mvw2
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2007
- Posts
- 1,879
- Likes
- 106
Anyone else notice this?
As much as a try to find the "best," "most fitting," or otherwise "ideal" earphone out there, I keep finding myself wanting a range of products. It's not so much that I prefer different products for different genres. It's simply that no one product offers the same mix of sound reproduction. Over the years I have fell in love with some favorites. I have unfortunately sold off many of them as I keep trying new things. New is good, but so is old. I have come to the conclusion that need to maintain a small collection to be happy. It's not a matter of need or really even a matter of any being the best. It just seems that I prefer to have the variety at hand, both good SQ and variety of sound signature. I have started the process of reaquiring a few of the ones I miss the most. I decided certain products will fill my stable and represent what I like and what I seek in audio. I will still try new products, but the stable will represent what I already like and enjoy as well as offer some comparison devices to weigh new hardware against.
I figure each of you out there has a small variety of hardware that you can't seem to let go or some hardware that you have sold and repurchased in time. You grew a small collection of your favorite devices. I am curious what you have decided to keep in your own stables.
My stable (have or am reaquiring)
-Triple.Fi 10 (high SQ but with a unique full sound)
-RE252 (what I consider reference level, balanced, revealing)
-OK1 (I've kept this over so many good IEMs, aggressive, textured, transparent)
Potentials
-ER4S (classic reference, textured, balanced)
-UM3X (bought and sold these twice, special, very good, but hard to justify keeping)
-CK10 (I may grab one if I run across a great price, functionally the best earphone I've used)
-SA6 (natural, airy, transparent)
Testing
-CK100 (have one on the way to try, CK10 vs. CK100?)
-e-Q7 (want to try one, sounds towards my ideal)
-SA7/SA6R (the SA6 is so good in many ways, I have high hopes)
-RE262 (the RE252 is one of my favorites, high hopes for this one)
I've owned the OK1 buds for a couple years now. I have long enjoyed their realism, texture, speed, and aggressiveness. It oddly is an earphone I'd have a hard time suggesting to people because it benefits from a powerful amp and benefits from a sizable amount of EQing, both in bud and IEM formats. However, it has "dethroned" many top tier IEMs I've tried. Every time I whittled down my collection, these stayed.
The Triple.Fi 10 is an odd earphone. The sound is very unique to UE, BA speed, sharpness but with an unusually thick note. It's an earphone that is underwhelming when listened to alone. However, it will impress over and over every time you go back to it from anything else. It's refinement is so good but underappreciated without comparisons. The full "club like" presence is just fun to listen to. When testing, I kept finding myself listening through a whole song just because I was enjoying it instead of cutting the song short and moving onto the next earphone to make notes and compare against. The Triple.Fi 10 is colored and not perfect, but it's fun and enveloping which is a hard find.
The RE252. For me, this has been the most balanced, most revealing, most reference level earphone I've used. If the ER4S had a better, this is it. It hasn't had a great welcome on Head-fi due to fitment concerns, and it isn't the simplest to fit, but when done right, it's comfy, secure, and once sealed well, full and rich in sound. Like the Triple.Fi 10, alone, this earphone doesn't particularly impress. It's not colored enough or do enough wrong to notice anything. It is simply balanced and good. It really only impresses once you go back to it from other earphones. Every time I put it on I keep wondering why is this things so good? If I had to only own one earphone, this is about the only one that might make me sell the OK1.
As for the potentials, I don't know. The ER4S is a classic. I liked it a lot. However, I see it as limited due to the single BA design. I do want to try a pair again since I owned the pair before I ever got my Meier 2Move amp, and I know the laptop + FiiO E5 was limiting it somewhat. I kind of want to retry it in the best light and see if it's worth keeping permanantly. The CK10 is functionally the best earphone I've used to date. It does so much right. Yet at the same time I just didn't fall in love with it. I preferred the RE252 to it in the end. It might be nice to own a pair just to own it because it is one of the best representations of both speed and texture. It does need to be EQed on the top end though. The UM3X is special, stage, separation, revealing, bass, tons of great qualities. The sound is just...unrealistic, and I've sold it twice because of that. I'm not sure if I'd ever own a pair again on a perminant basis despite really filling a niche in the linup. I do miss what it offers. I'm a fan of the SA6. It's so open, transparent, airy, and the BA driver is one of the natural sounding drivers I've listened to. I think the SA6R or SA7 will fill that spot anyways, so there isn't much to consider with the SA6. I'll need to see what the second generation offers.
Testing is just what's coming up, things I have not heard but anticipate to be good. I simply don't know about them yet, but I have an interest in them. User impressions or anticipation have me thinking at least one of them cound be a permanent resident in my stable.
As much as a try to find the "best," "most fitting," or otherwise "ideal" earphone out there, I keep finding myself wanting a range of products. It's not so much that I prefer different products for different genres. It's simply that no one product offers the same mix of sound reproduction. Over the years I have fell in love with some favorites. I have unfortunately sold off many of them as I keep trying new things. New is good, but so is old. I have come to the conclusion that need to maintain a small collection to be happy. It's not a matter of need or really even a matter of any being the best. It just seems that I prefer to have the variety at hand, both good SQ and variety of sound signature. I have started the process of reaquiring a few of the ones I miss the most. I decided certain products will fill my stable and represent what I like and what I seek in audio. I will still try new products, but the stable will represent what I already like and enjoy as well as offer some comparison devices to weigh new hardware against.
I figure each of you out there has a small variety of hardware that you can't seem to let go or some hardware that you have sold and repurchased in time. You grew a small collection of your favorite devices. I am curious what you have decided to keep in your own stables.
My stable (have or am reaquiring)
-Triple.Fi 10 (high SQ but with a unique full sound)
-RE252 (what I consider reference level, balanced, revealing)
-OK1 (I've kept this over so many good IEMs, aggressive, textured, transparent)
Potentials
-ER4S (classic reference, textured, balanced)
-UM3X (bought and sold these twice, special, very good, but hard to justify keeping)
-CK10 (I may grab one if I run across a great price, functionally the best earphone I've used)
-SA6 (natural, airy, transparent)
Testing
-CK100 (have one on the way to try, CK10 vs. CK100?)
-e-Q7 (want to try one, sounds towards my ideal)
-SA7/SA6R (the SA6 is so good in many ways, I have high hopes)
-RE262 (the RE252 is one of my favorites, high hopes for this one)
I've owned the OK1 buds for a couple years now. I have long enjoyed their realism, texture, speed, and aggressiveness. It oddly is an earphone I'd have a hard time suggesting to people because it benefits from a powerful amp and benefits from a sizable amount of EQing, both in bud and IEM formats. However, it has "dethroned" many top tier IEMs I've tried. Every time I whittled down my collection, these stayed.
The Triple.Fi 10 is an odd earphone. The sound is very unique to UE, BA speed, sharpness but with an unusually thick note. It's an earphone that is underwhelming when listened to alone. However, it will impress over and over every time you go back to it from anything else. It's refinement is so good but underappreciated without comparisons. The full "club like" presence is just fun to listen to. When testing, I kept finding myself listening through a whole song just because I was enjoying it instead of cutting the song short and moving onto the next earphone to make notes and compare against. The Triple.Fi 10 is colored and not perfect, but it's fun and enveloping which is a hard find.
The RE252. For me, this has been the most balanced, most revealing, most reference level earphone I've used. If the ER4S had a better, this is it. It hasn't had a great welcome on Head-fi due to fitment concerns, and it isn't the simplest to fit, but when done right, it's comfy, secure, and once sealed well, full and rich in sound. Like the Triple.Fi 10, alone, this earphone doesn't particularly impress. It's not colored enough or do enough wrong to notice anything. It is simply balanced and good. It really only impresses once you go back to it from other earphones. Every time I put it on I keep wondering why is this things so good? If I had to only own one earphone, this is about the only one that might make me sell the OK1.
As for the potentials, I don't know. The ER4S is a classic. I liked it a lot. However, I see it as limited due to the single BA design. I do want to try a pair again since I owned the pair before I ever got my Meier 2Move amp, and I know the laptop + FiiO E5 was limiting it somewhat. I kind of want to retry it in the best light and see if it's worth keeping permanantly. The CK10 is functionally the best earphone I've used to date. It does so much right. Yet at the same time I just didn't fall in love with it. I preferred the RE252 to it in the end. It might be nice to own a pair just to own it because it is one of the best representations of both speed and texture. It does need to be EQed on the top end though. The UM3X is special, stage, separation, revealing, bass, tons of great qualities. The sound is just...unrealistic, and I've sold it twice because of that. I'm not sure if I'd ever own a pair again on a perminant basis despite really filling a niche in the linup. I do miss what it offers. I'm a fan of the SA6. It's so open, transparent, airy, and the BA driver is one of the natural sounding drivers I've listened to. I think the SA6R or SA7 will fill that spot anyways, so there isn't much to consider with the SA6. I'll need to see what the second generation offers.
Testing is just what's coming up, things I have not heard but anticipate to be good. I simply don't know about them yet, but I have an interest in them. User impressions or anticipation have me thinking at least one of them cound be a permanent resident in my stable.
