Audio Earphones within 1k

kaunkaun

kaunkaun

Disciple
hey im looking out for an budget iem around 1k or so!!
which one is better soundmagic pl-11 or es18..??
or is there anything else better than these within my budget.!!
and iv also got to know that the pl series has been replaced by then ES series, so which iem in the ES series is as good or better than the pl-11?

My requirements is i want sumthing that thumps bass
Genere : RnB Rap Hip-Hop
Thank You!!
 
Soundmagic PL-11 is good in sq and bass,ES18 is good too.Also you can try Soundmagic PL21 it's little better than PL11.
 
Purely based on price, you should be comparing the ES18 with PL13 and the JVC Marshmallows (HAFX34) at around the 500/- range, and the PL21 with the PL11, Creative EP630 and JVC Marshmallows (HAFX35) at just below 1k range..
I'm using the ES18 right now, and it does have good bass compared to the Sennheiser CX 200, which I had earlier..I really don't like overpowering bass like some others on here do.. and I've been told that after a burn-in of 50hrs or so, the SQ improves significantly..

Also I've read that the MP21 is the updated version of PL21, with mic. You can get this one for around 1.2k..
 
esanthosh said:
It's a bit rolled off in treble and while upper mids are prominently forward compared to lower mids, it's not anywhere close to bright for me. What source are you using them with?

kaunkaun,

I already posted this link in the Random... thread. Cross posting here: http://www.techenclave.com/audio-zone/i-know-many-threads-but-134719/#post1677987
Click to expand...

I used it with 3 devices, Samsung Vibrant, Focus and another phone. I had to lower the volume to low to about 1/3 to enjoy the song, it was way too harsh for me (OR maybe I am not use to In Ears :p)

As for the VFM part, someone had mentioned it.
 
@kaunkaun, looking at your requirements and personal experience I suggest that you go for the SoundMAGIC PL-21 OR MP-21 [if you need a mike].

A slightly more balanced IEM will be the SoundMAGIC ES18 OR the JVC Marshmallows, I have been testing the latter and I have made the following conclusions -- http://www.techenclave.com/audio-zone/random-iem-headphone-rants-106883/p3/#post1684132.

Compared to the JVC Marshmallows and the SoundMAGIC ES18 these will be the advantages of PL-21 [OR MP-21] --
  • Improved bass, the control exhibited by the same is astonishing makes even my M1 bass sometimes sound a little on the muddy side;
  • the sound-stage is better with a bit more room, so complex sequences should technically be better;
  • build quality although this is hit-and-miss with SoundMAGIC products.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!!
 
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esanthosh said:
It's a bit rolled off in treble and while upper mids are prominently forward compared to lower mids, it's not anywhere close to bright for me. What source are you using them with?

kaunkaun,

I already posted this link in the Random... thread. Cross posting here: http://www.techenclave.com/audio-zone/i-know-many-threads-but-134719/#post1677987
Click to expand...

since both of them are so neck to neck at specs and audio quality, why is there so much of a price difference between the ES-18 and PL-11.??:unsure:
and pls do keep in mind that id be listening to rap n rnb music and sometimes movies as well, id be plugging it into my laptop.
As well as with other features, better bass is one of my key requirements.!! :)
 
vivek.krishnan said:
I used it with 3 devices, Samsung Vibrant, Focus and another phone. I had to lower the volume to low to about 1/3 to enjoy the song, it was way too harsh for me (OR maybe I am not use to In Ears :p)
Click to expand...

Your ears are right. But what I guess happens is that the phone has a high output impedance and these being low impedance phones are getting bumped up in certain ranges as a result. Try it with a low OI source like Clip+ if you can and see if you get the same feeling. Secondly, these are very sensitive and hence require only lower volumes, so anything more than 1/3rd, you might be driving them too loud? ;). Another reason could be that of fit/insertion depth/insertion angle. But, that only you can figure out based on your ear shape and angle. May be your ears are highly resonant at certain upper mid / lower treble frequencies like mine. Try over the ear fit and a deeper insertion to see if it helps.
kaunkaun said:
since both of them are so neck to neck at specs and audio quality, why is there so much of a price difference between the ES-18 and PL-11.??:unsure:
Click to expand...

Probably, Rupee depreciation in between the date of imports :). All new batches would be going up in price (ES18, E10, E30) if I am not mistaken.
 
esanthosh said:
Probably, Rupee depreciation in between the date of imports :). All new batches would be going up in price (ES18, E10, E30) if I am not mistaken.
Click to expand...

but its the same case on all the websites!! PL-11 is around 1k and ES-18 is like 600bux or so!!
P.S indiatimes has the lowest rates in comparison to all the other websites!
 
kaunkaun said:
but its the same case on all the websites!! PL-11 is around 1k and ES-18 is like 600bux or so!!
P.S indiatimes has the lowest rates in comparison to all the other websites!
Click to expand...

Just to interject, the two ES18s I got are from the March 2012 batch, and imported in April and June 2012. So it's more likely that Indiatimes is unaware or purposely keeping the price low. PristineNote pm'ed me saying that the ES18s were out of stock, so likely that the next batch he gets would be priced higher. Another dealer on here said prices are now 625 + shipping..
 
esanthosh said:
Your ears are right. But what I guess happens is that the phone has a high output impedance and these being low impedance phones are getting bumped up in certain ranges as a result. Try it with a low OI source like Clip+ if you can and see if you get the same feeling. Secondly, these are very sensitive and hence require only lower volumes, so anything more than 1/3rd, you might be driving them too loud? ;). Another reason could be that of fit/insertion depth/insertion angle. But, that only you can figure out based on your ear shape and angle. May be your ears are highly resonant at certain upper mid / lower treble frequencies like mine. Try over the ear fit and a deeper insertion to see if it helps.
Click to expand...

Well, after using all the different earplugs, settled on the smallest one that came bundled with the ES18. It was a better fit than the others.

I had some other questions to ask, but went around googling for Q, came across this : Basic Guide To In Ear Canalphones - Head-Fi.org Community, which answered all the doubts I had :)
 
Which earphone would you guys suggest in this price range for listening to rock, metal and sometimes country? I mostly listen to bands such as Metallica, Iron Maiden, Bod Dylan, Roxy Music, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Rammstein, Peter Paul & Mary etc... I'm thinking of buying a Fuze+ 16GB and pairing them with decent earphones. Max budget is up to 7k for them, but that is just stretching as for now.
 
Hmmm the TF10 if you can source it within your budget. The Brainwavz m2, based on on what I've read might something to look at too.
 
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