-fidelio-x2/reviews/13286

IEM's:
http://www.head-fi.org/products/trinity-delta-dual-hybrid-iem/reviews/13997

http://www.head-fi.org/products/venture-electronics-ve-the-duke/reviews/13986

http://www.head-fi.org/products/audio-technica-ath-ckr9-ltd/reviews/13897

http://www.head-fi.org/products/brainwavz-jive/reviews/13893

http://www.head-fi.org/products/soundmagic-e80-in-ear-monitor-headphone/reviews/13683

http://www.head-fi.org/products/final-audio-design-heaven-vii/reviews/13675

http://www.head-fi.org/products/audio-technica-ath-ckr10-in-ear-headphone-titanium-sonic-pro-dual-push-pull-drive-syst/reviews/13292

http://www.head-fi.org/products/audio-technica-in-ear-headphones-ath-ckr9-japan-import/reviews/13273

http://www.head-fi.org/products/dunu-titan-1-titanium-coated-diaphragm-earphones/reviews/12623

http://www.head-fi.org/products/brainwavz-r3-revised-edition/reviews/12298

http://www.head-fi.org/products/brainwavz-s0-in-ear-headphones/reviews/11902

http://www.head-fi.org/products/brainwavz-s5-in-ear-headphones/reviews/11719

Amplifiers:
http://www.head-fi.org/products/shozy-lancea-mini-dac-amplifier-24bit-192khz-for-android-ios-pc-iphone/reviews/13879

http://www.head-fi.org/products/brainwavz-ap001-portable-headphone-amplifier/reviews/11931

http://www.head-fi.org/products/brainwavz-s5-in-ear-headphones/reviews/11719

Bluetooth stuff:
http://www.head-fi.org/products/bluetooth-receiver-dual-amplifier-class1-nfc-black-japan-import/reviews/13692

http://www.head-fi.org/products/brainwavz-blu-100-bluetooth-iems/reviews/13264

Reviews in progress:
Axgio Sprint Bluetooth IEM
Brainwazd KV100 Bluetooth headphones
Veture Electronics (VE) RunAbout amplifier

Reviews plannde in the (hopefully not to far away) future:
Brainwavz S3 IEM
YINJW DIY IE800 IEM

Very nice, neat and organized Peter!

peter123 · Sep 22, 2015 at 11:14 AM

charliemotta said:
I see you have 'Planned Reviews'., Do you have 'Planned Parenthood' too?

Charlie ♫

I wish I had before getting four kids

charliemotta said:
Very nice, neat and organized Peter!

Thanks Charlie, I'll try to get the rest sorted ut in not to long as well.

peter123 · Sep 22, 2015 at 12:03 PM

My happy twin girls

peter123 · Sep 22, 2015 at 4:06 PM

The Axgio Sprint:

http://www.head-fi.org/products/axgio-sprint-sound-isolating-sport-stereo-bluetooth-4-1-headphone-adjustable-memory-wire-security-fit-design-ipx4-sweat-proof-8h-battery-life-apt-x-wireless-earbuds-earphone-earpiece-headset-with-mic-black/reviews/14073

Baycode · Sep 22, 2015 at 4:15 PM

"Thumbs up" Peter for the thread ! Cute twins you have, cheers buddy !

peter123 · Sep 22, 2015 at 4:28 PM

baycode said:
"Thumbs up" Peter for the thread ! Cute twins you have, cheers buddy !

Thanks Baybars! Twins ftw :wink:

peter123 · Sep 23, 2015 at 10:48 AM

These arrived today:

Initial impression straight from the box is pretty good. First of the S-series that don't have to boomy bass for me. More to come.....

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