Earbuds/Flathead Discussion

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by shotgunshane, Oct 18, 2016.

  1. HAL9000

    HAL9000 Almost "Made"

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2016
    Likes Received:
    233
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Fairfield, IA
    Flat IS engaging. It reproduces timbre properly. You can feel vocals from the chest of the singer. Etc. I am using them with a Pono Player, IMHO the best DAP you can get... The ONLY DAP with zero feedback amplifiers, which is a huge thing.

    I am completely blown away! $200 for a used Pono (because nobody breaks them in properly, they sound crummy and are sold at a huge discount) and $150 for the Stardusts. Endgame sound for $350!? It's a joke...
     
  2. music4mhell

    music4mhell New

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2016
    Likes Received:
    26
    Trophy Points:
    8
    Location:
    Bangalore (India)
    Lol, end game ? Huh ! i thought the same after getting Chord Mojo and HD650..!
    Now i have ordered VE Runabout Portable amplifier ($358) to pair with my Mojo..

    So Chord Mojo ($600) + RA2($358) + Black Zen($358) + Cardas Interconnect($40) = ~ $1300, let see if i will reach my end game or back to Square 1 :) Wish me luck !
     
  3. HAL9000

    HAL9000 Almost "Made"

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2016
    Likes Received:
    233
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Fairfield, IA
    Well, HD650s are real good, but nowhere close to the PMx2s. I think the Chord has a tendency towards intemod vs. the Pono. The guy who designed the Pono, Charlie Hanson, is one of THE pioneers in making digital sound like analog. He started Ayre Acoustics about 20 years ago and has been making beautiful sounding gear ever since. The Schiit guys really get it, too. They weren't pioneers, like Charlie, but they knew a good thing when the heard it and figured out how to make and sell great stuff inexpensively... The new Jot is an amazing piece of gear for $500.
     
  4. DrForBin

    DrForBin Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    710
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    The Great NorthWet
    hello,

    number one daughter just got a pair of Auglamour RX-1 to replace the cheap Hot Topic buds she broke (she gets that from MrsForBin.)

    all in all, they don't sound too bad.:)
     
  5. music4mhell

    music4mhell New

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2016
    Likes Received:
    26
    Trophy Points:
    8
    Location:
    Bangalore (India)
    RX-1 is mid-centric Earbud ! It's very nice for podcasts or youtube !
     
  6. DrForBin

    DrForBin Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    710
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    The Great NorthWet
    hello,

    @music4mhell, or Spotify, which is her drug of choice.
     
  7. music4mhell

    music4mhell New

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2016
    Likes Received:
    26
    Trophy Points:
    8
    Location:
    Bangalore (India)
    Try Monk+ with Mic version only $7 .. i personally find Monk+ more fun sounding than RX-1 :) but most others feel RX-1 is better than Monk+.. !!
    Different people, different opinion !
     
  8. HAL9000

    HAL9000 Almost "Made"

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2016
    Likes Received:
    233
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Fairfield, IA
    I think I need slightly fatter foam donuts. Any recommendations?
     
  9. music4mhell

    music4mhell New

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2016
    Likes Received:
    26
    Trophy Points:
    8
    Location:
    Bangalore (India)
    Hiegi/ Feng foams are thicker.. you can get it from Penon.. but i personally don't like donut foams..
    You can get a Belt hold puncher and create 2 holes on the foam.. it will give almost same feeling like donut foam.. without sacrificing bass impact !
     
  10. HAL9000

    HAL9000 Almost "Made"

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2016
    Likes Received:
    233
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Fairfield, IA
    I don't quite get it. Belt hole puncher, yes. What kind of foam am I punching holes in?
     
  11. music4mhell

    music4mhell New

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2016
    Likes Received:
    26
    Trophy Points:
    8
    Location:
    Bangalore (India)
    Take a full foam which we use on earbuds.. but as it's full covered so we loose a bit high and low freq... So overcome this issue, we can punch small 3/4 holes on the full foam.. then it will act like a donut foam.. i will share photos later .. !!
     
  12. HAL9000

    HAL9000 Almost "Made"

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2016
    Likes Received:
    233
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Fairfield, IA
    Ahh, I see, said the blind man. Thanks!!
     
  13. peterpangea

    peterpangea New

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2016
    Likes Received:
    16
    Trophy Points:
    8
    Location:
    Toronto, ON
    Definitely do let me know how that ends up sounding :) thought Zen 2 was just meh, but my amp selection for them were never all that good (Mojo + phone).
     
  14. music4mhell

    music4mhell New

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2016
    Likes Received:
    26
    Trophy Points:
    8
    Location:
    Bangalore (India)
    Reached my country, as it's coming through Aramex, i will get my hands on in next 2/3 days :)
    I am super excited to pair with my Chord Mojo. I hope, i made right decision this time !
     
  15. munch

    munch Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    38
    Trophy Points:
    28
    Location:
    N EU
    cool, I missed this thread completely.
    I am in the market for some earbuds, no budget but preferrably <$200. would love some help finding a good pair! the stardusts sound very intriguing.

    so!

    I would really prefer something flat, or mid-forward, just not shouty, and absolutely no harsh sibilance. can be a little dark sounding if it has to.
    want something non-fatiguing, comfy, and has to work straight out of an iPhone SE.

    have very limited experience, but vocals really need to be good, and not harsh :)
     
  16. music4mhell

    music4mhell New

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2016
    Likes Received:
    26
    Trophy Points:
    8
    Location:
    Bangalore (India)
    From my experience .. i can suggest ..just buy blindly Shozy Stardust :) It ticks all your requirements ! Also it's only 16 Ohms, so no issue from Iphone ! i can;t think of anything better than right now ! It's around $165 on penon site.. i bought at @ $149 ..!!
     
  17. munch

    munch Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    38
    Trophy Points:
    28
    Location:
    N EU
    they do seem to do that!
    I just feel so inexperienced and I feel the ones I have tried that were hyped over on the other site were just tonally off.

    can I ask if you have tried Sennheiser HD600? I can stand that in terms of brightness/harshness, but not much more than that. wondering if these are darker or more similar? flat is good, but flat seems to vary a lot.

    thank you! :)
     
  18. music4mhell

    music4mhell New

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2016
    Likes Received:
    26
    Trophy Points:
    8
    Location:
    Bangalore (India)
    Which other Earbuds have you tried yet ?
     
  19. munch

    munch Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    38
    Trophy Points:
    28
    Location:
    N EU
    not really even sure what some were called... :(
    BLOX BE7 - okay but somewhat bright/peaky, uneven upper mids. a little bit of recession.
    Apple EarPods - seemed a little U shaped, not super impressive for me.
    Sennheiser MX985...? - not sure if right model number but they had some nasty peak in the midrange to my ears.
    and nothing else really memorable, they are so uncommon here.

    cheers!
     
  20. Abhishek Chowdhary

    Abhishek Chowdhary Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    420
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    India
    Before you get into earbuds:
    1) No earbud I've heard to date can do sub bass properly. Shozy Cygnus does it somewhat decent.
    2) Comfort heavily varies with the earbud shell. Some earbuds can be painful to wear for longer.

    Start with the Shozy Cygnus for it's good bass and resolution levels. Maybe a touch too energetic treble but tolerable for me. If bass isn't that important to you then Auglamour RX1.
     

Share This Page