[eke2k6]

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The IE80's remind me of the Vsonic Gr07's. i was thinking of trying out the MDR ex1000. IMO after consecutive listening between the GR07's and the IE80's i think i prefer the Vsonic's more.
Everything is so much more clear while still maintaining a non fatigue signature. I cant exactly say the Vsonic Gr07's are better, but umm lets just say the IE80's aren't the baddest around. for 400Dollars are the IE80's worth it? I don't think so, i think belong in the 250 Dollar range of IEM's. They are great sounding and fun with the bass and the soundstage is very impressive. But it's something about the Vsonic Gr07's that sounds better. I'll give them some more time to burn in.

 
Oh man, I wish you would have read my review before buying the IE80 ...Vsonic GR07: Perfection (Added FX700, IE8, and SE530 Comparisons)
 
The GR07 is clearly better, with the exception of the IE80's great sound stage.
 
For what it's worth, I found the original IE8 to be better than the IE80, and so did a few other members. The IE8 is more refined, and less grainy than the IE80. I recommend you look into those.
 
As for the EX1000, I've been trying to source a listen for the past year. I've heard many other top tiers, and nothing under $1,000 has made me want to give up my GR07. I heard the EX1000 might be it though. Argh!

 

[BRAC]

This may be coming a little late, but could be useful for others I suppose.
 
I personally find the ie80 bottom end dominates the range a little too much. It does tend to sound veiled in the mids and highs, losing some detail and clarity, imho. Still a very good iem, but not really what I was looking for...
 
I have a PFE-232 on the way as a replacement. Can't wait!

 

[jrwong28]

Got the IE80's today and they have such a heavy bass slam to it.  Definately had to turn the midbass with my Ibasso and cowon. I am very happy with them, but they only sound fantastic when the bass is lowered IMO. The mids and highs aren't drowned by a BOOM. and i am very sure they will improve further within burn in.

Cowon Z2 owner here too cheers ^_^

 

[Poetic]

Ya the Gr07's are alot better to my ears. More clear, controlled beautiful bass and they still maintain a slightly warm signature. IE80's are pretty smooth, but alot of the clarity is lacking. I Even tried the tape mod by putting it over the vents. Even lowered the midbass bloat on my ibasso and the Vsonic Gr07's still give them the slapadap. I've gone through so many IEM's and i can't find one IEM that sounds better than the Gr07's. Is this because of my ears? Does anyone else feel this way? Now i see why Eke2k6 worship the vsonic's. They are perfect for everything. The IE80's are good but not for 400dollars. Sending them back to amazon today. The GR07's sound better to me and they're way more versatile than the IE80's.

 

[Poetic]

Quote:

Ya the Gr07's are alot better to my ears. More clear, controlled beautiful bass and they still maintain a slightly warm signature. IE80's are pretty smooth, but alot of the clarity is lacking. I Even tried the tape mod by putting it over the vents even lowered the midbass bloat on my ibasso and the Vsonic Gr07's still give them the slapadap. I've gone through so many IEM's and i can't find one IEM that sounds better than the Gr07's. Is this because of my ears? Does anyone else feel this way? Now i see why Eke2k6 worship the vsonic's. They are perfect for everything. The IE80's are good but not for 400dollars. Sending them back to amazon today. So yes the vsonic Gr07's are good but IMO they sound better to my ears and they're way more versatile than the IE80's.

I really see no point into shooting for a 400dollar price of IEM's when it's just going to be a hit or miss. I've found the best IEM's to my ears are in the 100-250dollar price range. Best iem's ive heard so far were the vsonic's, Brainwavz B2, Audio technica Ck-10,
Hifiman Re262, Etymotic Er-4s. i've went through the Shure Se535, Even tried my friends westone 4's, and aclair reference. I would like to try the Sony MDR ex1000. I am kinda of treble head on somedays . I am sure that all of these top tier IEM's sound great but for the money are they worth it when your 150dollar iems sound just as good??? Moving up in price for headphones is a difference story but for IEMS it's weird. I think you would have to go for something like the Tralucent Plus2's.

 

[Poetic]

Quote:

Cowon Z2 owner here too cheers ^_^

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

Ya the Gr07's are alot better to my ears. More clear, controlled beautiful bass and they still maintain a slightly warm signature. IE80's are pretty smooth, but alot of the clarity is lacking. I Even tried the tape mod by putting it over the vents even lowered the midbass bloat on my ibasso and the Vsonic Gr07's still give them the slapadap. I've gone through so many IEM's and i can't find one IEM that sounds better than the Gr07's. Is this because of my ears? Does anyone else feel this way? Now i see why Eke2k6 worship the vsonic's. They are perfect for everything. The IE80's are good but not for 400dollars. Sending them back to amazon today. The GR07's sound better to me and they're way more versatile than the IE80's.

 
I hope more people read this. As recognized as the GR07 is, I still feel like it gets snubbed when the "top-tier" bracket is brought up. It sounds every bit as good as some of the best I've heard, and better (to my ears) than some costing upwards of 3X its price. The only two iems I feel that are truly better than the GR07 are the ASG-1 rev 2 (with the treble EQ'ed up), and the Final Audio Design Piano Forte Series (upwards of $1,100).
 
I called the GR07 "perfect" a year and a half ago. My feelings still stand.

 

[DMinor]

Synergy and quality of recording are far more important than any single hardware component. With that said, I do believe you don't need to throw in lots of money to find the gear you can really enjoy your music especially when it comes to portable music. For the audiophiles it's a different story.

 

[Poetic]

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Synergy and quality of recording are far more important than any single hardware component. With that said, I do believe you don't need to throw in lots of money to find the gear you can really enjoy your music especially when it comes to portable music. For the audiophiles it's a different story.

Most of my music is recorded in 24/192 since i got my ibasso a couple weeks ago. The rest of the files are FLAC 16/44.  I have found that i don't need to spend much to enjoy music at home. I use the Dacport LX with a JDS Labs O2 for home use. Ibasso dx100 for portable outside use.

 

[DMinor]

Quote:

Most of my music is recorded in 24/192 since i got my ibasso a couple weeks ago. The rest of the files are FLAC 16/44.  I have found that i don't need to spend much to enjoy music at home. I use the Dacport LX with a JDS labs O2 for home use. Ibasso dx100 for portable outside use.

By quality of recording I was not talking about how you rip your flac's. What I meant is the quality of the recording presented on the CD's by the audio engineers. I have many different albums for the same music I listen to, and the difference could be day and night between the albums.

 

[Poetic]

Quote:

By quality of recording I was not talking about how you rip your flac's. What I meant is the quality of the recording presented on the CD's by the audio engineers. I have many different albums for the same music I listen to, and the difference could be day and night between the albums.

I am very sure the recordings I have are excellent. Especially new recordings from Kool and Klean. But i have experienced some bad recordings from artists like Aaliyah and Paul HardCastle. My source will most definately tell me if it's a bad recording. I was listening to SWV last night and their older version of the album did not sound as good as their remastered version. Heck i even bought Sade's remastered version of Love deluxe and i enjoy better than the previous.