A Compendium of Audio Zone Reviews and Rankings: IEMs, Headphones & Sources

I also wish to try all the IEM u all have but i don't how it will going to get possible
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Guys, I'd appreciate some help here. Is the new Clip Zip or the Clip+ a decent source for driving a stereo amp and a pair of bookshelves? I mean most of the time, the source would be the RCA outs from the Essence STX but in case I want to drive them off a portable source, what would be a good option? Basic requirement - FLAC playback and micro SD card support.

Crap, both of them are OOS from Pristine Note!
 
Clip+ does not have enough output power. Even with portable amps like Arrow, I have to increase the amp's volume compared to other players. I have briefly tried Cowon S9 with my now non-existent speaker setup (Line in via Maverick D1 -> Amp), but even that wasn't powerful enough.
 
Increasing the amp's volume by a couple of notches is fine by me. As such the usage is limited to those tired evenings when I cannot be bothered with switching on the PC to listen to music. I am not looking for anything fancy here. Anything that falls under the 2.5~3k price bracket and the support for FLAC playback plus extendable capacity will do just fine. I am assuming the Clip+ should suit my needs?

Thanks for the response Santosh!
 
Given your requirement, it should. I would have suggested Nanite N2 due to it's higher output power, but it does not support tags. If I am going to use it when I am tired, I'd be frustrated going through folders in that tiny screen. Clip+ with Rockbox should work out better.
 
Thanks a lot Santosh! I think the Clip+ should be fine. Shall Rockbox it once I receive it. Will keep this thread updated when everything is in place.
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clip zip has more feature compared to clip+

as an anonymous recommendation

few week ago i was also confused which PMP should i go for between clip + & fuze but after a through research i end up with a total different grade of product (cowon j3) so it a one time purchase go with the best .
 
Like I said my budget is best limited to ~3k. Not a paisa more because the usage is limited. Besides, I've used a Clip+ before but disposed it off later. I regret that decision now.
 
I need IEM around 5K, only music at Ipod.

Currently using M2, the tips n wire are giving away after much abuse
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Do suggest a model which is available in India.
 
Can you compare two high end IEMs, BA vs Dynamic, and you think are differences in terms of your overall sound experience, which one do you think gives you a wider sound stage than the other, and do you find sound to be more accurate with BAs compared to the dynamic?
 
In general, dynamics have better bass, whereas BAs are meant to be fast, resolving, accurate and lighter on bass.

But, everything is solely dependent on the IEM in question. You cannot attribute anything to driver technology. BA IEMs like TF10 and SM3 have good quantity of bass, whereas some dynamics like RE0 and RE272 lack bass quantity. BAs like CK10 and Dynamics like FX700 and EX-1000 have wide sound stage, whereas BAs like Etymotics and many dynamics have a smaller sound stage. On top of that there are technologies like Moving Armatures (e-Q5/7, Grado GR8/10) and hybrids (Super.fi 5, AKG K3003).

This thread is the best way to get started in exploring IEMs.
 
esanthosh said:
In general, dynamics have better bass, whereas BAs are meant to be fast, resolving, accurate and lighter on bass.

But, everything is solely dependent on the IEM in question. You cannot attribute anything to driver technology. BA IEMs like TF10 and SM3 have good quantity of bass, whereas some dynamics like RE0 and RE272 lack bass quantity. BAs like CK10 and Dynamics like FX700 and EX-1000 have wide sound stage, whereas BAs like Etymotics and many dynamics have a smaller sound stage. On top of that there are technologies like Moving Armatures (e-Q5/7, Grado GR8/10) and hybrids (Super.fi 5, AKG K3003).

This thread is the best way to get started in exploring IEMs.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the comparizon. Was thinking of buying XBA 3, but again, i'll have to burn a hole through my pocket
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I heard the IEMs that are BAs, and that have woofer installed also don't perform better in bass compared to the dynamic ones, like the IE80 from sennheiser. I also heard that the XBA4 is not much of an upgrade compared to the XBA3. I think in India xba3 is available, but not xba4
 
Thanks to sandeepsachin for pointing out that the link in my signature does not work any longer (as the forum shifted back to vbulletin). Due to that, I not only fixed the link in my signature, but also other links in the first post. I hope others can take some time to update their respective rankings and links in the future.

I thought I'll do a little more work on a lazy Sunday afternoon. So, I added links to my impressions scattered across Random IEM/Headphone rants thread after going through each and every page. There are several other impressions in that thread, but ... one step at a time :)
 
Hi,

Have some queries regarding my new IEM. I just bought an M2 for my I9000. What is the burn in period for M2? I use the IEM with my mobile having semaphore kernel 2.7.4 with voodoo sound installed. Do I need any amp?
 
simforgotten said:
What is the burn in period for M2?
Click to expand...
Usually its your brain thats burning-in, not the IEMs.

Testing the Audibility of Break-in Effects | InnerFidelity

simforgotten said:
Do I need any amp?
Click to expand...
Not really. Usually Amps are used to give more power, or to change the sound signature. The M2 are a relatively light load, so they don't need a lot of power, and since they have a bottom heavy signature, you'll end with too much bass if your amp is also bassy.

To test the amp waters, I'd suggest trying a cheapo one like Fiio E6; although I don't think you'll see much benefit from an amp.
 
Started this ridiculous path of self enjoyment 2 years ago. Ridiculous because my wallet has never been full since then, yet i give a damn and continue.So far i could only master the art of self control to resist myself from buying cheaper IEMs. So here is my ranking of IEMs i've owned & own.

1.DBA02 MkII
2.RE-ZERO
3.FUTURE SONICS ATRIO MG7
4.VSONIC GR06
5.SONY XBA-1
6.SOUNDMAGIC E30/MX580 (Earbuds)
7.SOUNDMAGIC PL50
8.BRAINWAVZ R1
9.PHILIPS SHE3570
10.SENNHEISER CX270
11.SOUNDMAGIC PL30
12.ULTIMATE EARS 200/SENNHEISER MX470 (Earbuds)
13.TEKFUSION TWIN WOOFERS
14.SONY MDR EX-57LP
 
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