Xears Turbo Devices TD100 III BLACKWOOD
Feb 12, 2011 at 8:46 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 17
mackaveli

mackaveli

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Hey everyone,
 
The past few days, i have been trying to find some in ear headphones in the price range of $30-$60. I found these forums doing some google searches and was impressed by the wealth of knowledge and sheer number of reviews they contained. 
 
I have looked at Jays, head-directs, Nu-forces, altec-lansings, sennheisers, and many more branded headphones, weighing the general consensus of each pair.
 
One pair that has really stood out to me were the Xears' TD(Turbo Devices) line of headphones. I originally noticed a lot of praise for the TD100 I model, but wasn't able to find this model anywhere online, including the Xears site. But it seems they do have the TD-100 II and the TD-100 III models on the site, the TD-100 II being a bit more expensive. I have been able to find some comparisons of the TD100 II and the TD100 I but no comparisons whatsoever of those with the  TD100 III. 
 
Has anyone tried the TD100 III model and the older ones? What is your take on the two?
 
Appreciate any responses
 
Feb 12, 2011 at 9:09 PM Post #2 of 17
The TD100 and TD-III "Blackwood" sound very very similar to my ears. I wouldn't be surprised if they were using the same tuning of the same driver (whereas the TD100-II is said to be tuned differently). Certainly 95% of my TD100 review applies to the TD-III (which also happens to be nicer-looking and equipped with a normal y-style cord). 
 
Feb 12, 2011 at 9:21 PM Post #3 of 17
thanks joker,
did read that the TD100 is more bass oriented than the TD100 II, so its similarity to the TD100 III is great since thats what I'm more into. Not sure about the whole wood use in the earphones but gives it some uniqueness I guess? 
 
Feb 12, 2011 at 9:30 PM Post #4 of 17
I've had the chance to audition the TD III a while back.
The first thing I noticed was that the TD III have a higher sound volume than average so I had to turn down the volume on my iPod quite a bit.
As to the sound, I remember them having a good amount of bass, sometimes a bit too much for my liking though. The bass extends quite low and is crisp though a bit muddy at times.
Mids were recessed and highs good and clear. All in all I was quite pleased with the sound.
I'm sorry that I can't be more precise but that's all I remember from the short time I spent with them.
This is all based on relation to the price.
 
If you prefer to have a lot of bass and if this is your priority, I'd say go for it. Build quality is also good. The price they're asking is fair and you really get what you pay for.
I haven't had a chance to listen to any other model of their line though.
 
Feb 12, 2011 at 10:22 PM Post #5 of 17
x2 with Almost I also had a brief listen and that's pretty much what I got out of it. Build certainly looked solid but now with the Turbines priced at 40$ these are very direct competitors.  
 
Feb 13, 2011 at 10:11 AM Post #12 of 17


Quote:
alm0st said:
I've had the chance to audition the TD III a while back.
The first thing I noticed was that the TD III have a higher sound volume than average so I had to turn down the volume on my iPod quite a bit.
As to the sound, I remember them having a good amount of bass, sometimes a bit too much for my liking though. The bass extends quite low and is crisp though a bit muddy at times.
Mids were recessed and highs good and clear. All in all I was quite pleased with the sound.
I'm sorry that I can't be more precise but that's all I remember from the short time I spent with them.
This is all based on relation to the price.
 
If you prefer to have a lot of bass and if this is your priority, I'd say go for it. Build quality is also good. The price they're asking is fair and you really get what you pay for.
I haven't had a chance to listen to any other model of their line though.
Click to expand...



If they're like the ones, they're vented via the cable strain relief. Taking up some of that space between the relief and the cable up into the body will lessen the bass.
 
Mar 25, 2011 at 7:39 PM Post #13 of 17
The right speaker of my TD III just stopped working.
 
I read on one topic on Head-Fi forums that driver flex presents no risks for the IEM, but I am afraid that's the cause of the problem.
I was listening my music, wanted to move a bit the right speaker to be more comfortable, I heard the driver flex and it suddenly stopped working.
 
By pressing the right speaker with my finger into my ear, sometimes the music comes back but it disappears as soon as I pull back my finger.
 
I am the only one to have such issue with the TD III ? Is it really possible that is linked to the driver flex ?
 
 
Damn, I have them only since mid-February
frown.gif

 
Apr 1, 2011 at 7:43 PM Post #14 of 17
Just received my new TD III. The reputation of Thomas is well-established here, but I still need to mention that answered me back quickly on the same day, a Saturday, with a convenient solution, and sent the replacement unit on the Monday. Faster is impossible, kudos to him.
 
 
However he didn't answer about the probability of the problem being related to the driver flex, nor if I should avoid to insert them deeply.
 
 
But the new unit is most likely from another batch.
First this one does really have a wooden aspect, while my first par looked like this. This pic is not mine, it's from a website and it was probably the very first pic of the TD III available on the Internet. I would not be surprised if both pars were from a very early batch.
Then, I don't have any driver flex on the left speaker, but strangely still on the right one, but it seems more unobtrusive.
And to finish, the bass seems to be more pronounced on the new ones. Of course I am comparing them straight of the box while my previous one had some significant burn-in, but I don't remember it being that pronounced, but memory can be tricky.
 
 
So I think I will be optimistic about being just victim of bad luck and maybe of a very early batch problem and enjoy my TD III for a long time. :)
 
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