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New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2010
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So I pulled the trigger on some 20 euro (ended up around $38 US) Xears TD-100II back around December, and I spent some time listening to them. Unfortunately, the left headphone just suddenly stopped working today. Here were some of my quick (amateur) impressions:
I bought these as an upgrade to the Nuforce NE6s, and they delivered. I also had a pair of Meelec M6, M9, and a friend's UE Superfi5 to play around with.
I found the M6 to have solid bass, recessed mids, and somewhat screechy highs. On some tracks, I found the highs to be just a bit harsh.
The M9 to me were a dampened, muddier version of the M6.
The Superfi5 had very clear mids and highs, but was lacking a bit in bass. The highs were sparkly and very detailed, without hurting my ears. The bass, though tight and controlled, lacked the oomph factor.
The Xears TD-100II had about the same bass quantity as the M6, but to me it was tighter. The mids, unlike the M6, weren't recessed had a very warm sound. The highs were there. I loved the overall sound presentation.
Compared to the superfi5, the TD100-II mids and highs weren't as nice to my ears, but EQing with "treble booster" (on iPod, Droid X) really made them about equal (TD100-II EQ'd is about the same as superfi5 with no EQ). I'm not sure how to describe it; the mids/highs were by no means bad--they definitely delievered a great sound--but it wasn't as crisp as the superfi5s. I prefered the TD100-II sound to the slightly painful M6, however.
The only problem I had with the TD100-II (aside from the broken left can) were the tips. They weren't bad, but I was still searching for some tips to do the IEMs justice. With the stock medium tips, the soundstage(?) didn't seem as wide. I heard the sound more in my head than around me. I tried some M6 tips, and the sound was much more 3D and around me but it seemed like the highs lost some of its sparkle.
Now onto the customer service:
The website was hard to navigate because it was all in German, but I eventually sent an email. Shortly after, Thomas (the owner) initiated a chat (like an instant chatroom, similar to mp4nation) and I explained to him my situation. He told me to cut the cable on the left side, and send him a picture (presumably so that I wasn't lying about a defect to score a free pair). I didn't have to send the defective IEMs back...shipping saved!
The TD100-II was sold out, but Thomas told me they have new, aluminum, black ones coming in a shipment soon (still TD100-II). However, he offered to send me the TDIII Pro Blackwood headphones for just 8 euros (which I'm guessing barely covers the shipping). I sent him the money via paypal, and I promptly received an email confirming that he was sending me the new IEMs.
Fastest service ever! He even spoke to me in english, after my poor attempt at using google translate. We talked for a bit and he explained to me the different drivers in their product line, and everything was settled within 5 hrs of my headphones breaking.
He also told me that he's looking for a large US distributor, as Xears is growing. If anyone has any connections, I'm sure he'd love to hear you out!
Anyway, despite the unfortunate defect, I had a great experience with Xears. I still highly recommend the TD100-II--those that missed out on the eBay deal should find them in stock soon--and hopefully the TDIII's are another winner. joker's supposed to be reviewing them soon, so keep your eyes and ears peeled! The best part was probably the prompt service. Thomas is a real sport, and was a pleasure to do business with. I'd be happy to keep y'all posted when the TDIII comes in, and maybe one of YOU could help out Thomas find some business in the states.
Happy listening!
I bought these as an upgrade to the Nuforce NE6s, and they delivered. I also had a pair of Meelec M6, M9, and a friend's UE Superfi5 to play around with.
I found the M6 to have solid bass, recessed mids, and somewhat screechy highs. On some tracks, I found the highs to be just a bit harsh.
The M9 to me were a dampened, muddier version of the M6.
The Superfi5 had very clear mids and highs, but was lacking a bit in bass. The highs were sparkly and very detailed, without hurting my ears. The bass, though tight and controlled, lacked the oomph factor.
The Xears TD-100II had about the same bass quantity as the M6, but to me it was tighter. The mids, unlike the M6, weren't recessed had a very warm sound. The highs were there. I loved the overall sound presentation.
Compared to the superfi5, the TD100-II mids and highs weren't as nice to my ears, but EQing with "treble booster" (on iPod, Droid X) really made them about equal (TD100-II EQ'd is about the same as superfi5 with no EQ). I'm not sure how to describe it; the mids/highs were by no means bad--they definitely delievered a great sound--but it wasn't as crisp as the superfi5s. I prefered the TD100-II sound to the slightly painful M6, however.
The only problem I had with the TD100-II (aside from the broken left can) were the tips. They weren't bad, but I was still searching for some tips to do the IEMs justice. With the stock medium tips, the soundstage(?) didn't seem as wide. I heard the sound more in my head than around me. I tried some M6 tips, and the sound was much more 3D and around me but it seemed like the highs lost some of its sparkle.
Now onto the customer service:
The website was hard to navigate because it was all in German, but I eventually sent an email. Shortly after, Thomas (the owner) initiated a chat (like an instant chatroom, similar to mp4nation) and I explained to him my situation. He told me to cut the cable on the left side, and send him a picture (presumably so that I wasn't lying about a defect to score a free pair). I didn't have to send the defective IEMs back...shipping saved!
The TD100-II was sold out, but Thomas told me they have new, aluminum, black ones coming in a shipment soon (still TD100-II). However, he offered to send me the TDIII Pro Blackwood headphones for just 8 euros (which I'm guessing barely covers the shipping). I sent him the money via paypal, and I promptly received an email confirming that he was sending me the new IEMs.
Fastest service ever! He even spoke to me in english, after my poor attempt at using google translate. We talked for a bit and he explained to me the different drivers in their product line, and everything was settled within 5 hrs of my headphones breaking.
He also told me that he's looking for a large US distributor, as Xears is growing. If anyone has any connections, I'm sure he'd love to hear you out!
Anyway, despite the unfortunate defect, I had a great experience with Xears. I still highly recommend the TD100-II--those that missed out on the eBay deal should find them in stock soon--and hopefully the TDIII's are another winner. joker's supposed to be reviewing them soon, so keep your eyes and ears peeled! The best part was probably the prompt service. Thomas is a real sport, and was a pleasure to do business with. I'd be happy to keep y'all posted when the TDIII comes in, and maybe one of YOU could help out Thomas find some business in the states.
Happy listening!
