james.dk
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 30, 2008
- Posts
- 2
- Likes
- 0
I’m going to Kobe (JP) in end-July. While I’m there, I thought I might as well check out some of the local hardware… So, what should I look out for in the <10,000Yen market for portable ‘phones? I need something that is easily tucked away and has no headband. My instincts tell me that I prefer not to stick stuff deeply into my ears, which is why I use clip-ons at the moment.
I am currently using a puny set of Sony q22’s that probably wouldn’t impress anyone as far as sound quality goes, but I do like the ergonomics of these clip-ons, and the flexible, durable cable they use is actually a big plus for me.
I am going to be using the ‘phones daily for 30-60 minutes at a time, sometimes hours during train rides or flights. I will be using them for exercise, on the street and commuting. I need to be able to hear what’s going on around me in traffic when walking etc (Danes tend to use their ‘phones even while biking – not recommendable to sane people and possibly illegal in some countries, but we do have wide biking lanes everywhere, and bikes are almost as dominant in the cities of Denmark as in NL or China
). On the other hand, I do realize the some of the IEM-earbud hybrids may provide a degree of isolation that can help reduce the volume levels of my music and thereby protect my hearing.
The only kind of behind-the-head ‘phones I could imagine buying would be iGrado, possibly senn PMX100/200. But having tested a couple of well burnt-in PX100, I felt their bass was a little too dominant for my taste.
Personal faves at the moment (just from reading reviews and looking at them) would be Audio-Technicas, since I imagine they should be cheaper in their home country. Also, I understand that they are supposed to be generally more controlled in bass compared the aforementioned PX100’s. I’m thinking ATH-CK7 or EM5, EM700 or similar which should fall within my ~10,000Y budget, depending on possible discounts. I love the look of the EM series, but do the CK’s sound better, or are they just preferred among IEM fanatics?
Should I be looking at other brands?
Is it at all worth it to look for ‘phones in Japan, considering the available options at home? Here’s a list of alternatives, I can get locally. I’ve converted to approximate prices in Yen for comparison:
Beyerdynamic dtx 50~11900Y
iGrado ~9300Y
Denon AH-C351 ~7300Y
Goldring gx200 ~10400Y
Koss KSC 75 ~3700Y
Do any of you brilliant people have any shopping tips re. where to look for ‘phones around Sannomiya or close to the Kobe International Conference Center?
The ‘phones will be used for some classic (guitar and symphonics, mostly), but primarily for artists like Air, Ali Farka Touré, Arcade Fire, Architecture in Helsinki, Arctic Monkeys, BRMC, Björk, Bloc Party, Blonde Redhead, Clash, CSS, Manu Chao, Bowie, Flaming Lips, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, Ladytron, Leonard Cohen, Lykke Li (check her out on myspace!), Phoenix, Raconteurs, Velvet Underground, Radiohead, Mercury Rev, Yeah Yeah Yeahs. – according to my iPod…
I am currently using a puny set of Sony q22’s that probably wouldn’t impress anyone as far as sound quality goes, but I do like the ergonomics of these clip-ons, and the flexible, durable cable they use is actually a big plus for me.
I am going to be using the ‘phones daily for 30-60 minutes at a time, sometimes hours during train rides or flights. I will be using them for exercise, on the street and commuting. I need to be able to hear what’s going on around me in traffic when walking etc (Danes tend to use their ‘phones even while biking – not recommendable to sane people and possibly illegal in some countries, but we do have wide biking lanes everywhere, and bikes are almost as dominant in the cities of Denmark as in NL or China
The only kind of behind-the-head ‘phones I could imagine buying would be iGrado, possibly senn PMX100/200. But having tested a couple of well burnt-in PX100, I felt their bass was a little too dominant for my taste.
Personal faves at the moment (just from reading reviews and looking at them) would be Audio-Technicas, since I imagine they should be cheaper in their home country. Also, I understand that they are supposed to be generally more controlled in bass compared the aforementioned PX100’s. I’m thinking ATH-CK7 or EM5, EM700 or similar which should fall within my ~10,000Y budget, depending on possible discounts. I love the look of the EM series, but do the CK’s sound better, or are they just preferred among IEM fanatics?
Should I be looking at other brands?
Is it at all worth it to look for ‘phones in Japan, considering the available options at home? Here’s a list of alternatives, I can get locally. I’ve converted to approximate prices in Yen for comparison:
Beyerdynamic dtx 50~11900Y
iGrado ~9300Y
Denon AH-C351 ~7300Y
Goldring gx200 ~10400Y
Koss KSC 75 ~3700Y
Do any of you brilliant people have any shopping tips re. where to look for ‘phones around Sannomiya or close to the Kobe International Conference Center?
The ‘phones will be used for some classic (guitar and symphonics, mostly), but primarily for artists like Air, Ali Farka Touré, Arcade Fire, Architecture in Helsinki, Arctic Monkeys, BRMC, Björk, Bloc Party, Blonde Redhead, Clash, CSS, Manu Chao, Bowie, Flaming Lips, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, Ladytron, Leonard Cohen, Lykke Li (check her out on myspace!), Phoenix, Raconteurs, Velvet Underground, Radiohead, Mercury Rev, Yeah Yeah Yeahs. – according to my iPod…
