[agoat]

Thanks rawrster , you make my decision a lot easier now.

 

[MusicalChillies]

Looks like the end of July before they start shipping some more....

 

[ffdpmaggot]

I'd like to add a few notes to rawrsters review of the S4, it should also be noted that mids can be rather bright, and the eartips feel insecure due to design and material. On the plus side, the S4 is extremely clear in the 80 dollar price range.

 

[rawrster]

Clarity is not really a strength of the S4 imo. They have too much warmth for that. The RE0 is quite clear at the 80 dollar range

 

[Scott549]

In my opinion, the biggest problem with the S4 is muddy bass.
 
I'm very interested in the DBA-02.  To me, the PFE, SA6 and RE0 all have insufficient bass.  It's there but it just doesn't have any impact to it.  The Klipsch X5, by comparison, has a pretty good bass response.  I don't consider myself a basshead at all.  I'm a "balancehead."  Will the Fischers have enough bass for me?

 

[rawrster]

probably not

 

[Scott549]

Quote:

probably not

Damn.

 

[ffdpmaggot]

I disagree on the clarity issue, the S4 sounded fairly clear, not as good as the RE0, but above average.

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

I disagree on the clarity issue, the S4 sounded fairly clear, not as good as the RE0, but above average.

 
Depends on where you take your average to be. If you listen to a lot of top-tier phones, RE0 becomes average and the S4 is way below. If you take the garbage best buy sells, then the S4 is above average.
 

 

[rawrster]

I guess that's probably why I don't consider the S4 clarity to be anything special. It's all about perspective. The only sub $100 earphones I have are the M9 and PL30 and I don't use them too often. PL30 is not for music and the M9 was a review pair and probably given away to a friend when I get around to it. I'm more used to stuff like e-Q7 or CK10 quality for clarity.
 
@Scott549: these are fairly neutral to my ears. While I admit that I haven't heard the RE0 in a long time I do remember roughly how much bass impact and quantity they have. The impact is around the same neighborhood as a CK10 or e-Q7. If you want S4 kind of impact or quantity although their quality is not as good you really should look elsewhere. I've never heard the X5 so can't really compare to their quantity or slam of bass.

 

[ffdpmaggot]

Well that's what I've been using, I need to show that it's not my fault that the earphones "all break" by babying the crap out of some Best Buy garbage.

 

[slaters70]

Geez, I find the DBA bass, while not certainly dominant, to be somewhat more quantifiable than the RE-Zero (which I have currently) or the CK10. So yes, it's a balanced IEM. To me, it's the whole package: Comfort/fit, clarity and detail, and balance with just the right amount of bass for my tastes. But others of course prefer more bass, and I understand. I just don't find I need it, and I can EQ the bass a little and that seems to work for me.

 

[agoat]

Hey guys, been reading this all day since last night.  Just finish all 59 pages and bunch of other posts, preorder immediately from ebayer gd_audiobase.  DBA-02 will be my first iem, over the years I have been using nothing but stock headphones.  Will I notice a big difference in sound quality from stock apple earphone?  I try my friend S4i, could hardly see a jump in sound quality maybe my ear is not tune with higher quality headphone.

 

[ffdpmaggot]

You should notice a huge difference and none. Your music won't sound completely different, good headphones won't rearrange guitar riffs or put off key vocals in tune, it will however, play your music back with greater fidelity. Something extremely important to note is that the IEM are supposed to be crammed way down in your ear canal. The other potential problem is how actively you listen to your music, if you play your music without paying attention, the difference between an 80 and 160 dollar IEM is negligible so long as they're EQ'd in the ballpark of each other. As for your choice in starting with the DBA-02, do yourself a favor and play around with some cheaper IEM from best buy. The SE210 sounds like it would be a good starting point and after three weeks, if you don't like it, you can return it for all of your money back, no questions asked.

 

[LFF]

Quote:

In my opinion, the biggest problem with the S4 is muddy bass.
 
I'm very interested in the DBA-02.  To me, the PFE, SA6 and RE0 all have insufficient bass.  It's there but it just doesn't have any impact to it.  The Klipsch X5, by comparison, has a pretty good bass response.  I don't consider myself a basshead at all.  I'm a "balancehead."  Will the Fischers have enough bass for me?

The DBA-02 has a very balanced bass range. I have some played some hard to reproduce bass parts (like big timpani drums and wurlitzer organ pipes that hit 16Hz) and the DBA-02's shine with those tracks. Even headphones like the HD-600 can't reproduce that type of bass with such clarity, depth and impact.
 
What the DBA-02's are not is exaggerated. Since the very beginning I felt that these IEM's are honest and give you exactly what it is you put in them. The only other headphones that were able to reproduce the bass range like the DBA-02's were the HD-650's albeit, with a tad more bass than there should be. However, the overall sound of the HD-650 is dark and veiled while that of the DBA-02 is natural, balanced, clean and clear. With the DBA-02's the timpani drums sound as close to real life as I have ever heard while keeping the rest of the orchestra sounding equally as real and natural. No easy task for any speaker, headphone or IEM.
 
For those who are curious, here is THE demo track to use for bass. The bass should be deep, really deep but not bloated or exaggerated - most headphones, even some high end ones, CAN NOT REPRODUCE THIS TRACK CORRECTLY! I have only heard 3 IEM's that can do justice to this track and two of them are customs. It is track no. 3 and it called "Suite No. 1, for military band in E flat major, Op. 28/1, H. 105: March" from  THIS CD: