218 pages later..
Ok so here we go..I remember when I first joined this community I was looking for excellence in sound but not something that was like a CIEM or so expensive that people could buy them without taking out a small mortgage. That was when I took a chance on a no named brand for iems many of you guys know.. Monoprice.. They had a very interesting looking iem called the MP8320..I remember like it was yesterday the first time I threw them in my ears.
Semi open and a sound that punched way above their price. Costing a whole $7.11.. It was a tough sell as I would go onto suggestion threads and suggest these of all earphones...You guys can only imagine the crickets I was met with. Needless to say, guys didn't take my suggestion seriously. But there is a reason why these sound like they do. First they have an over sized 14.2mm driver that is capable of giving a real nice taste of hi fi sound for peanuts..These things properly amped and you are gonna question your high end phone purchases after sitting with these in your ears. Lol Anyway so why am I talking MP8320?
Well what I am about the introduce to this thread is something that shares more than few design cues and sound from this cheapo wonder.. I always wished there was a high end version of this design. Only if these guys took this dish dynamic semi open sound seriously and came up with what is a big leap in this particular design in sound .What I would pay for a high end version of this earphone?
No Monoprice didn't come out with some stupid high end version of these but even a better more reputable manufacturer we all know came out with an iem that frankly took me by complete surprise.. You guys might have read the thread on these or read how Joker gave the wall of fame at innerfidelity which you can read here.
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/philips-fidelio-s1-and-s2-ear-headphones
So what is it that I am listening to as I write this?
It is Philips new Fidelio S2...So only once on this thread where I pretty much ordered guys to go out and buy an iem the MH1C which for the price was too good not to recommend. If those had better cord I think those would have a much better following. I am gonna do it again.. GO BUY THIS IEM!! Like now! This is what you get in the box
A complete set of silicones and 2 pairs of complys.. The build is absolutely solid without the ridged dumb cord qualities of the old MH1C. These are made for use on your smart phones and i devices as they have a mic on them with and on and off button. Being semi open. You figure you would sacrifice a lot of isolation. These isolate better than you would think for being semi open using complys.. So these have a 13.5mm dynamic dish driver which you guys by now should be very familiar with.
MP8320, TT Isaurus, the countless Sony and AT iems all use this dish design and I think for a good reason.. From my experience the larger single dish dynamics amp better than any other style of iems.. It seems the bigger the driver the better they seem to scale to bigger sound.
If you guys haven't thought about these iems. I bet you will now because these sound absolutely spectacular in every way.. Many of you guys have owned the old SHE3580 and the many various cheapo Philips phones..You guys ever thought what would happen if they threw their energies into a high end sound?. This is essentially what you get as a result. An outstanding performer that got me crazy last night as I was listening trying to figure out flaws in their presentation and execution. Philips simply knocked one out of the park fellas. At the cost of what I bought this for I would have easily payed twice or even 3Xs..First there is the stage. I don't know if I was flipping my lid but pending on track it has an expansive sound that seem to scale to the actual recording. Amazing. I was surrounded by a full 3D type presentation that got me excited about what I was listening to..
This is more than just a discovery fellas.. These set the bar for single dynamics.. I couldn't get over how awesome these things sounded to my ears. And this was on open box. As I am listening to them now. Everything about the sound is on point..The sheer abilities of these earphones are astounding. The sound is high end that is tuned masterfully by Philips. All that I consider proper.. Stage is one. Balance is another. Cohesiveness. Flawless tonality. Prat is absolutely excellent.
Since I am at my home by myself. I was in my underwear jumping around this morning listening to these with my Sony Z1060 as soon as I got up. Lol! I don't remember my Sony DAP sounding this good to be honest. The XBA-3 comes close but these take it a step forward..I don't know about you guys but I listen to all sorts of music depending on what is in my mix or mood and I threw the gamut for the test. Unreal. These things sound not just good it is smile inducing toe tapping good with everything I threw at it. Be it rock, metal, jazz, soul, hip hop, trance, blues, vocals..
I would say these have more neutrality than most iems on this thread. Most being bass heavy but we are talking about Philips. Much like JVC and AT.. I haven't heard a Philips earphone that was lacking in that department..The sheer ability of these fantastic high res drivers are simply outstanding..You want bass. You get quality.. You want female vocals that gives you goose bumps. Check..You want to hear the crunch of them guitars. You want that out of your head sound experience and fantastic layering.. These have all of that..These adapt to the type of music your listening to and then excels at the genre, I don't remember too many iems that has this ability. Lesser iems excel as some but not all. These sound great for everything. Stupendous sounding. Jaw drop inducing quality we are talking about here. Lol.
So not only are they uber stylie.. They don't look like mini hair dryers in your ears. Those grills mean business out back. These earphones I consider significant in every way..I will say it again.. I will say this thread has one major theme in all the iems introduced here which is value. Is there value in a $115 iem? Are you kidding? GO BUY THESE.!! LIKE NOW!
As always.. Happy listening fellas.. Oh yea I almost forgot to mention. I was so floored by the sheer quality in my ears I had to go big time.. You bet I order a set of these.
Fidelio X1. Come to papa!
Update..218 pages of thread later I am happy to report. The S2 is my favorite iem this year and the X1 my favorite headphone this year..Do I think these belong in people collections.? Absolutely. Some of the best examples of sheer engineering and what is possible with solid tuning..Guys that got one or both know exactly what I am talking about. Guys that are curious to know. Go for it. You will definitely get your monies worth in sound and much more.
Enjoy my friends and remember, friends don't let friends listen to junk.
