IEM general discussion thread

Anyone has experience with Sony's new hybrids - N1AP and N3AP?

They looks interesting on paper. Dynamic driver and balanced armature crossed like a two-way speaker system. Dynamic driver for lows and mids and BA just for highs.

 

I'm about to order them from Chinese online retail (gearbest). Wondering if this ringing makes them fatiguing? Somehow I'm quite sensitive to fatiguing highs and cant stand such headphones for more the 30 minutes.

 

i had the N3AP, super lightweight, slight V shaped but not offensively so,
amazingly comfortable ergonomically, new tips are great. mediocre cable.

but for the money and if size is not an issue ibasso and the cheaper oriolus both have more vfm imho

http://www.0db.co.kr/xe/REVIEW_0DB/8226?ckattempt=1

 

Oh, thanks! Google translate to the rescue

 

After being disappointed with several mid-priced IEM-s (Momentum in-ears, AKG n40) I bought cheap Sony gym in-ears (AS400). It was surprising to find I can tolerate their sound for hours. Find them very comfortable too. Don't get me wrong - they're far from Hi-fi neutral, but somehow I've enjoyed them more than other much more expensive IEM. I also had MH1 - too much bass, but enjoyable warmish sound. Too bad the cabled sucked big time.

Guessing Sony's work for me, I'm planning to try their higher-end models. It's bonus they're available locally and Sony's warranty policy is pretty great over here (have Sony Alpha camera).

 

Sonys are some of my favorite iems. Xb90ex is a great budget iem, but needs power. Ex800st/7550 is another excellent choice, as is ex1000. Ex1000 is a great iem, but can have some treble issues. Z5 is good as well, but I prefer the other Sonys.

 

Problem is apart of Z5 those are unavailable in Europe. Their mid-high IEMs available here are : XBA-H1, XBA-H3, N1AP and N3AP .

 

So what's the Warrior "Top 5" list for IEMs these days?

 

Even with Amazon?

Good question Mike... I really need to do some update comparisons but a few of my IEMS are out on loaner, so this list will probably change somewhat next month.

1. Tralucent Ref 1 too
2. Tralucent Plus 5
3. Sony EX800st (7550)
4. Vegas (this is where it gets a little muddy)
5. Ibasso it03

Honorable mention Sony ex1000. They could easily overtake both 4 and 5. I haven't abed them with 4 or 5 yet. I haven't abed the Ibasso and Vegas either, so that may change as well. That's just my guy instinct.

 

They're all available, but Japanese import only. Which means that I've to release them from the customs and to pay VAT + taxes.

 

That sucks. For me, both the ex1000 and ex800st are both worth more than what I paid. They are 2 of my best iems and well below what I spent for other IEMs.

 

I tried the new oBravo Zeus yesterday.

Plus:
- dry, well-textured bass
- deep and wide soundstage
- treble extension

Contra:
Everything else! Terrible comfort. Very questionable tuning with bass bloat and the most muffled treble I've heard in a while. I've noticed a big frequency dip from 4-8 kHz and I'd almost say a hole (almost non-existent pressure) at 5-7 kHz. Treble picks back up at 10 kHz and peaks far above that, maybe 12 or 13 kHz.
In the most positive way I'd say this is a failed experiment. It definitely has nothing to do with hi-fi.

I'm crossing oBravo from my watchlist. After the terrible full-size cans, I was hesitant to give them another chance. Apparently the eamt-1 and 2 were well received by my colleagues, so I had a little hope for the new, most expensive IEM in the world. Turns out, this is not for me!

 

OBravo and their AMT lower treble null/cancellation! it's like their signature smh

perhaps this "feature not a bug" makes the ginormous soundstage possible, very much like mid-dips in standmount speakers...

 

So I'm going to be in Hong Kong in a few weeks - anything I should look for in the IEM world while there that would either be a better deal while I'm there or not possible to get in the US? Thanks in advance for your help! Cheers

 

i've posted this a few days ago on headfi:-

all hk headfi shops expect you to "lightly" haggle, you will get 10-15% listed prices but only if you pay in cash or debit card.

Strictly no refunds and only 7 day exchange.

jaben, while having the nicest and most knowledgable crew, offers the least amount of discount. Dma, Let's Go Audio and Rightshop have the widest selection, decent discount. Mingo, often the best pricing and then there is Kingsound, some really interesting products (new old stock red wine, alo, audeze etc) but some are parallel imports.

Even with local brands like labkable and various ciem brands, buying from retailers are often cheaper than buying direct from them.


most iem shops in the city are within walking distance of each other clustered in 3 districts, mongkok, ssp and wanchai

Oriolus, Unique Melody, HUM, rhapsodio and a new brand, Aroma (they are better known in Japan for some reason than HK)

 

Awesome! Great info @deafdoorknob. Thanks

 

I want to go to Hong Kong so badly. One day I will. Looks like and audio paradise. I could spend days in the stores there, my girl would end up killing me.

Michael are you going for business or pleasure?

 

Business. Unfortunately my trips to Asia have all been business and have been too short. Did a trip to Nagoya, Japan one time for a 4 hour meeting and then back to the Northeast. Something like 37 hours of travel for that 4 hour meeting. Hope to have some time to actually look around a bit while I'm in HK in a few weeks. Cheers and hope you get there someday Rich!

 

go to japan instead, speaking as a hk local, hk and taiwan got nothing on them to be honest.

@mscott58 try hitting up this fella, https://accessibleaudio.co/ he's a konger and head-fier with good connections, ditto with joeblogs on head-fi (he used to work for fiio i think as their translator and PR)

not sure when you are in town, but i might be away on business during Feb and March, plus i was never one to build relationships with retail folks (here, because everything is so close to one another, more sociable members tend to hang out and shoot the breeze at retailers and manufacturers, but i am way too much an introvert to be an active part of the scene.)

 

@deafdoorknob Yes, Japan is definitely on my list of places I want to go, primarily for audio related desires. Sadly, my girl has little to no interest in my toys and I couldn't expect her to spend a few days in an audio store with me. I went to BH Photo in NYC with her once, and I felt bad after only an hour.

You guys are definitely lucky to have access to all those wonderful things.

@mscott58 Michael, 37 hours of travel for a 4 hour meeting? OMG... Torture bro. Skype next time buddy!!!

I might be headed to the Phillipines in a month or 2 for business. Not sure of they have any nice stores there, I'd imagine they do. Since I'll be going with my business partner, I'll definitely make time to visit whatever they have there audio related. I'm not sure what part, Manilla I believe and some smaller rural areas as well.