[PocketSmiley]

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YO, Thanks for this review Pocket! I, like yourself, enjoy my bass. I am not one for the neutral/analytical/"balanced" phones out there. Though I have some, and only use them when I occasionally feel like listening to genre's other than Hip Hop (which is 85% of my listening)
 
I got my HA-FX101s in the mail just yesterday.. I wasn't sure what level of Greatness to expect since my primary buds before that were the Apple Earbuds (lol)
 
Ever seen dynamite blow up a small building/structure in real life? That's my mind, yesterday at approximately 3:30pm when the mailman delivered me my future. Just want to let YOU know that I appreciate this damn thread/review that you put together. And I look forward to future reviews from you. BASSSSSS <3

 
CRYING RN I swear I know the exact feeling.
 
Thank you, THANK YOU for sharing the EXTREME bass love! This means a lot, considering that in this website we are the minority );
 
The FX101 is possibly the best intro to IEM bass heaven. If I got the FX101 before the CX300, I would have immediately rejected the CX300 and I might never have had experienced the CX400/CX500. The FX101 bass is superior to that of the CX300 and just as good as the CX500 at normal loud volumes, except the FX101 bass can't go dangerously loud without bloating--you'll notice that beyond a certain point it immediately loses control and doesn't sound as deep anymore (also it can get sibilant on certain songs with lots of high screeching but EQ can fix that). But then the normal loud volume is already too loud for most people and I'm a special case since I'm looking forward to a life with hearing aids.
 
If one day you find yourself craving for more bass just to see how loud you can take it, and the FX101 suddenly bloats that airy, unshapely bass sound, you're in luck because only last week I found a seller from Amazon Japan that sells authentic CX400's and CX500's. I bought a CX400 and a CX500 (for a total of $80 shipped from Japan to the US) and compared them with my authentic CXL400 I got from Newegg some years ago, and they're the real deal. I can confirm that the CX500 is just the CX400 with a volume control, but the CX500 is almost double the price of the CX400. If you just want to order the CX400, it will cost $42.51 total ($18-$22 Tenso shipping up to three headphones). To me, the CX400 is worth much more than that (in this hi-fi website review the reviewer thought the CX500 was $500 and he concluded that it was worth the price, only to find it's less than $90) so I bought three more pairs LOL because I have a feeling I'll never see anything like them again. I will update this thread with the CX400 and CX500 reviews (since they're the exact same as the CXL400 I'll just post pictures and a few words ) and will include link to the trusted Japanese seller plus instructions on using Tenso.
 
After spending now more than $500 in the last 2 months on "budget"-fi I haven't found anything that gets even close to the CX400/CX500 other than the FX101. Given the difficulty of finding authentic CX400's the FX101 is the best "no audiophile BS" bet for extreme bassheads. I'm really, really happy for you.

 

[roscopervis]

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Okay, I tried both songs in lossless. I had to tone down the bass A LOT for Strapping Young Lad - OMG so I just left everything flat except for DSP Manager. This song is "denser" and more cacophonic than most black metal songs I've listened to haha. I only listened with the MH1-C, the CX870, and the CXL400. Since the CX870 has double the impedance (32 ohms) of the other two, it sounded weaker at the same volume so it seemed like it had less definition. The MH1-C, by comparison, seemed like the superior headphone at first given its "clarity" and "open" soundstage. Then I tried the CXL400, which has a "superstereo" cramped feel after using a more open one, but I can swear I hear the details in OMG clearer, even the radio interference sample in the intro has more "definition" (and it's supposed to be noise right) and in this section you speak of after the break, I can hear a faint whistle(?). I'm not sure how to test for lost details reliably. For the CX870 I just had to turn the volume up higher than the rest. I honestly can't say I'm qualified to speak of details/definition in sound at the level I am right now.
 
 
 

Long time lurker first time poster. Very entertaining thread and I think I get your reasoning and logic when it comes to these tests. Firstly about that song OMG - very dense, but that 'interference sample' ast the start isn't actually interference - its drums! Gene Hoglan (who previously played with Death) rips it. The album version has some distortion added, but it is a drum fill.
 
A lot of people will have heard the Sennheisers, in particular the CX's. They have quite nice bass agreed, but as mentioned, it can be a bit muddy and a bit one note. I'm a drummer and look for the drum sound in headphones to match what I know was recorded and played through monitors during recording. This is important for bass drums but equally applies to the rest of the kit. That is why I'm quite surprised by your Soundmagic E10 review. That has plenty of bass, but it is not as bloated as the CX300 in particular, but has more sub bass and more punch, and that is more the sound that gets recorded to my mind. Also, the bass is less one note and conveys better bass subtleties. Oh and I love bass!

I really enjoy the sound signature of the E10's and is one of the few in ears that I set flat for most of my listening.
 
Seeing as we are talking a bit about metal and have some similar tastes, here is a bass test for you. get the song 'Black Heart Romance' by My Dying Bride (The Dreadful Hours album) and tell me if you hear anything surprising.

 

[PocketSmiley]

Quote:

Long time lurker first time poster. Very entertaining thread and I think I get your reasoning and logic when it comes to these tests. Firstly about that song OMG - very dense, but that 'interference sample' ast the start isn't actually interference - its drums! Gene Hoglan (who previously played with Death) rips it. The album version has some distortion added, but it is a drum fill.
 
A lot of people will have heard the Sennheisers, in particular the CX's. They have quite nice bass agreed, but as mentioned, it can be a bit muddy and a bit one note. I'm a drummer and look for the drum sound in headphones to match what I know was recorded and played through monitors during recording. This is important for bass drums but equally applies to the rest of the kit. That is why I'm quite surprised by your Soundmagic E10 review. That has plenty of bass, but it is not as bloated as the CX300 in particular, but has more sub bass and more punch, and that is more the sound that gets recorded to my mind. Also, the bass is less one note and conveys better bass subtleties. Oh and I love bass!

I really enjoy the sound signature of the E10's and is one of the few in ears that I set flat for most of my listening.
 
Seeing as we are talking a bit about metal and have some similar tastes, here is a bass test for you. get the song 'Black Heart Romance' by My Dying Bride (The Dreadful Hours album) and tell me if you hear anything surprising.

 
So I might have received a faulty unit after all. I forgot to mention the possibility in my E10 reviewette.
 
I remember trying to love the E10 because it was already an ideal headphone except for that airy bass timbre. I might change my rating for it (I'll put a PASS because they really did pass the bass test) as I seem to be the only one who didn't like it haha.
 
I will get back at you later today as I have to go do something. I get really happy whenever someone else knows the metal bands I love. These are bands you get to know only after some serious deep digging (not in the hipster sense d: but an honest quest for buried treasure). And of course that newly encountered person has a wealth of new knowledge to share as well. Strapping Young Lad had always been a familiar name but only tried them upon anodyne's recommendation. It's amazing how you know that SYL and Death are related. Interesting info about OMG I will surely listen to that "interference" again although I already returned my E10.

 

[roscopervis]

You're right, there is an airiness to the E10, but that is what I like - you can hear the recording room in the drums and the space and soundstage for the instruments. I came to the E10 from the CX300-II and at first I was slightly disappointed with the bass, but after 10 minutes I was sold! It's a more natural sound, but still leaning very much towards bass and a roomy soundstage. the CX300-II felt like the songs were being played in a very small room, the E10 a much bigger room.
 
I love both SYL and Death and Gene Hoglan is one of my favourite drummers. It doesn't matter what you listen to the interference on, just appreciate that is drums!

 

[PocketSmiley]

Quote:

You're right, there is an airiness to the E10, but that is what I like - you can hear the recording room in the drums and the space and soundstage for the instruments. I came to the E10 from the CX300-II and at first I was slightly disappointed with the bass, but after 10 minutes I was sold! It's a more natural sound, but still leaning very much towards bass and a roomy soundstage. the CX300-II felt like the songs were being played in a very small room, the E10 a much bigger room.
 
I love both SYL and Death and Gene Hoglan is one of my favourite drummers. It doesn't matter what you listen to the interference on, just appreciate that is drums!

 
OK I'm back (from a test LOL) I realize that I didn't put more info on the E10 on my review, especially the space/soundstage. I agree it's excellent and it's what you notice right away. I have a lot of fixing to do /: I was actually about to get the CX300-II together with the CX95, but according to headphoneinfodotcom they are almost identical, so now I just have the CX95 in my Amazon Japan cart (I've been staying away from the new CX series because of reports that they're more "balanced" than the original--not for me). I've only heard one person in the entire internet compare the CX500 and the CX95, and that person preferred the CX95 because the CX500 supposedly had harsh treble which I don't detect at all.
 
It's really interesting that you find the E10 bass accurate compared to your experience on actual recording as a drummer. Most people in head-fi use the word "accurate" without giving any reference whatsoever, like, how do they know it's accurate? Accurate compared to what canonical sound? I'm definitely not an authority on accuracy--I'm on the extreme side of modding in a general sense. Still, while researching for a microphone to use for amateur audio testing, I read about the AKG D112 Bass and Kick Drum Mic, which is supposedly the "industry standard". Apparently, it automatically enhances the kick drum for "definition" and "impact". I'm guessing that this alters the natural sound a live drummer hears. I really don't know.
 
Anyway, I really have to rewrite everything again. I need to emphasize that one must know one's bass timbre preference to make use of my comparative review. And I have to be inclusive of such preferences, since I published this thread so that others may benefit from the tangential comparisons (I have x, I don't have z, but I have y, and PocketSmiley said z is better than y so I might try z). Or I can just quote whatever you said and say "hey roscopervis liked this kind of bass sound so you might too!"
 
Yes I'll listen to the interference again until it's music to me, like the first time I listened to death metal haha.

 

[roscopervis]

With regard to bass accuracy, I'm not saying that the E10 is the last word. However, when playing a song I know how was recorded and how it was intended, the E10 does an excellent job for a cheap IEM. What's more, the room sound and attack is picked by better on the E10 than say the Cx-300 or CX300 II. It sounds more like a drum than a beat if it makes sense.
 
Two songs that I like to use to make the point are both by the Deftones. The first is Around the Fur (off Around the Fur) - this bass drum at the start is slightly more bloated than that off the Song Digital Bath off White Pony. Too much bass level for the song Around the Fur is impressive, but shows to be too much when the attack and punch from the beater on the skin is lost. I like to velel to the maximum where I can still hear the attack.
 
Then when listening to Digital Bath, (The White Pony album has an incredible recorded drum sound), the bass drum here, again although impressive isn't quite as 'fat' as that off Around the Fur, and sounds more like a drum. If you levelled the bass drum right off Around the Fur, then the bass drum on Digital Bath is exactly how I like single kicks to sound. There should be a roominess, attack and punch to the drums that sounds awesome.
 
Let me know when you have had a chance to listen to Black Heart Romance and let me know what you heard.

Thanks.

 

[re41verse]

Subscribed! I'm really looking into the CX870. I'm not into much bass, but I do find it essential. Have you tried the CX200 (or the CX215)? I personally like it better than the CX300-II, which is a step-up from the original.
I currently have the CX200 and the PX100-II. Any chance you tried the latter, bass-wise?