[Anaxilus]

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thanks for replying.  what about HJE900 ?   i'm a bit worried about that some say BAs dont sound as enjoyable as dynamics. and complaining about thier soundstage and boring performance. i listen to hiphop and rnb much but i'm not lookin for very exaggerated bass nor lacking bass
 

HJE900 mids are a bit recessed.  Me and LFF were big dynamic driver guys.  The DBA sold us.  Be careful putting all things into the same basket.  Some dynamics sound like BAs and some BAs sound like dynamics.  But in general there is a type of character to the basic design.

 

[Pianist]

Quote:

thanks for replying.  what about HJE900 ?   i'm a bit worried about that some say BAs dont sound as enjoyable as dynamics. and complaining about thier soundstage and boring performance. i listen to hiphop and rnb much but i'm not lookin for very exaggerated bass nor lacking bass
 

The BA vs. dynamics debate is mostly a matter of preference. Objectively though, BAs are superior to most dynamics out there from a technical perspective. BAs are faster, clearer, more neutral, more precise drivers in general and only the very best dynamic drivers can rival them in technicalities. Now, many people are used to the sound of dynamics, because they are everywhere. Most speakers you hear at stores, concerts, in cars, etc, are all dynamic driver based. Once the brain gets used to the sound character, it will need time to appreciate other types of drivers with different characters. For this reason, many people dismiss the BAs as too clean, analytical, sterile, boring, flat, etc, when in reality a well designed BA is a wonderful transducer that is far more accurate and real sounding than any of the consumer grade dynamics out there. In order to appreciate the sound of BA drivers you may need to be patient and spend some time listening to them even if you may not like them at first. But like I said, the BA has to be a good quality design. There are plenty of terrible multi driver BAs out there in which the drivers are not matched properly resulting in out of phase, incoherent sound. There are also plenty of cheap single driver BAs that just aren't well tuned and can sound dull, overly bright, muddy in the bass, out of focus, etc.
 
DBA-02 is an example of a high quality multi driver BA design. Its crossover is very well engineered and allows the two drivers to work together very nicely. It sounds great - accurate, clear, natural. HJE900 is an example of a high quality dynamic driver design that also sounds very good, but unfortunately is tuned with a bias towards the low frequencies, resulting in a bass heavy sound that is not very accurate. It is a very musical IEM however and will work really well for those who don't want to get used to the more accurate sound of good BAs. So it's really up to you which one to get. They are both very good in different ways, but personally I recommend DBA-02 over HJE900 because it is more accurate and more true to the source and recording. If you can get used to that sound, you may have a really hard time going back to dynamics.

 

[ahmadmfz]

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x2  I agree w/ about 85-90% of this.  I ended up coming down on the DBA side versus the S myself.  If diffuse field equalization is your thing and you like to pick apart your music then ER4S.  If you want to be carried away or transported into your music DBA IMO.  However, if you don't have a powerful source or amp then ER4S is no go IMO and will sound like an MC5 almost.  For me, the ER4P is off the table.  Don't like it.  

 


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If you get the ER4, I suggest getting the P/S adapter as well. ER4S is significantly better sounding that ER4P, as long as your source is reasonably powerful.
 
Both DBA-02 and ER4P are great. ER4S is a notch above both in sound quality IMO with the right source. DBA-02 is all about musicality and immersion. It is a very fun sounding IEM, but still very accurate overall. The way it combines musicality and technical ability in one package is quite amazing. It has everything you will need in an IEM - tight, punchy bass, clear, natural mids, detailed, well extended highs, good accuracy and precision, great detail, excellent imaging and separation and a great sense of space. ER4P is a different beast. It is not as fun as DBA-02 overall, but to my ears it does surpass the DBA in accuracy and often sounds more realistic than the DBA. ER4P has the tightest, most accurate bass I've ever heard in a headphone. It is modest on impact, but goes very, very deep and is extremely tight and defined. DBA-02 sounds a bit sloppy by comparison, although if you just listen to the DBA, you won't notice it much - it only becomes really apparent when AB'ing the two. ER4P also has the best timbre I've heard in an IEM - all real instruments and vocals sound realistic and sometimes I even get a vivid sensation that a singer is right beside me due to the great accuracy. The highs on ER4P sound subdued compared to DBA-02 treble, but they are not recessed. Rather, I think that it's the DBA-02 that's a little boosted in the treble, while ER4P is just neutral. Detail resolution in the treble is slightly higher on DBA-02, while bass and especially the midrange is more resolved on the ER4P. The differences are generally small however and it will come down to personal preference which IEM you enjoy more. Clarity is a bit better on DBA, but then again, the difference is small. Dynamics and stereo separation are a bit better on ER4P. Soundstage is more 3D on DBA-02, but ER4 just presents what's on the recording and doesn't add extra depth to the sound. Personally, I prefer ER4P for critical listening, for instrumental music, and for well recorded electronic music due to the higher quality bass. DBA-02 is more fun for pop, rock and bass heavy genres like rap, dance, trance, hip-hop, but ER4P still sounds more accurate with these genres in my opinion. It just doesn't have the exciting grit/aggression of the DBA-02.
 
ER4S surpasses DBA-02 in most aspects I think. DBA-02 beats ER4P in clarity and sound depth, but ER4S is stronger in these areas than the P and matches the DBA-02. Moreover, ER4S also adds extra transparency to the already great ER4P mids and tightens up the already tight ER4P bass. The only issue I have with ER4S is that it can sound overly bright and a bit lean on the bottom end at times if the source is too weak to drive it properly. With a good source, it should be a nice upgrade over DBA-02, although with a different sound signature and presentation. For unamped use, it's a toss up between DBA-02 and ER4P. I described the differences above, so just pick your poison based on your preferences.

 
Ofcourse, i'll use the ER4S gotta get it from amazon though.. pricing in singapore is a bitch. SGD$399 for the er4p.
 
It will be driven through my diymod with ibasso p3 heron (AD743JN opamp). It's relatively powerful in high gain imo. Would it be able to power the er4s?
 
I've owned the DBAs last time for around 3 months. Really enjoyed my time with it.
 
For fun music, i'll use my SM3s. Very musical with lots of punch.
 
I'm looking at the ER4S/DBAs for critical listening and lighter genres.
 

 

[Pianist]

For critical listening, ER4 is better. DBA-02 is not as analytical as some people make it out to be. It is fuller and warmer than neutral. It is quite forward. ER4 is more laid back in  its presentation and doesn't thrown detail at you like DBA-02 does. Detail is more integrated into the sound with ER4, but it is also more neutral and more tonally accurate than DBA-02, although the difference is fairly insignificant. DBA-02 is still pretty accurate, but just isn't quite as carefully tuned as the ER4.

 

[Anaxilus]

Your P3 will drive the ER4S just fine.  No worries.

 

[coolizardman]

it might be a old question but i couldn't find the answer   what about triple.fi 10 ?
i'm going to decide on budget   if i decide to pay 100$ i will go for hje-900      and for 200$ i will choose between DBA-02 and Triple.Fi 10 

 

[playingwithfire]

What do you want to know?
 
Build Quality, just the general feel
HJE A(cable a bit short...that's about the only complain on build quality)
Triple Fi B+(crappy cable)
DBA C+(housing just doesn't feel solid, strain relief too short, ect. ect.)
 
Fit(highly personal, take this with a grain of salt)
DBA B+(hard to get a good fit at first and default tips weren't ideal, but once you figure out the tip it's easy and comfortable)
Triple Fi B(with the reverse mod), F(with the stock setting)
HJE C+(easy to put in, also easy for it to get pulled out on accident, fairly heavy housing, hard to go overear with default cable)
 
Sound
DBA: A bit mid centric, bass quantity is there and quality is decent. Highs are sharp, sometimes too much. Overall fairly balanced. Soundstage is very good, on par with HJE.
Triple Fi: U shaped, impressive at first until you realize that all the vocals are behind the bass and treble. Makes some genres unlistenable. Decent soundstage too, good bass.
HJE: Mid and high aren't as clear as DBA. Bass is quicker, better but about the same amount as DBA and significantly less than Triple Fi. Soundstage is on par with DBA. Honestly they sound every bit as good as the DBA IMO if you are not crazy about mid detail.
 
Quote:

it might be a old question but i couldn't find the answer   what about triple.fi 10 ?
i'm going to decide on budget   if i decide to pay 100$ i will go for hje-900      and for 200$ i will choose between DBA-02 and Triple.Fi 10 

 

 

[Demonic_Pope]

Gahh the small stock tips, while providing the best sound and comfort for me, are beginning to annoy me because they are prone to getting stuck in my ears when I pull the DBAs out! Why couldn't have Fischer Audio made them a tigher fit on the nozzle?
 
Any other third-party silicion tips I could get? I really prefer not having foam tips because;
 
(1) I live in a rather humid country and foamies turn soft and lose their springiness pretty fast
(2) I found that the stock single flange gave me better sound than the Comply TX-100s
(3) I dislike having to compress the foamies with my fingers every time before I insert them
(4) They generally don't last
 
With the stock tips I simply push them and they slide in deep effortlessly.  

 

[dfrost]

Quote:

Gahh the small stock tips, while providing the best sound and comfort for me, are beginning to annoy me because they are prone to getting stuck in my ears when I pull the DBAs out! Why couldn't have Fischer Audio made them a tigher fit on the nozzle?
 
Any other third-party silicion tips I could get? I really prefer not having foam tips because;
 
(1) I live in a rather humid country and foamies turn soft and lose their springiness pretty fast
(2) I found that the stock single flange gave me better sound than the Comply TX-100s
(3) I dislike having to compress the foamies with my fingers every time before I insert them
(4) They generally don't last
 
With the stock tips I simply push them and they slide in deep effortlessly.  

I had the same problem but with the medium stock tips. Shure grey soft flex have been my solution to this problem. Use the same size Shure as your preferred stock tip size. They sound very much like the stock single flanges (maybe even a bit better for bass) and are quite secure on the nozzle, without being overly tight like Shure olives.
 

 

[Anaxilus]

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Honestly they sound every bit as good as the DBA IMO if you are not crazy about mid detail.

Just my 2 cents but the 900 doesn't have the clarity or transparency of the DBA either.  I think I get what you mean by 'detail' but that's the wrong word perhaps.  If the DBA is a flat line, the 900 is a gentle 'U' and the TF10 is a sharper 'V'.

 

[rawrster]

Even with the foam mod I think when speaking about technical ability the DBA-02 is ahead of the HJE900 but the HJE900 is still a very capable iem. I definitely enjoyed them when I had them in my possession.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Even with the foam mod I think when speaking about technical ability the DBA-02 is ahead of the HJE900 but the HJE900 is still a very capable iem. I definitely enjoyed them when I had them in my possession.

Agreed.  For $70-$90 they are almost a must have.  For $200 that becomes a more complicated question.

 

[coolizardman]

thanks for all recommendations .   i decided to go after pannys for 100$   if i couldn't ,DBAs for 190$ are waiting for me !

 

[Pianist]

I just looked up the price of the HJE900 on ebay.ca. The average price is ~$250.

Where the heck do you get them for $100?

 

[Inks]

On the FS Forums if you're lucky. There was a time where 80-90$ was the common price, but now that they've been discontinued here that's the new price.