Audio Random IEM / Headphone Rants
- Thread starter esanthosh
- Start date
Ritvik said:P.S. - This might sound odd, but does anyone know if removing your wisdom teeth could have an impact on the seal you get? I did so a while and now that everything's healed my IEMs sound a bit odd, the seem to lack bass that they previously had in abundance, especially when I lie down. I thinking its re-shell time
Only one possibility,you had some infection in the raw base of the tooth and somehow the eustachian tube got blocked.I hope you are on antibiotics,it will be fine in a week or so.
Hay doc. how are the SM3 holding up, i mean you have used them for quite some time now .
the build quality is questionable as per some , thats why am asking .
AND those who are eying the SM3 ... sound earphones have them at 299 shipped (in US )
+ they have 10 % discount till 21st
AWESOME DEAL !
the build quality is questionable as per some , thats why am asking .
AND those who are eying the SM3 ... sound earphones have them at 299 shipped (in US )
+ they have 10 % discount till 21st
AWESOME DEAL !
esanthosh
Skilled
^ Not really! I think that 10% does not apply to Grados, Senns, Shure and Earsonics. So, it is still $300 shipped within US, about the same discounted price as last year sales (I got for $320, after which there was another discounted sale at $305).
And again, that 10% off is for your NEXT purchase, not applicable currently. There's free shipping for orders above $25 though.
And again, that 10% off is for your NEXT purchase, not applicable currently. There's free shipping for orders above $25 though.
esanthosh
Skilled
I finally got two more new IEMs: One is :lick:, the other is :O
Just kidding! Both are very nice to my ears - not fast or extremely detailed, but very engaging in their own charming ways. Should not be difficult to spot drawbacks in a while, but as of now, not focusing on complaining
Just kidding! Both are very nice to my ears - not fast or extremely detailed, but very engaging in their own charming ways. Should not be difficult to spot drawbacks in a while, but as of now, not focusing on complaining
bennysachdev
Adept
I think the day you start getting rid of your IEM's it won't be a FS thread. We'll have to mark it as a MASS ORDER!!
esanthosh
Skilled
^ Have a huge plan for it . Unfortunately, it's getting postponed for too long :ashamed:
Anyways, the IEMs I got today were Eterna V1 re-release and Silver Bullet V2 from GD-Audiobase at $68 shipped apiece. Since our local Fischer dealer did not update me for long, I decided to get them from Russia with love...more like Russia with fear since I had to use the Moneybookers gateway. Having never heard about it before, I was hesitating for a long while. But, then a Virtual CC thankfully helped me sail through. After that, it took it's own sweet time to cross Russian borders....
07 April 2011 10:57 ST.PETERSBURG PI-7 arrived at the international exchange
11 April 2011 21:03 MOSCOW PCI-2 arrived at the international exchange
12 April 2011 09:44 MOSCOW PCI-2 Transferred to Customs
13 April 2011 16:40 MOSCOW PCI-2 Export to India
Since this was my first ever transaction with Russia, I thought the last line meant it was already in India and was eager on 15th. No posts! No status on IPSWeb. I had to take help from Fast Translation plugin since Google Translate still sucks (It kept showing Russian characters for the last lines, which is what led me to believe that it might have crossed borders). Once in India...15th - Landed at New Delhi, 18th - Chennai customs + clearing, 19th - received by courier. The outer box had caved in a little and I suspected that there might be no IEMs inside. I did not have much hope till I finally removed the brown papers to see the two little packages.
Anyways, I still have no idea which versions they are for sure. The external box does not say "Eterna V2", so they must be Eterna "V1". Sound signature wise, it is difficult to tell them apart unless one has both and compares them side-by-side. Fischer did not even do a marking or use a new box for SB2, it's just a cable change that is marketed as "V2" by the seller. Fischer Audio site does not mention any official V2. So the only way is for me to wait for a few months and see if the cable breaks. If it does, I got a V1. Sigh!
Eterna is darkish sounding. I expected the bass to be 'bass-head' like M31 (Should've done that review in Hippo Epic-Sparkle style). But Eterna is surprisingly not as bad as it is engaging to listen to. It took sometime to get a good fit. But once I got a good fit and seal routing over the ear, I could hear bass even at -28 / -31 with Deadmau5 on Clip+. A low volume bassy IEM! Confispect on head-fi compared Eterna V1 to SM3 and I can see where he's coming from.
SB is a bit more balanced with more treble. I expected SB to have less bass, but on the contrary, it has lot of bass - may be because it's much easier to fit. But, I don't like the tiny strain relief on the big metal housing. Hope it lasts through some pulls.
At this point, it's all in the same bracket - Brainwavz M3, ECCI PR401, Eterna, SB, Xears TDIII and TDII, Hippo VB. Barring differences in emphasis (bass / mid / highs), quantity and presentation, no one IEM is too far ahead of the other. I don't think it makes sense for anyone other than me to own all these IEMs. It doesn't make sense for me either, but then I am a sub-$100 addict with no sign of cure :ashamed:
PS: Something wrong there... M3 is actually Brendon's, but it's with me for far too long
. Unfortunately, it's getting postponed for too long :ashamed:Anyways, the IEMs I got today were Eterna V1 re-release and Silver Bullet V2 from GD-Audiobase at $68 shipped apiece. Since our local Fischer dealer did not update me for long
, I decided to get them from Russia with love...more like Russia with fear since I had to use the Moneybookers gateway. Having never heard about it before, I was hesitating for a long while. But, then a Virtual CC thankfully helped me sail through. After that, it took it's own sweet time to cross Russian borders....07 April 2011 10:57 ST.PETERSBURG PI-7 arrived at the international exchange
11 April 2011 21:03 MOSCOW PCI-2 arrived at the international exchange
12 April 2011 09:44 MOSCOW PCI-2 Transferred to Customs
13 April 2011 16:40 MOSCOW PCI-2 Export to India
Since this was my first ever transaction with Russia, I thought the last line meant it was already in India and was eager on 15th. No posts! No status on IPSWeb. I had to take help from Fast Translation plugin since Google Translate still sucks (It kept showing Russian characters for the last lines, which is what led me to believe that it might have crossed borders). Once in India...15th - Landed at New Delhi, 18th - Chennai customs + clearing, 19th - received by courier. The outer box had caved in a little and I suspected that there might be no IEMs inside. I did not have much hope till I finally removed the brown papers to see the two little packages.
Anyways, I still have no idea which versions they are for sure. The external box does not say "Eterna V2", so they must be Eterna "V1". Sound signature wise, it is difficult to tell them apart unless one has both and compares them side-by-side. Fischer did not even do a marking or use a new box for SB2, it's just a cable change that is marketed as "V2" by the seller. Fischer Audio site does not mention any official V2. So the only way is for me to wait for a few months and see if the cable breaks. If it does, I got a V1. Sigh!
Eterna is darkish sounding. I expected the bass to be 'bass-head' like M31 (Should've done that review in Hippo Epic-Sparkle style). But Eterna is surprisingly not as bad as it is engaging to listen to. It took sometime to get a good fit. But once I got a good fit and seal routing over the ear, I could hear bass even at -28 / -31 with Deadmau5 on Clip+. A low volume bassy IEM! Confispect on head-fi compared Eterna V1 to SM3 and I can see where he's coming from.
SB is a bit more balanced with more treble. I expected SB to have less bass, but on the contrary, it has lot of bass - may be because it's much easier to fit. But, I don't like the tiny strain relief on the big metal housing. Hope it lasts through some pulls.
At this point, it's all in the same bracket - Brainwavz M3, ECCI PR401, Eterna, SB, Xears TDIII and TDII, Hippo VB. Barring differences in emphasis (bass / mid / highs), quantity and presentation, no one IEM is too far ahead of the other. I don't think it makes sense for anyone other than me to own all these IEMs. It doesn't make sense for me either, but then I am a sub-$100 addict with no sign of cure :ashamed:
PS: Something wrong there... M3 is actually Brendon's, but it's with me for far too long
Holding ok till now.Actually I have not listened to it for about 2-3 months now.I am kind of hooked to the ie7.strategy said:
Ive been so crazy busy since last 1 week. Havent even got proper sleep Had to cancel meet up with Brendon to collect the new IEM loaner which dear esanthosh has sent .
BTW , speaking of Fischer Eterna V1, I never seemed to like it when I had tried it first time .Was too bassy , pretty much basshead standards and the mids were very artificial :S.
Had to cancel meet up with Brendon to collect the new IEM loaner which dear esanthosh has sent . BTW , speaking of Fischer Eterna V1, I never seemed to like it when I had tried it first time .Was too bassy , pretty much basshead standards and the mids were very artificial :S.
esanthosh
Skilled
^ By artificial, do you mean to say a bit 'digital'?
Edited:
I am using the ultra-big and bulky ear guides that ship with Eterna. I also switched to UE single flange tips. Their stock tips are way too thin for my tastes.
The bass of Eterna is plentiful, but it's more of a mid-bass hump with good extension and body. Not as rumbly as M31 or clean sounding as Hippo VB, but it has far better control than M31, though I cannot say it is as tight and controlled like say, M2.
The midrange is a bit veiled and lacking a bit on clarity. But unlike M31, it sounds rather clean with well formed body and notes. I am used to such a sound (mids behind big bass) from the Xears (TD100-I especially) I own. So, it's not something new at all.
The treble takes a back seat and is not as detailed, sparkling or forward as I'd like.
Where it differs from the ilks of M31 is the spacious sound stage with good separation. Since the basics are good enough, a tad bit of adjustment on EQ (bass a bit down, bring the midrange a bit forward, treble a bit more to be in balance with the rest of the spectrum) should fix the issue. But, even without the EQ, it sounds ok to my ears.
Compared to M31, Eterna feels more like a bass-head phone done right!
Added:
Anyone interested in this? Mini-Review: digiZoid ZO "portable subwoofer" - Head-Fi.org Community
And these seem interesting as well. Cheaper headphones under $50 that perform well - http://www.headfonia.com/the-new-superluxes-are-good-the-hd330-hd440-and-the-hd660/. But, availability is a major issue.
Edited:
I am using the ultra-big and bulky ear guides that ship with Eterna. I also switched to UE single flange tips. Their stock tips are way too thin for my tastes.
The bass of Eterna is plentiful, but it's more of a mid-bass hump with good extension and body. Not as rumbly as M31 or clean sounding as Hippo VB, but it has far better control than M31, though I cannot say it is as tight and controlled like say, M2.
The midrange is a bit veiled and lacking a bit on clarity. But unlike M31, it sounds rather clean with well formed body and notes. I am used to such a sound (mids behind big bass) from the Xears (TD100-I especially) I own. So, it's not something new at all.
The treble takes a back seat and is not as detailed, sparkling or forward as I'd like.
Where it differs from the ilks of M31 is the spacious sound stage with good separation. Since the basics are good enough, a tad bit of adjustment on EQ (bass a bit down, bring the midrange a bit forward, treble a bit more to be in balance with the rest of the spectrum) should fix the issue. But, even without the EQ, it sounds ok to my ears.
Compared to M31, Eterna feels more like a bass-head phone done right!
Added:
Anyone interested in this? Mini-Review: digiZoid ZO "portable subwoofer" - Head-Fi.org Community
And these seem interesting as well. Cheaper headphones under $50 that perform well - http://www.headfonia.com/the-new-superluxes-are-good-the-hd330-hd440-and-the-hd660/. But, availability is a major issue.
Mephistopheles
ex-Mod
Sorry for intruding into the ongoing discussion but does anybody know where could I get an extender cable for Earphones/headphones like the one we get with a TF10?
esanthosh
Skilled
A small adaptor? eBay India: Headphone Adaptor Cable 3.5mm Audio M to 3.5mm Audio F (item 280660954243 end time 22-Apr-2011 01:10:00 IST)
Longer 5ft cable - 2x 5FT 3.5MM AUDIO STEREO HEADPHONE M/F EXTENSION CABLE | eBay
"Genuine" UE Extender 1M cable from Honkong - Genuien Ultimate Ears UE Extender Cable for Headphones | eBay
Or locally - MDR Electronics - MX Electronics - Home Theater Cables & Connectors - Computers & Laptop Accessories - Pro Audio / Studio Audio Cables & Connectors - Audio Video Components & Accessories - Fiber Optic Component & Accessories - Cable TV Component & Ac
Is there anything specific you are looking for?
Longer 5ft cable - 2x 5FT 3.5MM AUDIO STEREO HEADPHONE M/F EXTENSION CABLE | eBay
"Genuine"
UE Extender 1M cable from Honkong - Genuien Ultimate Ears UE Extender Cable for Headphones | eBayOr locally - MDR Electronics - MX Electronics - Home Theater Cables & Connectors - Computers & Laptop Accessories - Pro Audio / Studio Audio Cables & Connectors - Audio Video Components & Accessories - Fiber Optic Component & Accessories - Cable TV Component & Ac
Is there anything specific you are looking for?
Mephistopheles
ex-Mod
Nothing specific, just a good quality male to female audio cable.
Which one do you reckon would make sure there is no loss of SQ and would be durable?
Which one do you reckon would make sure there is no loss of SQ and would be durable?
Mephistopheles
ex-Mod
The lesser the better, I could go for the MX one provided its worth the money.
chiron
Skilled
I'd say go for something even more expensive(re262/dba02/tf10 etc)... nothing is really going to wow you at <4.5k even though there are several noticeably better iem's compared to ne7m in that range. Or you could just wait till it gets damaged which seems to be a fairly common occurence
fLUX
Skilled
I m not a basshead so i did not like the bass initially as it was overpowering everything , after burn in the bass settled down . what i like about them is instrument detailing i find to be pretty good , then vocals are not the best but they are stil pretty good ,i would like to have almost same bass as NE7M would like better vocal presentation , maybe a bigger soundstage also wil help , i dont exactly knw how to evaluate treble but i find it to be better then my sennheiser cx-180s so if that also is improved i will be happy
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and yeah i wont be parting with the NE7M , unless i find i am not using them after i get a new IEM
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and yeah i wont be parting with the NE7M
, unless i find i am not using them after i get a new IEM