[Techno Kid]

Quote:

I'd say you can get top-tier IEM sound quality in headphones for a mid-tier price. Just not top-tier headphone SQ for a mid-tier price. I do think mid-tier headphones usually have something to utterly dislike in their sound signature, such as overwhelming bass or sibilance. IEMs seem to have a more balanced/neutral sound for the price.
 
I just got the BA200 and I really like it, but I want more, now I want customs... I was looking at cosmicears, very cheap. But I might just keep the BA200s for jogging or other stuff

 
The HE-400 sounds better than any of the IEM's I had including the SM3, Heir 3.Ai and e-Q5 which are my favorite IEM's.  They have all the detail with a much better dynamic sound, amazing bass thats not bloated sounding at all and the soundstage and presentation just blow IEM's away imo.
 
I have the HD600 out for delivery right now along with a Colorfly C3 so I'm looking forward to hearing how they all pair together.

 

[kaixax555]

hmm so why do you put it between GR07 and R-50?
 
I have great interest to try it out since the description matches what I feel about the BA200 pretty closely

 

[zach915m]

Best tips I've tried are the Shure Yellow Foams....!
 

 

[Marleybob217]

Quote:

 
The HE-400 sounds better than any of the IEM's I had including the SM3, Heir 3.Ai and e-Q5 which are my favorite IEM's.  They have all the detail with a much better dynamic sound, amazing bass thats not bloated sounding at all and the soundstage and presentation just blow IEM's away imo.
 
I have the HD600 out for delivery right now along with a Colorfly C3 so I'm looking forward to hearing how they all pair together.

As a fellow HE-400 owner, I have to agree, love them even more with the J$s.
 
I'm not expecting the cIEM to be better than the HE-400, I just hope its closer to its performances than the BA200 is. Or maybe I should just wait for an IEM with planar magnetic drivers? :$

 

[theVashtaNerada]

I think I'm about to go with the tdk ba200.
Is the huge Ysplit annoying if you're moving around alot?
Has anyone had issues with the lack of strain relief?  or durability issues with the shell?
 
My other choices were gr07 mk2, r50 and maybe the TDK IE800.
I listen to a bunch of music, mostly alt/indie rock, punk rock, rock, but also lots of female vocal pop(Sia, GracePotter, LanaDelRey, EllieGoulding)
I'm afraid the R50 would be too cold/analytical sounding and it seems like people make such a big deal about its cable.  The GR07 would be similar to the ba200 but about 50$ more, and it seems pretty durable.
The TDK IE800 seems like it would have a similar sound as well and it costs roughly as much as the gr07.
 
Would the BA200 have about the same level of detail and clarity as these?
From reviews it seems to do well in the lower to mids and are more laid back with the highs, unlike some of the other choices above, particularly the R50 and GR07.  

 

[Marleybob217]

Quote:

I think I'm about to go with the tdk ba200.
Is the huge Ysplit annoying if you're moving around alot?
Has anyone had issues with the lack of strain relief?  or durability issues with the shell?
 
My other choices were gr07 mk2, r50 and maybe the TDK IE800.
I listen to a bunch of music, mostly alt/indie rock, punk rock, rock, but also lots of female vocal pop(Sia, GracePotter, LanaDelRey, EllieGoulding)
I'm afraid the R50 would be too cold/analytical sounding and it seems like people make such a big deal about its cable.  The GR07 would be similar to the ba200 but about 50$ more, and it seems pretty durable.
The TDK IE800 seems like it would have a similar sound as well and it costs roughly as much as the gr07.
 
Would the BA200 have about the same level of detail and clarity as these?
From reviews it seems to do well in the lower to mids and are more laid back with the highs, unlike some of the other choices above, particularly the R50 and GR07.  

I did not have any problems with the cables yet, I like the clip on thing to secure the cable.
Build quality, well it's not really good, one of the golden rings at the end of the shell came loose and I had go glue it back on.
The shell seems sturdy enough though, but I think the cable will go first. I don't think that these IEMs will live longer than 2 years with excessive use.
 
But the sound is pretty incredible, especially with silicone tips. I find the sound quite neutral with some warmth, and the highs sound pretty neutral too with silicone tips. I do not like them with the complies though, very wooly (unclear) sounding, with way too little treble and too much warmth.
 
I don't think you're going to find an IEM for the price of the BA200 with more neutrality and detail. Enhanced detail by elevating the treble maybe, but that's just presenting the music as caricature imo.

 

[lovinghart]

Can anyone delve more into differentiating the TDK IE800 and BA200? I'm considering buying one of the two phones.
 
My music preferences lean towards folk, acoustic, alternative-type music, with a preference for male voices and guitar. My favorite artists include coldplay, ed sheeran, fun, imagine dragons, jack johnson, jason mraz, the lumineers, mumford and sons and U2. Which of the two phones would be better for my musical preferences? Thanks! 

 

[Marleybob217]

Quote:

Can anyone delve more into differentiating the TDK IE800 and BA200? I'm considering buying one of the two phones.
 
My music preferences lean towards folk, acoustic, alternative-type music, with a preference for male voices and guitar. My favorite artists include coldplay, ed sheeran, fun, imagine dragons, jack johnson, jason mraz, the lumineers, mumford and sons and U2. Which of the two phones would be better for my musical preferences? Thanks! 

Don't think there are many people whom (who?) have owned them both. I believe I read somewhere that someone read that the IE800 is slightly better than the BA200. Pretty vague if you ask me. Anyway I think BA200 will definitely win on comfort level due to its small housing and cable over the ear design.

 

[airo]

Can anyone delve more into differentiating the TDK IE800 and BA200? I'm considering buying one of the two phones.

My music preferences lean towards folk, acoustic, alternative-type music, with a preference for male voices and guitar. 
My favorite artists include coldplay, ed sheeran, fun, imagine dragons, jack johnson, jason mraz, the lumineers, mumford and sons and U2.
 Which of the two phones would be better for my musical preferences? Thanks!
 

From what I've read the major difference is the treble, more on the 800. however ive seen people do complain about the fit,comfort, and build issues.

You should keep in mind that the ie800 costs less than the ba200s. I can find one on eBay new for $120 shipped

 

[FlySweep]

Originally Posted by lovinghart /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Can anyone delve more into differentiating the TDK IE800 and BA200? I'm considering buying one of the two phones.
 
My music preferences lean towards folk, acoustic, alternative-type music, with a preference for male voices and guitar. My favorite artists include coldplay, ed sheeran, fun, imagine dragons, jack johnson, jason mraz, the lumineers, mumford and sons and U2. Which of the two phones would be better for my musical preferences? Thanks! 

 
I've owned both the TDK800 & BA200.  For the genres of music you listed, you couldn't go wrong with either phone, IMO.
 
The most obvious difference between the two TDK phones is that the IE800 is brighter.. more specifically, it has a peak in the 3-6K range (not sure where exactly), but it's pretty smooth above that area.. the BA200 is pretty even through the entire treble frequencies (save for a slight (but welcome, IMO) peak in at 10K).  The IE800's bass sounded a touch faster to my ears, but I liked how the BA200's bass textured.  The BA200's midrange is warmer and has more of a 'romantic,' analog sound.. Personally, I found the BA200 slightly more refined & better suited to my tastes.  I liked the fit of the BA200 more, too.. but I also don't have any problems with phones that require a deep fit to get their ideal sound (like the BA200 does).

 

[zach915m]

I agree with FlySweep....I wrote this in the IE800 thread earlier today (same q):
 
I have both (ba200 and IE800) and they both do all of that incredibly well.  I may slightly favor the ba200 for acoustic stuff as that's what I listen to most and the slightly "thicker" presentation with more robust lower mids helps.  The upper midrange is slightly more pronounced on the 800 which can make acoustic guitars sound a little less "throaty." 
 
Some people say the highs on the ba200 are rolled off, I don't find this to be the case just make sure you get a good seal.  The shure yellow foams are what I like the best.
 
Overall the IE800 is probably more transparent, while the ba200 is smoother with very slight coloration but a warmer and slightly more pleasant overall timbre.  They do represent a similar style/quality to the their sound though which ofcourse is expected.
 

 

[lovinghart]

Ok thanks for everyone's reply! Hope to hear from others if they have both of these phones!

 

[h1a8]

Both are very similar. The ie800 is indeed brighter (not a lot brighter though but has a little bite to it) and it's midrange is neutral where the ba200 has a slight forward midrange. Again the ie800 is a touch clearer in the midrange but hard to notice the difference. The bass of the ie800 seems slightly tighter (faster?) but the bass of the ba200 seems more roundy (I'm not sure if I''m describing it right) but in a good way. The ie800 is harder to drive and is a little less comfortable in the ear (unless you have big canals).
 
The ba200 is smoother and responds better to eq than the ie800.
If you need any type of treble energy then go for the ie800 but if you don't care for treble at all then the ba200 is best. Ie800 is not sibilant nor harsh in anyway. Just has more bite than the ba200. ba200 is more relaxing (go to sleep) and the ie800 has a little more ting energy to it. soundstage seems even for both but maybe the ie800 is a little wider?
 
I have both. Well I lost just lost my ba200 and i'm selling my ie800. I decided to try the sm64 v2 or the heir 5a. So if you are interested then I'll give you a good price. But you can't go wrong with either as both sound very good.

 

[Marleybob217]

Wow, head-fi coming through

 

[theVashtaNerada]

Just picked up both a ba200 and the ie800.
Some quick impressions:
As far as comfort, I think both are very comfortable.  I wear the cable over the ears for both but the ie800 also allows you to wear them down.
I really like the flat cable over the ears since it seems to lay down easier.  I also wear glasses so this is great and there isn't too much interference.
I have yet to try to be active in them but I jumped around  and they stuck behind the ears just fine.  The IE800's housing makes it easier to pull it out of the ear, but the BA200 is easier inserting into the ear due to the smaller nozzle.  
 
The Y on the ba200 isn't as big as I expected.  Some of the pictures made it look large.  There also isn't that much weight to the Y junction and the extension connector is arguably heavier.
 
IE800 requires a bit more volume on the sansa clip zip than the BA200.  Not that much more.  Anyway, so far I'm enjoying both.