[nc8000]

Just gave it a shot and ordered 2 pairs, one for each of my teenage sons, to replace the Sennheiser CX300 they each have and are close to being worn out. According to the confirmation email even with free shipping I will get tracking because the total order is over $20.

 

[ri_toast]

ordered September 27, shipping confirmed September 29, arrived October 15. initial impressions....wow, just wow. follow up to come in impressions thread. quickly: 3x better than cx300 and 5x better than the ha-fx66 i was using for casual listening.
and yes these are the 20.00 delivered from focal. score

 

[TheAnomaly]

so from the looks of it maybe 2-3 people in this thread have actually heard these? i've been toying with the idea of getting a cheaper IEM for my ipod because...well...the ibuds are a bit basic

but i didn't really want to spend "a lot" to match my usual setup.

these look to be a good compromise but i will have to wait for some more input as to their sound quality...to those who have heard it, though, the sound quality is favorable to a $50 IEM?

 

[azncookiecutter]

Anyone can comment on the tips? Trying to find a bunch of tips that are more comfortable than the triple.fi stock tips, and it seems that these tips may be able to be fitted on the triple.fis.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

I want to put it out there for the record that I understand the suspicion from some of you. I can guarantee that I was not "hired" or paid to give exaggerated opinions. I just decided to be one of the first to take a chance on FocalPrice. Sure enough they arrived and I was impressed with the sound these cheapies could produce.

I had a PL30's from FocalPrice for a few days before I got too excited with the bass knobs. They came off, so I sent mine in to get replaced. I really liked the sound. I thought it was like a less edgy KSC75 in earbud form.

As far as FocalPrice is concerned. My first pair got to me on the 14th day after ordering. The second pair are going to take a lot longer, and I have discovered the reason for this. They have been out of stock for a week or maybe more. This was definitely bad communication of their part, because I found this out yesterday after ordering on October 5th. This explains why lots of us haven't received them yet. I am being patient, but I can understand the annoyance that some of you are expressing.

 

[BigTony]

i have recieved my pl-30's, out of th box pretty dammed good!
Comfortable and more musical than my ER-6i, more bass! Will try new tips, as the fit isn't to good, but happy punter.

 

[tjumper78]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ri_toast /img/forum/go_quote.gif ordered September 27, shipping confirmed September 29, arrived October 15. initial impressions....wow, just wow. follow up to come in impressions thread. quickly: 3x better than cx300 and 5x better than the ha-fx66 i was using for casual listening. and yes these are the 20.00 delivered from focal. score

well, that makes me feel a little better, and more anxious. i got the shipping confirmation email on 9/28, so maybe and hopefully i'll receive mine today considering the fact that RI is only a few hours from NJ.

 

[nsx_23]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Got an email on Sept. 27 saying mine had shipped. Nothing so far. Sent a response to the "shipping" email and no re-response. After reading NSX's mini-review, no doubt I wasted $20. If I don't hear back within 2-3 days, I am gonna try and recoup my money via Paypal. Stupid purchase on my part. What was I thinking? If I want cheap phones that sound pretty good, I already have the modded Ksc75s and the EX082s that came with my Sony DAP. Live and learn. In this case, the hype was only $19.82, so no major loss.

Were you seriously expecting SF5pro sound for $20????

I think they're very good for the money, and I bought mine to use at the gym because I don't want to use my SF5pros there, but don't expect mind blowing sound.

 

[tstarn06]

Of course not (though SF Pro isn't a phone I want anyway). Since not many people actually provided real live feedback on these phones, your review gave me pause as to why I ordered them in the first place. Not even sure what I was expecting, to be honest. As a low-budget fan (I own three T-Amps, for example, and managed to grab a pair of im716s for $20 when newegg was selling them at that price), I was just hoping for a decent pair of canalphones for $19. Your review says that mids and highs are very recessed, and to me, even for cheap, that's a problem. I guess they will show up eventually, and I will probably listen to them and give them to my daughter when her RE2s go down (she's a teenager).

I never doubted I would be sticking with the Sleeks or X10s as my everyday IEMs. Curiosity on these got the best of me, you could say. But this will be the last time I go this route, mainly because I am content with my collection at this point. Didn't mean to say I expected them to be equal to a $200+ IEM (or even one worth $100).

"Good for the money" when you are talking $19 is damning with faint praise, no? Are they worth $42, which is what many people paid for them? Just curious.

 

[epithetless]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not even sure what I was expecting, to be honest. As a low-budget fan [...] I was just hoping for a decent pair of canalphones for $19. Your review says that mids and highs are very recessed, and to me, even for cheap, that's a problem.

FWIW, I seem to be hearing a set of earphones very different from nsx_23's when I plug in my PL30. To me, they sound like an improved CrossRoads MylarOne X3...good mids, good highs, and decent though somewhat unimpactful bass. Strange that, huh? I will add that I really came to dislike the super.fi 5 Pro sound when I owned them, so we have quite different baselines for comparison...but I also have to wonder if there might be some QC-related variances with the PL30 drivers as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Are they worth $42, which is what many people paid for them? Just curious.

To my ears, yes. I don't consider them SA6 or X10 competition, but they are among the best in their ebay price range and a steal at $20. What makes them worthwhile for me, when I already own the aforementioned (superior) IEMs, is their low-profile form-factor -- they're one of the only IEMs I've used that allow me to lie on my side while wearing them. Nice bedtime earphones.

 

[Clincher09]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckhirnigs113 /img/forum/go_quote.gif This was definitely bad communication of their part, because I found this out yesterday after ordering on October 5th. This explains why lots of us haven't received them yet. I am being patient, but I can understand the annoyance that some of you are expressing.

Oh man, I got my order confirmation on the 4th, here's hoping that they sent me one of the last pairs before they ran out.

 

[tstarn06]

That's good to hear. Now I am back to interested in checking them out, when they get here. Thanks much for another POV on the PL30s. I like the idea of a pair of phones that sit flat, as neither the X10s nor the SA6s do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by epithetless /img/forum/go_quote.gif FWIW, I seem to be hearing a set of earphones very different from nsx_23's when I plug in my PL30. To me, they sound like an improved CrossRoads MylarOne X3...good mids, good highs, and decent though somewhat unimpactful bass. Strange that, huh? I will add that I really came to dislike the super.fi 5 Pro sound when I owned them, so we have quite different baselines for comparison...but I also have to wonder if there might be some QC-related variances with the PL30 drivers as well. To my ears, yes. I don't consider them SA6 or X10 competition, but they are among the best in their ebay price range and a steal at $20. What makes them worthwhile for me, when I already own the aforementioned (superior) IEMs, is their low-profile form-factor -- they're one of the only IEMs I've used that allow me to lie on my side while wearing them. Nice bedtime earphones.

 

[nsx_23]

Right, now that I've burnt them in for almost 24 hours and have listened extensively in both modes, I have some more things to report back.

Firstly, they sound much better in the default mode rather than the deep bass mode, which recesses the treble way too much for my liking. After some burning in, the treble in clear bass mode has definitely improved, but still feels like its hiding a bit.

Secondly, they're very comfortable to wear for long periods, even more so than my SF5pros. I tried out all the various tips, but in the end went with the default one as it was the best fit for me. As a side note, the bi-flanges seemed to remove even more treble from the sound.

Thirdly, their isolation isn't that great. Listening to them on the bus and at the gym ,they still leaked a lot of noise in.

Changing my source to the Cowon D2, they sounded better, even with slow jazz music like Norah Jones.

My overall verdict, however, is still the same. Great bang for buck, but don't expect $200+ IEM levels of sound.

 

[tstarn06]

Fair enough. Now I just hope they arrive some day soon.

 

[vYu223]

Yes!!! They just came in the mail today (I ordered them on Sept. 29th)!