4.5 Billion is just the IEM market alone, right?
I didn't know that the US IEM market is just that small, only 330 Mil. But on the second thought, that makes sense because many people in the U.S. use an IEM just when they run or workout at a gym, and for such use, something like Beats or Airbuds are just fine. I myself also don't see any use for an IEM.
Im from Miami but have been living in Hong Kong since 2007. Back in Miami I would listen to music either in a 15k car audio system or at home. If I was working out it was along with friends or a throwaway headphone. Once arriving in Hong Kong Im mostly walking and taking public transport so iems are being used everywhere. Even before smartphones and iems people around here dont great each other now they dont hear, see or notice you. Everybody using iems to talk on their phones, watch movies or listen to music.
Im from Miami but have been living in Hong Kong since 2007. Back in Miami I would listen to music either in a 15k car audio system or at home. If I was working out it was along with friends or a throwaway headphone. Once arriving in Hong Kong Im mostly walking and taking public transport so iems are being used everywhere. Even before smartphones and iems people around here dont great each other now they dont hear, see or notice you. Everybody using iems to talk on their phones, watch movies or listen to music.
Yes, unless you are a frequent walker on street or use mass transportation, there is rare use for an IEM. In the U.S., I think there is only one place where an IEM is useful, that is Manhattan, NY.
Then I am completely baffled by the prices. There are some aspects I think the Solaris did better but they were neither bass nor space. A majority of people claim the z1r should be an improvement to the Solaris in these qualities, but if the HD650 will still edge it out then there is an awful premium on not leaking sound. On the flipside, I recall one person claiming that the Z1R sounded just as good to them as their LCD-4. I read some more impressions of the JVC/Victor FW10000 and the Z1R seems like a safer bet for the more energetic music I listen to, although different people post contradictory things. Amusingly the Z1R coming with a 4.4 balanced cable that should be good has significantly played in its favor for me. Less hassle, less uncertainty over total price and judging sound quality, and the FW10000 for whatever reason can go poorly with many cables and sound harsh. If it's supposed to be so cable dependent then its makers should've bothered including a second suitable cable that is balanced, yet they barely included five pairs of tips. The u12t is $2000 and seems to be somewhat worse, and the Chinese Anole stuff goes a few hundred dollars over two thousand with someone claiming they don't sound as direct as the Solaris. It continues to impress me for what amounts of money a rounded set of qualities can't be put in one package.
IEM makers are constantly in the pursuit of trying to make IEMs sound big like headphones. But physics will never let that happen anytime soon. I have tried some IEMs on desktop amps and they do scale well and can portray a bigger sound than using a DAP. But still no where close to the sound of full size HPs. The pricing of these IEMs is a sad state of affair. Unfortunately, it is what it is. But what annoys me is, an IEM that is considered excellent today, gets outdated within a few years. Unlike full size headphones that stay relevant and competent for decades. If I had a strong neck, perspired less, didn’t need isolation, had plenty of desk space, I wouldn’t bother with IEMs. But because that’s not the case for me, I seek IEMs and am willing to pay the high price for IEMs that get close to the performance of full-size HPs. And a lot of folks are on the same boat as me.
Mans just pops in here like he doesn't have a $40 pair of IEMS in his signature right next to a $2500 pair
And by that I mean, any comparisons between the IER Z1Rs and the Obravo AMT IEMS? Really curious about the performance of this relatively new (and by new, I mean it was patented in like mid 1960s by German physicist Dr. Oskar Heil according to the selling page) tech (already read Twister's review among a few others, but the more the better). The general impressions of the Z1Rs seem almost binary in like or dislike, usually the gap isn't this clear....hmmmm
Paying lot less for a grey market and then having stock issues on a high demand item. Hong Kong might have some dealers with stock but AccessoryJack is just one dealer who could have probably sold out of all the units they received and now have to wait.
Seriously contemplating the KSE1200 over the IER-Z1R. They're the same price. Anyone who has used both that can chime in?
Other than the larger soundstage and not having to carry around an amp module, I'm unsure what more benefit of the IER-Z1R? I keep hearing the KSE1200 is one of the most resolving IEMS (if not the most), and has no U/V-shape - all balanced.
Paying lot less for a grey market and then having stock issues on a high demand item. Hong Kong might have some dealers with stock but AccessoryJack is just one dealer who could have probably sold out of all the units they received and now have to wait.
Grey market - goods which have been manufactured by or with the consent of the brand owner, but are sold outside of the brand owner's approved distribution channels. So ordering from an overseas dealer rather then a domestic dealer. Any warranty issues will have to be dealt with overseas vs handling locally.
Seriously contemplating the KSE1200 over the IER-Z1R. They're the same price. Anyone who has used both that can chime in?
Other than the larger soundstage and not having to carry around an amp module, I'm unsure what more benefit of the IER-Z1R? I keep hearing the KSE1200 is one of the most resolving IEMS (if not the most), and has no U/V-shape - all balanced.
I ended up swapping my order to the KSE1200. There's a lot going for it, and no ETA on the Sony's in sight for the US. Also, the ambiguity gets to me too. These things are so elusive, there's not enough impressions/comparisons on them yet. Maybe in the future I'll look back, but not a good call right now unfortunately. Good luck gents.
I ended up swapping my order to the KSE1200. There's a lot going for it, and no ETA on the Sony's in sight for the US. Also, the ambiguity gets to me too. These things are so elusive, there's not enough impressions/comparisons on them yet. Maybe in the future I'll look back, but not a good call right now unfortunately. Good luck gents.
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