Audio Didn't like MP21. Please suggest IEMs for upto 2.5k

Gryph0n

Gryph0n

Adept
Just got the MP21 from ITWares. After listening to them on my Nokia N82 for about 20 min, I concluded I didn't really like them. Too much bass heavy, and very little on mid frequencies.

I love the muddy thumping bass on my AL ATP3, so i had thought I'd like bassy headphones/IEM's too. But now I've realized that I love the bass that I can feel, and not really bass that I can only hear.

Frankly, I felt the default Nokia HS-43 I got with the N82 were better than the MP21, with clearer Mids & treble. Another thing I noticed was there was too much microphonics with the MP21, and here too the default HS-43 were much better; they didnt have any microphonics at all. (Microphonics is the sound you hear via the IEMs when the wires rub against something).

Just wondering : Are microphonics an inherent design flaw for all IEMs since the drivers are in contact with the skull ? Or is it more to do with how the wire is insulated ?

For now, I've put the IEMs for break-in via my desktop. Let me see if they improve after ~100hrs, but if they don't, I'd rather get something else.

Please suggest some IEMs upto 2.5k. I will be driving these from my Nokia N82 without any amps, so these should be easy to drive. Sonically, I'm looking for great mid frequencies. Okayish Low frequencies and High frequencies would do.

I see that Amarbir has the HeadDirect RE-2 for about 2K on Ebay. Would these fit my needs? And do the RE-2 also have bad microphonics ?
 
chiron said:
Sounds like the Ne6 should be good for you.
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Isn't the NE6 supposed to be bass heavy ? I'm looking for great mid frequencies. Okayish Low frequencies and High frequencies would do.

I've sworn off 'bassy' on IEMs/Headphones after my experience with MP21, because I've realized I love to feel the Bass hit my body, rather than hear it (aka my AL ATP3 has a muddy thumpy subwoofer :bleh: ).
 
^ You might like the RE-2 in that case . Also frankly speaking no mobile phone will actually give you the best of whatever IEMs you buy .Even your description of MP-21 sounds like a synergy issue with the N82.
 
If mids are what you are after, you could go with either re2 or pl50 in this price range. Both have great mids and I love them both. Vocals are better with pl50, some might find re2 a little shrill. I have more hours on RE2 than any other IEM I have. :)
IMO NE6 lacks in mids(upper mids)
 
^ Perfect ! Even I think PL-50 suits his needs well ,provided his N82 can drive it . Frankly speaking you should try an invest in a cheap mp3 player . A clip+ maybe ?
 
PL50 plus FiiO E5 would be fine... I use FiiO E5 on my Nokia XM5800 and it drives most of In-Ears pretty well ( Philips SHE 9800, Senn Cx300, Apple In-Ear, Creative Aurvana In-Ear2, Soundmagic PL30 etc). I use FolderPlay to play FLAC ... I don't miss dedicated MP3 player at all....
 
FaH33m said:
^ Perfect ! Even I think PL-50 suits his needs well ,provided his N82 can drive it . Frankly speaking you should try an invest in a cheap mp3 player . A clip+ maybe ?
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I listen to the Music & Audio on the Nokia N82 only during my bus ride to/from the office (45 min each way, 1.5 hrs in all), and the N82 does a fine job with a single charge for the entire day. I'd rather carry around one device (Smart Phone) that does an OK job of multiple things (Music, Camera) rather than multiple devices which do an excellent job at their dedicated functionality. For me, the convenience factor is just too high with a converged device rather than going for multiple devices.

My N82's camera can't hold a candle to my Canon 1000D DSLR, but my DSLR doesn't exactly fit into my pocket :bleh:

The only time I miss a dedicated player is during long bus/train journeys. The N82's battery doesn't last longer than 4-5 hours on continuous music play. But then again, I have long journeys like maybe once a quarter. So a dedicated player is not high on my wishlist.

I do think you are probably right about the N82's synergy issues with MP21, but then again i'll have to do with what I have :ashamed:.

@ haraakiri & FaH33m

Both of you have heard the RE-2s. From what you tell me, these should be what i'm looking for. Can you let me know how the microphonics are with these IEMs ? Also wondering if RE-2s are easy to drive; ie would I need an Amp ? I am sure an Amp might make these shine, but would i require an amp ?

@ GreenJay

Thank you for the suggestion, but if a PL50 requires an Amp to shine, then I guess I should go with RE-2. I don't want to carry multiple devices. In fact, if I had to go for multiple devices, for me a dedicated player would make more sense than an amp because of better SQ & battery life (Like FaH33m suggests).
 
PL-50s don't need an amp at all .At 70-80% volume on my Clip+ itself they used to be too loud .Even the RE2 doesnt need an amp as such but if you want to get more bass out of it then you surely need to use a Fiio E5 .
 
FaH33m said:
PL-50s don't need an amp at all .At 70-80% volume on my Clip+ itself they used to be too loud .Even the RE2 doesnt need an amp as such but if you want to get more bass out of it then you surely need to use a Fiio E5 .
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Ah, then its a suitable candidate. Any idea where I can source PL-50's from ? Amarbir has it listed on Lynx only and not on Ebay. RE-2's seem available from Amarbir on E-bay.

I'd rather deal with Amarbir thru Ebay than walk the labyrinth of the Lynx e-commerce site.

Rockfella said:
Op get a good pmp like sansa clip/fuze or something buddy! Phones are phones!
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You have not read my post on why i don't want a dedicated player :bleh:

malhotraraul said:
Increase your budget & be with the best rather than compromising, klipsch image s4i or sennheiser mm50
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I'd agree with the sentiment, but then my source (Nokia N82) would not be worthy of these :rofl: To really utilize these, I think my source would need an upgradation. For now, I'll stick with an OK-ish converged device than carry around multiple devices.

For my pseudo "Audiophile" needs, I'd prefer to use my PC with Xonar DX, and my passive speakers :eek:hyeah:
@ haraakiri & FaH33m
Since both of you have used the PL-50s & RE-2s, could you please give me an idea of the microphonics of each ? Any better than the other in this respect ?
 
When you order pl50 from lynx-india, you could choose ebay listing, and lynx will list pl50 on ebay adding 6% charges. PL50 can be worn over the ear, so microphonics would be better with pl50 compared to re2. Isolation too is better with pl50. You need to keep one thing in mind, pl50 has a bit different sound signature compared to most other iems in this range, some might not like it. And either they fit perfectly or would be a real pain.

You might want to check this review http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/432843/soundmagic-pl-50-review
Mark is my favourite reviewer as his taste is very similar to mine. :)
 
An update for those who might read this thread later:

I have just been listening to the MP21's today, after ~240 hrs burn-in (Excluding whatever times the power supply conked off, courtesy BESCOM :S ). For burn in, I used the Bink Audio Test CD Michael Knowles: Extras on infinite loop, with my PC/Xonar DX
After burn-in, the MP21 feel much better. The overbearing bass has gone down, and is behaving itself. The Mids and Highs have finally lifted their purdah and shown their faces :eek:hyeah: The soundstage is pretty good now. Playing U2's "No Line on the Horizon", it feels that Bono is singing between my ears, with drums to the right, and cymbals on the left.
On the face of it, I am unable to find significant difference between the default Nokia HS-43 that were bundled with the Nokia N82 & the SoundMagic MP-21. This possibly might be a limitation of the source (N82) itself. Or maybe the HS-43's were pretty good :tongue: However my HS-43 are broke, and so I cannot do a proper A/B test. I am relying on my memory of the HS-43, and memory is a tricky thing.
In the meantime, I also obtained a Nokia WH-701 from E-Bay. These aren't burnt-in yet, but right now the MP-21s kick their butt. The WH-701 sound very muddled, with a limited soundstage. Too much emphasis on the lows. The Mids & Highs have withdrawn their faces again behind the purdah :no:
I'm hoping they'll also improve after burn-in, like the MP-21.
Note to those trying to get iPhone compatible mics for Nokia's : Please don't
  1. Physically Incompatible Mic plugs:
    After searching on the net, I found that iPhones use the 4th pin for mic, while Nokia uses the 3rd pin for the mic. There is no way an iPhone compatible mic will work on the Nokia.
  2. Hissing sounds from Nokia
    As soon as I plug in the MP-21 onto the Nokia N82, I get a hissing sound that just won't go away. Using the Y splitter cable provided with the MP-21s shuts up the hissing. Luckily for me, SoundMagic had provided the Y splitter with MP21; but I find that many iPhone compatible IEMs/Mics do not have a splitter.
In retrospective, the SoundMagic PL21 would have been more appropriate for me than the MP21 :p And I should wait for for a complete burn-in before making up my mind :ashamed:
For now, I'm of the opinion that upgrading my IEMs/Earphones will not help much until I upgrade the source first. Awaiting the Nokia N8 :cool2:
 
I impulse bought the SoundMagic PL50 with the 25% discount coupon from MP4Nation :ashamed: It was already on sale at the site

I guess my MP-21's would turn up in the Market soon. I haven't actually used them for more than a few hours.
 
Gryph0n said:
I impulse bought the SoundMagic PL50 with the 25% discount coupon from MP4Nation :ashamed: It was already on sale at the site

I guess my MP-21's would turn up in the Market soon. I haven't actually used them for more than a few hours.
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Received the PL50s on 14 Aug 2010. Had ordered them on 1st Aug 2010, with normal, registered post shipping. Took nearly 2 weeks, but finally the postman turned up at my doorstep with the package, demanding my signature :clap: I've had packages from Hong Kong ship faster using same registered post, but 2 weeks was still bearable.

No customs applied, as MP4Nation had under-invoiced the package. I didn't ask them to, so my conscience is clean :ashamed:

On a side note, these seem like older stock. I guess thats why they were on sale in the first place :p Head-fi seems to indicate that newer packages come with an instruction manual. However the manual is also put up online at Head-Fi, and for me, there was nothing to be gleaned from it :|

CK Presents: SoundMAGIC PL-50 Review (with comparsions to Apple In-Ear Headphone [ADDIEM] and Nuforce NE-7M) - Page 2 - Head-Fi.org Community

On putting these on, I immediately loved the mids. It also sounded more detailed than the MP21. On the lower freq, my exp echo most online reviews : the bass is present in OK quality, but not present in quantity.

Putting these for burn-in now. Since these are Balanced Armature & not Dynamic, I only plan to burn these for about 50 hrs.

Thanks guys for your suggestions, esp haraakiri. I am happy with the PL-50s. That is, until I feel the itch to upgrade again :eek:hyeah: Have already decided that my next upgrade should be either the RE-0 or RE-ZERO.
 
That's great. Congrats for a great purchase. Really, PL50 is the king of mids. I am yet to hear something similar in IEMs I have got. Really love the vocals there.
Gryph0n said:
That is, until I feel the itch to upgrade again :eek:hyeah: Have already decided that my next upgrade should be either the RE-0 or RE-ZERO.
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:rofl:
 
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