[dogears]

I'm also not a trained violinist but I do appreciate them as I also listen to a lot of acoustic music. So far I am impressed with its tonality and I already like to believe that the DBAs are so transparent that you will hear the music straight from your source/amp.
 
Of course it would be great to hear what a violinist would think about the DBAs in the future

 

[mvw2]

Improving the situation: deep insertion improves tonality and bass presence.  While I don't typically do this with most products, these seem to one of a few that improve doing so.  The SA6 is one of the other earphones I've run that seem to necessitate doing so to sound correct.  I'm now using some Klipsch oval biflanges to do so, and the earphone housing limits how far you can insert them.
 
What does deep insertion offer over shallow insertion, a warming of tonality and improved bass presence.
 
I'm typically not a fan of this due to comfort.  It's often hard to find a tip that lets you do this comfortably.
 
There is some earphone vibration though with this setup that limits it a little bit.  Some transparency and energy is lost from it.  Your attention goes to the earphone instead of the music.  Some of the bass energy is lost, and you lose some of that energy.  I can hold my finger to the earphone and fix it, but I'd prefer a tip choice that doesn't require it.  When the idea of low frequency presence like on strings, this is where some of that presence is lost.  Being a very light housing also lets it move more freely.  Chances are some mass loading could help the cause, at the expense of a little bit of comfort though, but it would translate into more sound energy on the low end and improved transparency.

 

[Anaxilus]

Aw that sucks.  For me the housing actually fits so its nice and snug so I think I get some biological damping.  I think thats why I don't notice the resonances you might be hearing.  The housing is very light and thin which is why I think they aren't able to reach Ety levels of isolation, at least for my ears.
 
Edit - Just tried touching my housings to see if anything changed by increasing my damping, nada for me.  I think Fisher designed these things for me personally.  The opening strings on Hotel California sound fantastic w/ no resonances or loss of presence for me.

 

[dogears]

^Yes, the coupling on the ears helps the bass department shine.

 

[dogears]

I am really wondering how dark is the LCD-2 compared to the DBAs Anyone owns/soon to own the LCD-2 on this board perhaps?

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

I am really wondering how dark is the LCD-2 compared to the DBAs Anyone owns/soon to own the LCD-2 on this board perhaps?

Shane compared the DBA to the Beyer DT880.  So perhaps look for LCD2 vs. 880.  The reviews paint a warmer picture but not dark like a Sennheiser in general FWIR.

 

[8xOverMsOctober]

Quote:

. . .
Oh, and feel free to add a touch of cotton wool or the like to help tame the mid-highs a little, as long as you don't damage anything or shove it in deep.

 
Quote:

Improving the situation: deep insertion improves tonality and bass presence.  While I don't typically do this with most products, these seem to one of a few that improve doing so.  The SA6 is one of the other earphones I've run that seem to necessitate doing so to sound correct.  I'm now using some Klipsch oval biflanges to do so, and the earphone housing limits how far you can insert them.
 
What does deep insertion offer over shallow insertion, a warming of tonality and improved bass presence.
 
I'm typically not a fan of this due to comfort.  It's often hard to find a tip that lets you do this comfortably.
 
There is some earphone vibration though with this setup that limits it a little bit.  Some transparency and energy is lost from it.  Your attention goes to the earphone instead of the music.  Some of the bass energy is lost, and you lose some of that energy.  I can hold my finger to the earphone and fix it, but I'd prefer a tip choice that doesn't require it.  When the idea of low frequency presence like on strings, this is where some of that presence is lost.  Being a very light housing also lets it move more freely.  Chances are some mass loading could help the cause, at the expense of a little bit of comfort though, but it would translate into more sound energy on the low end and improved transparency.

Try what Ethan said a few pages ago. I put a small amount of cotton (from a q-tip - fluffed up) in the end of each nozzle and it really gives these things a nice boost on the low end, and you don't loose too much from the highs. You can go back to the single flange tips doing this and still get the benefits that the deep insertion tips provide.
 
You can adjust how much you add to the low end (and how much of the highs that you tame) with the amount of cotton that you use in the nozzles.

 

[JosephKim]

Received mine today! Oh my Ive never heard music sound like this . I dont know why people are saying these are really lacking bass.. I think this is very source dependent and plays bass as its recorded. Everything else also very natural and pleasant to listen to. I guess I have small ears because the only one that will give me a good seal is the smallest single flange tip. All this being said I am sad.. because money wise this was sort of a big jump for me and I might still have to end up selling them. Wondering if the re-zero will give me something close..

 

[JosephKim]

oh i have a question when you put on the tips, should you push them all the way down or leave some room? when i push all the way down it hits the phone. sorry for newb question

 

[rawrster]

It doesn't matter as it's going to end up touching the end of the nozzle anyway over time as they get pushed into your ears.

 

[JosephKim]

i do notice sibilance with some tracks.

 

[LFF]

Guys....most violins are recorded rather thin, with a lot of the bass range chopped off and a lot of the high end chopped off as well.
 
Here is a good recording of a violin that has been properly mastered.
 
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ulcgyp

 

[mvw2]

Quote:

 

Try what Ethan said a few pages ago. I put a small amount of cotton (from a q-tip - fluffed up) in the end of each nozzle and it really gives these things a nice boost on the low end, and you don't loose too much from the highs. You can go back to the single flange tips doing this and still get the benefits that the deep insertion tips provide.
 
You can adjust how much you add to the low end (and how much of the highs that you tame) with the amount of cotton that you use in the nozzles.

I've done this before to my OK1 buds.  While it is useful, there are trade-offs too.  Looking at the frequency response of the earphone, it simply isn't emphasized.  There isn't a massive treble peak here or anything.  It is simply that the high end driver is quite dynamic.  I'm beginning to suspect the low end is more of an issue of the unit being very light.  The bass fills out and gains energy when the earphone is more constrained.  This is a very light earphone and there is noticeable vibration playing low frequency notes.  This unfortunately is lost energy, and it seems to have a sizable effect on the end presentation.  These earphones need to be heavier to counter the issue or possibly run a tip that more rigidly holds the earphone in the ear.  I think most of the dual bass driver units are mirrored setups that cancel out each other's motion.  This is why you don't feel bass vibration from earphones like the SE530 or Westone 3.  For a single driver unit, it can't be canceled out.  The earphone mass and ear tip attachment are the only methods to constrain motion and keep the energy in the output sound.

 

[phaboman]

Just got mine in today! I do find these a bit tougher to fit than any other IEMs I have. I wasn't able to get a good seal with anything included in the package. Only tips that fit so far are the Ety triple flanges, and they fit great (thanks slaters!), it just takes some effort to get them in right. Also, I'm wearing mine hanging down, reversing L and R, fit just fine. Some very initial impressions:
 
When I initially plugged them in, without any music playing, there was quite a bit of noticeable static hiss. It was to the point where I thought I got a bad pair. But after some playing and after swapping around to see which tips work the best, I can barely notice it at higher volumes. Not sure if it's the tips or "burn in" that helped. As for the big issue everyone's talking about, no sibilance issues here. Either that, or I just don't no what to look for (very likely).
 
I'm just coming off of the Thinksound Rains, and DBAs sound great. Noticeably more detail, clarity, and separation (which is what I was looking for) but not as smooth as the Rains. To my ears, the bass also goes a bit deeper (which doesn't say much when comparing to Rains). A/Bing the two right now, it sounds like the Rains have a slight midbass hump whereas the DBAs are more balanced throughout. When I was listening to the DBAs via my Zune HD, I tried to change the volume on my computer instead, music really doesn't sound like it's coming through IEMs. So far so good, initial thumbs up from me.

 

[Jupiterknight]

Thanks to Ethan to providing this gem for us. Received my pair a couple of days ago and it was certainly worth the wait. Great job, probably a stressfull period not knowing if you could fullfill the orders or not and constantly having to communicate with all the Q . So my brief feedback, is right now more related to your custumer service and shipping service and from me you receive a very quick grade A+ . What I'm not sure is allowed to do in this forum?