[doctorjazz]

Have to get some of the above iem's, try Tenso/Amazon jp (already have the 1K's in the cart, difficulty getting all the fields right with the Tenso info is all that has kept me from finishing up the order). The Philips sound like must haves, as well. To make trouble, I really like the PFT's...I think they are also very close to neutral, very detailed, lots of "air" around instruments. I don't get enough bass, but I suspect I'm having fit/seal issues (I often do-really difficult to find the tips that work for me in general). When I just hold them in with both hands, getting better seal, the amount of bass is much better, even sufficient. For <$100...

 

[doctorjazz]

I'll quote Joker:
 
 
 
(2A2) Phonak Audéo PFE 122


Reviewed Jan 2010
 
Details: the original ‘Perfect Fit Earphone’ from Swiss hearing aid manufacturer Phonak
Current Price: $169 from Audeoworld.com (MSRP: $169) for 111/112; $199 for 121/122 with microphone
Specs: Driver: BA | Imp: 32 Ω | Sens: 107 dB | Freq: 5-17k Hz | Cable: 3.6’ I-plug
Nozzle Size: 3mm | Preferred tips: Jays silicone single-flanges
Wear Style: Over-the-ear

Accessories (5/5) – Silicone single-flange tips (3 sizes), Comply T130 foam tips, 8 filters (4 grey; 4 black), cleaning tool, silicone ear guides, and zippered carrying case
Build Quality (4/5) –  The plastic housings are extremely lightweight and the cabling is fairly thick and quite soft, with a strong tendency to resist tangling. The PFEs certainly don't feel bulletproof but the newest revisions should survive daily use quite well
Isolation (3/5) – Isolation is quite tip-dependent and best with the included Comply T130s or similar foamies. With silicone tips isolation is average
Microphonics (4.5/5) – Quite low, partly because they must be worn over-the-ear
Comfort (5/5) – The part of the housings that fits inside the ear is small and the earphones are very light. As a result the PFEs can really disappear during everyday use. Bonus points for the included silicone cable guides. The only (rare) problem I had was that of losing seal under strenuous exercise with silicone tips

Sound (8.8/10) – Ultimately, the sound is really what makes or breaks an earphone. After my initial listening rounds with the PFE I settled on the grey filters and kept them in for the duration of the test. To my ears the grey filters provide more sparkle in the treble and a slightly smoother and thicker upper midrange. The black filters accentuate the bass but I found the (slight) hardware bass boost provided by my iBasso T4 to be a better solution. Tips matter as well – the included comply T130s will provide a more tactile bass presentation but also slightly veil the high end. The silicone tips have a more transparent sound but for some reason none of the stock tips fit me quite right. I did finally find a good fit with Jays silicone tips off of my J-Jays though.

The overall sound of the PFEs amazes with its smoothness and clarity. The bass is tight and accurate. The mids are somewhat liquid and very well-positioned in being neither forward nor recessed. The treble is similarly accurate and quite enjoyable. There is a small amount of unevenness at the high end, but this can be reduced a bit by using the black filters. I wasn’t bothered enough by it to give up the grey filters though. Overall the PFEs have a tonal balance on the cool side of the spectrum and very high resolving capability. Soundstaging is about average – wider than the Ety ER-4S and RE0 but not as expansive as the ATH-CK10 or RE252. Instrumental separation is excellent and positioning is quite good as well. They lack the famed Etymotic forwardness, which makes it a tiny bit harder to pick out details with the PFE but results in a less fatiguing sound. They also can’t quite compete in absolute faithfulness with either the Er-4S, which makes them better-suited for lower bitrate tracks.

Amping: The PFE is one the rare IEMs that do benefit substantially from amping. Despite the relatively low rated impedance and high sensitivity, the PFE becomes truly effortless when fed enough power. My iBasso T4 was sufficiently powerful but the transparency of the D10 and mini3 gave a nicer sound. When properly amped the PFE maintains its incredible clarity and resolution and becomes very hard to beat in transient response and all-around speed. A positive side effect of their inefficiency is the ability of the PFE to suppress background hiss from impedance mismatches. At listening volume the PFE exhibited no notable hiss from any of my amps or sources except the Amp3, with which they were still far more tolerable than with most earphones.

Value (9/10) – Despite the crop of excellent mid-range earphones currently available to the average consumer, the year-old Phonak PFEs still amaze with their incredibly coherent presentation and musical sound signature. I can’t recommend them enough for acoustic tracks, but they work well with nearly all music styles. The possible combinations of tips and filters and the responsiveness of the armatures to equalization also make the PFEs very tunable. Die-hard bassheads may want to look elsewhere, but for the rest of us the PFE might just be able to provide the desired sound. If Phonak has indeed made the necessary improvements to the build quality of the PFE for the v1 release, the PFE should be shortlisted by anyone looking for balance and clarity without the need for monstrous isolation.

Pros: Comfortable, low microphonics, very balanced and musical presentation, great clarity and resolution
Cons: Reported build issues with original version, mediocre isolation
 
 
 
Still tip rolling-tried foamies last night, generally don't like them, still didn't get good seal, will try others in my collection tonight

 

[Lifted Andreas]

Quote:

I'd be interested to know how the S2 compares to the Sony EX1000. Both have large open dynamic drivers, but EX1000 is much more expensive than the S2. If the S2 is even better than the EX1000 I'd gladly buy one right now.

 
Wishful thinking?

 

[yellowbirdfly]

Quote:

 
Wishful thinking?

Yeah, but one can dream. In fact, from what I read on another forum the difference between S2 and EX1000 might not be that huge.

 

[dweaver]

While I ended up selling the EX1000 they do not sound the same as the S2. Setting aside the difference in sound the EX1000 is a more elegant and detailed IEM across the spectrum.

looking at the sound the EX1000 is more V shaped with stronger low end and brighter high end. For me, I found the treble a bit to bright and the mids a bit to recessed in comparison to the bass and treble.

I think you should look at the MDR7550 if you want a comparable signature to the S2 but with the added refinement and detail of the EX1000. The 7550 is essentially a balanced version of the EX1000 without the extreme treble. But bare in mind these Sony models all suffer from wind noise in windy environments and are a bit less isolating which is how they achieve their open sound. I don't think the S2 is quite as open sounding but they are close without the negative aspects I just mentioned.

 

[yellowbirdfly]

Quote:

While I ended up selling the EX1000 they do not sound the same as the S2. Setting aside the difference in sound the EX1000 is a more elegant and detailed IEM across the spectrum.

looking at the sound the EX1000 is more V shaped with stronger low end and brighter high end. For me, I found the treble a bit to bright and the mids a bit to recessed in comparison to the bass and treble.

I think you should look at the MDR7550 if you want a comparable signature to the S2 but with the added refinement and detail of the EX1000. The 7550 is essentially a balanced version of the EX1000 without the extreme treble. But bare in mind these Sony models all suffer from wind noise in windy environments and are a bit less isolating which is how they achieve their open sound. I don't think the S2 is quite as open sounding but they are close without the negative aspects I just mentioned.

Thanks for the comparisons! Sounds like the S2 won't be as detailed as I thought it would be. I have a UE900 so I don't know if these does anything better than my UE900. The MDR7550 (EX800ST) looks interesting though, will check it out.
 
So much for all the hype on the S2... lol

 

[Leo888]

Hi Ds, wonder you have an opinion as of now, whether the CKS77X is a side grade or upgrade to the CKS90.

Thanks in advance

 

[Gee Simpson]

Quote:

Having my virgin listen with the ATH-CKS1000 right now and I'm very impressed by it's character.  Why isn't this the NUMBER 1 recommended IEM on head-fi?  This is better than the JH13 what a waste of money.

You are comparing a $1100 (£700) to a $140 (£90) iem?

 

[TekeRugburn]

Having my virgin listen with the ATH-CKS1000 right now and I'm very impressed by it's character.  Why isn't this the NUMBER 1 recommended IEM on head-fi?  This is better than the JH13 what a waste of money.

hahahahahaha

That's rich. While the cks1 sounds like a great iem, calling the JH13 a waste is laughable.

The JH13 will do better overall in when throwing different genres at both. Not all genres have BIG bass. While the JH13 isn't the best in any specific genre it will hold its own in ANY genre when compared to ANY iem

 

[blueangel2323]

Philips really hit the jackpot with their recent releases. Some very experienced audiophiles on here have heard various models in the line and I haven't seen a single bad thing written about them.

 

[Joe Bloggs]

Quote:

I read on the Fidelio S1/S2 thread someone mentioning the S2 having a bit more bass than the S1 but Joker says they are identical in sound.. Read up on these iems and read Joker review of them on innerfidelity.. For you guys that are serious about your sound. You gotta take these into consideration..Philips ain't kidding around with these at all.
 
These are the real deal. I think most manufactures try to have this type of sound but fall short in one way or another. Not these. These are certainly special in that they hit all that is required for a nice high end sound. Sound from in ears simply don't get much better.. These sound more like full sized headphones more than in ears to me and that says something about the mastery of tuning Philips did with these..
 
I do believe this is their first large dynamic..I bet you they experimented with different form factors and drivers to get this sound..The research and dedication to sound shows up in the end product..I have heard much more expensive product that don't touch these in sound ability.. Considering Philips has made so many in ears and hit some real nice gems in the SHE3580/90 and the SHE9700 that was cheap.. They really stepped it up with these and charged accordingly but these do scale in value from the cheapo SHE3580. Masterful is what I can say about them just masterful.
 
I wish Joe Bloggs was around. I have no idea where that guy is but he needs to hear these being the resident Philips fan..These might make him cry with joy. Lol.
 
Oh wait I take that back they did have a larger dynamic one of these the SHE6000

These are supposed to have a surround sound enhancement trough design like this pic here.

As gimmicky as it is...I can swear some of this tech is on the S2. Surround is a good word for how music envelops you on the S2..Fantastic earphones at any cost.

 
Yo Deez!  Glad to see you still here and stirring things up

Did you sort out the problems with your business?
 
These days I've sorta retreated to a skype group with people from the anime lounge
http://www.head-fi.org/t/586040/official-asian-anime-manga-and-music-lounge
 
I've actually heard the S2 at a local headphone expo.  To my ears, in terms of stock, unaltered sound, they did more right than, say, the UE900.  I don't like how it's bulky and open-back though when they've proved that they could make a great sounding tiny, ergonomic IEM for peanuts.  But I guess bulky and unwieldy is in vogue these days--I could barely fit the UE900 and the K3003 in my ear and my guess is the same would apply to the SE846.  If Philips put the same amount of research dough into a great phone in the SHE3580 form factor, people would probably dismiss it as not looking serious enough... argh.
 
What I'm missing from the SHEs is isolation.  I wish to find something that could isolate almost as much as Etymotics, while not giving me the stuffed-ear sound of the same.  Pretty tough though as I found that the open sound of the SHEs depended in part on the front vent between the driver and the ear, which prevents an airtight seal between the IEM and the ear, which incidentally also prevents driver flex.  I did try sealing that vent and isolation didn't go up significantly though, so OTOH it may be possible to increase isolation somehow with a redesign without closing the vent?

 

[Grayson73]

Quote:

THIS...PLACE...THIS...THREAD.

 
Series of events=
Thinking about Philips S2 again... then Superlux 381F bang for buck equivalent ... Victor/JVC FX500 and 700.... the QX50 Dual Dynamics... the Corecool V2( OMG with 2 silver cables)... back to thinking about a rare coloured vintage ortho...then back to itchy trigger finger hovering over about 3 iems on Rinkya ( Japan Auction site ), then reading 30+ pages of horrible temptation in this most insidious thread while combing it for Corecool references.
Add in copious amounts of crying ( similar to above ) and swapping between 3 fullsized cans as well as pad swaps on one of them.
 
All in the past hour

 
 help

How good is the 381F?  I saw someone comparing the 381F to the Fidelio S2 and was kind of shocked.

 

[Snyper0012]

Bass-wise, which offers the most?
- Sony xb90ex
- Philips Fidelio X1/X2
- Audio Technica CKS77x
 
Any suggestions for headphones with same/more bass for same price?

 

[daveyostrow]

Quote:

Bass-wise, which offers the most?
- Sony xb90ex
- Philips Fidelio X1/X2
- Audio Technica CKS77x
 
Any suggestions for headphones with same/more bass for same price?

 
"more bass" could mean different things. some bass punches you and some reach real low. what are you looking for?
fidelio are not bass driven. xb90ex go real low... sill waiting to hear more about the cks77x, but i would guess they are more punch and midbass. 

 

[blueangel2323]

Bass-wise, which offers the most?
- Sony xb90ex
- Philips Fidelio X1/X2
- Audio Technica CKS77x
 
Any suggestions for headphones with same/more bass for same price?

 
xb90ex for sure. if you are only after bass, take a look at the velodyne vpulse as well. mids/highs are not as good but bass is insane.