[azndmp]

If you lived close by, i would glady let you try them.
So you know if its worth it or not. 

 

[pkwak]

Is there a reason for me to be sceptical? I do not have any experience nor opinion in this matter and would like to hear other people`s opinion. Ultimately, I will form my own opinion when I get the opportunity to test and compare the two cables, but for now, I will have to be content with other people`s experiences and impressions. So, anzdmp, how did the sq improve?

 

[project86]

Quote:

Hi, regards to your cable, did you get a straight plug or an angled one? Also, have you used it with portable player? I do not have a home set up, so I normally use my iems with portable device in my pocket. My concern is straight plug bending awkwardly in my jeans pocket and damaging the cable. (unfortunately all my jeans are tight fitting).
What are your thoughts in this? Thank you.

I got the straight Sennheiser plug and it looks really nice, very high quality. As for functionality.... it seems that everyone has their own fairly strong opinion when it comes to angles or straight plug termination. I've always preferred angled, but decided to try straight this time around. So far I'm happy with it. 
 
I guess it depends on what player you use - my Sansa Fuze has a socket on the bottom so the straight plug makes sense. My Clip+ has a side socket, so it becomes slightly less functional than the stock cable with the angle. Still, I generally keep it in a jacket or shirt pocket, so it works fine for me. I can't say how tight jeans would work.
 


Quote:

Is there a reason for me to be sceptical? I do not have any experience nor opinion in this matter and would like to hear other people`s opinion. Ultimately, I will form my own opinion when I get the opportunity to test and compare the two cables, but for now, I will have to be content with other people`s experiences and impressions. So, anzdmp, how did the sq improve?

Giant can of worms on this topic. Basically (if you are interested) you should read up on the topic in general (not specifically headphone cables but all cables) and form an opinion from there. I promise you will find plenty of people who claim to hear major differences, along with people who claim not to be able to. The history goes back many years. 
 

 

[pkwak]

How about you project86, did you get sq improvements in your beats audio cable?
Also, the portable player I use is iphone. When I use straight plugs and sit down, I can actually feel the tip of the plug where cable meets pressing firmly against my leg. I am careful not to damage the plug or the cable but, I have broken a couple of iems (one broken plug and one worn cable) and have avoided them since. Then again, all the iems were sub $150 and hence lower quality. So, this is why I was asking about the plug. As a consumer, what I should expect with a straight plug and the durability of beats cable in particular.
And sorry, if I was opening opening a large can of worms, that was not my intention. But I do want people`s opinion on beats audio cables though. (Or should I have opened another thread?)

 

[project86]

Quote:

How about you project86, did you get sq improvements in your beats audio cable?
Also, the portable player I use is iphone. When I use straight plugs and sit down, I can actually feel the tip of the plug where cable meets pressing firmly against my leg. I am careful not to damage the plug or the cable but, I have broken a couple of iems (one broken plug and one worn cable) and have avoided them since. Then again, all the iems were sub $150 and hence lower quality. So, this is why I was asking about the plug. As a consumer, what I should expect with a straight plug and the durability of beats cable in particular.
And sorry, if I was opening opening a large can of worms, that was not my intention. But I do want people`s opinion on beats audio cables though. (Or should I have opened another thread?)

 
For me, I've been down that road back in the day with some very expensive cables that I thought I could hear a difference with. Now I'm of the opinion that the difference is all in my head. Same thing with the Beat Audio cables: I sometimes think they are doing something to bring out more clarity, or smoothness, or whatever, especially the more expensive Cronus cable. But I know from past experience that I won't be able to confirm that in a blind test, so I attribute it to placebo. But I'll cover that in a dedicated thread when I get a chance to write up my impressions of the Beat Audio cables.
 
I can see how using a straight plug with a bigger device like an iPhone might be an issue. I have an Android phone (LG Optimus) and I sometimes listen to streaming music on the go. In those cases, I prefer an angled plug because I feel like the straight plug sticks out too far. I also don't want to damage my phone if I put to much pressure on the jack.

 

[Foress]

the wiring looks complicated to me.. any ideas what driver brands they're using? (sonion,knowles)
or does dynamic drivers have another brand?

 

[pkwak]

Thanks a lot project86. You are very informative. Very helpful as always~

 

[Saintkeat]

I tried the quads like many of you have kindly suggested and I really didn't like them.
 
A fellow head-fier met up with me and put some flanges on his quads and the fit was good but the sound was so mechanical to my ears. Not at all fun or musical. Clarity is there, Bass is tight, highs are good but not great. But its so mechanical sounding it doesn't sound natural. Both him and I agreed that sometimes guitars sound a little distorted even.
 
Oh wells. I won't be a 1964 customer anytime soon, I favour my present pair much more. Now time for the Merlins!!

 

[qusp]

how are you guys finding the bass drive with these? 12ohms is very very low and playback with some daps and amps will surely be effected. i am interested though, is there anywhere in brisbane to go chat to someone about these? i have already entered the comp. because of the design and the low impedance, i would expect these to benefit quite markedly with an amp to provide better current across the low Z load. any experiences there?

 

[qusp]

Quote:

In a jeans pocket a straight plug would result in less cable bending, as long as you place your DAP with the cable connector pointing upwards. I've had issues with the L-plug on my RE-ZEROs when wearing jeans, ultimately result in the cable breaking.

yes maybe, but a straight plug also effects more leverage and in your situation in tight pockets, long term possibly damage your dap, or amp output jack instead. i know what i would prefer to break

 

[b0ck3n]

I never sit down or otherwise bend my legs when I've got the iPhone stuffed in there and my headphones connected - that would be problematic for me regardless of plug design. But you're right, the L-plug is probably more flexible, and the cables and connectors are not up to par with the quality of sound on the RE-ZEROs.

 
Quote:

yes maybe, but a straight plug also effects more leverage and in your situation in tight pockets, long term possibly damage your dap, or amp output jack instead. i know what i would prefer to break

 

 

[qusp]

even just walking is enough to produce enough repetitive movement to over time cause damage, so unless you are standing still imo its an issue and i have seen the results first hand. if its doable, best way i have found to use right angle jacks when in a pocket, is to have the jack on the bottom of your pocket 'under' the dap or amp. this way there is almost no movement and the cable is not unduly stressed either. depends how much you need to adjust volume if the knob or button is on the same side

 

[b0ck3n]

Thanks for the tip!
 
Quote:

even just walking is enough to produce enough repetitive movement to over time cause damage, so unless you are standing still imo its an issue and i have seen the results first hand. if its doable, best way i have found to use right angle jacks when in a pocket, is to have the jack on the bottom of your pocket 'under' the dap or amp. this way there is almost no movement and the cable is not unduly stressed either. depends how much you need to adjust volume if the knob or button is on the same side

 

 

[qusp]

 
no problem, as long as your cable is long enough for this to be comfortable its the best way i have found. its the way i use  my ihp132cf->D10->jh13 rig if i'm wearing jeans. and for that rig i have a cable with the oyaide right angle

 

[project86]

Quote:

how are you guys finding the bass drive with these? 12ohms is very very low and playback with some daps and amps will surely be effected. i am interested though, is there anywhere in brisbane to go chat to someone about these? i have already entered the comp. because of the design and the low impedance, i would expect these to benefit quite markedly with an amp to provide better current across the low Z load. any experiences there?

I just did some testing with an old player I had laying around, an Insignia model (rebadged iRiver X20 if I recall correctly). It has a decent output but not as good as a Sansa Fuze or Clip. With that player, the Merlin has very underwhelming bass. It's not terrible, but there is a softness and a flatness that is unbecoming of a flagship custom IEM. Highs seem a little bright and fatiguing too. I tried a 2nd gen iPod Touch and my LG Optimus phone and those actually sounded superior.
 
Switching to a Sansa Fuze or Clip makes it much better. Adding a portable amp is a marginal step up from there (but I don't have any really nice portable amps around at the moment), but running on a home setup allows it to truly shine. 
 
I suspect that this is the one limiting factor for the Merlin: it isn't at it's absolute best during portable use (because of the power issue but more importantly the isolation issue).