Audio Random IEM / Headphone Rants

esanthosh said:
I have the MX one, but somehow I am never too sure about their quality. What budget are you looking at?
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So is the MX one the best under 500?

Also that one is 3m long, Does that one come in 1m?

Another thing, I want an earphone case for my RE262. Could you please suggest me a few?

And is Fiio E7 good enough to drive something like D5k? How is it as a DAC? Good for RE262?

P.S Sorry for the barrage of questions :p
 
Nopes! I would not say MX is the best under 500. They are just Chinese re-branded products as far as I know. But then, what isn't? :p

A cheaper version should be available in shops / local MX Zone - 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 (1.5m, 150 bucks. Should be lesser in shops as this is MRP)

Earphone cases for 262:

  • Cheap, decent one. Was not smelly when I got a similar one way back when. But, I also paid more like $6. So, you're lucky.
  • Slightly larger case. Takes sometime for the smell to go off. I bought four of them and two of them took 4 days to get rid of the smell.
  • If you do not require a mesh to keep the ear tips, you can also look at this. I use this for earbuds, not IEMs.
  • Soundmagic / MEElectronics case if you can find locally.

On E7

As far as I've read, E7 does not have enough output power. E7 + E9 combination works well though. DAC section of E7 should be good though. Ask Mukul too!

I have no idea about the Denons. Faheem / Brendon / Benny can help you better. If they require moderate amounts of power like all headphones, better to go with a proper headphone amp.

PS: No worries about barrage of questions :)
 
So what could be some other option for that cable, 1m and under 500?

This case seems fine, although the quality doesn't look good (Tell me if Im wrong). Also, what kind of smell are you talking about?

Is there something similar available? I don't mind paying more, just that it should be worth it.

As for the E7, I wanted something so that I could listen to music directly from my PC without any loss of SQ, asked about the D5k just for future purpose as I may buy myself a headphone soon. Is there something else around the same price tag that I could consider?
 
Shall I buy the triple fi? Already have IE7,8 and SM3,looking for something different.I do not listen to bass heavy songs anymore,mostly listening to post rock,doom,progressive death and classical these days.
 
The case you linked is the same as the second one in my list. Smell? You'll know when you get it :)

USB DACs? Audinst MX-1, Yulong U100 are both above your budget.

There was a stick amp from Robert (the guy who makes Arrow Amp) - only pictures available. But, it's release date and shipping time are both a mystery. I was looking to order it, but the page has been taken down in almost all his domains. Not sure what's happening.

@red dragon,

The issue is you already have a good set of top-tier IEMs. So, can only talk about top-tiers here....

While FX700 is bass heavy, it would still be different from all your other IEMs.

May be Westone 4 (smooth signature) or EX1000 (I'd still wait for it to come down in price. Not really worth at $500 from what I gather). You can always gift the one you don't like to me. I'd never mind ;)

May be even CK10 since you don't have anything analytical over there.
 
esanthosh said:
The case you linked is the same as the second one in my list. Smell? You'll know when you get it :)

USB DACs? Audinst MX-1, Yulong U100 are both above your budget.
Click to expand...
Yeah I'd seen that link, I liked that one out of the others. Any other similar case but of better quality?

Also, which cable should I go for then?

About the DAC, is there nothing @3k for my RE262? Im open to buying second hand.
 
@red dragon,

Yes! FX700 would not isolate at all. The best way to enjoy FX700 is at lower volumes (bass and treble are not elevated in the scheme of things) in a quiet environment. Forgot about that!

Try CK10 / W4 then. Even EX1000 does not isolate as well.

@Meph,

If you want better quality cases, try Westone Case. They do ship to India, but shipping of $25 (Priority USPS, I guess), makes it prohibitive.

With cable, I don't have much idea. MX should be decent to try, but it won't certainly have the best quality.

See if you can win this bid within the next 40 mins - SONY 3.5mm Stereo Headphone Ultra Fit Extension Cable | eBay. Won't be too positive about whether it's genuine seeing that the listing is from HK. But, it looks more decent than MX Cable :)

Edit: PristineNote, listening? We need a few earphone cases. Just a few though!

On USB DACs, Behringer UCA202 is said to be good "technically" - Amazon.com: Behringer U Control UCA202 USB Audio Interface: Musical Instruments

Review here - NwAvGuy: Behringer UCA202 Review
 
No idea about how it compares to E7. I am guessing E7 would be better, but not sure. These don't usually get that many reviews. I've not even heard about the model till that review :p

But since your budget is under 3K, thought I'll mention it. But, there are not too many good choices under 3K.

I found these - "DAC DESTROYER" HAND SOLDERED USB DAC w LINE / HEAD OUT | eBay. From the description, it seems that we should be thankful that someone does a hand soldered DAC just like a piece of art. Seems to be a little warm sounding from what I can google.

An older version of Musiland (01 USD) - HI-FI USB DAC + Headphone Amp Amplifier - 24bit/192KHz | eBay. Plenty of problems have been reported about Musiland's products and support, IIRC.

What else are the choices under 3-4K? I am still looking....
 
^ 2.5K? At that price, I'd have bought E7. If you later get D5K and feel the need for an amp, may be you can get E9 (used) as well. FiiO will be upgrading their entire line-up soon.

But, if you want the best price/performance ratio or SQ, then you'd need to step up your budget, which I find very unnecessary to do at this stage.
 
Till date i have not heard anythng other thn e7+e9

If u r going for e7 alone....it wud be gud for 262. It is really a nice dac.(cuz of e7 i m planning for x3, yes it is seriously good)

But when paired with e9, and u put 262 in ur ears, thts when fun is. 262 bass gets faster and decay is good. It feels so dynamic.
 
Hello :)
This is my first post though I have been going through this forum quite often.
Well actually, I wanted to buy earphones within 1.5k and I cannot stretch my budget.
I read quite a lot and honestly, everytime I read about a particular earphone I get more confused as to what to buy.
Basically I listen to a wide range of genres but I listen mostly to Hip Hop and R&b, and would prefer some decent bass.
At some point I thought about M9 and Pl 30. Any suggestions?
 
Thanks a lot.

So M6 or M9 aren't available in India? I searched for the M9 in dealer section of TE but couldn't find it. How much would both cost in India?
 
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