[Ultrazino]

Quote:

I had to get a pair of S1's because from the Innerfidelity post it seemed to good to pass up.

 
I don't pay attention to Inner Fidelity anymore. In the beginning, it was a great site and even today their measurements are great. But their articles feel a lot like advertisement. Most of them start with "thanks to..." and "such a great company", followed by a lot of praise and leaving fair comparisons out of the game. The whole wording reads nicely but lacks a lot of objective and neutral adjectives. There is no doubt they receive a nice bonus for publishing an article of specific companies.
 
I don't want to imply anything, but it's just how I feel. I bet I'd think differently if Inner Fidelity actually picked up the pace and make batch reviews with comparisons. There is so much happening right now and very few products receive attention - and then they get praised.
This is what's happening now: "Hey I know I haven't covered any of the past 30 big releases, but here's a new product I want to show you. I'm the first to have it and it's going straight to the hall of fame! Remember, reviews are always subjective."

 

[karistep]

Can you compare with ba-200 tdk ?

 

[dweaver]

Ok quick comparison between 381F and S2 for Johnny Cash Man in Black. The S2 sounds more polished but the vocals are more recessed than the 381F and the percussion in the song is much stronger on the S2 as compared to the 381F. The sound stage feels slightly further back on the S2 which for this song feels more natural. Some of the percussion instruments sound a bit more natural on the 381F (can't say the name of the instrument but it makes a scratchy sound LOL). So aside from a bit more grain in the 381F it's almost a wash with IEM showing off what they are best at. I won't commit to it yet because I need to do more A/B comparisons but the price to cost ratio of the 381F is going to be hard to beat especially since I have the premium version of the Fidelio line.

 

[sofastreamer]

thanks! that meets my expectations.

 

[Techno Kid]

Quote:

 
I don't pay attention to Inner Fidelity anymore. In the beginning, it was a great site and even today their measurements are great. But their articles feel a lot like advertisement. Most of them start with "thanks to..." and "such a great company", followed by a lot of praise and leaving fair comparisons out of the game. The whole wording reads nicely but lacks a lot of objective and neutral adjectives. There is no doubt they receive a nice bonus for publishing an article of specific companies.
 
I don't want to imply anything, but it's just how I feel. I bet I'd think differently if Inner Fidelity actually picked up the pace and make batch reviews with comparisons. There is so much happening right now and very few products receive attention - and then they get praised.
This is what's happening now: "Hey I know I haven't covered any of the past 30 big releases, but here's a new product I want to show you. I'm the first to have it and it's going straight to the hall of fame! Remember, reviews are always subjective."

 
I don't go there much either but joker had a nice piece on the Fidelio S1 and S2 which was a good read and gave me a good idea on how they sound.

 

[Free167]

How would S1/S2 compare to JVC HA-FXT90?  Anyone?

 

[dweaver]

Jokers review is pretty much spot on. I like Inner Fidelity but don't go there a lot either but my reason is because it's not a forum and for me this hobby is as much about communicating with others as it is anything. Also I find Inner Fidelity more like a magazine which I find to be to much a one way communication. Which makes it a site to go to once in a while versus all the time.

 

[d marc0]

Quote:

How would S1/S2 compare to JVC HA-FXT90?  Anyone?

 
and also the Sony XBA 3/30?

 

[insidedrive]

Do you guys know what size of Comply tips fit these?

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

 
I don't pay attention to Inner Fidelity anymore. In the beginning, it was a great site and even today their measurements are great. But their articles feel a lot like advertisement. Most of them start with "thanks to..." and "such a great company", followed by a lot of praise and leaving fair comparisons out of the game. The whole wording reads nicely but lacks a lot of objective and neutral adjectives. There is no doubt they receive a nice bonus for publishing an article of specific companies.
 
I don't want to imply anything, but it's just how I feel. I bet I'd think differently if Inner Fidelity actually picked up the pace and make batch reviews with comparisons. There is so much happening right now and very few products receive attention - and then they get praised.
This is what's happening now: "Hey I know I haven't covered any of the past 30 big releases, but here's a new product I want to show you. I'm the first to have it and it's going straight to the hall of fame! Remember, reviews are always subjective."

 
I don’t think this is a personal attack but I feel like I should respond to the general gist of it since someone sent me a link.

Here’s how writing for InnerFidelity works: I have full control of articles that deal with IEMs. I can cover whatever I want and I can say whatever I want. However, I am limited to X articles per year and we receive 10 or 20 times more product than that. This means I have to be very picky with what I write up so I only select stuff I really, truly like (and there is an extra check on the performance when Tyll does the measurements). No one really wants to read about product Y that’s ok but not as good as product Z in the same price range and with a similar sound signature. We do cover downright poorly performing units when we feel that we need to warn others away from them (i.e. when they come from reputable or popular manufacturers who might be expected to do better) – see the Monster Beats Solo, Sol Republic Tracks, Bowers&Wilkins C5 and P3, etc.

Also it’s worth noting that in almost a year of my covering IEMs on InnerFidelity, the Philips S1 is the first and only one I have put on the Wall of Fame. I have also reviewed only two fresh releases (the Philips and the UE900) - the majority of what I've covered has been old.

Personally, I feel that my IF reviews are if anything more objective than those I have written for Head-Fi and elsewhere, partly because the IF audience tends to be more technical-minded and focused on measurements and absolute performance. There's a comment section on each article where people ask for clarifications, comparisons, etc.

Again, I don't think this was a personal attack but I just wanted to clear up any potential misconceptions about my writing at IF. It's unedited, uncensored, and I have no pressure to review any specific brands. I was going to do a piece on the Monoprice 8320 until the cable decided to shed. If it looks like I have nothing but good things to say, that's because only the highlights become full articles. In reality much of what I receive is left on the sidelines, but I do take the time to listen to everything before setting it aside.

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Quote:

There is no doubt they receive a nice bonus for publishing an article of specific companies.

 
Hogwash.

 

[Ultrazino]

@Joker:
Thank you for your comment, but exactly that is the problem, that you put the things aside you don't want to write about. It's understandable and I also keep mostly quiet about products I don't like. But when Inner Fidelity started, people were expecting the honest headphone source, highlighting flaws to producers and customers alike.
 
Why did you not include the SM64 and Heir 4.Ai in your UE900 review? If your articles are limited, you could easily make a feature of something like "New 4-BA driver IEMs in the Test: UE900, SM64, 4.Ai versus W4, SE535". Fair comparisons would have been important for an objective review, IMO.
 
As you said, this is not a personal attack and I didn't even notice it was you who wrote the article when I read it. I also enjoy your articles but - as a general reader - I just feel like the site is heading towards any audio site saying "this is new, this is hot, buy it from here...".
And, TBH, you can't tell me you don't know which power IF has to feature any product and thus help a company out a lot. It's normal people will lose faith. However, this has nothing to do with me, I am just the voice of many and you can take it as a warning or a foolish remark or whatever. Just have a look at the last articles: Win a Ferrari headphone, single amp (awarded), v-moda advertisement, sony line-up (wall of fame), philips inear (wall of fame), philips headphone (wall of fame), mini unknown DAC with focus on company information (awarded), another company boosted and awarded, ...
 
If you would respond everytime somebody thinks IF loses credibility, you won't have time to write any articles anymore.

 

[cel4145]

@Joker:
Thank you for your comment, but exactly that is the problem, that you put the things aside you don't want to write about. It's understandable and I also keep mostly quiet about products I don't like. But when Inner Fidelity started, people were expecting the honest headphone source, highlighting flaws to producers and customers alike.

Here you go, Ultrazino. There are reviews of plenty of mediocre IEMS here in this list for you to enjoy: http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-279-iems-compared-audio-technica-ckm500-added-05-01-13-p-678

Kind of nice to see fuller review versions of the better IEMs on innerfidelity. Who needs--or even wants--to read a more full blown review of an average headphone that no one should be excited about buying?

Thanks for doing all of these, Joker

 

[dweaver]

How would S1/S2 compare to JVC HA-FXT90?  Anyone?

and also the Sony XBA 3/30?

the S2 had less bass but livelier mids and treble than the XBA3. The XBA3's treble is slightly harsher metalic in nature. The S2 is more expansive and open sounding. I would say the S2 is better for classical music, classic rock, acoustic, country, jazz. The XBA3 is better if you like beat heavy music primarily and then any of the genres listed.

I tried to like the FXT90 but always found the treble to harsh and mids to fat and the bass to heavy. If that is how you feel about the FXT90 the S2 is a serious improvement. If not, you may prefer the signature of the FXT90 more.

In regards to just technical merit I think the S2 is a much more technically adept IEM compared to the FXT90 and about the same technically as the XBA3.

 

[d marc0]

the S2 had less bass but livelier mids and treble than the XBA3. The XBA3's treble is slightly harsher metalic in nature. The S2 is more expansive and open sounding. I would say the S2 is better for classical music, classic rock, acoustic, country, jazz. The XBA3 is better if you like beat heavy music primarily and then any of the genres listed.

I tried to like the FXT90 but always found the treble to harsh and mids to fat and the bass to heavy. If that is how you feel about the FXT90 the S2 is a serious improvement. If not, you may prefer the signature of the FXT90 more.

In regards to just technical merit I think the S2 is a much more technically adept IEM compared to the FXT90 and about the same technically as the XBA3.

Thanks dweaver! For the price, that is quite impressive indeed! philips has really stepped up this time with their Fidelio range. I'm really looking for an upgrade from the XBA 3, but I guess it will have to be the CKS1000. I feel that the S2 and DX210 (from the discovery thread) are more of a sidegrade but value wise: they could be the best out there.