ZetsuBozu0012
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2011
- Posts
- 348
- Likes
- 26
I came across a pair in an out-of the way stall just a week or two ago, and made up my mind to get them on the spot. It wasn't so much the brand name or design that tempted me, though these do look beautiful. Honestly, I'm a Persona 3 fanboy and just wanted clip-ons for the sake of having clip-ons, haha.
I'm relatively new to the world of hi-fi (I wonder how long I've been saying that?), and I barely have anything to compare these clips to, so I'd suggest you take my opinions with a pinch of salt. Regardless, here's what I've experienced so far with them, in the week since I've bought them:
COMFORT:
In a thread similar to this one, the reviewer mentioned that the clips were extremely tight, even to the point of being too painful for prolonged use. My experience, however, dictates otherwise. Perhaps it's nothing more than mere misfortune on my part, but while the left clip really does feel secure (but far from tight enough to be uncomfortable), the one on the right is noticeably looser. They don't exactly fall off after a shake of the head, far from it in fact, but the slight flapping noise it makes when I move my head around gets somewhat irritating at times.
The cushions on the inside of the clips feel nothing short of luxurious. They're extremely soft to the touch, and I've caught myself spending several minutes just running my fingers across them. Moreover, they're thick enough to provide enough comfort to take the bite off the clamp but not so plush as to be stuffy or cumbersome. I believe Pioneer got these pads exactly right, so kudos to them for that.
In short, I could wear these clips for several hours on end without feeling the slightest bit of discomfort. A couple of caveats, though, for those with sensitive ears:
1.) While the pads are marvelous, the plastic half-rings that secure the 'phones to your ears are hard plastic. Should you find yourself constantly fiddling with the fit, the friction will cause some irritation. To their credit, though, they are nicely textured and don't really slip around.
2.) They are HEAVY. The clips weigh a grand total of 60g, which is really pushing it for a pair of clip-ons. What's worse is that they're attached to a 0.6m cord that has a metal 3.5mm plug at the end. Considering the less-than-adequate length of the cord, you'll find the supplied 1.0m extension to be a godsend. There are a few problems with the wiring, which I'll get to soon enough.
DURABILITY and USABILITY:
To begin with, these are really well-crafted clips. Much like how a high-end phone's heft seems to bring with it a feeling of sturdiness and quality, same goes for the EX9s. I would have sworn that they were made out of an extremely lightweight, non-resonant alloy or something similarly silly, but I discovered, to my surprise, that they were simply made of plastic.
*Offhand thought: I wonder what would happen if I tried modding these further? I've gone so far as to vent the rear and get rid of the cushion that covered the front face, but that's about all.
I've yet to drop them, scratch them, or abrade them in any way as of now, but I'm fairly confident that they'll survive some rough handling. Well, anything short of taking a sledgehammer to them, at any rate. As I've mentioned, the hinge on the right clip is rather looser than the left one, though that could just be a factory defect; It's not so bad, really. At least, I don't recall having done anything to damage the hinge. Wrapping the one hinge with an elastic helped solve this problem for me.
So, I mentioned earlier that the earpieces were a bit on the hefty side, and that the metal jack (pictured above) did little to take the load off my ears. Besides that, the metal bit has an annoying tendency to start swinging around as I walk, so I feel the weight on my ears a bit more than usual when I'm standing. Another little irritant is the fact that the 3.5mm plug at the end of the 1.0m extension (which you really can't get out of using, normally) terminates in an L-shaped jack. I don't know that it will bother everyone who uses these clips, but they really worry me, as I keep my player inside my pocket, so that L-shaped jack is in constant danger of getting snagged on something.
SOUND QUALITY:
By definition, clip-on headphones are designed with portability in mind. By reason of this, you really oughtn't expect much of them, at least when comparing them to circumaural or supraural full-sized headphones. To my surprise (and joy), these clips completely outperformed the only other notable pair of cans I've ever owned (Sennheiser HD428), both in volume and perceived detail. That's hardly a fair comparison considering how inefficient the HD428s are, but them's the breaks.
I haven't got any graphs to show off, though a fellow EX9 owner took the liberty of testing them out and finding out how they fared against the Grado SR60s and KSC-75s. By the way, he's the one to thank for getting these relatively obscure clips the credit they deserve:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/484785/best-sq-clip-on-found-pioneer-se-ex9
I'll not repeat how they performed against the two others, as I feel jook is the better qualified to make any definite remarks regarding their technical performance. As for me, I'll be offering my own humble and subjective opinions.
They have a resistance of just Ω 32, and a dB sensitivity of 105, so you can get a LOT of volume quickly. They're open backed, though, so you may have to watch out that you don't irritate anyone when listening to music, should you use these on public transportation. What's surprising is that they were even better at drowning out ambient noise than my HD428s, which are closed-back. In their defense, however, simply being able to isolate yourself from background noise isn't much of an excuse to damage your ears permanently, so if you're looking for a pair of portable cans that excel at isolating noise without having to crank it to 11, then you may have to look for another pair.
As to the quality of the sound, suffice it to say that I'm hearing my song library with brand new ears. There are details that I didn't even notice existed while using the 428s, such as with the acoustic version of Bon Jovi's Livin' On A Prayer and Paramore's Careful. Though you can, if you really wish to, manage to use these in noisier environs, these really shine when you're playing your music in a quiet room. Sounds that you just don't notice with stock earbuds or low-end cans just seem to pop out at you, and you start feeling like a total dunce for not noticing them in the first place. No, seriously, I swear that I never even noticed the piano in the background of Fall Out Boy's remake of Michael Jackson's Beat It at certain parts of the song. Also, bass, which you'd never really expect a pair of clip-ons to excel in, feels really strong with these cans. It doesn't come close to the old speakers my grandpa has at home, but for a pair of clips, pretty impressive. Same goes for the mids and highs: No graininess up top, while the former is really in your face. I know that a lot of people are complaining about recessed mids and such with their headphones, but if anything these tend to err in the opposite direction.
Soundstage is beyond good on these. Hardly anything exceptional, but you actually get a bit of depth with these clips. Of course, that's also reliant on your source as much as your headphones, but compared to most budget portable cans I've tried you do get some out-of-your-headedness. Just so you know, while the soundstage is perfect for rock and the like, it's a bit too narrow for classical music and larger arrangements.
Another word of warning: these are really analytical clips. Tiny little crackles and scratches that you never even knew existed will start being really obvious in your music, as will problems with your gear. You'll need a competent source to get the most out of these, and if the music is of low quality, then these cans will keep nagging you to re-rip your music or find a better master just so it stops nagging at you. Take my word on this: about a fifth of my music library has become really hard to listen to, so I had to spend quite a bit of extra cash (for a college frosh) to get better CDs.
OVERALL:
This was my first proper gear review, so I'm running on fumes right about now.
To wrap it all up, these are really good quality clips for their price, even beating out some of the bigger brand names in the price range. Bass, mids, and highs are great, subtle details just jump out and ambush you when you least expect them. Volume levels are enough to cause your ears to hurt, and the soundstage is surprisingly good for a pair of clips.
Once again, I'm still relatively new to this all, so my perceptions may prove to be a bit awry. And if you're really planning on getting these, then I suggest that you set aside some money for a decent cable, and recable them as soon as you can. Of course, I've yet to do so as I'm a novice with tools of any kind, but I expect that you'll be well rewarded should you successfully do so.
I'm relatively new to the world of hi-fi (I wonder how long I've been saying that?), and I barely have anything to compare these clips to, so I'd suggest you take my opinions with a pinch of salt. Regardless, here's what I've experienced so far with them, in the week since I've bought them:
COMFORT:
In a thread similar to this one, the reviewer mentioned that the clips were extremely tight, even to the point of being too painful for prolonged use. My experience, however, dictates otherwise. Perhaps it's nothing more than mere misfortune on my part, but while the left clip really does feel secure (but far from tight enough to be uncomfortable), the one on the right is noticeably looser. They don't exactly fall off after a shake of the head, far from it in fact, but the slight flapping noise it makes when I move my head around gets somewhat irritating at times.
The cushions on the inside of the clips feel nothing short of luxurious. They're extremely soft to the touch, and I've caught myself spending several minutes just running my fingers across them. Moreover, they're thick enough to provide enough comfort to take the bite off the clamp but not so plush as to be stuffy or cumbersome. I believe Pioneer got these pads exactly right, so kudos to them for that.
In short, I could wear these clips for several hours on end without feeling the slightest bit of discomfort. A couple of caveats, though, for those with sensitive ears:
1.) While the pads are marvelous, the plastic half-rings that secure the 'phones to your ears are hard plastic. Should you find yourself constantly fiddling with the fit, the friction will cause some irritation. To their credit, though, they are nicely textured and don't really slip around.
2.) They are HEAVY. The clips weigh a grand total of 60g, which is really pushing it for a pair of clip-ons. What's worse is that they're attached to a 0.6m cord that has a metal 3.5mm plug at the end. Considering the less-than-adequate length of the cord, you'll find the supplied 1.0m extension to be a godsend. There are a few problems with the wiring, which I'll get to soon enough.
DURABILITY and USABILITY:
To begin with, these are really well-crafted clips. Much like how a high-end phone's heft seems to bring with it a feeling of sturdiness and quality, same goes for the EX9s. I would have sworn that they were made out of an extremely lightweight, non-resonant alloy or something similarly silly, but I discovered, to my surprise, that they were simply made of plastic.
*Offhand thought: I wonder what would happen if I tried modding these further? I've gone so far as to vent the rear and get rid of the cushion that covered the front face, but that's about all.
I've yet to drop them, scratch them, or abrade them in any way as of now, but I'm fairly confident that they'll survive some rough handling. Well, anything short of taking a sledgehammer to them, at any rate. As I've mentioned, the hinge on the right clip is rather looser than the left one, though that could just be a factory defect; It's not so bad, really. At least, I don't recall having done anything to damage the hinge. Wrapping the one hinge with an elastic helped solve this problem for me.
So, I mentioned earlier that the earpieces were a bit on the hefty side, and that the metal jack (pictured above) did little to take the load off my ears. Besides that, the metal bit has an annoying tendency to start swinging around as I walk, so I feel the weight on my ears a bit more than usual when I'm standing. Another little irritant is the fact that the 3.5mm plug at the end of the 1.0m extension (which you really can't get out of using, normally) terminates in an L-shaped jack. I don't know that it will bother everyone who uses these clips, but they really worry me, as I keep my player inside my pocket, so that L-shaped jack is in constant danger of getting snagged on something.
SOUND QUALITY:
By definition, clip-on headphones are designed with portability in mind. By reason of this, you really oughtn't expect much of them, at least when comparing them to circumaural or supraural full-sized headphones. To my surprise (and joy), these clips completely outperformed the only other notable pair of cans I've ever owned (Sennheiser HD428), both in volume and perceived detail. That's hardly a fair comparison considering how inefficient the HD428s are, but them's the breaks.
I haven't got any graphs to show off, though a fellow EX9 owner took the liberty of testing them out and finding out how they fared against the Grado SR60s and KSC-75s. By the way, he's the one to thank for getting these relatively obscure clips the credit they deserve:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/484785/best-sq-clip-on-found-pioneer-se-ex9
I'll not repeat how they performed against the two others, as I feel jook is the better qualified to make any definite remarks regarding their technical performance. As for me, I'll be offering my own humble and subjective opinions.
They have a resistance of just Ω 32, and a dB sensitivity of 105, so you can get a LOT of volume quickly. They're open backed, though, so you may have to watch out that you don't irritate anyone when listening to music, should you use these on public transportation. What's surprising is that they were even better at drowning out ambient noise than my HD428s, which are closed-back. In their defense, however, simply being able to isolate yourself from background noise isn't much of an excuse to damage your ears permanently, so if you're looking for a pair of portable cans that excel at isolating noise without having to crank it to 11, then you may have to look for another pair.
As to the quality of the sound, suffice it to say that I'm hearing my song library with brand new ears. There are details that I didn't even notice existed while using the 428s, such as with the acoustic version of Bon Jovi's Livin' On A Prayer and Paramore's Careful. Though you can, if you really wish to, manage to use these in noisier environs, these really shine when you're playing your music in a quiet room. Sounds that you just don't notice with stock earbuds or low-end cans just seem to pop out at you, and you start feeling like a total dunce for not noticing them in the first place. No, seriously, I swear that I never even noticed the piano in the background of Fall Out Boy's remake of Michael Jackson's Beat It at certain parts of the song. Also, bass, which you'd never really expect a pair of clip-ons to excel in, feels really strong with these cans. It doesn't come close to the old speakers my grandpa has at home, but for a pair of clips, pretty impressive. Same goes for the mids and highs: No graininess up top, while the former is really in your face. I know that a lot of people are complaining about recessed mids and such with their headphones, but if anything these tend to err in the opposite direction.
Soundstage is beyond good on these. Hardly anything exceptional, but you actually get a bit of depth with these clips. Of course, that's also reliant on your source as much as your headphones, but compared to most budget portable cans I've tried you do get some out-of-your-headedness. Just so you know, while the soundstage is perfect for rock and the like, it's a bit too narrow for classical music and larger arrangements.
Another word of warning: these are really analytical clips. Tiny little crackles and scratches that you never even knew existed will start being really obvious in your music, as will problems with your gear. You'll need a competent source to get the most out of these, and if the music is of low quality, then these cans will keep nagging you to re-rip your music or find a better master just so it stops nagging at you. Take my word on this: about a fifth of my music library has become really hard to listen to, so I had to spend quite a bit of extra cash (for a college frosh) to get better CDs.
OVERALL:
This was my first proper gear review, so I'm running on fumes right about now.
To wrap it all up, these are really good quality clips for their price, even beating out some of the bigger brand names in the price range. Bass, mids, and highs are great, subtle details just jump out and ambush you when you least expect them. Volume levels are enough to cause your ears to hurt, and the soundstage is surprisingly good for a pair of clips.
Once again, I'm still relatively new to this all, so my perceptions may prove to be a bit awry. And if you're really planning on getting these, then I suggest that you set aside some money for a decent cable, and recable them as soon as you can. Of course, I've yet to do so as I'm a novice with tools of any kind, but I expect that you'll be well rewarded should you successfully do so.
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