[kmhaynes]

Ordered a set from Amazon.com (from USA) for $11 + SH.  Hope to get them before Christmas day.  Will be comparing them to SHE-3580 and ER-4P.

 

[waynes world]

Quote:

I finally got sick of comparing these to my Monoprice 8320s so it's time to tell the story:
 
vs Monoprice 8320
First impression is that the MT300 has boosted bass.  This can be good for some, bad for others.  Personally I enjoy feeling like I'm on stage, or in the room with the drums - it reminds me of my high school rock band days.  But it's hard to ignore the "grand concert hall" feel of the 8320s.  On switching back to the MT300s I feel like I lose a tiny little bit of the highs, and maybe some of their detail, though I'm not convinced.  Soundstage closes in a touch too, but I feel it is still above average for IEMs.  The mids are where I spent most of my time.  The 8320 is such a clear, mid-centric earphone, it was hard for me to believe the TDKs could be that good, but they are.  I think the TDKs have as much clarity in the mids as the 8320s and I don't get bored of them as quickly as the 8320s.  After some time with the TDKs, and keeping in mind that I have other higher-end full-size cans, and IEMs, I don't feel like I'm missing anything with the TDKs.  I think I just prefer the TDKs. There, I said it.
 

 
 
Yup, we are all crazy. I did a very little ab'ing while listening to some trance on my computer. The TDK's sounded best out of all of my iem's. The bass is big, but tight and detailed. The mids and vocals are amazing - I think that's what really makes them attractive to me, and why I am liking them more than the xba3's (at least for that track). Nothing seems recessed. The closest sounding iem's I have are the fxd70's, but I prefer the sound of the tdk's. Unbelievable.
 
I will be doing more ab'ing when I have time with other sources and other music. Should be interesting to see if/how my impressions change.
 
Quote:

It's a close one though, and they easily complement each other more than compete, with the 8320s being really amazing for classical pieces in particular, and the TDKs as a general all-rounder.  I mean, there are tracks where the TDKs can become annoying at first, but then the bass-head in me takes over and says "oh yeah, I play the bass, I'm the bassist, let's jam".
 
The deal killer for the 8320 is ergonomics.  The awkward fitment and inconsistent seal of the 8320 makes it so much work to get fitted, that I sometimes pass on them because I want to get to my music sooner.  The TDKs are easy to fit quickly, and if you do it fast enough, you can still feel the cool aluminum on your lobes.. few IEMs can do that!

 
I'm not familiar with the 8320's, but it looks like they are quite amazing also for the price. But yes, ergonomics is important, and that is another thing that I really like about the TDK's. Fast and easy to put to use (and they sound so friggin good!).

 

[BRANDONLEE4444]

Hi all just joined. I also just bought these iem tdk's! While, I don't consider myself a head-fi enthusiast, just an audio enthusiast. I've owned mainly over ear dj style headphones and earbuds etc nothing insanely expensive.
 
After looking at reviews on this tdk model and specifically this site, I purchased them at xs cargo 
yesterday for $10!
 
Wow these sound amazing! So, today I went to a different xs cargo to buy some more, they
cost me $11 for 2sets! Either they went back down to $5 or they were the wrong price at $10 at one store here or wrong price at $5 at the other store? Who knows.
 
Oh and there were lots at the stores here in Friendly Manitoba Winnipeg! Cheers all!

 

[PeterDLai]

I've read stories of other people's pairs failing pretty quickly (last post on that page), but at $5 what can you expect?
 
I really don't need another value-based IEM but I might be in for one soon just to see how they compare to other bang-for-buck earphones...

 

[waynes world]

Quote:

I've read stories of other people's pairs failing pretty quickly (last post on that page), but at $5 what can you expect?
 

 
I wouldn't doubt it. The drivers themselves seem robust, but the cable is thin and without much relief. And, it's a straight connector instead of L-shaped.
 
Quote:

I really don't need another value-based IEM but I might be in for one soon just to see how they compare to other bang-for-buck earphones...

 
You'll want to stock up on them lol!

 

[nick n]

Quote:

Hi all just joined. I also just bought these iem tdk's! While, I don't consider myself a head-fi enthusiast, just an audio enthusiast. I've owned mainly over ear dj style headphones and earbuds etc nothing insanely expensive.
 
After looking at reviews on this tdk model and specifically this site, I purchased them at xs cargo 
yesterday for $10!
 
Wow these sound amazing! So, today I went to a different xs cargo to buy some more, they
cost me $11 for 2sets! Either they went back down to $5 or they were the wrong price at $10 at one store here or wrong price at $5 at the other store? Who knows.
 
Oh and there were lots at the stores here in Friendly Manitoba Winnipeg! Cheers all!

Your first post , welcome to Head-fi ( and sorry about your wallet ). Be careful that's no joke.
 
Actually if you look at the small golden (!) scale at the bottom of the box it is in the middle of the bar and actually says " Audio Enthusiast " hahah so you are bang on there!
 
Yes they are fluctuating between $9.99 and $4.97, all this week the flyer shows them for $4.97.
 
 
In regards to the breakage issues, nothing in the way of problems so far, they aren't gonna stand up to serious abrasive treatment, but no need to get out the silk gloves to handle them either. ( no I DON"T own any of those

) Who knows what sort of treatment those reviewers gave them.
They are worth sort of taking slight care with IMHO.
 
 
There seems to be plenty of stock listed, I went back today again and got a few more for backups. I think my lunch today came to  "3 Pairs". Where else can you say that, honestly.  Think from now on I will be measuring purchases based on these as the standard unit instead of dollars, just for kicks.
 
I had mentioned to someone I was going to make an easy chair out of all of them in the boxes, or maybe use a new pair every day for the year, but that would just upset our  Southern neighbours. Did I grab too many?

 
hey folks Diesel costs "one pair" per gallon now...
 
Waynenumm, impressive . Thanks for the impressions.

 

[BRANDONLEE4444]

Thanks Nick N for the warm welcome here!
 
Hahaha ya I read the box scale and I was thinking to myself if I can get this level of performance, which I would be quite content hell I gota try one pair!
 
Thanks Peter for the link. I read those reviews and hoping the TDKs last. Hence I had to buy more just in case lol.
 
I think these TDKs are the best sounding to me and most affordable earphones I've ever bought! I appreciate all the informative detailed posts regarding the TDKs performance in comparison to other brands you guys own. I have an idea what the other brands might sound like. Great site!

 

[Ojsinnerz]

Got my pair a couple of hours ago. Not really impressed with it yet, but it's definitely worth more than 5 bucks.

 

[waynes world]

Quote:

Got my pair a couple of hours ago. Not really impressed with it yet, but it's definitely worth more than 5 bucks.

 
Please let us know what you think after a good 10 hours of burn in. Also, if you have any other tips, give them a try. I am really liking the mh1c medium sized tips on these puppies to get the right amount of bass and a great seal (the stock tips weren't working for me).

 

[inline79]

Quote:

Oh and there were lots at the stores here in Friendly Manitoba Winnipeg! Cheers all!

Welcome, Prairies! Will you be conducting the cold weather test for us?

Does the metal stick to your ears at -20°C?
 
Tell us how they make you feel compared to your DJ cans!
 
And yes, on Nick's point, sorry about your wallet, but fortunately you've got in with a very low entry fee which (I think) will be tough to beat even at $50... so you might as well buy 10 of them!

 

[djvkool]

OK so finally I pull the plug and bought one too, just because nick n liked it (as both of us are also an H-100 fanboy 

) -- $20 here locally in Perth, Australia, had I bought from Amazon I would have to pay roughly the same cost anyway...
 
I will post first impression shortly, have to spend some time with my baby daughter first...

 

[djvkool]

OK first impression - not too bad at all, definitely worth the price, and more, definitely better than SHE3580, UE100, UE200, HA-FX1X, all are within the same price bracket, but IMHO, still lagging behind the 3 Brainwawz that cost just a little bit more; M4, M5, and R1.
 
I will burn this in and will post further impression, at the moment I am hearing some bass bleed, laid back and rolled off treble

 

[lilboozy]

Hows the bass quantity vs the she3580

 

[waynes world]

Ok, a bit more feedback. I spent a bit of time comparing the tdk's to my other iem's. Firstly, I realize that all of my iem's are quite good, and if I wasn't addicted to head-fi, I could be happy with any one of them (well, there are usability issues with some of them that would limit their use, but we'll keep this to SQ).
 
Selecting the right tips for the tdk's is important. Wrong ones and the bass can be somewhat overpowering. The right ones with the right seal, and the bass sounds great.
 
Obviously, a lot depends on one's sound preferences. I am slowly coming to the realization that I like these things in the sound signature:
 
(a) big, tight, detailed, punchy bass with little mid-bass hump or bleed into the mids.
 
(b) non-recessed and detailed mids. If the mids are somewhat recessed, I feel that there is something a bit lacking. If the mids are not recessed (like with the tdk's), I immediately find the sound more engaging.
 
(c) non-bright/harsh/sibilant highs. I must be sensitive to this, because it becomes very fatiguing to me and I don't enjoy it. I guess I don't need the super-detailed highs that many people like.
 
Most of my iem's seem to have the mids that are recessed to one degree or another (and some of them at times have treble that is a bit on the bright side for me). The recessed mids tends to make me want to raise the volume to bring up the mids, which often results in overwhelming bass or treble. So, I think this is why I am liking the tdk's so much. The bass sounds great to me, and the mids sound great to me, and the treble never sounds harsh or sibilant to me. The result is that the entire frequency range sounds big and engaging. I can raise the volume as much as I want and everything still sounds great, and nothing sounds fatiguing.
 
That's my 2 cents for the time being

 

[TwinQY]

You guys are killing me with all those impressions. I really, really want one of these right now!