[Techno Kid]

After reading everything I could find on the Fidelio  S1 I'm really looking forward to hearing them, they sound like an IEM that I'm going to like a lot and its also going to be nice to see how the compare to the $250 T-Peos H-200 I'm getting for review.

 

[dweaver]

Sofa, I think I can say the S2 is more detailed and smoother. But the 381F is a more energetic and in up close sound. Both have good sound stages and imaging but the S2 is not significantly better or anything. The big thing is they are different signatures.

 

[dweaver]

Double post...

 

[Techno Kid]

Quote:

My apologies for the multiple posts...

 
The sites been going very slow for me, I don't know if that's what happened to you but I almost posted again also.

 

[d marc0]

The sites been going very slow for me, I don't know if that's what happened to you but I almost posted again also.

Yeah, I thought my device was not uploading. Apparently it did... Not just twice but heaps! Damn.

 

[Impulse]

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.

Isn't that award you're referring to just their Stuff We Like badge or recommendation? I would hardly call that an award, it's more like their version of a 4+ star score or whatever positive mark other sites and publications use (and that kinda scoring can be even more vague). AFAIK it doesn't mean they're saying it's best in class or an amazing value, just that it's competitive and worth considering.

I don't look at IF to be an all encompassing guide of what to avoid in this market? frankly it's growing far too fast for anyone to mamanage that, and long negative reviews are ultimately a waste of everyone's time (tho they're also the easiest to write), expect possibly when it's a product that's otherwise getting hyped in certain circles... But that never lasts if it's truly awful.

I can agree with wanting more direct comparisons tho... It's not always a fair setup if you're trying to be objective but it's ultimately the situation a consumer faces. I think joker does a really good job of that with IEM (if not on the articles themselves then on the comments or Head Fi), but the other writers could improve on that. Admittedly it's easier to keep a few dozen IEM around...  

 

[Ultrazino]

This is getting off-topic too fast, but you just agreed with what I said. Inner Fidelity is a blog promoting a very few selected products. Be it a time management issue or whatever, it is what it is.
 
It's not how IF started and they tried hard to stay as objective as possible - which is what this community needs. We - the normal users - do not have the possibility to compare with dozen different IEMs. That's why we appreciate Tyll for what he does.
 
As for awarding (wall of fame = best of the best) the new Philips Fidelio IEM: Joker has not reviewed, nor compared them in his Multi-IEM Review thread. Now why would I trust an article that is just a few posts below two advertisements? Excuse me, my bad!

 

[Impulse]

Sounds an awful lot like you're questioning joker's integrity... Plenty of publications and sites in this world have independently managed advertising departments, if you don't inherently trust anything that's displayed near ads then you're gonna miss out on a ton of worthwhile content.

Joker's already said he's adding the Fidelios to his thread when he can and even estimated where they'd stand score-wise...

 

[Ultrazino]

I did not question Joker, I question the people that buy products blindly because of one opinion. (If you actually paid attention, you would have noticed that I didn't know the article was by Joker. I didn't even know Joker is writing for IF.)
 
As I said, I like reading Joker's reviews a lot, too, but I do have a slightly different perception with some IEMs (of course, everybody does) and I was just surprised by Techno Kid's decision - and I quote: "I had to get a pair of S1's because from the Innerfidelity post it seemed to good to pass up."
 
Meanwhile, dweaver did a really good job at giving further impressions and I do believe the Philips are good IEMs, but as first comparisons with a super cheap Superlux hint, it might not be the must-buy the like IF article implies.

 

[16570]

Currently, I have the Klipsch S4i with Comply tips and really enjoy the sound, but do feel that I could use a little more clarity. The highs also sometimes feel a little recessed. My source is Spotify where I think some tracks stream at 320kbps while others stream at 160kbps.
 
To those who own the S1, my question is do you think it would be a good upgrade from the S4i? I am also considering the SE215, which is also on InnerFidelity's Wall of Fame. Any opinions welcome!

 

[n_maher]

 
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."

 
You simply couldn't be more wrong. And your statement of "I don't want to imply anything" is laughable. What do you think your post does if not imply something? Wait, it doesn't imply it, you come right out and say it. "There is no doubt they receive a nice bonus for publishing an article of specific companies." Errrr, wrong again. Your frustration with not being able to review everything is well understood and shared by the staff but with the exception of Tyll all of us carry full time jobs elsewhere and you might be surprised just how long it takes to do something you consider a crap job. What I can say is that when I write a review for IF I get paid waaaaaaaaaay less than minimum wage to the point where I basically do it because I support what IF is trying to do. But go on thinking what you want to think and spouting off completely unsubstantiated and false information. Just take a look in the mirror and realize that you're doing exactly what you say you dislike IF for allegedly doing, not telling it like it is.

 

[Ultrazino]

I have written a review* of a product I liked. I tried to be objective, but I guess I was a little enthusiastic - the condition is probably best known as New Toy Syndrome, you should know it very well.
That company contacted me after and sent me a gift to my surprise!
 
That same company is on your wall of fame.
 
* I posted said review elsewhere, not on Head-Fi.

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

I have written a review* of a product I liked. I tried to be objective, but I guess I was a little enthusiastic - the condition is probably best known as New Toy Syndrome, you should know it very well.
That company contacted me after and sent me a gift to my surprise!
 
That same company is on your wall of fame.
 
* I posted said review elsewhere, not on Head-Fi.

 
Link to the quote...  Can't find it on Innerfidelity.  Normally when Tyll refers to a "gift" he refers to a new headphone to review.  I've seen him many times state that he's received gifts that were better left at the curb.  He is objective in his reviews.  The thing is, he only reviews the good products, but in each of his monthly updates, he gives the good and bad products a quick mention.  He gets lots of headphones in each month, and can't review them all.  So he made the choice to review the good products (spread word of the good, not the bad). 

 

[zzffnn]

Please, let us get back to the topic of Fidelio S1 and S2.

Ultrazino, you might have gone too far in your comments. If you don't like certain articles at Innerfidelity, just skip and don't read them. It is not productive to comment on Innerfidelity at an earphone thread like this one.

If you want specific comparison, just ask Joker at his big IEM review thread. He just kindly replied to my request and provided a specific comparison (which was not provided in his review).

Joker, Tyll, or other Innerfidelity reviewers do not have enough space/time/funds to write down/produce everything we want, no to mention how difficult it is to objectively compare gears and have gears side by side for comparisons. They may not be allowed to say 100% of their thoughts either (I guess they cannot bad mouth their sponsors, but that does not mean that reviewers have to promote sponsors). They have done the best that they could. And they provided some very useful objective data that is lacking elsewhere. Edit: for a big typo.

 

[Ultrazino]

Quote:

Please, let us get back to the topic of Fidelio S1 and S2.

Ultrazino, you might have gone too far in your comments. If you don't like certain articles at Innerfidelity, just skip and don't read them. It is not productive to comment on Innerfidelity at an earphone thread like this one.

 
Yes, I agree and I have taken it to PM. We should get back to topic.