Rick Hunter
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2006
- Posts
- 292
- Likes
- 11
First of all, for those who never heard of these, I'm talking about these:
I have lately been striving to find a decent (earbud-sized) pocketable can.
After going through JVC Marshmallows - Sennheiser CX300 - JBL Reference 220 Ive stumbled across these "ibrid" canalphones from Sony.
I call them "ibrid" because they are a half-way between a normal earbud and a canalphone/IEM, as you can see from the pictures above.
The MDR-EX90LP is almost entirely made from machined aluminum, and build quality is absolutely top notch, no loose parts, no creaking, well built, really.
They come with 3 different sized pairs of silicone eartips and a nice leather carrying case that has a solid plastic part inside where you place the headphones and wind up the cable around the plastic...
Compared to my JVC Marshmallows, Sennheiser CX300 and JBL Reference 220 these MDR-EX90LP stand out head and shoulders both in terms of build quality and, most important, sound quality, at least for my tastes.
Compared to my other 3 aforementioned canalphones these MDR-EX90LP
- Are not overly bass heavy (one thing I dislike in my other 3 IEMS)
- The bass is MUCH tighter, controlled, defined (my other 3 IEMS feel all boomy, muddy, and exaggerated in the bass department)
- They are much easier to insert and get a seal
- They definitely have a soundstage (whereas the other 3 don't) you perceive instruments from different directions
- They have better instrument separation
- They isolate less (if you're after big isolation look elsewhere)
- They definitely exibhit some leakage but not as bad as normal earbuds
- They have less cable microphonics, almost non existant in fact.
- Their overall sound balance is more neutral and natural to my ears, whereas the other 3 are all way more colored.
I'm actually using them with the small tips and enjoy them really a lot. What I like is the fact that they sound good, bass is punchy and clean, as opposed to the muddy and overwhelming bass of my other IEMS, mids are airier, with so much better instrument separation, and with a soundstage that sometimes makes you think you're listening to full size cans, treble is clean, a bit forward but not sharp or fatiguing. The overall sound balance I get is something that makes me just enjoy my music instead of mumbling about the muddy bass or congested midrange or weird tonal balance i get with my other canalphones.
Price is around a hundred bucks.
Questions welcome.
I have lately been striving to find a decent (earbud-sized) pocketable can.
After going through JVC Marshmallows - Sennheiser CX300 - JBL Reference 220 Ive stumbled across these "ibrid" canalphones from Sony.
I call them "ibrid" because they are a half-way between a normal earbud and a canalphone/IEM, as you can see from the pictures above.
The MDR-EX90LP is almost entirely made from machined aluminum, and build quality is absolutely top notch, no loose parts, no creaking, well built, really.
They come with 3 different sized pairs of silicone eartips and a nice leather carrying case that has a solid plastic part inside where you place the headphones and wind up the cable around the plastic...
Compared to my JVC Marshmallows, Sennheiser CX300 and JBL Reference 220 these MDR-EX90LP stand out head and shoulders both in terms of build quality and, most important, sound quality, at least for my tastes.
Compared to my other 3 aforementioned canalphones these MDR-EX90LP
- Are not overly bass heavy (one thing I dislike in my other 3 IEMS)
- The bass is MUCH tighter, controlled, defined (my other 3 IEMS feel all boomy, muddy, and exaggerated in the bass department)
- They are much easier to insert and get a seal
- They definitely have a soundstage (whereas the other 3 don't) you perceive instruments from different directions
- They have better instrument separation
- They isolate less (if you're after big isolation look elsewhere)
- They definitely exibhit some leakage but not as bad as normal earbuds
- They have less cable microphonics, almost non existant in fact.
- Their overall sound balance is more neutral and natural to my ears, whereas the other 3 are all way more colored.
I'm actually using them with the small tips and enjoy them really a lot. What I like is the fact that they sound good, bass is punchy and clean, as opposed to the muddy and overwhelming bass of my other IEMS, mids are airier, with so much better instrument separation, and with a soundstage that sometimes makes you think you're listening to full size cans, treble is clean, a bit forward but not sharp or fatiguing. The overall sound balance I get is something that makes me just enjoy my music instead of mumbling about the muddy bass or congested midrange or weird tonal balance i get with my other canalphones.
Price is around a hundred bucks.
Questions welcome.
