Earbuds/Flathead Discussion

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

  1. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

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    I haven't done an A/B of the Monk+ with the Earpods but they are definitely more comfortable to me. I only use them for noncritical listening such as when I'm walking while my son has soccer practice, listening to a podcast and every night when I'm going to sleep basically times when I don't want/need sealed IEMs. My tendency is to say that they do sound better to me than the Earpods but like I said I haven't done an A/B and I haven't used the earpods much. I don't really care for earbuds and the way that they inherently don't seat up tight against my ear. I just use them at times out of necessity or convenience. That's why the Monk+ are good for my needs - they sound acceptable for my usage and they are CHEAP. That's why I've never offered up any particular review or assessment of the Monk+ before. Everyone that's interested should just spend the sub-$10 and try it out. If I want to do critical listening I'll use the appropriate tool for that which, IMO, does not contain the letters B-U-D (of course I could be proven wrong because I've never spent any real change on buds because I think the fit issue is an inherent problem).
     
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2017
  2. FlySweep

    FlySweep Friend

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    Been interested in earbuds for quite some time.. this thread here has been a solid reference t cut through the noise (the Head-Fi earbud threads give me a headache with the low S/N and ADD-inspired discussion patterns).

    For the past few months, I've been using the stock earbuds that came with my Samsung Galaxy S7e. The fact I've been using them daily is a testament to how good they are. Damn impressive from a tonal perspective. I'm shocked by how neutral-ish they sound. Not the most resolving, macro-dynamic, or technically capable phones.. but they avoid many sins of commission that one would expect from bundled earphones (that are typically included as an 'afterthought' with mobile devices). Also, I like the lack of fatigue (both in fit and inner-ear isolation) earbuds offer.. and with a 3 yr old running around, it's nice to be able to listen to music/podcasts and still have ample acoustic awareness of what's going on in the house.

    I ordered the Auglamour RX-1 on a whim yesterday (from gearbest.com). Not expecting fireworks from them, but if they're noticeable step up from the Samsung earbuds, I'd be damn happy. Could someone recommend a good set of coverings for them? I like the rubbery/silicone covers on the stock S7e buds, they grip my outer ear perfectly. Also, I'd like something that's as acoustically transparent as possible (@Abhishek Chowdhary mentioned the stock foam covers make them sound bright).
     
  3. Abhishek Chowdhary

    Abhishek Chowdhary Friend

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    I personally use the thin foams(red/blue in clolor) that come along with the monk+ as an accessory pack. The RX1 is a bit shouty with them but maintains max. transparency. The shout can probably be attributed to my HTC M7 which is loud but below average quality.
    The other foams that I found acceptable with them were : http://www.shopclues.com/25-pair-pr...-earphone-black-apple-nokia-samsung-etc..html
    The link is India based. Do not know the china equivalent.
    @music4mhell - Do you have a clue on this ?

    The other earbud I've grown fond of is the Musicmaker Ting ~ $70. It has the least issues of all earbuds. Fast transients, good bass texture, bass quantity enough to compensate for a sub optimal/loose fit, dry mids, very nice decay characteristics, treble rolls of a bit too much after 9k or so, not finicky about the foams used.
     
  4. gaspasser

    gaspasser Flatulence Maestro

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    I got the Auglamour RX-1's about a week ago based on @Abhishek Chowdhary recommendation alone. These remind me (in a good way) of the CA Orion. I only have listened via IP7 with lightning dongle. Very mids focused with enough treble and bass to get the job done. I don't find them shouty and I assume I am underpowering them. For $18 (now $16 on Amazon) they have a nice heft for earbuds and seem high quality. They come with a bunch of different covers too, I would advise to try these before ordering others. I like these headphones so much for their use purpose that I left the drop on the Monk +. I also found them very comfortable if I flipped them and hooked the cable over my ear as shown on Amazon. Count me as another Auglamour RX-1 fan.

    Thanks to @Abhishek Chowdhary for a solid, excellent recommendation.
     
  5. Roen

    Roen New

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    Are there any earbuds that come close to the detail and sound signature of a Shure SE535 or SE846?
     
  6. DigMe

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    Now $13.99 on Amazon.
     
  7. gaspasser

    gaspasser Flatulence Maestro

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    The Auglamour RX-1 continues to impress me as I use it more. Bass has improved a fair amount. These are a steal for $13.99.
     
  8. Abhishek Chowdhary

    Abhishek Chowdhary Friend

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    The RX1 can also be easily opened. There is enough space in the shells for any kind of modding. I lack those skills but somone might want to give it a try.
     
  9. TimeSnow

    TimeSnow New

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    Hello all,

    Thanks for this thread.

    I have a pair of Shozy BKs incoming... any updated thoughts on those?

    :)
     
  10. Mochill

    Mochill New

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    Timesnow, you'll love the stardust
    As I have said on headfi
     
  11. TimeSnow

    TimeSnow New

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    \/

    I'm just excited. Lol.
     
  12. 93EXCivic

    93EXCivic New

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    Hey, my kind of thread. I love me some earbuds.

    Currently I have (or have had) in order of preference

    Cypherus Audio Campfred2 (best clarity, tight bass and nice highs, slightly V-shaped but not so much that the mids are super recessed. Fun to listen to. Only thing I dislike is that the MX500 style housings which are a little uncomfortable so I have a 2-3 hour limit on listening to them)
    Yinman 150 ohm (laid back, good bass, highs could use a little bit more "sparkle", strong mids, comfort is better then the MX500 style buds for me. Doesn't have the clarity of the CF2)
    NiceHCK PK2 (a bit more energetic then the Yinman and has a bit more sparkle in the treble, I find bass a little lacking, the PK style housing is the most comfortable for me)
    Yinman 64 ohm (the earbud that kind of showed me what earbuds could do, very similar signature to 150 ohm but a little less clarity and a MX500 style housing)
    Vido (decent but bass can run into the mids a little bit)
    T-Music V2 (everything is decently controlled but it is a bit dull)
    T-Music V1 (very similar sound signature to Monk + with a bit more bass control, bad build quality though)
    Monk + (I don't really get the hype on these to be honest, I found the bass so weedy and not really well controlled that I couldn't get past that)
    Qian39 (meh!)
    Philips SHE3800 (meh with over boosted bass)
    Ty Hi-Z 32 (holy out of control bass)

    I have found with earbuds the hardest thing to get right is the bass. A lot of the earbuds are either really weedy, bleed into the mids or out of control. Often two of the three.

    I want to get Shozy BKs next because the PK style housing is my favorite in terms of comfort.
     
  13. Teartear

    Teartear New

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    some of my earbuds with long term feedback, i hope it will help some:
    High-End:
    Puresounds PS 100-600: -Slightly U shaped, smooth, reasonably airy and detailed. Sound still balanced but lifeless on weak source. Needs an amp to sound interesting. Jack of all trade: Never impress but never disappoint. A true all-rounder.
    K's Samsara: Warm Bassy analog luxurious mids, strong bass, veiled highs. Very musical but small soundstage, resolution and separation sub par compare to PS600. . Needs an amp. Rewarding with monolithic kind of music (techno, pop, rock)
    Campfred 1: Analog sound, dark and warm but still a lot of resolution. Very transparent, likes hifi source but doesn't do well with amping.
    Blur DIY black cable: Airy mid centric. The most natural and accurate I own. bass is lean with sub low but you still feel its here. Treble is crisp but not harsh. Love to have an amp for sub bass authority. Lovely with jazz recordings and vocals.
    Seahf650s, hard to drive, U/V shaped, neutral, sounds kind of bland next to the competition. It not bad but the competition do better job at resolution for a similar price now. Another all rounder.

    mid tier:
    Blue Darth: "king of bass" with no sub bass at all. lack of energy. overpriced in my opinion.
    Edimun V3, boomy bass - congested, very tiring for me. It was out in a time were Sub bass wasn't common in earbuds.
    Asura 2: no bass, more upper mids. Great vocals and acoustic instrument rendition but very limited.
    TY HI 150S: technically impressive bass and treble but bright and tiring sound. Not musical at all.

    budget:
    HE150 pro: relaxed sound, clean mids, soft treble, lean bass with nice extension. Great layering and soundstage for the price. The build is nice. I like it a lot.
    Graphenes (old version) Bass is nice for the price, Treble a bit harsh, impressive at first but easily tiring over time. mids are a bit recessed but ok. Needs a warm source otherwise it's harsh.
    Seahf150c: v shaped, crunchy sound, too much bite for me.
    MX500 clear shell: nice mid centric sound but a bit overpriced.

    low budget:
    DIY PK2 Panda: the best of all the diy pk2 in that price range in my opinion. Sound is balanced, very smooth, musical. Technically inefficient but it does the job at being a cheap earbuds that doesn't shout in the ears and cover all the spectrum.
    Mx500 DIY: Samsara baby, same sound sig, questionable build quality. very nice "old tape" sound.
    Monk+: nice tonality in the mids and great open soundstge, fun sound, no sub bass, poor treble, a bit shouty.

    Now I'm waiting for more feedback on the Hifi boy dream before eventually buying them. Looks like the build is made right: soft cable, small shells, low impedance. But still with a high end, totl sound. And that gold/rose gold shade is quite nice...
     
  14. Lacas

    Lacas New

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    I bought a VE Monk Plus, and I like it but would like to buy a higher end earbud for listening to all kinds of rock music (Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, new wave bands, Nine Inch Nails, etc…).
    I use primarily a DragonFly Red as a source.
    Do you propose Shozy BK or the Shozy Cygnus for this purpuse? Or is there any other earbud I should consider?
     
  15. Abhishek Chowdhary

    Abhishek Chowdhary Friend

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    Shozy BK and cygnus are both rough and peaky in treble. The roughness becomes bothersome over extended use.
    I've found the Musicmaker Ting to be the earbud with least issues. But it needs quality power to sound good. I am not talking about loudness but a source potent enough to extract dynamics from it.
     
  16. Teartear

    Teartear New

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    So, I got the hifiboy dream and the swd2plus from simphonio, also known has dragon 2+
    HifiBoy Dream are a bit disappoiting, the build is quite comfortable, I prefer them to the mx500, but the sound has too much treble. It's light and thin although warm at the same time (if that make sense?) the treble has some spike that can be very uncomfortable with some recordings and over long use. Bass is well exteneded but too in behind. I found the tonality and timbre to be very nice but unfortunately the frequency curve is too messy. soundstage is small and just OK. Overall I am disappointed and would not recommend.

    swd2plus are pricey (SRP $320,00), one of the most expensive earbuds currently. They sound great out of anything but needs a good source to be at their best. They have been tuned for AK SP1000 (which I haven't heard).
    Rather mid-centric, Great soundstage with excellent depth and width. the bass on the warm side, quite tight, sub bass is present but recessed. mids are very natural, life-like with good texture and a bit distant. Treble a bit crisp with nice sparkle but not tiring at all. No harshness or sibilance could be heard even with recordings usually at risk. The overall sound is quite lean and on the gentle side, relaxed. That being said they are versatile and I could listen to my whole library of music without concern using these. I have been surprised by their realism and immersive soundstage a couple of times. They are easy to drive, can be used with anything but of course scales with a better source.
    Compare to the PS600 that was my previous flagship. The first things that stand out is a more immersive soundstage by a great margin, imaging is considerably improved. Overall sound is more clear and defined. PS600 appears veiled next to these. Sub bass is elevated on the PS600 with an "heavy" feel while the swd2plus has a soft roll off and its much more tight.
    Strangely enough when I use them, I don't have this wow feeling of how good these sounds. But more like I can't find any major drawback that would make me wants to switch to something else.
     
  17. Dhruvmeena96

    Dhruvmeena96 SBAF living rent free in his head

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    Try niceHCK diy graphene old(20hz to 30khz) model with metal cover

    It is miles better than Shozy BK stardust..

    Way better treble extension and bass extension while keeping BK like tuning
     
  18. ruffandruff

    ruffandruff New

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    Hello, Can anybody compare yincrow x6 vs qian39

    I have the monks but I find them extremely bass light. I cant decide between these two, both are said to have nice bass. I tried ty hi z 32ohm, although it is better in terms of bass, its recessed mids really annoy me and also sound very sibilant to me compared to the monk+.
     
  19. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

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    Thought I'd add a Auglamour RX-1 review.

    Bottom line: the juice ain't worth the squeeze. And furthermore, the juice is prune juice, which I understand is not to everyone's liking.

    Caveat: maybe I have weird fcked up ear canals that make these sound broken?

    Full review: I wanted some earbuds for monitoring my voice during podcasts. I chafe at the idea of spending much money at all on "real" monitoring headphones that I use once per week and don't sound as good w/music as my real rig does. Spending any money at all on 7506s or M50s or Hd280s just felt wrong. So I was seeking cheap decent buds.

    I hate spending money supporting Apple's accessories business with a bigger topline than some countries GDP. $30 for wired earbuds from Apple feels like a ripoff. Little did I know...

    Ordered the Auglamour RX-1s from GearBest. ~$15 for the buds. Impulsively upgraded shipping to faster+tracked shipping. Now I'm at $30. Oops!

    The buds eventually arrive (took almost a week for Gearbest to even ship them during which there were no updates from Gearbest).

    Context: At $15, I don't care about technicalities aside from frequency response. That part needs to be relatively normal.

    It's not. It's dogshit bad. Everything I listen to through the RX-1s sounds like it's run through a chain of 5 telephone filters.

    I knew to expect mid-centric. The Campfire Audio Orions, which I own, are mid-centric. The RX-1s are to mid-centric what napalm is to weed killer. the RX-1s are to mid-centric what Pinochet was to law and order.

    So at the helpful suggestion of several folks here, I burn them in. I burntheshitoutofthem in. 72 hours of constant loud music burn in.

    They do improve.

    The FR is still horribad. Now everything I listen to through the RX-1s sounds like it's run through just one telephone filter rather than a chain of 5.

    Improvement!

    Still, compared to Apple wired earbuds, a waste and disappointment, at least for what I wanted, which again, was a cheap bud with normal FR.
     
  20. Prydz

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    Wireless earbuds for daily+workouts recommendations?
     

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