[jant71]

Yep, me too. I started Team JVC on the old Head-fi so If I had the money to burn It would be one of those I would try. But alas I am a RNP(regular normal person) and $1,700 is kinda for the mortgage or other regular normal person things.

 

[kova4a]

Good points - basically, it just annoys me that companies take the piss
My main problem with Senn in recent times with is twofold 1. the quality is awful [relatively speaking] , especially in what they called 'Pro' items and the price you pay is way more that they should be for what they are giving you - Im saying in relation to hearing their flagships both modern and vintage +various IEM's
ive bought a number of so called 'pro' headphones / IEM's in recent years and have been profoundly dissapointed & shocked at the quality & price
A while ago they claimed they had matched the tuning of the Legendary HD 250 closed back. This was one of the most exciting developments in the headphone world for a while but when I got them (and as a few others also found) they were NO WHERE NEAR the tuning or sound of the HD 250 to the point where is just a bare faced lie - The low end, which according to their claims, SHOULD have been one of the best in a closed back headphone for years was like most of there 'content provider tuned' headphones - a mushy bloated mess.

As for the point about what one is willing to pay - This is kind of my other point. So many headphone companies inflate prices to crazy prices. Its only after a few years of hearing many different quality headphones that you even begin to appreciate what quality actually is and what that is worth. There are some companies that make headphones out of pure love and a wish to share that and as such charge reasonable prices & give great customer care.

The point of vintage wine i think is a little different in that its prices are high due to the ageing process giving layers and a complexity that can only come in time and arises from correct preparation (I used to be in the trade!)
personally, I don't mind spending money that is reasonable. I have to use headphones for my job so on occasion I have to make an investment but then its because I know exactly what they do and what their specific qualities are

But yup, all good points. it is what it is
Apologies, thanks for your forbearance - no biggy - I just wish we lived in a world that wasn't dominated by greed and making a profit above all else :/ Music is such a rare and precious commodity

Well, Sennheiser has always been like that. Actually, back in the day when I was getting into this hobby (when the most expensive flagship iems were in the 400-500 range, no the 4k range) the sennheiser ie7 was one of my first really expensive iems and not long after it was dethroned by way cheaper iems. Personally, I've heard pretty much all sennheiser iems and that's always been the case. For instance, I really liked the ie800s but come on - it is a $400 iem at best. And if you go for their cheap offerings you get congested bass mess.

So for me you are looking at this from the wrong angle. Given sennheiser's track record and pricing history we can't really expect a sudden change, but the ie40 pro costs 100 bucks in completely breaks their tuning and pricing pattern. So instead of discussing the ie500 and bashing it for its price, people should be discussing the ie40 pro and saying "Hey, Sennheiser released a $100 iem that is actually decent, can you believe it?"

 

[Cevisi]

Well, Sennheiser has always been like that. Actually, back in the day when I was getting into this hobby (when the most expensive flagship iems were in the 400-500 range, no the 4k range) the sennheiser ie7 was one of my first really expensive iems and not long after it was dethroned by way cheaper iems. Personally, I've heard pretty much all sennheiser iems and that's always been the case. For instance, I really liked the ie800s but come on - it is a $400 iem at best. And if you go for their cheap offerings you get congested bass mess.

So for me you are looking at this from the wrong angle. Given sennheiser's track record and pricing history we can't really expect a sudden change, but the ie40 pro costs 100 bucks in completely breaks their tuning and pricing pattern. So instead of discussing the ie500 and bashing it for its price, people should be discussing the ie40 pro and saying "Hey, Sennheiser released a $100 iem that is actually decent, can you believe it?"

When there is somthing bad people never talk about what is good in that thema. We germans are masters in it.

 

[chickenmoon]

So, wonder what you think about a $1,700 JVC earphone with a small amount of wood, exotic I guess but still not much of it, and a small amount of lacquer((with magical powers I think), and one dynamic driver?

If I had the cash I'd certainly blindly take the JVC rather than 3 IE500, it's quite obvious to me they are in a completely different league when it comes to the R&D that went into it, design, build quality and craftsmanship. To me they currently epitomize the best a big company can produce entirely in-house, a fusion of art and technology pushing the boundaries of innovation and what's possible with a single dynamic driver. Sennheiser was certainly in such a place when they designed the IE800 but this is now old (and IMO not too good by today's standards) and the newer S version is merely a tweak of its older sibling as I understand. The IE40/400/500 series certainly just feels to me like it's just another line-up with cheap acrylic shells and good generic drivers slapped in plus some tuning.

 

[kova4a]

If I had the cash I'd certainly blindly take the JVC rather than 3 IE500, it's quite obvious to me they are in a completely different league when it comes to the R&D that went into it, design, build quality and craftsmanship. To me they currently epitomize the best a big company can produce entirely in-house, a fusion of art and technology pushing the boundaries of innovation and what's possible with a single dynamic driver. Sennheiser was certainly in such a place when they designed the IE800 but this is now old (and IMO not too good by today's standards) and the newer S version is merely a tweak of its older sibling as I understand. The IE40/400/500 series certainly just feels to me like it's just another line-up with cheap acrylic shells and good generic drivers slapped in plus some tuning.

And how do you know that f you haven't heard the jvc and seen inside it. I've seen $5 iem with dynamic drivers and $1000 iems with dynamic drivers open and they look exactly the same - wires and a dynamic driver stuck with glue. The difference here is that Sennheisers went with generic plastic shells and kept the price lower while jvc went with fancier hand-finished housings that probably cost 30 bucks to make but the potential buyers pay 1000 bucks extra for them. I bet that if Sennheiser went with fancy wooden or ceramic housings that you couldn't see inside you would be way less frustrated with the price difference. The issue here is that the high-end models look like the entry-level one. It's the same thing with watches - you can get a generic looking watch with great movement inside but people would rather pay few thousand bucks more for something with similar movement but fancier case.

 

[chickenmoon]

And how do you know that f you haven't heard the jvc and seen inside it. I've seen $5 iem with dynamic drivers and $1000 iems with dynamic drivers open and they look exactly the same - wires and a dynamic driver stuck with glue. The difference here is that Sennheisers went with generic plastic shells and kept the price lower while jvc went with fancier hand-finished housings that probably cost 30 bucks to make but the potential buyers pay 1000 bucks extra for them. I bet that if Sennheiser went with fancy wooden or ceramic housings that you couldn't see inside you would be way less frustrated with the price difference. The issue here is that the high-end models look like the entry-level one. It's the same thing with watches - you can get a generic looking watch with great movement inside but people would rather pay few thousand bucks more for something with similar movement but fancier case.

I've got an FX850 if that matters and the 10K is certainly the culmination of years and years of development of JVC's wooden and diamond flagship lines of which the FX850 is part, I am 100% sure they are not internally the crap you say. It's not because you've seen a $1000 IEM that looked internally the same as a $5 one that this applies here, your opinion is just as baseless as mine, perhaps even a bit more. I doubt anybody will take their 10K apart to show us who's right here.

I've an IE800 too and I do not like it despite its fancy ceramic housing that doesn't let me see through, most frustrating purchase I ever made tbh. It's got some technical merits but the bass isn't as good as many make it to be IMO and the overall sound signature a wow factor gimmick ultimately sounding hollow once past it and that I got fed up with very fast.

I thought the issue with the new Senns was that the most expensives were hardly sounding better than the cheap one, not justifying their 4 to 5 fold price increase rather than their very similar look and build but I must have misread...

 

[jon parker]

Well, Sennheiser has always been like that. Actually, back in the day when I was getting into this hobby (when the most expensive flagship iems were in the 400-500 range, no the 4k range) the sennheiser ie7 was one of my first really expensive iems and not long after it was dethroned by way cheaper iems. Personally, I've heard pretty much all sennheiser iems and that's always been the case. For instance, I really liked the ie800s but come on - it is a $400 iem at best. And if you go for their cheap offerings you get congested bass mess.

So for me you are looking at this from the wrong angle. Given sennheiser's track record and pricing history we can't really expect a sudden change, but the ie40 pro costs 100 bucks in completely breaks their tuning and pricing pattern. So instead of discussing the ie500 and bashing it for its price, people should be discussing the ie40 pro and saying "Hey, Sennheiser released a $100 iem that is actually decent, can you believe it?"

Well, thats the beauty of life - you can appreciate a point from many different angles - I was only presenting one
Thing is I did buy the IE40 - thought is was very poor and as for it being 'Pro' that was for me, frankly insulting and was my main contention with it
Its 'descent' in that out of phone on a commute then yeah...it would do the job but beyond that ?
If others like it though then great. I would only wish happy listening on people at the end of the day

 

[cqtek]

Has anyone tried the Moondrop Kxxs? Since I have the Kanas Pro, I'm very excited about them. But now that I know that there is a new version that, according to the review published here, surpasses them in almost every aspect...I can't stop thinking about them.

On the other hand, in my country I have been able to participate in a Fiio Tour, and I have been able to try the DAP Fiio M11 and the IEMs FH7.
The M11 has finally conquered me by its sound, any hint of darkness has been erased. Now it's all light and separation.
But the real pleasure has been to try the Fiio FH7. It's the best my poor ears could hear. It's a shame not to have money...

Finally, and returning to something more mundane, here's my review of the surprising Rose Mini2 MKII 2.0:

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/rose-mini2-mkii-2-0.23577/reviews#review-22255

 

[vault108]

Something unusual, the SendyAudio Aiya. 21mm planar magnetic driver, driver is not as big as LCD-i4 (30mm).
It's big, thick, and outer shell is made of wood. The IEM is rather light.
The cable has a spring on the terminal joint that I haven’t seen before.
It does not have the greatest fit. It has a shallow fit unless you go with double or triple flange tip.
Not the greatest sound out of the box. There is something odd in the mid. Soundstage is very wide, very headphone like. I will let this for run several days.

 

[RedJohn456]

Link? Always enjoy a good newcomer.

Looking forward to hearing what you think of it bud. I was out of town over the weekend and the F1 isolates so well. Means that I didn't have to turn up the volume high to enjoy the music. I like that it didn't distort even when I pushed it hard. I like that it sounds so good straight out of my iPhone.

 

[HunterT]

Has anyone tried the Moondrop Kxxs? Since I have the Kanas Pro, I'm very excited about them. But now that I know that there is a new version that, according to the review published here, surpasses them in almost every aspect...I can't stop thinking about them.

On the other hand, in my country I have been able to participate in a Fiio Tour, and I have been able to try the DAP Fiio M11 and the IEMs FH7.
The M11 has finally conquered me by its sound, any hint of darkness has been erased. Now it's all light and separation.
But the real pleasure has been to try the Fiio FH7. It's the best my poor ears could hear. It's a shame not to have money...

Finally, and returning to something more mundane, here's my review of the surprising Rose Mini2 MKII 2.0:

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/rose-mini2-mkii-2-0.23577/reviews#review-22255

I'm quite interested in Moondrop kxxs too. Now what should I do with the newly acquired Kanas Pro. Lol.

 

[BrunoC]

I'm quite interested in Moondrop kxxs too. Now what should I do with the newly acquired Kanas Pro. Lol.

Your problem is solved:
You sell it to me for 60€

 

[CoiL]

Has anyone tried the Moondrop Kxxs? Since I have the Kanas Pro, I'm very excited about them. But now that I know that there is a new version that, according to the review published here, surpasses them in almost every aspect...I can't stop thinking about them.

On the other hand, in my country I have been able to participate in a Fiio Tour, and I have been able to try the DAP Fiio M11 and the IEMs FH7.
The M11 has finally conquered me by its sound, any hint of darkness has been erased. Now it's all light and separation.
But the real pleasure has been to try the Fiio FH7. It's the best my poor ears could hear. It's a shame not to have money...

Finally, and returning to something more mundane, here's my review of the surprising Rose Mini2 MKII 2.0:

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/rose-mini2-mkii-2-0.23577/reviews#review-22255

I'm quite interested in Moondrop kxxs too. Now what should I do with the newly acquired Kanas Pro. Lol.

KXXS is mainly upgrade in BQ and rather minor "upgrade" in every other area. I`ve been told that if you already have KPE, then "upgrading" to KXXS is not "another level" but rather sidegrade IEM, like TFZ No.3 or Oxygen - it`s all about source gear/amping matchup, personal hearing response and preferences too.
PS, make sure you amp KPE properly and use slip-stop rubber rings under tips - it will make noticeable difference.

 

[HunterT]

KXXS is mainly upgrade in BQ and rather minor "upgrade" in every other area. I`ve been told that if you already have KPE, then "upgrading" to KXXS is not "another level" but rather sidegrade IEM, like TFZ No.3 or Oxygen - it`s all about source gear/amping matchup, personal hearing response and preferences too.
PS, make sure you amp KPE properly and use slip-stop rubber rings under tips - it will make noticeable difference.

You have quite a lot of confidence without having tried the kxxs yourself, just by hear say. Hehe

I got to audition the kxxs for a little while and think that it is substantially refined for it to NOT be just a sidegrade. I'm personally going to get the kxxs and either give the KP to my sibling or sell it in the near future.

 

[Animagus]

Has anyone tried the Moondrop Kxxs? Since I have the Kanas Pro, I'm very excited about them. But now that I know that there is a new version that, according to the review published here, surpasses them in almost every aspect...I can't stop thinking about them.

On the other hand, in my country I have been able to participate in a Fiio Tour, and I have been able to try the DAP Fiio M11 and the IEMs FH7.
The M11 has finally conquered me by its sound, any hint of darkness has been erased. Now it's all light and separation.
But the real pleasure has been to try the Fiio FH7. It's the best my poor ears could hear. It's a shame not to have money...

Finally, and returning to something more mundane, here's my review of the surprising Rose Mini2 MKII 2.0:

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/rose-mini2-mkii-2-0.23577/reviews#review-22255

Hey! Maybe you've read my KXXS review. If not, please do. It should help a bit with your decision.

Well having KP and KXXS both, I honestly always go for the KXXS. It just plain simple sounds better to me in all areas.

In fact now I'm listening and comparing KXXS to the older and substantially more expensive Tanchjim Oxygen. They have one substantial difference. I like to categorize IEMs with a parameter I like to call 'Drummer's perspective' and 'Audience perspective'. One makes you feel like you're a part of the band and the other makes you feel like you're watching the band perform as an audience member. Mixing engineers use these perspectives to pan instruments, but I'm talking about how the IEM helps you visualize the scene. KXXS gives me the drummer's perspective and I being a musician love visualizing songs that way. On the other hand, Oxygen is a good specimen of audience perspective and helps me visualize the performance like I'm watching from the sweet spot in the audience.

Hope this is interesting and doesn't sound like ramblings of a crazy person.