[paulypaul]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aconteceu /img/forum/go_quote.gif At first I was not paying much attention to thinksound, but I was looking for a balanaced non-fatiguing IEM with good mids and I ended up with Rain over RE0. I was deeply impressed with Rain's beautiful sound signature even out of the box. It's a unique IEM and I listen to a lot of music styles. Rain really worked for everything I played through it. It might become my favorite IEM. The only con was that it is not the most isolating, but I haven't played with tips.

Ive also found they dont isolate that well.
I dont mind it too much though as to hear a little of whats going on outside is not such a bad thing (and certainly safer) and if im going on a plane i'll take my X5s or more RE0s which i find isolate better.
I do agree that in the mids to highs these IEMS are so warm and beautiful.
The sound signature in mids to highs are a little similar to the X5s but the mids on the X5 are a little recessed and the Rains are right there (mmm, beautiful)

 

[aconteceu]

Just read cnet review, hmm, I wonder how they found Rain to be treble oriented.

 

[ericp10]

Just my humble opinion, I have rarely seen cnet give a true audiophile review. They seem to concetrate more on the perceived "it" factor of products. I would trust the reviews more in this forum. Yes, opinions vary greatly here, but if you read closely, there generally tends to be a common consensus on most items. Most people who have bought the ThinkSound products loved them more than hated them. The Rain is a great earphone for its price range. Just my opinion.

EricP

 

[tstarn06]

Agree that Jasmine France is not a qualified reviewer (boy, nice job though). But CNET does have a couple of good reviewers, Steve Guttenberg is one, but he does mostly their high-end reviews.

As for the Rain and Thunder, having owned both I think they are priced right at the discounts. Ms. France didn't rip them, she said they were good, and each pair was limited for certain kinds of music, which is possible I suppose. So she wasn't too negative. Also, isn't the Rain made to be more treble/mids/detail oriented, while the Thunder is more bass oriented? Not sure why saying that is a problem, even if it's not a very audiophile-like comment?

For sure, most HF reviews are more audiophile-like, but odds are that CNET readers are not all that interested in audiophile reviews, which sometimes can be a little mystifying in their own right.

 

[Young Spade]

Great review. Great comparisons and a great product.

 

[paulypaul]

Audiophiles will spend a lot of time listening and experimenting (tips, amps) etc: before they make a decision on IEMs. I doubt cnet reviewers have this luxury.
I would take what is written in these forums more seriously than i would take a reviewer who has limited time with a product.
Having said that i do believe these are a mid , high orientated IEM. I do like them for that reason (the mids are lush and not recessed). Ive only used mine for 10 hrs, and i am hoping for a little more in the bass area after burn in. I went through this with the RE0s and they really improved after about 60 or 80 hrs. Maybe these will do the same, maybe not, we will see.

 

[tstarn06]

I already agreed that there is, on balance, better info here (but often you have to read a lot more to find it), but as I noted, CNET isn't devoid of at least a couple of audiophile-level people ... my main point.

 

[average_joe]

The summary of the cnet review is too harsh IMO. After reading the review, I can see where she is coming from, as the bass compared to the mids is a little lacking fullness in the upper bass region. But no bass is not the case for me. I actually have heard good impact, and I am not sure if she got the best seal.

Obviously, there are many different sounding IEMs that do all sound good in their own way. The Rain and Thunder sound different than just about everything else I have heard. I think the ability of the Thunder, and the Rain to a slightly lesser extent to present all my genres I listen to on random well and not make me want to change the song or the IEM is a great trait.

 

[ericp10]

The Rain is advertised to be a more balanced and neutral earphone. People are talking about the bass in the Rain like Thinksound missed the boat, but in essence they produced the earphone they were trying to produce. Aaron said from the beginning that Thunder is their bass earphone. With that said, if you seek you shall find. The bass is there to be heard and feel in the Rain. Eq it, or better yet, use comply tips and you will get more of it. But again, it's not a bass designed earphone. The focus would have been on the mids, I think, if it's designed to be a neutral/balanced sounding phone. Just my opinion. So I don't really think the reviewer took into account how these iems were designed and MEANT to be heard. It's not like Thinksound missed their mark on what they were attempting to do with the Rains.

 

[average_joe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericp10 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Rain is advertised to be a more balanced and neutral earphone. People are talking about the bass in the Rain like Thinksound missed the boat, but in essence they produced the earphone they were trying to produce. Aaron said from the beginning that Thunder is their bass earphone. With that said, if you seek you shall find. The bass is there to be heard and feel in the Rain. Eq it, or better yet, use comply tips and you will get more of it. But again, it's not a bass designed earphone. The focus would have been on the mids, I think, if it's designed to be a neutral/balanced sounding phone. Just my opinion. So I don't really think the reviewer took into account how these iems were designed and MEANT to be heard. It's not like Thinksound missed their mark on what they were attempting to do with the Rains.

Honestly, I was surprised at the bass for an IEM that was advertised as balanced and neutral. I hear more bass impact with the Rain than the RE0, RE252, SA1, UM3X, 200v, ADDIEM, C750E, etc. But I also hear a very full midrange, and with the bass of the Rain not being overly warm, to me, when comparing the mids with the bass, they sound like they should be a little warmer to compliment the mids. Again, I do think the bass has great impact and can hit deep, but the full mids and the nice treble are the focus (and perfectly balanced together).

 

[ericp10]

I agree @ average joe

 

[paulypaul]

Quote:

Originally Posted by average_joe /img/forum/go_quote.gif Honestly, I was surprised at the bass for an IEM that was advertised as balanced and neutral. I hear more bass impact with the Rain than the RE0, RE252, SA1, UM3X, 200v, ADDIEM, C750E, etc. But I also hear a very full midrange, and with the bass of the Rain not being overly warm, to me, when comparing the mids with the bass, they sound like they should be a little warmer to compliment the mids. Again, I do think the bass has great impact and can hit deep, but the full mids and the nice treble are the focus (and perfectly balanced together).

Its a shame it was given 3 stars because the sound signature of these IEMs are worth more than that and at 3 stars some people may not give them a look in (but there will be other reviews).
Has anyone given these IEMs a good burn in ?
Does anything change from a good burn in (Bass primarily) ?

 

[average_joe]

I agree, should get more than 3 stars. I have given these a good burn in, but honestly didn't do much listening until they were burned in. I do think the soundstage opened up and became more 3D and the bass became more controlled.

 

[paulypaul]

i think the soundstage is a big plus (3d is a good description) sometimes i hear things behind me only to realise its something in the music. I haven't experience this with my X5s or RE0s

 

[bbryann]

I've been using the rains a lot, straight out of the box. As I said before, the soundstage definitely opens up with time. The mid range bass gets tighter. The lack of bass is definitely not an issue with these phones.