[ShubhamKaku]

suman134 Can you please give your reviews on cowon Ek2 ! Comparison with Em1 and Sennheiser CX180 will be much appreciated . thank you

 

[suman134]

@suman134 Can you please give your reviews on cowon Ek2 ! Comparison with Em1 and Sennheiser CX180 will be much appreciated . thank you

 
I dont have those for now, lost my cx180, and i will pick the hje-125 over those. Just poor quality sound from those cheap sennhs. EM1 was super uncomfortable and sound was edgy too without much micro details. EM1 is good but the fit and comfort is really bad.
 
I will review EK2 in 2-3 days. But i can recommend it over all these phones. Not as bassy as Em1 or cx180 Or V-shaped too. Its more balanced and really nice presentation with good sound stage.

 

[ShubhamKaku]

I dont have those for now, lost my cx180, and i will pick the hje-125 over those. Just poor quality sound from those cheap sennhs. EM1 was super uncomfortable and sound was edgy too without much micro details. EM1 is good but the fit and comfort is really bad.

I will review EK2 in 2-3 days. But i can recommend it over all these phones. Not as bassy as Em1 or cx180 Or V-shaped too. Its more balanced and really nice presentation with good sound stage.

Thanks for the reply.
When you say EK2 are not that bassy, does it mean that I can not get the same amount of bass even after tinkering with eualizer on my music app?
I'll sure be waiting for the review *thumbs up*
Will you review them here in the posts or somewhere in the review section? Where can I get more of your reviews and stuff, you seem to be pretty experienced over a wide range of earphones/headphones .

 

[suman134]

Thanks for the reply.

When you say EK2 are not that bassy, does it mean that I can not get the same amount of bass even after tinkering with eualizer on my music app?

I'll sure be waiting for the review *thumbs up*

Will you review them here in the posts or somewhere in the review section? Where can I get more of your reviews and stuff, you seem to be pretty experienced over a wide range of earphones/headphones .

 


Thanks, i will post it on the First page.

You can get enough bass by equalizing, but dont expect much from it, not like cx180 bass, which is wooly boomy and needless to say uncontrolled. If you are after bass, you will enjoy the Twinwoofers more, if its not under budget, go for Pistons.

 

[ShubhamKaku]

Thanks for the reply.

When you say EK2 are not that bassy, does it mean that I can not get the same amount of bass even after tinkering with eualizer on my music app?

I'll sure be waiting for the review *thumbs up*

Will you review them here in the posts or somewhere in the review section? Where can I get more of your reviews and stuff, you seem to be pretty experienced over a wide range of earphones/headphones .

 


Thanks, i will post it on the First page.

You can get enough bass by equalizing, but dont expect much from it, not like cx180 bass, which is wooly boomy and needless to say uncontrolled. If you are after bass, you will enjoy the Twinwoofers more, if its not under budget, go for Pistons.

Not exactly a bass-head . I just want the best sound quality in budget.

 

[suman134]

Not exactly a bass-head . I just want the best sound quality in budget.

Cant beat Ek2 for sure. Overall, its a stunning performer.

 

[ShubhamKaku]

suman134 When you say an earphone has better and wide soundstage, does it mean that they have some-what open backs and sound leaks out so as to make it sound wider?
eg. You mentioned this quality of COWON EM1 that they are open-back (kind of).

 

[suman134]

@suman134 When you say an earphone has better and wide soundstage, does it mean that they have some-what open backs and sound leaks out so as to make it sound wider?
eg. You mentioned this quality of COWON EM1 that they are open-back (kind of).

 
Not exactly, one can sound open even without those vents, but yes, vents do help. Its the imaging and placement that counts. I dont think sound would leak much out of earphones, those vents are really small, but it can leak out of headphones. EM1 was horrible for me, i would like to forget those, I was struggling to get a good seal, had to adjust every minute, and the sound was not that good. Still you can consider them for a shallow fit. i like earphones as deep as possible.
 
And on a side not, a short review of EK2 will be posted today i think. Comparing with Piston, she3900 and ttpod T2.

 

[suman134]

Here is the first wave, Aftershock will follow after few hours... yeah, i am slow.
 
Cowon EK2 review, compared to Xioami Pisotns:-
 
  No, no formalities what so ever, No intros nothing, you are not here for intros And Add S to hits.
 
 
 
  
 
  So , here we go.. roll it..
 
  Pistons are more clumsy, has better instruments clarity with cymbals and guitars which sound sharper and cleaner, better note depth too. Hence sounds more organic and a bit more natural too.
 Is more bodied when compared to ek2, has better sub bass and boomier mid bass too, did i told you its impressively detailed still muddy? Mids are a bit of let down, not forward enough and are a bit veiled, can sound clearer and more forward with ek2, the best part of piston is its more reveling when it comes to instruments, layering, placement and staging. Vocals are good but can get a bit lost with instruments and bass dominating the overall sound. Still its nicely detailed. Slightly grainy but still detailed.
 Highs are more prominent and are present all the time. Nicely defined and detailed for a phone as cheap as 800rs which can be priced 2000 and still would have sold similarly. Nice separation and speed here. would have loved a bit tighter bass though.
 The weak point is its booming bass, which can sound lose and over the top for those who like a bit more balance. Vocals are weak. And are not open sounding like ek2.
 Sound sig is darker and is clearly v-shaped with the mids in the valley.
 I like its build quality, nice cable, fit is good too, ergonomics if you would to talk then these are not bad. Better than ek2 but these are heavy. Cable is a bit more microphonic too.
 Add a bit more mids and tighten up the bass, and Bang!! We will have a serious winner in our hands.
 
  

On the other hand, ek2 is more balanced with lesser bass amount and more concentrated towards mids, sounds fuller and filled with instruments. Not as reveling as pistons as those sound cleaner. Separation and presentation is easy on ears, notes depth is shallow. Still not bad.
  Bass is tighter and faster thanks to the less wooly mid bass and thanks to lesser amount too. But slams hard, not much air or rumble like piston but that slam is good!! Its a good thing for those who want some balance to their music. So bass is taken care of easily.
  Mids are the strongest point. Forward enough to take the center stage and Appeal to vocal seekers. Nicely open and clear vocals, Not exactly clean or reveling as the depth is lacking but you will enjoy this note presentation if you like bright and liter signature. Good thing is that it makes up with its engaging presentation.
  And Best thing is even if its not precise, it has more of a wider stage and feels like you are in the stage. With the piston you sit in the front row. You wont miss any instruments but they dont sound as clean. Highs are a bit letdown after 60hrs of burning, i can say that the sound has changed a bit.
  Bit more mids revealed and cutting some highs. Should have those highs intact  with a bit more details to them, these would have got enough to get over anything that comes their way in 3000rs. But for now, there are a few short comings to care about.
  Separation and layering is not as good as the piston but not bad too. For me its the imaging and presentation that counts. Am i loving these? exactly. But wont pick these if i want bass for a while. But its not lacking, its that, its not a basshead pleasing earphone from any point. I would place these just below the pistons within the price range.
 Lastly it has a better cable, flat cable, comes with a verity of colors. Nice sturdy build with a 90° plug which i like, it gets easier to put inside our pockets with that design. Less microphonics and more sensitive or say louder than piston.
 
 Sadly i cant chose a clear winner here, as the piston had more clarity but vocals are a bit veiled, and ek2 is a bit unclear overall but is more even with more balance and better mids.
 
  Still, i will chose the piston over the ek2 because of its better highs and because it sounds cleaner. Even when ek2 is more wider with presentation, its the clarity that matter to me.

 

[suman134]

I should skip the T2 here as most of you will like to buy inland, and T2 will never come to indian soil, i will add she3900 till evening.

 

[ShubhamKaku]

suman134
The Pistons you reviewd , are they piston v1, v2 or v2.1? Any info about the other two? Where can I buy them(can't seem to find anything else than original version pistons on flipkart and Amazon.in).

 

[suman134]

@suman134
The Pistons you reviewd , are they piston v1, v2 or v2.1? Any info about the other two? Where can I buy them(can't seem to find anything else than original version pistons on flipkart and Amazon.in).

its the piston 2.1, you can find the piston af edition which is similar to the 2.1 at flipkart.

 

[ShubhamKaku]

suman134 Hey man. This is getting really confusing for me to select an earphone. Can you please help and just straightaway throw at me top 3 contenders under Rupees12-1300 based on these preferences:
1. Inline remote and mic
2.Best sound quality(including wide soundstage)
3.Preference to Bass but not compromising with Mids and Highs as well
4.Ergonomics and looks
Thanks.

 

[suman134]

@suman134 Hey man. This is getting really confusing for me to select an earphone. Can you please help and just straightaway throw at me top 3 contenders under Rupees12-1300 based on these preferences:

1. Inline remote and mic

2.Best sound quality(including wide soundstage)

3.Preference to Bass but not compromising with Mids and Highs as well

4.Ergonomics and looks

Thanks.

 


best will Be pistons, but its stage and mids are not the best. You can go for EK2 or even cheaper panasonic tmc-125. Chose between these 3.

 

[KD21]

hi suman my friend wants to buy an iem for using while doing exercise. he wanted good bass phones.
so MDR xb30 or cx180 which to prefer. he is having iPod nano 7th gen plz suggest