IEM general discussion thread

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by Griffon, Nov 1, 2015.

  1. Junki

    Junki Facebook Friend

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    Interesting. Thanks for the insight. It's definitely worth considering.

    I'm 100% sure she uses the stock Apple buds that came with the phone because she's poor and not particularly picky. I was kind of hoping something easy to use and much better sounding would go well.
     
  2. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    Between my coworker and I - we have Pinnacle P1, Noble X, and the Mass Drop EDC - we let one of our female co-workers try them and she thought they all sucked compared to her Apple Earbuds. She ended up with the JayBird X3 and is happy I think. There really is no telling. I would probably pick something like the Shure SE215 since it comes with wireless now or the MassDrop EDC / EDC3 if time isn't too strict.
     
  3. Junki

    Junki Facebook Friend

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    @M3NTAL Timing isn't that strict. I'll look into them. Thanks!!
     
  4. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

    Staff Member Pyrate Flathead IEMW
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    I once gave my wife some nice iems as a gift on a birthday or other special occasion. I saw the look on her face and immediately returned them. That mistake will never be made again. It was like I had bought her a sixer of Belgians, football tickets and a vinyl album of some metal band.
     
  5. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    Buy that nice Coach bag she has had her eye on. Inside the bag, put a Shure 215, a beer and some condoms. Tell her you decided to see what the fuss was about and wore it out shopping. However she responds to that, your next line is that you liked "how easy it was to accessorize*" with it and that she will look "even more beautiful" when she wears it. Then, kiss/hug/vulcan gesture of mutual felicity her.

    That's how you buy a non-audiophile lady earphones.






    *if your statement makes it clear you are not entirely sure how to properly accessorize or what the word even means, so much the better
     
  6. ufospls2

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    [​IMG]

    Hey Guys,

    My brother needed a new set of IEM’s so I gave him my Noble 3’s, which left me with no closed back IEM’s. I wasn’t sure what to do, as I have my LCDi4’s (which I love.) However, as I said in my recent mini review of them, they are a bit useless for on the plane, subway, bus etc… Anywhere you need isolation, the LCDi4 are a bit of a flop. I headed over to my local headphone shop, which happens to stock Campfire Audio. I had tried the Andromeda before as everyone raves about it, and I enjoyed it, but knew it wasn’t for me. I thought about the Orion being a possibility, but really didn’t know what to expect from the rest of the CA lineup. I knew I wanted a replacement for my Noble 3’s for a travelling/bus/everyday IEM, but wasn’t sure which would be the best fit for my needs.

    With the release of the new Atlas IEM’s, the Vega were on sale. I can’t remember if I have tried the Vega before, if I have, it was a short audition that I’ve forgotten. I wasn’t really expecting to be that stoked on them given what I have read here and also the fact that I hadn’t loved the Andromeda, an IEM that everyone else loves so much.

    I really, really enjoyed the Vega. I suppose the Andromeda is more of an “audiophile” tuning and maybe that isn’t fully my thing? I’m not sure, but I prefer the Vega. I enjoyed them so much I ended up purchasing them. Regardless of price, I prefer the Vega to the Andromeda. Some of the reviews I have read say it has a “fun” tuning, which is perhaps more my thing? I’m not too concerned with how something measures, or if it is “accurate” or whatever. I just follow my ears and see where I end up.

    The Vega is a bass heavy IEM, there is no denying that. The mids are pretty good (maybe a bit uneven?), and the upper Treble is boosted a bit to give it some sparkle, I think. I can totally see how someone might prefer the Andromeda over the Vega. To me it seemed to be a bit more of a neutral tuning, less bass than the Vega for sure. I know that when I will be using these IEM’s, I’m not doing critical listening, I’m just enjoying some tunes. The Vega are perfect for that, especially with the kinds of music I listen to.

    Compared to the LCDi4 the Vega lack the open airy sound, which makes sense. They also have a smaller soundstage, less impressive technicalities, and don’t sound as “big.” I reckon this is all fine and makes sense given the design differences. However, if I’m on a plane for example, I won’t feel like I am missing out too much listening to the Vegas. They just offer a different presentation of the music, and it is one I find really enjoyable.

    At the end of the day, the Vega is a bassy, kinda V shaped IEM with a bit of treble sparkle. I can understand someone disliking these. I definitely understand someone preferring the Andromeda. However, the Vega just work for me and my ears, which at the end of the day, is all that really matters I suppose. I wasn’t expecting to spend as much as I did on a pair of closed IEM’s. I just enjoyed the Vega enough to give them a go.
     
  7. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    A few impressions in the CanJam SoCal thread, starting here I think.
     
  8. KowalskiFUT

    KowalskiFUT New

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    Anybody heared Jomo Samba and Flamenco? Is there a massive difference between them?
     
  9. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    Bill-P said:
    6. Campfire Audio Atlas: nice clarity with acoustic stuffs, kinda clearer sounding than Andromeda, and just a little bit more peaky, but not annoying to me. Then... anything with bass is just like... I could only hear bass.

    @KenBall Oh, honey, no.
     
  10. Stuff Jones

    Stuff Jones Friend

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    So a friend is coming to visit me from the States and I'm tempted to have them bring me some IEMs. Any suggestions on a dynamic to add to my collection? I've got the JVC FW01, Periodic BEs and Fostex Tn01 (?) right now. Don't really want to go TOL as those don't seem to be worth it yet.
     
  11. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    Thanks to ZuckerBORG, I have obtained live cam of the moment Kunlun read that message:
    [​IMG]
     
  12. Jokko

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    If one finds the MD+ a tad too bright, that is with foam tips, what would be a good side grade?
    Source is just an iPhone X with mmcx/2pin -> lightning cables.
     
  13. Vansen

    Vansen Gear Master (retiring)

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    Maybe a Noble X.
     
  14. Jokko

    Jokko Friend

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    Sorry forgot to mention, I did not like the Noble X when compared to the MD+. Mostly an ergonomic / fit issue though.
     
  15. deafdoorknob

    deafdoorknob Almost "Made"

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    ok, the price is so unreasonable that i wont bother addressing it, but by god, Vision Ears VE8 the Porker just sounds bloody alive! Cant afford it and prolly wont buy it even if i can afford it, but for my ears/music genres i listen to, it is close to an ideal tonality, balance and density of musical information. It is like the TG334 but fast and less bassy. It's sad but i head down to the dealer every weekend to get an hour or two with it, it's like crack to me lolsigh.

    am aware that it is my irrational obssession, and it's likely not be what many sbafers would consider reference sounding, so take it with a pinch of sanity, or salt.
     
    Last edited: Apr 12, 2018
  16. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    So I picked up latest el cheapo Chinese EX1000 MMCX adaptor off of taobao.com for US$35 shipped to Taiwan (got it in 3 days). Here it is on English Taobao for $30 more (not sure if this includes shipping) www.englishtaobao.net/Product/550439102928/
    The listing says they've discontinued the old plastic version due to too many returns. So this is the new metal version. It looks a bit manky.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    The photo on taobao of the MMCX end is fairly accurate. The left one went on easily, but the right one stopped tightening about 1 mm from the end. I tried to look for any bits sticking out that would impede the last mm of insertion and trimmed some of the plastic, but this didn't work. Eventually, I figured out that the thread cutout with the higher lip (8 to 11 o'clock on the right adapter in the photo directly above) was a bit rough and it would thread the rest of the way if I angled that side down a bit as I turned. Applying that trick, it tightened properly and the result with CA Litz is below (the Litz makes the EX1000s sound like pneumatic drills btw. Do not recommend trying them.)

    [​IMG]

    This is how they hang with PW No. 5. The earhooks keep them in place, but they could be rotated forward a bit to get a better angle up over the ear. There are very nice (but pricey) Japanese adaptors that extend at an angle to provide the same fit as the stock cable. I'm too cheap to buy them.

    [​IMG]

    The PW No. 5 takes a bit of the edge off of the shoutiness, but not enough for me. I found that Spiral Dots help a bit as well, but even with No. 5 there's still a bit of shout.
    The above is with 2 criss-cross strips of micropore. I added 1 more strip and with No. 5 + Spiral Dots the damping is a little too much. So for me, I get a good tonal balance with either:
    • 3 strips + No. 5 + stock isolation tips
      or
    • 3 strips + stock cable + Spiral Dots
     
  17. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    @JK47 asked for pics of the micropore. Forgot to take my own and I'm out right now, but I don't think @james444 will mind me posting his.

    [​IMG]

    Mine looks essentially the same, but with 2 strips in one direction and one in the other. James said the key to not having them sound murky is to leave some of the nozzle open.
     
  18. TurbinoZ100000

    TurbinoZ100000 Acquaintance

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    I'm totally out of the current IEM scene. What would be the IEM equivalent of the ZMF Atticus (tl;dr must be great with horribly mastered modern metal), maybe with better subbass extension, in the <600€ price range?
     
  19. deafdoorknob

    deafdoorknob Almost "Made"

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    Empire Ears Bravado would be my default rec under 1k, for those who do not mind a bit of bass and forgiving without being veiled. Custom Art Fibae 2 for a less exciting/visceral presentation.
     
  20. gemmoglock

    gemmoglock New

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    Have you found something yet?

    Funnily I found the MD+ treble too smooth and polite with silicon tips, have you tried them again?

    If you haven't got something else yet, I tried the Brainwavz B400 at a local dealer and found it not bad too. Less bass rumble than the MD+, treble was not overly smoothed out but also not too forward. Now I know why @shotgunshane likes them :D
     

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