h20buzz
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2010
- Posts
- 69
- Likes
- 10
I've been eyeing the Pioneer SE-CLX50 for a little bit, wondering what they might bring to the table, as i've owned some Pioneer car speakers in the past and had above average experiences with them. So a couple weeks ago while perusing the Pioneer website, i noticed that these were available directly from Pioneer for $59. That was enough for me to decide to take a gamble on them out of curiosity. I might note that some will probably consider these earbuds more than IEM's as they are basically an earbud style speaker with a rubber nozzle/tip holder attached that makes it fit as an IEM, much like the Comply adapter for Apple earbuds. It doesn't bother me, just want to make it clear how these are made.
I've had them long enough now to offer a few impressions and observations.
First off, getting a proper fit. I was not amused when i first took them out of the box, tried to swap the pre-installed tip with a different one and the tip holder/nozzle pulled right through the boot (flex nozzle) that covers the speaker. After reading the enclosed literature i came to find that this is considered "normal", so i reinserted the holder and continued my quest to get a tip that offered a proper seal. This problem will happen every time unless you remove the flex nozzle from the speaker to change out your tips, as the tips go on snuggly and really stay there. No worries about one coming off in your ear here. I couldn't achieve any kind of seal with the supplied tips, so i moved on and tried some from my Sennheiser IE8. No go. Perfectly fit the CLX50, but not for me. I ended up with the Comply Tx500 working for me for now. I really think a good tri-flange would work wonders with these, but i have none that fit at the moment. Nonetheless, the Comply allowed me a seal and thus eliminated the sibilance i was experiencing, and really brought out the bass....which leads to observation number 2.
If you look at the back of the box it states "Reproduces powerful bass rhythm with vivid vocal coloration". Do not doubt this statement not even for a second. Once you get a seal, these things POUND. Very deep bass, sub-bass really, as tight and punchy as i've experienced in any IEM. As an example, listening to The Police's "Walking on the Moon" and Lee Ritenour's " A Little Bumpin' " produced not only subwoofer like sound, but also sensation in my ears...and not at an extremely high volume. Those that dislike heavy bass or who are bothered by it need not apply.
As for the "vivid vocal coloration", i'm not so sure that coloration is necessarily the proper terminology. Usually when i think of coloration i think of it as being presented in an unnatural manner. Maybe i need to change how i think, because these don't have unnatural sounding vocals at all. Very smooth if somewhat recessed is how i hear vocals on these.
Keeping in mind that my impressions are from listening with Comply tips, which tend to take the edge off higher frequencies,these offer very good treble detail without being the least bit harsh, possibly leaving me wishing they had just a tiny bit more zing at times, but for the most part it's well done and won't fatigue your ears over long listening periods. I actually found myself just enjoying the music with these instead of trying to analyze them...while i was trying to analyze them. Short attention span
The soundstage the CLX50 offers was really a big surprise for me. I wasn't expecting anything like it for $59. Definitely more width than depth, although the depth is nothing to sneer at either. On some music i could sense the instrument positioning just as i would if i were at the show. I'll go out on a limb and say it would compare to my Panasonic's, although i haven't done a side by side with them for a true test.
The cable on these is what i would consider fairly hefty, almost identical thickness to my Monster Pro Gold or Fischer Eterna, thicker than my IE8, if that helps anyone that's curious to compare. It has just slightly less memory than my Eterna, which for me is a decent amount. I will warn that the cable is short without the included extension, even with it possibly for some. I'm 6' , and the cable will reach a jacket pocket fine, a pants pocket..well..not so much. Anyone any taller would probably take issue. Some but very little microphonics with these, and i should remember to note that these are sound isolating, but below average in my opinion. If you want great isolation, these will disappoint.
In general, i think i might have stumbled on to a fun-n-fast little IEM with this purchase. For sure, these aren't every day go-to's for those who want to really analyze their music, and probably not a great choice as an IEM for those who only want one, unless you want big powerful bass with every listening session. I don't intend to mislead anyone, these don't simply pound bass and nothing else, they are a decently detailed listen in fact, just with a much higher emphasis on bass than most.
My next step with these is to try to find a tri-flange tip that will fit that i can experiment with, and i'm hoping some of you nice folks might enlighten me with your always appreciated knowledge in this department.
If you keep in mind the pain in the neck factor that figures into changing tips on these, and you can deal with the inconvenience until you get to where you want to be with them, these definitely aren't the worst choice you can make for $59. Far from it.
. I wanted to ask, is it possible to set tri-flanges to clx50 and when it is, then have you any recommendations? I just don't know so much about accessories for earphones, but read too that tri-flanges are like helping to get much more bass 
.