[bobeau]

Just a word of warning - one of my pug dogs got ahold of these off my bed side table.  It wasn't more than a few seconds of gnawing before I grabbed them away and found the right grill dented.  Was able to pop it mostly back out with a thin sewing needle, but still a bit of static on the top end.  
 
I like these enough that I'm picking up a used set from Amazon which the seller agreed to ship priority tomorrow so they should arrive by Monday.  They've been a wonderful companion for doing remote web work in various coffee shops and whatnot

 

[AstroTurf]

Just a word of warning - one of my pug dogs got ahold of these off my bed side table.  It wasn't more than a few seconds of gnawing before I grabbed them away and found the right grill dented.  Was able to pop it mostly back out with a thin sewing needle, but still a bit of static on the top end.  

I like these enough that I'm picking up a used set from Amazon which the seller agreed to ship priority tomorrow so they should arrive by Monday.  They've been a wonderful companion for doing remote web work in various coffee shops and whatnot

Dogs are just so jealous of IEMs that it is not funny.

There oughta be a law... LOLz

Jim

 

[stozzer123]

Right, its now a week after my review and i thought id do a follow up on these.
 
Categorically im going to go out on the line here and say this.......... baring my 1964-t customs........... the Yamaha EPH-100 are............ I think......................  my favourite iem of all time......
 
Now lets see what else in a supposedley higher class I have owned
 
Shure SE535
um3x
PFE112(*)
HJE900(*)
ie8
er4s(*)
sm3 (*)
 
(* currently owned)
 
I cannot (and i really mean this) believe for the life of me that im saying this, but these are absolutle quality.  Even last week when I had done the review while they impressed me i did not realise i would end up enjoying these as much as I do.  Id say i listen to music about 2 hours extra in a day on these than i usually do because i am finding them that enjoyable. 
 
This to me is an absolute nail of death to the notion that a £300/£400 phone is better than one far less.  
 
It got me thinking, to me its not that these are better value than the ones listed above, or that the law of diminished returns shows that these are just marginally less quality than the big boy but a better price (i have spent thousands on this hobby and will probably continue to do so).  Not at all, to me, simply put,  they are better.  
 
The signature is engaging, they are detailed, spacious, isolating, well built.  They look gorgeous.  Music comes alive more with these than anything I have ever heard.  
 
Next up on trial are the jvc fxd80, brainwavz b2 and auriosonics asg1 which will all be with me soon.  I cant see them surpassing the new king though.
 
Cant believe i just wrote that.

Cue the abuse

 

[extrabigmehdi]

 For now, I prefer my senn IE7.  I  need to experiment more.
At least out of the box, the yamaha eph-100 sounded decent, unlike the ie7 (the ie7 need burning, and also they are well eq-ed).
I  wish to get rid totally to a hint of harshness , I've noticed in the sound signature of the eph-100.
Also, I  found that the ie7 have the edge in the bass department .
 
There's one thing  I  can say  that is good without (too much) doubt on the eph-100 : soundstage.  It's surprising how they managed to get that great  soundstage from that tiny iem.

 

[bobeau]

Quote:

There's one thing  I  can say  that is good without (too much) doubt on the eph-100 : soundstage.  It's surprising how they managed to get that great  soundstage from that tiny iem.

 
That's the main thing that really wins me over... it's this illusion that I'm actually wearing headphones.  The other thing is a good heft to them that I haven't experienced in an IEM before, but I've only had mid-tier BA types to this point.

 

[Pieface]

Quote:

Just a word of warning - one of my pug dogs got ahold of these off my bed side table.  It wasn't more than a few seconds of gnawing before I grabbed them away and found the right grill dented.  Was able to pop it mostly back out with a thin sewing needle, but still a bit of static on the top end.  
 
I like these enough that I'm picking up a used set from Amazon which the seller agreed to ship priority tomorrow so they should arrive by Monday.  They've been a wonderful companion for doing remote web work in various coffee shops and whatnot

 
 
I'm not sure "gnawed on by dog" is something any reasonable person would expect a set of IEM's to survive undamaged

Perhaps you could email Yamaha and ask them to include it in testing of their next TOTL IEM, you could fly your pug over to them

 
I definitely think the EPH100 is spectacular with music that favours a warm/lush presentation (Classic Rock & Blues) or music that utilises the EPH100 soundstaging and instrument seperation capabilities (eg. electronica & Hip Hop).
 
After a fair bit more listening I still think there are likely better 'phones for metal out there - the EPH100 is plenty fast enough but it's laidback/liquid delivery takes the edge off the attack that is usually what I am chasing when listening to metal.
 
It is interesting to read a few more comments lately about a harshness in the EPH100. That's really not a character I would ascribe to it at all.

 

[bobeau]

Quote:

I'm not sure "gnawed on by dog" is something any reasonable person would expect a set of IEM's to survive undamaged

 
There's not a mark on these otherwise, a normal BA with plastic barrel would have been fine.  We're talking about a short jawed small dog with minimal clamping ability.  Just a warning that the exposed grating is rather fragile.  I wouldn't for instance put these in a pocket with keys in them, which is something I've done with other IEMs in the past.

 

[Pieface]

Thanks for the explanation bobeau. I'll actually keep that in mind. My comment was a little tongue in cheek so I hope that came across to you.
 
I probed the mesh with a paperclip just now and it does seem like it would be susceptible to damage, particularly from something pointy like a dog tooth or key without a lot of force required.
 
I usually transport in the supplied pouch with my clip+ but it's something to keep in mind if I'm in a rush.
 

 

[H20Fidelity]

What a shame poochy got hold of the grill. Any other part of the housing he would of had a hard time. 

*makes note* Sharp puppy dog teeth & EPH-100 grills don't mix. 

Learn something new everyday.

 

[bobeau]

Yeah no worries, I should have explained myself better.  I'm definitely going to be more careful with my next pair.
 
On the upside these cost me $120 shipped from the UK... my new set cost $125.  Would I pay $245 for these new upfront?  Yep, they're that good.  Definitely prefer them to my 500/535s that I used for a few years.

 

[bobeau]

Quote:

What a shame poochy got hold of the grill. Any other part of the housing he would of had a hard time. 

*makes note* Sharp puppy dog teeth & EPH-100 grills don't mix. 

Learn something new everyday.

 
LOL... he's an old pug with dull teeth.  It takes him like 5 minutes to eat small greenie.  The whole thing was in his mouth.  Not a mark anywhere else.  The grating has a large surface area and it only recessed in about a quater inch from the end.  Just a warning.  Take it fwiw, I won't explain further. 

 

[JPFrost]

Just became a member of the Yamaha club

 
Really like them so far. The insertion is a bit of trial and error, as it's very easy to push them in too deep (especially for me since my ear canal is pretty big apparently). I wear them over-ear with my Vsonic ear guides and that works very well. The Yamaha's are comfortable, but the deep fit does take some getting used to.
 
As far as sound is concerned, I'm not an audiophile nor an experienced IEM listener (I only have used the Hippo VB's, Vsonic GR06 and the Yamaha EPH-100), but they sound really nice. I bought them used, so I don't know how much burn in they have, although it seems like they haven't been used a lot so I guess the sound will get even better. The bass really is the star of the show, and since I'm a big hip hop fan, it suits my needs perfectly. The bass goes deep and has a lush sound to it, and I actually like it better than the bass on my VB's. Overall the sound seems really well balanced, though the treble is probably the weakest point of the Yamaha's. Like I said, I'm not an expert, but it is noticeable that something seems a bit off. It's not bothersome imo, but could be for others.
 
Anyway. I'm very satisfied so far and I imagine it will only get better.
 

 

[extrabigmehdi]

So far, I was impressed by the soundstage. Quite airy.
I was playing with the stereo enhance feature of cowon s9, and realized it was not worth it.
It's just .... fine.

 

[Angels and Air]

Just got my Yamaha's in the mail! 

 
Time to unbox them and start listening to music! 

 

[Karl H]

I want to reiterate what some have already mentioned, but still some are failing to take note of.
 
These IEMs need burn-in time. Don't expect them to sound great out of the box, burn them in, it's worth the wait.
 
The fit... can be a royal pain in the ass! I almost gave up on these myself as whichever tips I used they were either too loose, or painful. As mentioned, with a bit of use they soften up and become very comfortable once you've found the best size for you. I ended up with a medium on one, and a small-medium on the other. Don't assume you have a perfectly symmetrical head. Cable over the ears with the cable holder pulled up to the neck will eliminate any microphonics.
 
I've had these IEMs a while now. I won't be parting with them any time soon. They really are that good.