Earphone/Mp3 Player(?) Purchase Within 1k - Advice Sought

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kidrow

kidrow

Herald
Hi guys,

I'm currently having to commute by BEST bus (Mumbai) for at least 2 hours daily, to & fro. & i need my daily fix of metal. So I want some advice about the best option within my budget.

I've used my Nokia 5130c as an mp3 player for 2 days now. First it was with the bundled Nokia earphones. The next day, it was with the SE earphones [the ones bundled with the SE walkman phone]. While the SE earphones are better than the Nokia ones imo, neither was entirely satisfactory.

Noise isolation-wise, both aren't good enough to drown out the drone of the bus entirely. But more than that, the most important issue is of bass, or rather the lack of it. I just couldn't hear the bass lines on the Dream Theater tracks I listened to. & the guitar in places, is grating on the nerves.

At home, I'm used to listening to tracks on the PC. I listen to mainly hard rock / metal mp3s (no FLAC), I don't have a dedicated soundcard, & the speakers I have are the Altec Lansing 121i, the ones with the woofer(?). The equaliser is set to the 'powerful' preset in the Realtek HD Sound Effect Manager. I find the above to my liking & very much satisfactory.

So within my budget of 1k (I know it's meager), what would be the best option? Is something close to my PC setup (in terms of SQ, of course) possible? The SM PL11 or 21 or 30? Or is the 5130c the limiting factor? (i.e. No matter which earphones I buy, I won't see a difference unless I switch to a dedicated mp3 player?)

Also, on my 5130c, I find that having the volume set to 80% is a bit low, while 90% is too loud. So is there any way to set it to 85%? Or is it again a case of getting a dedicated mp3 player?

Awaiting your replies. Thanks.

PS - How deep into the ears should the earphones go?
PPS - Would like to keep spending to a minimum - So no player, unless it's a must.
 
Through my personal experience it did make a considerable amount of difference on my N72 and my 5233 when connected with a PL11. I dunno bout 5130c but i assume combining it with a PL11 will give u wat u want at the same time save u a lot of dough.
 
PL-11 or EP-630 would be your best bet ,to pair with a mobile phone :). I dont think PL-21s bass will be sufficient for you.
 
I am using PL11 with my 5230 whenever my MP3 player drains out and it makes a lot of difference to the SQ. PL11 is a good bet for your budget.
 
Thanks for your replies. Strangely, today I reverted back to the Nokia earphones & was able to hear the bass more clearly than earlier. Maybe a burn-in issue?

Anyway, you'll have already stated that there's a substantial difference between the Nokia earphones & the Pl-11s. So it'll be the Pl-11 then. (I'll hopefully get that jump in SQ while saving some moolah as well).

BTW, any idea about setting the volume level to that in-between state (say 85%) on a cell phone? Maybe an app of some sort?

& how & for how long do I burn-in new earphones?

Also, does a dedicated mp3 player have a substantial edge over cell phones in terms of SQ?

Thanks.
 
Get the PL11..

Then try installing some 3 rd party mp3 playing software for ur cell fone... not the inbuilt music player..FOR THE VOLUME..

If still not satisfied then get the MP3 Player.. ;)
 
Thanks for all your help. I did get the PL 11 about 2-3 weeks ago. & I'm pretty happy with it.

Initially, when I plugged the earphones in, I was overwhelmed by the bass. It sounded muddy & the bass was overbearing. So I gave it a thorough burn-in. I then thought that the sound had improved. So I then switched back to the Nokia earphones. They now sounded tinny in comparison. Again, switching back to the PL 11, the bass again felt muddy. But a few hours in, I felt right at home. I'd got used to the PL 11 sound.

So I'd say the burn-in isn't effective here. Rather I'd think you'll like or dislike the earphones based on what you've been listening to. The difference is obvious when compared to the bundled earphones which come with mobile phones. If that's the case, then I think you'll like this pair. If you've been listening to something else, like say the EP 630, then I'm not too sure. I'm not much of an audiophile. So this is my 1st & only set of 'proper' phones. I don't have anything to compare these to.

So how is the bass? Well, I listen to rock/metal stuff. So I'd describe it by saying that the you will not need to strain your ears to listen to the bass drumming. In fact, if you're a budding drummer, you'll probably be able to use this as a learning tool & pick out exactly what's going on. The mileage does of course vary according to the artist &/or recording. For instance, Dream Theater tracks are the ones where the bass drumming is the most obvious. [On 6 'o' clock I think I can almost feel my inner ear vibrate in the intro]. The DT tracks are also the ones where the overall sound is a bit heavy/muddy [?]. For instance, the Vanden Plas tracks sound a lot cleaner & balanced.

For people hooked onto Satraini & the like, I'm not too sure you'll will be exactly happy. The guitar sounds great with a few accompaniments. But when every instrument's playing, I don't think the guitar sounds that prominent. My mind does wander off to the drumming. The acoustic pieces sound great however, & it's probably when there's accompanying rhythm electric distortion where I have this feeling. For instance, in Nightwish tracks the keyboard [synthesizer?] sounds great.

Overall, on drums, however, I'm not too happy with the cymbals. Some sound great, some sound distorted.

Wrt, noise isolation, I can best describe it by saying that the effect is like sitting in an AC bus. You can hear the outside world - the bus engine, the cars honking - as if you're on an AC bus. It's subdued, but it's there. But you can't hear people talking at all. This is with the music off. With it on, you can't hear someone even if they are shouting at you.

Umm, that's my opinion. I'm happy with the PL 11 & would definitely recommend to someone wanting to buy a 1st pair of earphones because it is cheap but extremely great value for money - worth every rupee. Like I've already stated, my opinion is based on what I get to hear on my mobile phone, not a dedicated mp3 player. Plus my equalizer settings are set to powerful, I only listen to a particular genre, I've not tried any ear tips other than the standard ones which came pre-fitted & don't really have much to compare the sound to.

So to those who disagree, please feel free to post. In fact, I welcome it.

My long reply is just my way of showing appreciation to all who've helped out on the forum, not just this thread. Cos this is one place where I felt I can give 'proper' feedback. Hope it helps someone out.

Yet again, thanks for all your help, you guys. Much appreciated. Ciao.

PS- I still haven't figured out what use is that rubber thing with 2 grooves at either end which came with the phones.
 
kidrow said:
Also, does a dedicated mp3 player have a substantial edge over cell phones in terms of SQ?

Thanks.
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That is one thing i wonder too. I used RE2+E5 with my Nokia E71 and the songs still dont sound what i expect them to sound like. Maybe i am expecting too much, i dont know. :P
 
All I can say is if you have decent ears and appreciate quality music , a good PMP makes hell of a difference compared to a mobile phone .Only a few cell phones provide decent quality sound .iPhone ,BB being some of the ones which could substitute PMP if you don't like carrying two devices.
 
i see you have good taste in music..i wish more ppl would compare their audio products using pure metal tracks and not some bollywood/modern pop-rock-hip hop tracks..
 
ravin said:
i see you have good taste in music..i wish more ppl would compare their audio products using pure metal tracks and not some bollywood/modern pop-rock-hip hop tracks..
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Dude, you sound like a teen bopper. What you consider good taste might be crap for others. I, for one, don't like metal; most of the singers sound like immature adults who think that screaming is an artistic endeavour :P

Just a reminder: Music appreciation is subjective. If you like Metal, that's fine. But you dont have to run down other genres to "prove" your love.
 
@Ravin - I can barely call metal music. Its more like shouting ! :P

You dont even need a good voice to sing Heavy Metal. Just need to know how to make noise ! Max Cavalera from the popular Brazilian thrash metal band Sepultura himself mentioned he cant sing. :)

But even then I have nothing against people who like metal. If you like it that cool, but its not nice to deride other peoples choice in music.
 
Gryph0n said:
Dude, you sound like a teen bopper. What you consider good taste might be crap for others. I, for one, don't like metal; most of the singers sound like immature adults who think that screaming is an artistic endeavour :P

Just a reminder: Music appreciation is subjective. If you like Metal, that's fine. But you dont have to run down other genres to "prove" your love.
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didn't mean it that way..just saying metal music is very different from other genre and hence it is difficult in choosing earphones since almost all reviews are based on non-metal music..ended up buying lots of audio stuff online which i don't like them later on..
BF1983 said:
@Ravin - I can barely call metal music. Its more like shouting ! :P

You dont even need a good voice to sing Heavy Metal. Just need to know how to make noise ! Max Cavalera from the popular Brazilian thrash metal band Sepultura himself mentioned he cant sing. :)

But even then I have nothing against people who like metal. If you like it that cool, but its not nice to deride other peoples choice in music.
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try listening to progressive/power/symphonic metal..
 
I won't go into the arguments above, though I do feel strongly about it.

Rather, I've posted to ask about this thingie that's come with the pl11 -



Could someone please explain what it's called & how to use it? Thanks.
 
kidrow said:
I won't go into the arguments above, though I do feel strongly about it.

Rather, I've posted to ask about this thingie that's come with the pl11 -



Could someone please explain what it's called & how to use it? Thanks.
Click to expand...
I believe that thingie is for wrapping up the cord
 
^ Its a cable winder incase you plan to keep your source(player/mobile) in front shirt pocket. Just let the cable enter from one end of the thing ,start winding it on the center part and let the remaining cable exit from the other split end. :)
 
As a note..
I tried to wind them as per many methods found on the internet..
but the cable being too elastic slips away from the notches and, freedom all the way, and frustration to us.
 
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