Phonak Audeo (PFE) Thread
May 24, 2017 at 10:56 AM Post #3,121 of 3,305
Hey guys!

Just had to take my PFE 122s into an electronics repair shop, headphone connector finally bit the dust, and I lost the right channel. I am awaiting the repair now and have been thinking about what I need to do to prolong the filters I have for this baby...Has anyone given them an ISO bath before? I have some 99.9% isopropyl and have been unsure about using it on them without asking around first. I suspect that it will be totally fine, but if anyone has done it themselves, if you can let me know the outcome that would be sweet! Thanks!
 
Jun 26, 2017 at 6:25 PM Post #3,122 of 3,305
^^ I'm still kicking my 7 years old PFEs with no filter on a daily basis, you just need to equalize them properly to tame the crazy 1-10 khz mid-treble area (I'm talking -10 db here). I just switched to an iPhone 6S as my main source and they sound sweeter than ever on it. Makes me wonder if I'll ever get rid of them. Been thinking about the Pinnacle P1 but those drivers sound so damn fast.
 
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Jun 26, 2017 at 10:16 PM Post #3,123 of 3,305
^^ I'm still kicking my 7 years old PFEs with no filter on a daily basis, you just need to equalize them properly to tame the crazy 1-10 khz mid-treble area (I'm talking -10 db here). I just switched to an iPhone 6S as my main source and they sound sweeter than ever on it. Makes me wonder if I'll ever get rid of them. Been thinking about the Pinnacle P1 but those drivers sound so damn fast.
Yes, my Phonak PFE IEMs are still kicking after all these years and still sounding very good, the BA drivers on the PFEs are damn fast...I love their transient attack on percussive instruments. I'm also down to my last grey filters with both my PFE022 and PFE132. Overall the Comply T150 tips do wonders by taming the high frequency peaks for me. I don't know what I'd do when my last pairs of grey filters need to be replaced. Looks like I'll have to resort to EQ like you.

To my relief, I've found an amazing understated IEM that sounds even better than the PFE...it's the Dynamic Motion DM200H which has the speed of the PFE but with better high and low frequency extension. I was very skeptical over the DM200H after reading Inearspace's review but when I was in Tokyo, I tested the DM200H at E-Earphone Akihabara and I was floored by it's sound and price. I was actually testing the DM200H side by side with a few TOTL IEMs (at least 5 times the price of DM200H) and I actually prefer the sound of the DM200H. This leads me to suspect that Inearspace probably received a faulty unit. Please don't take my words for it but when you have the opportunity, do yourself a favor and go test the DM200H for yourself. I hope that you'll find a good replacement for your Phonak PFE soon.
 
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Jun 27, 2017 at 5:15 PM Post #3,124 of 3,305
Yes, my Phonak PFE IEMs are still kicking after all these years and still sounding very good, the BA drivers on the PFEs are damn fast...I love their transient attack on percussive instruments. I'm also down to my last grey filters with both my PFE022 and PFE132. Overall the Comply T150 tips do wonders by taming the high frequency peaks for me. I don't know what I'd do when my last pairs of grey filters need to be replaced. Looks like I'll have to resort to EQ like you.

To my relief, I've found an amazing understated IEM that sounds even better than the PFE...it's the Dynamic Motion DM200H which has the speed of the PFE but with better high and low frequency extension. I was very skeptical over the DM200H after reading Inearspace's review but when I was in Tokyo, I tested the DM200H at E-Earphone Akihabara and I was floored by it's sound and price. I was actually testing the DM200H side by side with a few TOTL IEMs (at least 5 times the price of DM200H) and I actually prefer the sound of the DM200H. This leads me to suspect that Inearspace probably received a faulty unit. Please don't take my words for it but when you have the opportunity, do yourself a favor and go test the DM200H for yourself. I hope that you'll find a good replacement for your Phonak PFE soon.
Thank you for the suggestion Francisk, I saw you mentioned these a few posts/pages ago, I must say I'm a bit confused with all the references in the iem market. I think my next iem will be darker than the original PFEs, which I equalize to my tastes. I think the safest bet would be stage diver sd2 which are apparently super flat and musical.

I assume the DM200H are a bit on the analytical side like the gray filter PFEs?

I cannot compare the filters on the PFEs anymore but as far as I remember they're just as good without any filter, you get that super clarity & dynamic and you just got to equalize them the way you want. My only regret is that I lost the great stock silicon tips which gave a better sound stage compared to the Shure olives.
 
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Jun 27, 2017 at 8:38 PM Post #3,125 of 3,305
Yes, the DM200H has a very dynamic, bright and detailed sound signature with better sound stage than the top of the line PFE232. For darker sound signature you'd have to go for Stage Diver SD2 instead. I totally agree with you on the stock silicone tips giving better sound stage but without the filters, the silicone tips is even more peakier.
 
Oct 15, 2017 at 12:25 PM Post #3,126 of 3,305
I was at a hifi convention in Paris today and I had the chance to listen to a few high end headphones and iems. I was really curious to hear the difference between the Phonaks and +$1000 iems and honestly i was appalled by the result. The iems from Earsonics sounded like subwoofers in comparison, even the s-em9 which I must admit had a great midrange otherwise. The Westone w80 was pretty well balanced but nothing really stunning to my ears. The only thing that impressed me in terms of iems was the Audeze lcd4i which has an amazing midrange. A bit like the Stax SR003 that I have but only at 10 times the cost (!). My conclusion is that $150 iems are really not that far from the big toys technically speaking and the Phonaks had a very neutral sound signature that is quite hard to find. That comforts me to buy stagediver sd2 if the Phonaks eventually get broken or lost.
 
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Oct 15, 2017 at 1:19 PM Post #3,127 of 3,305
The PFE really was a terrific value, excellent sound quality and so comfortable. I'm glad I stocked up on them and filters before the were discontinued. My first pair finally died after many years.
 
Oct 15, 2017 at 1:41 PM Post #3,128 of 3,305
The PFE really was a terrific value, excellent sound quality and so comfortable. I'm glad I stocked up on them and filters before the were discontinued. My first pair finally died after many years.

Any spare grey filters for pfe 232?
 
Oct 15, 2017 at 1:59 PM Post #3,129 of 3,305
I have a few spare grays for the 112. Not sure if they are the same for the 232. I've never heard the 232, but have read that it can be too bright. I mainly use black with my 112, but the gray is probably more accurate and neutral. Sorry, nothing is for sale.
 
Oct 30, 2017 at 5:54 AM Post #3,130 of 3,305
For those still looking for new filters, these could be an option:
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00EE6NOYA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These are acoustically transparent filters made for hearing aids. The filters are built-wise the same as the original PFE filters, even the changing tool is exactly the same, the only difference is that they don't affect the sound signature, so the sound will be the same as without filters, but the driver is protected against dust and moisture, which can lead to permanent damage if the phones are used without filters.
Using a DAP with a high-quality parametric eq (owners of a rockbox compatible player are here on the lucky side), you can get the sound of the filters you used before.
For the sound of the black filters, just set a high-shelf filter with f=1000Hz, Gain=-9.5dB, Q=0.6. For green and grey filters I don't have exact values, but I think, for "grey sound" a gain of about -6dB could be fine, for green maybe -12dB, but you must try this yourself, I don't bothered with that as I always prefered the black filters.
Tried it myself yesterday with my rockboxed Sansa Clip+ and compared to another pair of PFE112 with black filters inserted, the sound is exactly the same.
 
Oct 30, 2017 at 9:09 PM Post #3,132 of 3,305
I've actually just been washing my grey filters in warm distilled water when they seem like they have changed in sound or particularly when a set of filters makes each ear sound different.

After washing both ears sound identical again and everything sounds as crisp as a fresh pair of grey filters to my ears.

I have 2 sets of basically un-used filters and when I compare them to a set of old washed filters I can't tell a difference FWIW.
 
Oct 31, 2017 at 4:14 AM Post #3,133 of 3,305
For those still looking for new filters, these could be an option:
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00EE6NOYA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These are acoustically transparent filters made for hearing aids. The filters are built-wise the same as the original PFE filters, even the changing tool is exactly the same, the only difference is that they don't affect the sound signature, so the sound will be the same as without filters, but the driver is protected against dust and moisture, which can lead to permanent damage if the phones are used without filters.
Using a DAP with a high-quality parametric eq (owners of a rockbox compatible player are here on the lucky side), you can get the sound of the filters you used before.
For the sound of the black filters, just set a high-shelf filter with f=1000Hz, Gain=-9.5dB, Q=0.6. For green and grey filters I don't have exact values, but I think, for "grey sound" a gain of about -6dB could be fine, for green maybe -12dB, but you must try this yourself, I don't bothered with that as I always prefered the black filters.
Tried it myself yesterday with my rockboxed Sansa Clip+ and compared to another pair of PFE112 with black filters inserted, the sound is exactly the same.

Interesting, thanks for the tip. I've been using the 112 without filters for about two years now, no issue so far though but fingers crossed. On Spotify i turn down all frequencies at 1khz (including) and above to the max, so I guess it's a -15db drop. And I still get that amazing transparency the PFEs are famous for with a great toned down balance. Honestly in terms of clarity this competes with the $1500 universal IEMs I've heard on an iPhone (see my previous message), if not outperforms them.
 
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Jan 12, 2018 at 6:10 PM Post #3,134 of 3,305
Hey everyone. I've been using my PFE 232's for around 7 years now and I love them to death. My last cable is now going and I thought I would buy some from earphonesolutions but to my dismay they're all gone now! Anyone know what I can do other than going to a store and getting them repaired? Secondly, what can I use to replace these? I love the sound and the comfort. Before finding these, I found loads of IEMs to have too harsh highs etc, but these with the gray filters are perfect. Hopefully there is something good from a company that won't go bankrupt! Thanks.


edit: Some ppl have recommended the Etymotic ER4's but I don't think the deep insertion tips would work for me. Also other recommendations were some that not well known Korean producer with a fixed cable, but would really prefer something with a replaceable cable. Thanks again.
 
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Jan 13, 2018 at 12:44 AM Post #3,135 of 3,305
Hey everyone. I've been using my PFE 232's for around 7 years now and I love them to death. My last cable is now going and I thought I would buy some from earphonesolutions but to my dismay they're all gone now! Anyone know what I can do other than going to a store and getting them repaired? Secondly, what can I use to replace these? I love the sound and the comfort. Before finding these, I found loads of IEMs to have too harsh highs etc, but these with the gray filters are perfect. Hopefully there is something good from a company that won't go bankrupt! Thanks.


edit: Some ppl have recommended the Etymotic ER4's but I don't think the deep insertion tips would work for me. Also other recommendations were some that not well known Korean producer with a fixed cable, but would really prefer something with a replaceable cable. Thanks again.

The ER4 and PFE232 are completely opposite signatures. The 232 have a pretty strong V-shaped signature, even with the grey filters, the black and green just make it more substantial. The ER4 and 1XX series with the grey actually are comparable though.
 

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