supersong115
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2009
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Don't be fooled by the name, because "pollution" is far from what you will be hearing coming out of these beautiful wooden IEMs. I happened to pick one up today. Since there are no real testimony about them here on head-fi, I'm gonna share my two cents with you.
The Earpollution Timbre are by iFrogz, which, lets be honest, isn't the company that would come to our minds when we think headphones. However, these wooden 10mm driver IEMs are the exceptions. The build is sturdy. the wood is pretty. The metal is nicely brushed. no complaints about the housing. The cable though, is kind of soft, but it allows microphonics to be at a minimum...nice!
Before I plugged them into my 2nd gen iPod Touch, I expected them to sound very bass heavy and mid-range lacking, since they do look a lot like the EP-630 and CX300s. When the music started playing, I was shocked to hear that the sound was very balanced and that the bass was controlled and tight! I played some more tracks including vocal jazz, pop, dance and hip hop and oh my gosh...I was amazed how similar it sounded to my RE2s...which gave me an idea: swap the stock tips to the bi-flange tips that came with the RE2 and then listen to them...
Compared to the RE2s, the bass is a lot more noticeable in the Timbres with the bi-flange tips, but most importantly the bass is not over-powering. Its there, its tight, and responsive. Mids are a bit more forward that what you hear in the RE2s, and also very smooth. The sound stage is surprisingly wide much like the RE2s (I was expecting them to be more narrow since the RE2s are open IEMs). Instrumental separation is good, and the RE2s seems to be a tad more detailed in certain areas. You can still hear all the discrete details such as fingers sliding down guitar strings and etc.
I will do a 24-48hr burn-in to see if I notice any improvements, as well as post some pictures. In the mean time, there you have it: the Earpollution Timbre. Think of them as a pair of wooden RE2s, with a bit-more-forward mids and better bass! For $25, I think we might just have the next best bang-for-your-buck IEM!!!
The Earpollution Timbre are by iFrogz, which, lets be honest, isn't the company that would come to our minds when we think headphones. However, these wooden 10mm driver IEMs are the exceptions. The build is sturdy. the wood is pretty. The metal is nicely brushed. no complaints about the housing. The cable though, is kind of soft, but it allows microphonics to be at a minimum...nice!
Before I plugged them into my 2nd gen iPod Touch, I expected them to sound very bass heavy and mid-range lacking, since they do look a lot like the EP-630 and CX300s. When the music started playing, I was shocked to hear that the sound was very balanced and that the bass was controlled and tight! I played some more tracks including vocal jazz, pop, dance and hip hop and oh my gosh...I was amazed how similar it sounded to my RE2s...which gave me an idea: swap the stock tips to the bi-flange tips that came with the RE2 and then listen to them...
Compared to the RE2s, the bass is a lot more noticeable in the Timbres with the bi-flange tips, but most importantly the bass is not over-powering. Its there, its tight, and responsive. Mids are a bit more forward that what you hear in the RE2s, and also very smooth. The sound stage is surprisingly wide much like the RE2s (I was expecting them to be more narrow since the RE2s are open IEMs). Instrumental separation is good, and the RE2s seems to be a tad more detailed in certain areas. You can still hear all the discrete details such as fingers sliding down guitar strings and etc.
I will do a 24-48hr burn-in to see if I notice any improvements, as well as post some pictures. In the mean time, there you have it: the Earpollution Timbre. Think of them as a pair of wooden RE2s, with a bit-more-forward mids and better bass! For $25, I think we might just have the next best bang-for-your-buck IEM!!!
. My conclusion is that the Timbres would be a great pair of iems for gym since its got great isolation so you wont hear those annoying ppl on treadmills and the bass will make you feel like you are at a club sweating and gasping for air. For everyday easy listening, stick to the RE2s. They will take care of you.