[nsx_23]

Yes, keep your SF5s.

Seriously, are you expecting $200 sound quality from a $20 pair of IEMs?

 

[mape00]

They claim the item shipped over 14 days ago (the status changed to shipped in my account), but I haven't got them yet. I've ordered lots of stuff from Hong Kong and it's never taking this long before. I also contacted them two days ago and asked about confirmation that they were really sent two weeks ago, but so far no reply. I doubt I would have ordered them in the first place if I had known this. What upsets me is that they lied to people about having shipped the items, and I suspect this may have happened to me as well.

 

[coredump]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcmtr /img/forum/go_quote.gif So.... I read through the whole thread.... are they real? are they fake? are they stuck in customs? is it a scam? and after 40 pages, what most people are saying is that the earphones are only so-so anyway?

My initial 10 minute impression is I don't like them as much as my Mylarone X3i. The bass setting goes from thin to thinner. I haven't tried them with an amp yet since I've misplaced my adaptor. Perhaps they need some burn in time but right now I wouldn't buy them again even at $10. Of course I don't really have much experience with these types of earphones so maybe they are better than I think.

 

[PeterDLai]

I just got mine after waiting nearly a month and to be honest, I don't think anything else can beat it for $20 (well I wouldn't know, there are so many choices out there).

These are not giant killers, but once you get a good seal (this is IMPERATIVE), they sound pretty good, and for $20 they sound amazing. They are somewhat airy sounding (not exactly a big soundstage but they are not "in-your-head" sounding) while retaining generally smooth mids and the bass on Clear Bass mode, although not extremely well defined, has strong impact. The bass on Deep Bass seems to extend maybe a tad lower, but it seems to cloud the upper frequencies more.

One thing I'm confused about is the configurations for Deep Bass and Clear Bass. It's probably terminology, but I initially expected Deep Bass to have more bass impact than Clear Bass, but it seems maybe that they mean Deep Bass by actual depth of bass and Clear Bass allows the bass to come through. I'm not sure if this was addressed already in this thread.

Without a good seal, they are pretty bad and tinny sounding. I could not attain a good seal with any of the sizes of the silicone tips, but I tried the Shure black olive foamie clone pair that they included and it worked out for me. YMMV.

 

[tstarn06]

Based on your advice, Peter, I tried those olive-type foamies and now I can see why everyone got all excited about these for $19.82. I would not think they were a bargain at $50, mainly because they may have durability issues. SQ-wise, they do sound pretty darn good. But, and this is a big one, where does one get any more of those weird foamies once they wear out? Do we have to buy the real olives and rip out the sound tubes? Just a thought. I could not get a good seal with any of the provided sleeves either. I might try an old bi-flange I had with the RE2s.

 

[vapman]

ordered 10/5, received today!!! i was really happy to see them. my expectations for them were a bit high, but with the small grey sleeves and deep bass setting on I was quite content with them. they also isolate wonderfully when music is playing. overall very happy with them for the price! i don't think I would pay any more than $35 for them though. maybe i'm a basshead like ltucci (which would be funny because I love the bass on my SR-60s) but I still think that the PL-30's fall a bit short in that department. don't get me wrong though, these are well worth the $20.

i couldn't get an ideal seal either, but the small sleeves fit very nicely and the mediums didn't fit at all.

 

[PeterDLai]

I think I've settled down to the Clear Bass setting and found it to be the best. I'm not sure whether it is my source or the earphones, but sometimes there's too much bass weight for my tastes.

I'm a little surprised that some people demand more bass from these. Perhaps it is an issue with attaining a good seal? Everyone should experiment with all of the tips included. With the black foam ear tips, they go pretty deep in my ears. Remember to squish them before inserting into your ears and they get pretty far in there.

Of course, maybe I'm just not used to this much quantity of bass as I've been listening primarily to electrostatics for a while (which are more about quality over quantity of bass).

 

[AnXioZ]

ONE WORD.... SEAL! If you don't get a perfect seal you don't get even a fraction of the sound quality these puppies deliver. I've tried all the tips and I had no luck with any of the tips. So I tried the most little ones, and after trying really hard and doing some physical damage to my ear canals I was able to get a 90% seal. I know there is a 10% loss, because after I squish my ears I see the difference.

Can any of you guys recommend me any good tips that will work with the PL-30's?

 

[chinesekiwi]

I'll see if some Comply foams I have fit these since I have both later on tonight.
(lol, a pair of Comply foams = 1/4 of the price of these).
EDIT: my mass review of stuff will be hold for a wee bit, a thing called 'real life' gets in the way and havn't had time lately

 

[silkeborg]

Comply foam T-400 fits the housing well, also skullcandy inkd silicon sleeves works well for my ears to get a good seal.

 

[vapman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeterDLai /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think I've settled down to the Clear Bass setting and found it to be the best. I'm not sure whether it is my source or the earphones, but sometimes there's too much bass weight for my tastes. I'm a little surprised that some people demand more bass from these. Perhaps it is an issue with attaining a good seal? Everyone should experiment with all of the tips included. With the black foam ear tips, they go pretty deep in my ears. Remember to squish them before inserting into your ears and they get pretty far in there. Of course, maybe I'm just not used to this much quantity of bass as I've been listening primarily to electrostatics for a while (which are more about quality over quantity of bass).

Wow, I hadn't even thought to try the foam ones! Now I have a better seal and incredible bass. The weird thing is that I could hear myself humming louder with the other sleeves on. I'm happier with the foam ones though. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[ckhirnigs113]

Well I finally received my replacement pair of PL30s after waiting a month from the time I sent in the pair with the broken bass knobs. I am happy to say they are sounding better than ever now that I have started using modded Shure olive foams.

I simply took the plastic tubing out of the foams and the tips fit perfectly on the PL30. The result is a much better seal than I could get with any of the included tips. The closest I came was with the medium black tips that came installed on the phones. I think the problem is how thin they are, so they fail to create a good seal.

I will be trying these out with my new iBasso D3 and comparing them against my KSC-75/35 and Beyerdynamic DT150. More to come...

 

[kg21]

looks like head-direct has them now for 29 with free shipping. I would have gladly payed 9 dollars more for peace of mind. Head-direct is much better to deal with and you don't have to worry if they are fake or not. Of course that's just me, 20 shipped is still a hot deal.

 

[20LEGEND]

Is head direct UK based?

 

[Clincher09]

I finally got mine today. It took 4 weeks to get here. I hoped that they would get here before Halloween, and they come in the day before, go figure.

Impressions: They sound awesome. The best fit were the bi-flanges which gives them the best seal. Although is there a way to clean the tips without damaging them? They already have ear wax on them. Also, when I put them onthe cable over the ear keeps slipping off.