[H20Fidelity]

Quote:

i have a question too by the way...'till now i've paired my eph with my nokia 5800 that is starting to have battery issues, cover is in really bad condition too so i'm thinking of replacing it and since i use it mostly as an mp3 player i'm seriously considering buying a cheap phone and let max 150€ for an actual player.
My question are: is this a good idea? what are your advice? (clip+) + fiio e11? fiio does actually improve sound quality? some other combos/great source are available for the price? someone told me about colorfly ck4 but i don't know if it's whorth it because i don't know [size=x-small]how keen are my ears and my perception of detail developed because this iem are my first big purchase; anyway i'm really [/size]enjoying them

No, you don't need to pair EPH-100 with an amp. I for one am a fan of amping, I amp everything (almost) I kid you not EPH sound just fine without to my ears, forget the amp and use that money for something else. because...I have some information for you. The Clip+ and EPH synergy is unbelievable, I own several sources, you can see on my profile even down to Cowon S9, they pair best with a Clip+ on original firmware (not rockbox). I get more clarity, just not a little bit either, vocals / mids on these things just need to be heard to be believed. They're so liquid. I cannot get similar results from any other headphone combination.

All you guys that own EPH-100 and don't have a Clip+ I suggest buying one for pairing on stock firmware just for this reason. This combination makes my TF10 + Cowon S9 sound bland, thin. I cannot get those lush rich vocals. I wouldn't just say this either, I say it because I know when others try it they will understand. I also find myself bumping up the volume using the Cowon but with EPH, the Clip+ drives them really easily to higher volumes.


Clip+ stock firmare > EPH-100 = Truly brilliant sound.



Oh! For those wondering about the HPH-200 the misson has been aborted. I went all the way into their store and they wouldn't let me demo them. 

For this reason I cannot give any impressions. 

 

[Alberto01]

Quote:

i have a question too by the way...'till now i've paired my eph with my nokia 5800 that is starting to have battery issues, cover is in really bad condition too so i'm thinking of replacing it and since i use it mostly as an mp3 player i'm seriously considering buying a cheap phone and let max 150€ for an actual player.
My question are: is this a good idea? what are your advice? (clip+) + fiio e11? fiio does actually improve sound quality? some other combos/great source are available for the price? someone told me about colorfly ck4 but i don't know if it's whorth it because i don't know [size=x-small]how keen are my ears and my perception of detail developed because this iem are my first big purchase; anyway i'm really [/size]enjoying them

I do not have the Yamaha EPH-100.  Still, from my experience with other efficient IEMs (14 ohms), using an amplifier has made the sound richer (more bass and treble, and a fuller sound) as compared to not having an amplifier.  For example, I have the PA2V2 (portable) and the Behringer MA400 (not portable) and both offer their share of enrichment to the sound of whatever source I plug into them, using IEMs or headphones.  I also have the Indeed G3 hybrid tube amplifier, and just like with the other two amps, its presence in the sound setup is quite noticeable when using a pair of 14 ohm IEMs.
 
Techno Kid has the EPH-100 and one of the Fiio portable amplifiers.  You can PM him and ask him how the sound is affected by the amplifier.

 

[Katun]

Quote:

What the... 130 pages?
 
Have you guys been alerted of the new JVC's yet? =p

 
Which ones?

 

[kiteki]

What the... 130 pages?
 
Have you guys been alerted of the new JVC's yet? =p

 
Which ones?

 
They were released yesterday
 

 
http://www3.jvckenwood.com/accessory/inner_sp/fxd/ <- click

 

[H20Fidelity]

Quote:

I do not have the Yamaha EPH-100.  Still, from my experience with other efficient IEMs (14 ohms), using an amplifier has made the sound richer (more bass and treble, and a fuller sound) as compared to not having an amplifier.  For example, I have the PA2V2 (portable) and the Behringer MA400 (not portable) and both offer their share of enrichment to the sound of whatever source I plug into them, using IEMs or headphones.  I also have the Indeed G3 hybrid tube amplifier, and just like with the other two amps, its presence in the sound setup is quite noticeable when using a pair of 14 ohm IEMs.
 
Techno Kid has the EPH-100 and one of the Fiio portable amplifiers.  You can PM him and ask him how the sound is affected by amplifier.

I also agree with you, my experience with amping has been very positive with IEM's.

Yamaha EPH-100 do not need nore tend to agree with it. I was quite surprised. One of only a few IEM's I own that have not had any noticable benefits for me. Others might think differently, and that's what this hobby's all about really. IMO they don't need it, if was the case I would happily amp them with my CmoyBB or Fiio E11. Neither gave great results. Maybe another amp they'll agree with? But not the two mentioned.

 

[Huxley]

Quote:

i have a question too by the way...'till now i've paired my eph with my nokia 5800 that is starting to have battery issues, cover is in really bad condition too so i'm thinking of replacing it and since i use it mostly as an mp3 player i'm seriously considering buying a cheap phone and let max 150€ for an actual player.
My question are: is this a good idea? what are your advice? (clip+) + fiio e11? fiio does actually improve sound quality? some other combos/great source are available for the price? someone told me about colorfly ck4 but i don't know if it's whorth it because i don't know [size=x-small]how keen are my ears and my perception of detail developed because this iem are my first big purchase; anyway i'm really [/size]enjoying them

I would buy just a sansa fuze for now, it's pair brilliantly with the ehp and also has line out capability, should you wish to run it with an amp later on.
 
It's what i do with my p4 warbler, and honestly i couldn't be happier.

 

[miow]

I agree with amping with IEMs, especially with the FiiO E11. Better treble (more refined) and of course, more bass (Bass Boost enabled - EQ2/High Gain). Anything below the E11, just forget. E11 or JDS Labs Cmoy BB or JDS Labs C421 does improve the sound of ANY phone. It's not just the volume as some people say. Also the cable you use from your source to the amp makes a difference. For eg., the ZO2 cable is MUCH better than the FiiO cable (with the FiiO E11). You can hear things you can't with the FiiO cable. It's a more analytical cable that's perfect for warm, less analytical phones.
 
EDIT: whats the fuss about those JVC's?
 

 

[kiteki]

An amplifier primarily does two things.
 
1. Quality
 
2. Power
 
Neither of these are relative to volume, since you can compress dynamic range and achieve ultra high volume out of low power devices.
 
Power is current and voltage making the voice coil / driver / diaphragm move faster and more effortlessly, it's like shaking a towel, if you shake it violently it'll move the air faster and dry quicker.
 
Quality has countless sub-categories.  In the case of these MicroHD IEM's they probably just need a little driving power for higher resolution, the quality of the DAC chip will show up more on full-size speakers.

 

[DocWeston]

Still about the cable...
Not sure what to make of what I've read. Lots of different opinions in these 130+ pages.
 
Now I'm using the Klipsch S4, and the microphonics is quite annoying, although I don't wear them over the ears (these IEMs aren't really comfortable that way).
 
Maybe something like the Brainwavz M4 would be a better compromise for my needs. Sure, the sound of the Yamahas is way better (and I would pay for it), but low microphonics and good memory are part of the package I'm looking for...

 

[H20Fidelity]

Looks like EPH-100 are becoming very popular. I found this on Audio Affairs facebook page.



I wonder how many of those purchases were inspired through Head-fi. 

 

[adamsky]

Quote:

I would buy just a sansa fuze for now, it's pair brilliantly with the ehp and also has line out capability, should you wish to run it with an amp later on.
 
It's what i do with my p4 warbler, and honestly i couldn't be happier.

 
I really hesitate between Clip+ and Fuze. The first one is smaller and has a clip. It's easy to pack together with my eph in a small bag. Did you try them both? Any difference in SQ? What about the size? Is Fuze considerably bigger than Clip+? I can buy a second hand Fuze (4GB) for about 20$ or a new Clip+(2GB) for 45. What should I go for? Last quest: in terms of SQ is it worth of buying one of those DAPs if I have Samsung Galaxy S2 phone with Yamaha chipset?
 
Thank you all for any answers to my questions.

 

[giorgiocis]

Quote:

 
I really hesitate between Clip+ and Fuze. The first one is smaller and has a clip. It's easy to pack together with my eph in a small bag. Did you try them both? Any difference in SQ? What about the size? Is Fuze considerably bigger than Clip+? I can buy a second hand Fuze (4GB) for about 20$ or a new Clip+(2GB) for 45. What should I go for? Last quest: in terms of SQ is it worth of buying one of those DAPs if I have Samsung Galaxy S2 phone with Yamaha chipset?
 
Thank you all for any answers to my questions.

 also i would like to add, what are the differences between fuze and fuze+?

 

[ich1ban]

Hey guys,
 
Looking at purchasing these IEMs, currently use the GR07s which sound extremely good, but I just can't get used to the over-the-ear design.
 
I've been looking for other IEMs and these look good as I really like the GR07s sound, however I prefer a bit more bass like the Sennheiser CX300s.
 
Do you have any suggestions? and how do these compare to other IEMs such as the ATH-CKM500 or Klipsch X10i
 
Also do you have any other suggestions for IEMs that are within the league of the GR07s? As they are rated fairly high on the Multi-IEM review thread. 

 

[Huxley]

Quote:

 
I really hesitate between Clip+ and Fuze. The first one is smaller and has a clip. It's easy to pack together with my eph in a small bag. Did you try them both? Any difference in SQ? What about the size? Is Fuze considerably bigger than Clip+? I can buy a second hand Fuze (4GB) for about 20$ or a new Clip+(2GB) for 45. What should I go for? Last quest: in terms of SQ is it worth of buying one of those DAPs if I have Samsung Galaxy S2 phone with Yamaha chipset?
 
Thank you all for any answers to my questions.

Fuze/Fuze+ from what i know, the main differences are cosmetic, i prefer the original fuze because of it,s rotary dial. Makes going through my collection easier.
 
The fuze isn't hugely bigger, aize wise it's similar to the 3rg gen nano. Plus it's slimmer than the clip, and still takes micro sd cards.
 
It can run video, but on a screen that size, i've never bothered. The real advantage is you can run a line out, it makes a real difference should you decide to buy an amp.
 
It makes for a much cleaner signal, plus you won't be double amping, unlike if you used the hp out.
 
The clip is a great player, if you don't plan on amping, id choose that, otherwise fuze all the way.
 
You can buy factory reconditioned on ebay from istor. An honestly, you wouldn't know the difference, if you put a new unit next to it.
 
 
Quote:

Hey guys,
 

Also do you have any other suggestions for IEMs that are within the league of the GR07s? As they are rated fairly high on the Multi-IEM review thread. 

The yamahas have better bass, but are more laid back. I personally love mine as many others do.

 

[Alberto01]

Quote:

I agree with amping with IEMs, especially with the FiiO E11. Better treble (more refined) and of course, more bass (Bass Boost enabled - EQ2/High Gain). Anything below the E11, just forget. E11 or JDS Labs Cmoy BB or JDS Labs C421 does improve the sound of ANY phone. It's not just the volume as some people say. Also the cable you use from your source to the amp makes a difference. For eg., the ZO2 cable is MUCH better than the FiiO cable (with the FiiO E11). You can hear things you can't with the FiiO cable. It's a more analytical cable that's perfect for warm, less analytical phones.
 
EDIT: whats the fuss about those JVC's?
 

From my experience, the cable from the source to the amplifier, makes a noticeable difference, too.  I have a 50 cm OFC and a 150 cm OFC LOOPS cables to connect two amplifiers in a chain in the sound setup between the source (E-MU 0202 USB 24/96 tracks) and my IEMs.  Here they are:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOOPS-0-5M-3-5MM-JACK-PLUG-TO-PLUG-CABLE-LEAD-MALE-HEADPHONE-AUX-AUDIOPHILE-/370613641755?pt=UK_Computing_Sound_Vision_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item564a4b621b
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOOPS-1-5M-3-5MM-JACK-PLUG-TO-PLUG-CABLE-LEAD-MALE-HEADPHONE-AUX-AUDIOPHILE-/310401110678?pt=UK_Computing_Sound_Vision_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item4845591296
 
At the time I got them, shipping (outside of the UK) was less than half of the amount that it is now and I paid less than $12 including shipping, for each of those cables.  If I were to buy a short cable now to connect a portable DAP/phone to a portable amplifier, and did not want to spend a lot of money on it, I would get this:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/0-5m-OFC-HQ-3-5mm-Stereo-Jack-to-Jack-Audio-Cable-GOLD-/200556949690?pt=UK_Computing_Sound_Vision_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item2eb22030ba