FlexPen76
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2009
- Posts
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- 10
First, I need to say that I got offered the chance to review these IEMs from another Head-fi member on behalf of a seller. That said, I don’t believe in saying nice things just because I didn’t buy these myself, and this review is how I genuinely feel these IEMs perform.
For comparison, my IEM history and sources. I currently own Westone 4, MTPC, UE Super.fi5EB and Etymotic ER6i. I have in the past also owned IE8, and back before I realized the value of good IEMs, some Bose OTE (which to be fair weren’t bad, but not really worth the money). Sources at present are an iPhone 4 and a MacBook Pro. I am using an E11 with the iPhone and an E7 with the MacBook Pro, using FooBar for the Mac through WINE. My EQ on the sources is set to off. The majority of my tracks are ripped at 256kbps or higher AAC/MP3, but I do have some lower bitrates in the library. So enough of the sources and stuff, what are these things like?
Packaging, fit and build
I only received the hard case, the IEMs themselves and some silicon tips. As such, I can’t really comment on any other extras, but certainly what I did receive was nice. The box is a hard shell zip case and seems sturdy enough in that it would take a few light bashes keeping the contents safe, with a little wire mesh to hold extra tips and an elastic to stop the IEMs rattling about when in the case. The IEMs themselves are fine to look at, don’t stick too far out of your ears, although you couldn’t sleep with them in and with a cable length of just over 1m is long enough to go from your ears to a front pocket on your jeans or trousers. It’s a straight 3.5mm jack. They aren’t flashy, and you might have a hard time finding L and R, but to be honest not being flashy is no bad thing. It’s not all about how they look, right? I didn’t have much trouble finding a fit; the tips remind me of the white silicon ones that came with my W4, but with softer more flexible sides. When inserted, I found the dual flange that they came with was the most comfortable and provided me the best and most secure fit. The cord is nice also, fairly sturdy and didn’t wrap upon itself when stowed. Microphonics were present in small quantities when worn down from the ear, but pretty much non-existent for me when used with the shirt clip or work over the ear.
Sound Quality
As I said before, I got these from another Head-fi member. As such, I’m assuming they were already burned in following his listening. Certainly during the time I’ve had listening to them, their sound hasn’t really changed. I feel its relevant to say that these IEMs are RRP of less than £80 / $100. So it was with surprise that they sound as good as they do with an overall nice warm sound. There is a good deal of bass present and its responsive on the tracks. Its got good impact, not a basshead IEM but any means, but more than enough without being overpowering. The mids are there too, but sound ever so slightly veiled and the treble is nice and smooth. Overall they would probably be described as sounding a little "dark".
I found they coped admirably with everything I threw at them. The soundstage is good and it’s wide enough to allow some sense of width and depth to the tracks, but it feels a little constrained because of the mids and trebles. If it sounds like I don’t like these, then that’s not the case. The sound is actually very nice and I found I really liked it. I didn’t think I was listening to an IEM in this range until I swapped in my W4 and the difference became apparent. They really represent the sound pretty damn good. I thought that they slightly benefitted when using an amp, but I’m finding I prefer to amp my sources more these days anyway. They probably don’t need one, but they did sound better with one – at least to me.
Final Thoughts
The Xcape IE is a great little budget earphone. It sounds good, has a decent cable, and runs without problems from sources. Overall, this earphone is a great package deal to take you to the next step in sound quality. In my opinion, these are the kind of things that new listeners should grab a hold of. They aren’t expensive, and have a great sound that sucks you in and gives you a taste of the reason why this hobby can become so addictive. At their price – these things are a steal!
