[TheAwesomesauceShow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljokerl /img/forum/go_quote.gif +1. I can't find any mention of them anywhere. How about a link? To be honest that says more about the Bose than the Cobys. We all know what the acronym stands for, anyway... Regarding reviews, there are a bunch of reviews of full-size bose cans on the full-size forum and one or two reviews of the IEMs. Problem is that these are usually done by new members with no real point of reference as seasoned head-fiers don't usually bother with Bose. You can see the same trend now with the Bowers&Wilkins P5 in Skylab's review thread - a couple of new members are vehemently defending the P5s against all criticism despite not making their reference point clear. I've heard all of the headphones in Bose's current lineup and was even lucky enough to try them with my own source/tracklist as the equalized demo stand at the 'Bose Boutique' I went to was partly out of comission. It's amazing how well they pick tracks that showcase the so-called strengths of their headphones while downplaying the weaknesses for the demo stand. The Bose IEs really broke down when I threw Change of Seasons at them. Very poorly separated sound; I wouldn't pay more than $30 for it. The headphones aren't actually that bad for a colored and bottom-heavy signatrure but I have no use for ANC and thus no interest in paying a premium for it.

Yep, Bose was my first expensive iems/headphone. I didn't know that there are better brands that are cheaper. Lesson learned after only 6 months the wires started to get stiffer and holes/tears appeared. I don't have any problem with their sound, it's just their build quality is non-existent

 

[threi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moraleslos /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just curious, if the iworld slims are decently priced, and if there is a return policy at winners, I would give it a shot and see if they are indeed rebranded flats. If they are not, you can always return them. However, if they cost more than the flats, I would just avoid. Let us know!

Well they are $7, and here in Canada the flats retail for around $25 unless you go online, so I could give it a shot. Thing is im not much of an audiophile so I may or may not give false info when it comes to how they sound.

 

[moraleslos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAwesomesauceShow /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't have any problem with their sound, it's just their build quality is non-existent

I have to agree with you on the build quality. The Bose Triport I'm listening with has very good sound-- particularly for certain types of music. But I can already tell they may fall apart if not handled with extreme care. Not sure if all Bose cans/iems are like this but for products over $100 I would definitely take build quality into consideration, and the Bose Triport definitely doesn't measure up.

 

[moraleslos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by threi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thing is im not much of an audiophile so I may or may not give false info when it comes to how they sound.

I'm not either, but I would give it a shot and give an opinion like other reviewers here. I think you also have the Cobys right? Well that would be a good reference to compare the iworld slims with. There are other threads here comparing the two-- with the flats sounding much "clearer" or "louder" on the mids/highs but lacking bass (I have both and they all sound good). If you could tell this is the case with the slims, then it probably is a rebranded flats. Either way, you can always return it!

I'll try some of the boutique shops in my area to see if they carry this brand but I highly doubt it.

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAwesomesauceShow /img/forum/go_quote.gif will you be adding ath-em7 and the ath-ew9 in your review? Got the em7 and love 'em

No Audio-Technica clip-ons planned at this point. I still haven't gotten around to the Sony MDR-Q68 that Kostalex rated so highly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by threi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well they are $7, and here in Canada the flats retail for around $25 unless you go online, so I could give it a shot. Thing is im not much of an audiophile so I may or may not give false info when it comes to how they sound.

To be honest I doubt there are any rebranded JVC products out there. JVC is not an OEM nor are JVC products known to have anything in common with other brands. Most likely a different company just sourced the same housings from a Chinese manufacturer as the ones JVC is using on the Flats. Case in point - the Panasonic RP-DJ120 and iFrogz EarPollution Nerve Pipes:

Minus the funky color schemes they are the same exact headphone physically but the drivers are different.

 

[threi]

Got the iworld slims, they seem more like a knockoff than a rebranding. Every inch of the slims is identical to the flats design-wise, but the build quality is MUCH poorer. The flats have distinct clicks for adjustment, but with the slims its just all mushy. The pleather pads aren't even really round, it was poorly sewn together.

In terms of sound, I'm...not too sure if it's the exact same drivers or not (I'm going to open them up and inspect tomorrow). On first listen I would say the highs are equal while the mids and lows are slightly worse, but there are a couple things that may be affecting the sound.

1. As mentioned before the pleather pads are poorly sewn together, they may have an effect on the sound

2. The plastic covering the driver has a different design. The holes near the outer rim are slightly smaller while the holes near the center are much bigger. I will take pics tomorrow.

3. My Flats were not only worn in but slightly modded as well (I put stuffing inside the housing)


So on their own right I don't think they are worth the money, because of the bad build quality and the fact that you can find JVC flats cheap anyways. I think i'm just going to replace the broken driver on my flats with this one instead of returning it.

*edit*

Here are some pics, they aren't the same drivers:

iWorld slims on the left, JVC Flats on the right:

So basically I took the driver out, put it in the flats (they sound close enough) and threw it in the trash. It's not worth searching for.

 

[matt.]

this is my first post and i hope this as good a thread as any to post this query in.


first of all, very valuable information here. thanks so much for the comparison reviews.

after reading these reviews, i went with the JVC Flats. i've had them for two weeks. for the money, as mentioned, pretty great stuff. well, until yesterday. in the middle of listening, the right channel has lost all bass. i can still hear any audio from it, it's just that the left channel has ALL the bass now and the right channel has ALL the treble.

is this fixable? is it worth trying to?

i was leaning towards buying the sound magics listed in the initial post but i have a small head and it appears that those don't work well with small domes.

i'm not picky. i've subsisted on iPod earbuds for years. i don't listen to music very loud. i just need moderate isolation and decent sound quality.

i suppose i'm looking into either the Koss PortaPro or the Philips SHL9500.

or should i look a tad further for better quality portable phones?

 

[moraleslos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt. /img/forum/go_quote.gif i'm not picky. i've subsisted on iPod earbuds for years. i don't listen to music very loud. i just need moderate isolation and decent sound quality.

If you liked the sound of the flats, why don't you try out the Cobys (CV-185 or CV-215). I have both now and I really like the Cobys better. Great overall sound for $10 and under. It also has decent isolation. I haven't tried the others you've mentioned but based on IP's ratings on the first page, the cobys were actually rated higher.

BTW, if you had the flats for a couple of weeks, you should be able to exchange/return. Sounds like a defective product.

 

[moraleslos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by threi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Got the iworld slims, they seem more like a knockoff than a rebranding. Every inch of the slims is identical to the flats design-wise, but the build quality is MUCH poorer.

Hmm... Think Joker was right about JVCs and rebranding. Oh well. I just went to a couple of electronic boutique shops in my area but did not see an iWorld products. (They carry a lot of "generic brand" headphones such as sentry and cobys). I did see a new generic called "XBASS", and they have an iem that looks very similar in build to the JVC Marshmallows (compared them side-by-side). I may try them out sometime.

 

[matt.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moraleslos /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you liked the sound of the flats, why don't you try out the Cobys (CV-185 or CV-215). I have both now and I really like the Cobys better. Great overall sound for $10 and under. It also has decent isolation. I haven't tried the others you've mentioned but based on IP's ratings on the first page, the cobys were actually rated higher. BTW, if you had the flats for a couple of weeks, you should be able to exchange/return. Sounds like a defective product.

ah, yes. the coby's!

amazon won't take it back without original packaging,etc. of which i don't have. i never once assumed that these would crap out so soon. i'm not out that much money, just frustrated. i should, in actuality, probably try to upgrade to a mid level headphone.

the hunt is still on.

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by threi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Got the iworld slims, they seem more like a knockoff than a rebranding. Every inch of the slims is identical to the flats design-wise, but the build quality is MUCH poorer. The flats have distinct clicks for adjustment, but with the slims its just all mushy. The pleather pads aren't even really round, it was poorly sewn together. In terms of sound, I'm...not too sure if it's the exact same drivers or not (I'm going to open them up and inspect tomorrow). On first listen I would say the highs are equal while the mids and lows are slightly worse, but there are a couple things that may be affecting the sound. 1. As mentioned before the pleather pads are poorly sewn together, they may have an effect on the sound 2. The plastic covering the driver has a different design. The holes near the outer rim are slightly smaller while the holes near the center are much bigger. I will take pics tomorrow. 3. My Flats were not only worn in but slightly modded as well (I put stuffing inside the housing) So on their own right I don't think they are worth the money, because of the bad build quality and the fact that you can find JVC flats cheap anyways. I think i'm just going to replace the broken driver on my flats with this one instead of returning it.

Thanks, now we know

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt. /img/forum/go_quote.gif this is my first post and i hope this as good a thread as any to post this query in. first of all, very valuable information here. thanks so much for the comparison reviews. after reading these reviews, i went with the JVC Flats. i've had them for two weeks. for the money, as mentioned, pretty great stuff. well, until yesterday. in the middle of listening, the right channel has lost all bass. i can still hear any audio from it, it's just that the left channel has ALL the bass now and the right channel has ALL the treble. is this fixable? is it worth trying to? i was leaning towards buying the sound magics listed in the initial post but i have a small head and it appears that those don't work well with small domes. i'm not picky. i've subsisted on iPod earbuds for years. i don't listen to music very loud. i just need moderate isolation and decent sound quality. i suppose i'm looking into either the Koss PortaPro or the Philips SHL9500. or should i look a tad further for better quality portable phones?

Probably not worth fixing the flats but I would really look into returning/exchanging them if they're only two weeks old. There should be a manufacturer's warranty in addition to the retailer's exchange window.

PortaPros are a great choice if you don't need isolation. Otherwise I would look at the Coby CV185/215, as suggested above, or maybe even the Denon P372, which can be had for just a tad more than the portapros. Both of these are less portable than the PortaPro/SHL9500 crowd but they isolate more and sound good at their respective price pooints.

Also, there's a new soundmagic portable in town, the P20. I have not tried them yet but at first glance it seems that Soundmagic listened to all of the criticisms of the folding mechanism of the P10s and made it simpler. Should be friendlier towards small heads as well.

 

[ljokerl]

Added the Panasonic RP-HTX7 and Philips SHP5400

 

[mcnoiserdc]

thanks man, very usefull thread, I hope you have a headphones thread also!

Edit: I see by your signature that you don't have a full headphones thread

 

[Kubiq]

Thanks for SHP5400 review

In my country there are only 5401's (diff colour). I bought one and they sound great,just aren't very comfortable (i have BIG head heh) but its ok for that price.

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcnoiserdc /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks man, very usefull thread, I hope you have a headphones thread also! Edit: I see by your signature that you don't have a full headphones thread

Yes, no headphone thread since a.) I don't have the funds for it and b.) many full-size headphones are extremely source-dependent and I don't think my Tianyun Zero / Heed CanAmp setup is a sufficiently universal benchmark rig.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kubiq /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for SHP5400 review In my country there are only 5401's (diff colour). I bought one and they sound great,just aren't very comfortable (i have BIG head heh) but its ok for that price.

Thanks for reminding me to add the 5401, I'd totally forgotten that they came in two color schemes. And yes, not very good for big heads due to the headband getting narrower at the bottom.