Gozzer
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2011
- Posts
- 129
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- 13
Getting a decent set of in-monitors is starting to get a little frustrating. There is so much information out there and a lot of contradictory reviews. It started with my Klipsh S4 ($79). They are decent I like like the sound, however after a lot of reading I was under the impression that I could do a little better for a little higher price point. So I'm looking through some flyers and I see OCX 880 on sale for $99. Looks interesting, so I do some reading and everything looks good. Read reviews, like detailed, clear , crisp highs etc. I finally get them from razordogdeals.com ($69) thinking this is great.
Well they sound terrible. However be patient they just need to be burned in. Approx 20 hours later they start to sound better, however still not as good as the S4's. Here's the kicker, I see a pair of Philips SHE3582 for $7.99 cdn at Walmart. I was hoping to use the rubber buds on the OCX880s to try to get at better fit. Well of coarse I try the Philips and they didn't sound that bad. The mids were more detailed then the OCX880s. At this point I've lost all sense of what a good IM should sound like.
Have to re group. So I pull out the M50's and DT990's to get a sense of what good is. And yes the OCX880 sound terrible and so do the Philips. Wishful thinking tell me the 880's still has to complete their burn in period. I'm not holding my breath.
This where I reach out the community for some help. What's out there in an IM that compares to the M50 or DT990's and how much to I have to pay.
Update Nov-23.
I must have under estimated the amount of burn in. I've had them plugged in and just let them play for long periods at a time. I'm shocked on how much they have improved. They have blown by the cheap Philips and they may surpass the S4's. The treble is more clear and defined that the S4's, however the S4's has more bass and slightly more sound stage.
I was listing to Bryan Adams straight from the Heart.(Sansa/FLAC), the piano really stands out.
The way things are going, I may put the diaphragm guards back in just to tame the treble.SUBMIT
Update Nov-29
Burn in completed, these have surpassed the Klipsh S4. Lows are cleaner and deeper, the highs extend more and cleaner. Soundstage is also better. They are a similar sound as the M50's but not a good. If you like the M50's sound, you might like these. On a good recording the details really jump out at you. Acoustic and Electric guitars seem to come alive.
The isolation is not as good as the S4's. If you are in a noisy environment you lose a lot of the lows and highs.
On my Sansa Fuse I keep the volume just above 1/2 to 3/4 vs S4 which I keep at 1/3 to 1/2. depending on the recording's level.
Update Feb-05-2012
I received HF-5's around the middle of Dec and my RE-0 shortly after. They have helped me put things in perspective. The OCX880's have a good base which is deep and extends well. The highs are fairly crisp. The base and High's can drown out the mids when compare to the HF5/RE0.
The detail although better than the S4 however they are from the HF-5/RE-0. The MSP of $169 is misleading as they are not close that caliber of other EIM's. The $69 I paid is paid is about right, however even for that price the RE-0 are well worth the extra $10.
Update Nov-23-2012
I've just burned in the Sony-Ericsson MH1C's and they sound very similar to the OCX880. Bass quantity and depth are strikingly similar.
Mids and highs are also very close.
Used them with HM-601 and found found it a little too warm. Neutral amp would probably work better.
Well they sound terrible. However be patient they just need to be burned in. Approx 20 hours later they start to sound better, however still not as good as the S4's. Here's the kicker, I see a pair of Philips SHE3582 for $7.99 cdn at Walmart. I was hoping to use the rubber buds on the OCX880s to try to get at better fit. Well of coarse I try the Philips and they didn't sound that bad. The mids were more detailed then the OCX880s. At this point I've lost all sense of what a good IM should sound like.
Have to re group. So I pull out the M50's and DT990's to get a sense of what good is. And yes the OCX880 sound terrible and so do the Philips. Wishful thinking tell me the 880's still has to complete their burn in period. I'm not holding my breath.
This where I reach out the community for some help. What's out there in an IM that compares to the M50 or DT990's and how much to I have to pay.
Update Nov-23.
I must have under estimated the amount of burn in. I've had them plugged in and just let them play for long periods at a time. I'm shocked on how much they have improved. They have blown by the cheap Philips and they may surpass the S4's. The treble is more clear and defined that the S4's, however the S4's has more bass and slightly more sound stage.
I was listing to Bryan Adams straight from the Heart.(Sansa/FLAC), the piano really stands out.
The way things are going, I may put the diaphragm guards back in just to tame the treble.SUBMIT
Update Nov-29
Burn in completed, these have surpassed the Klipsh S4. Lows are cleaner and deeper, the highs extend more and cleaner. Soundstage is also better. They are a similar sound as the M50's but not a good. If you like the M50's sound, you might like these. On a good recording the details really jump out at you. Acoustic and Electric guitars seem to come alive.
The isolation is not as good as the S4's. If you are in a noisy environment you lose a lot of the lows and highs.
On my Sansa Fuse I keep the volume just above 1/2 to 3/4 vs S4 which I keep at 1/3 to 1/2. depending on the recording's level.
Update Feb-05-2012
I received HF-5's around the middle of Dec and my RE-0 shortly after. They have helped me put things in perspective. The OCX880's have a good base which is deep and extends well. The highs are fairly crisp. The base and High's can drown out the mids when compare to the HF5/RE0.
The detail although better than the S4 however they are from the HF-5/RE-0. The MSP of $169 is misleading as they are not close that caliber of other EIM's. The $69 I paid is paid is about right, however even for that price the RE-0 are well worth the extra $10.
Update Nov-23-2012
I've just burned in the Sony-Ericsson MH1C's and they sound very similar to the OCX880. Bass quantity and depth are strikingly similar.
Mids and highs are also very close.
Used them with HM-601 and found found it a little too warm. Neutral amp would probably work better.
