Random IEM / Headphone Rants

rdst_1 said:
The build quality is the only thing stopping me right now. The pricing at hifinage is much better than the $99 plus shipping plus customs that it will cost me if I order from head-direct.
These will be used when cycling and therefore build quality has to be good. Looks like I will have to shell some more money for a similar sounding IEM with better build quality. If only the RE-400 came with removable cables.
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Just adding to my suggestions above.
The "Monster Cable Earth Wind and Fire Gratitude In-ear Headphones" are applicable for international shipping and are fulfiled via amazon.
The total(after shipping and partially refundable custom duty deposit) comes to Rs7177.
These earphones used to go for 230$ and recently they've gone crazy with their stock clearing by pricing it at 60$. I thought the sale was restricted to only USA. But, guess not.

Do consider these too :)
 
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Hmmm. I have kept $400 aside for IEMs but I don't wanna spend more than I require as I said a few pages back.
I haven't been able to research properly as I have been busy a lot past few weeks.
Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Has helped me narrow down my choices and definitely will reduce the workload when I start reading the reviews.
 
rdst_1 said:
Hmmm. I have kept $400 aside for IEMs but I don't wanna spend more than I require as I said a few pages back.
I haven't been able to research properly as I have been busy a lot past few weeks.
Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Has helped me narrow down my choices and definitely will reduce the workload when I start reading the reviews.
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i will really suggest u to hear a161p from someone if at all possible.
 
I was just reading the IE800 review and the reviewer had compared them to BA200. From his impressions I found the BA200 to have a better sound signature for my tastes with laid back treble, great soundstage, sweet mids. The only thing I didn't like was his comments on the bass. Anyone here who has used BA200 personally care to comment on them.

@sardar17 - Where have you got the chance to audition any audio gear in Punjab. I am from Chandigarh myself and after Lynx closing down shop I have found it hard to get an audition on anything. Earlier it was great. I used to spend a long time listening to many different IEMs at his shop and that is how I decided to buy RE1 in the first place.
 
rdst_1 said:
I was just reading the IE800 review and the reviewer had compared them to BA200. From his impressions I found the BA200 to have a better sound signature for my tastes with laid back treble, great soundstage, sweet mids. The only thing I didn't like was his comments on the bass. Anyone here who has used BA200 personally care to comment on them.

@sardar17 - Where have you got the chance to audition any audio gear in Punjab. I am from Chandigarh myself and after Lynx closing down shop I have found it hard to get an audition on anything. Earlier it was great. I used to spend a long time listening to many different IEMs at his shop and that is how I decided to buy RE1 in the first place.
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same problem man
i have returned 3 iem's in the past due to this.
i got my first true iem from lynx only,mee a151.

i am going to delhi next week and am gonna audition oulfsen h3 for sure!!
maybe i will try some other brands too if they offer an audition.

btw is there no chance that lynx will start again??he had the biggest collection of iem's by far in india!!
i tried a161p briefly 2 months ago from a person i met on bus to delhi,lol(unbelievable).but it was only 2-3 minutes and i couldn't make any impression
 
sardar17 said:
same problem man
i have returned 3 iem's in the past due to this.
i got my first true iem from lynx only,mee a151.

i am going to delhi next week and am gonna audition oulfsen h3 for sure!!
maybe i will try some other brands too if they offer an audition.

btw is there no chance that lynx will start again??he had the biggest collection of iem's by far in india!!
i tried a161p briefly 2 months ago from a person i met on bus to delhi,lol(unbelievable).but it was only 2-3 minutes and i couldn't make any impression
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I just called Amarbir a few minutes ago and he is not interested in IEMs at all. I asked him if he had any stock left-over and he told me to check the eBay store 12mrsales. Not a lot of choice available.
I am going to Delhi today. Where were you gonna audition the H3. Maybe I will check them out as well.
 
rdst_1 said:
I just called Amarbir a few minutes ago and he is not interested in IEMs at all. I asked him if he had any stock left-over and he told me to check the eBay store 12mrsales. Not a lot of choice available.
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But his online website still shows lot of iem's??
but no buy option is available!!

on ebay shop though,there is nothing left
 
sardar17 said:
But his online website still shows lot of iem's??
but no buy option is available!!

on ebay shop though,there is nothing left
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That's because he is too lazy to sort out his website. He moved to electronics from computer and audio and since then he personally hasn't given any thought or effort to return back. In his words, the margins weren't worth the effort.
 
rdst_1 said:
That's because he is too lazy to sort out his website. He moved to electronics from computer and audio and since then he personally hasn't given any thought or effort to return back. In his words, the margins weren't worth the effort.
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he is bullshitting.
main problem was some unethical dealings where he used to get stuff cheaper from amazon etc during black friday or boxing day/then he used to sell this at full rate without even warranty.
 
sardar17 said:
he is bullshitting.
main problem was some unethical dealings where he used to get stuff cheaper from amazon etc during black friday or boxing day/then he used to sell this at full rate without even warranty.
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When talking about margins, he was talking about his computer parts business and not his audio sales. Yes, he did start out with buying during Black Friday and other sales but later on he used to buy directly from the manufacturers. I was a regular customer of his and have had many candid conversations with him and his staff. His shortcoming was that he took business decisions based on passion and lacked professionalism. If you were his shop customer then 99% of the time you would be more than happy with his services. His online dealings turned out to be completely opposite.
Frankly, I was more than happy just because having his shop in Chandigarh at least gave me an option to purchase high end computer stuff at very competitive prices. Same goes for his audio collection. Even having the option to audition such a varied collection was worth having to deal with him, which personally I always found to be a pleasure.
 
rdst_1 said:
When talking about margins, he was talking about his computer parts business and not his audio sales. Yes, he did start out with buying during Black Friday and other sales but later on he used to buy directly from the manufacturers. I was a regular customer of his and have had many candid conversations with him and his staff. His shortcoming was that he took business decisions based on passion and lacked professionalism. If you were his shop customer then 99% of the time you would be more than happy with his services. His online dealings turned out to be completely opposite.
Frankly, I was more than happy just because having his shop in Chandigarh at least gave me an option to purchase high end computer stuff at very competitive prices. Same goes for his audio collection. Even having the option to audition such a varied collection was worth having to deal with him, which personally I always found to be a pleasure.
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yaar i miss that shop too
i am from jalandhar with lot of relatives in chandigarh.i was really happy that such a shop existed in chandigarh but unfortunately it has closed down.

no other shop can match the huge inventory he had,none.
i should have got more stuff from him when the shop was there.

but lot of ppl bad mouthed about him online and that lead to closing down the shop
 
Listening from my D2X soundcard -> A161P with Foobar2000 WASAPI, I was fideling with multiple settings and bit rate, since it sounded like I have switched on some poorly implemented ambiance plugin, vocals were coming from deep dug well, bass anemic, shrilling treble, I was convinced something fundamentally wrong with my settings (and I turned every settings off on Asus control panel), the song was lossless, now I switched my earphone PFE232, suddenly the sound is HD. WOW! I switched again, same issues back, may be I have to tune specifically for A161P. The PFE232 are surely worth their money...and I was about to switch the earphone again, suddenly the sound is changing...Oh crap! the TRRS plug of A161P (for Mic) causing this 'effect'!
Still I have to give it to PFE232 for HD Sound and A161P for better-than-SD Sound.
Now I tried with included headphone/mic splitter cable, and to my ears the distortion is gone. Here I have to give extra credits to Meelec for including this cable which after solving audio problems, also adds convenient mic for desktop game/voip use, haven't tried the mic though.
 
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santhoshr said:
Listening from my D2X soundcard -> A161P with Foobar2000 WASAPI, I was fideling with multiple settings and bit rate, since it sounded like I have switched on some poorly implemented ambiance plugin, vocals were coming from deep dug well, bass anemic, shrilling treble, I was convinced something fundamentally wrong with my settings (and I turned every settings off on Asus control panel), the song was lossless, now I switched my earphone PFE232, suddenly the sound is HD. WOW! I switched again, same issues back, may be I have to tune specifically for A161P. The PFE232 are surely worth their money...and I was about to switch the earphone again, suddenly the sound is changing...Oh crap! the TRRS plug of A161P (for Mic) causing this 'effect'!
Still I have to give it to PFE232 for HD Sound and A161P for better-than-SD Sound.
Now I tried with included headphone/mic splitter cable, and to my ears the distortion is gone. Here I have to give extra credits to Meelec for including this cable which after solving audio problems, also adds convenient mic for desktop game/voip use, haven't tried the mic though.
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I am so gloriously confused :wacky:
 
kenpachiroks said:
So basically, you just need to visit @esanthosh and you can tick off quite a few.:p

You should add the 1plus2 to your soundstage list.
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Yup...hoping I get to meet esanthosh sometimes, since my wife's place is Tirupur and Coimbatore is just few kms away :-)

1plus2 along with its cable takes this hobby to its ridiculousness with its pricing...I don't want to try it even if someone next to me is offering![DOUBLEPOST=1388771282][/DOUBLEPOST]
kenpachiroks said:
I am so gloriously confused :wacky:
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I was too :D before I figured the issue with the plug...
 
I concede. I am not going to write a proper review for C-12. No matter how hard I try to make time for it, it just gets harder and harder.

Here are some random thoughts:

Packaging
  • I don't know if many read the note that came with it. It's nice that it's not a blurb with technical jargon, but a note that expresses the passion that went into the product.
  • The brass case (as impractical as it is for daily use) and the newer leather pouch, both display the mentality to stand out from the crowd.
  • The outer box needs improvement. Unlike the case/pouch, this one looks similar to generic Brainwavz boxes. Though it is the least useful of the entire packaging (I bet nobody sees it after they start using the IEMs), it does form your first impression.
Build
  • I really would like my Left and Right markers more visible. A bump / dot on the left or white colored markings would have been welcome.
  • The cable is really good. The housings are very light-weight and are good for long sessions.
Sound
  • I can't help but feel that the 'template' for the IEM is Brainwavz M2. Even though I hadn't compared the C-12 along side M2, I feel that it has taken the template and improved on several counts. I think bass extension and treble presence are improvements. The most definite improvement is in the sound stage, which could feel a bit congested on M2 at times.
  • Even though M2 was considered the bass-head IEM around here, I never got that feel. The Xears I was trying at that time definitely had more bass presence and impact compared to the softer, warmer bass presentation of M2. Of course, Xears faded after it's fifteen minutes of fame as it never had great build quality (Failures within the first 3-4 months were common) and the one thing that could have rescued it, Thomas' customer service, went down the drain over the years. C-12, in that respect, feels more closer to Xears' kind of bass than M2's. Of course, I am going off on couple of years old memory of Xears.
  • Every time I try C-12, mid-bass springs up like a guest I so badly want to avoid, but could not. I am happy that it has good sub-bass presence and rumble, but would have liked it to tread a bit lightly on the mid-bass. An 'always on' bass is quite detrimental to some tracks. But once my brain burns in, it makes quite a good casual listening IEM.
  • The mids are a bit veiled. It does not bother me for inattentive listening sessions, but very apparent whenever I pay attention or switch to another IEM. Even E10M has better clarity, not to mention MH1C.
  • For a bass first IEM, treble is quite OK. While it may not be as detailed or sparkling as others, it's softer presentation does provide a good supporting role.
  • The presentation is quite good. E10M, despite it's wide sound stage, can sound a tad congested on some tracks, which C-12 does not.
Some more thoughts

I don't know how famous C-12 is in the international market. But, going purely by the lack of discussion and recommendations for it in head-fi, I'd have to guess not so great. With quite a few giants of the speaker market warming up to it, it is indeed a highly competitive place. C-12 falls in one of the most competitive price ranges in all of head-fi. While it is 'different' (Indian IEM, brass case, build quality etc.,), getting the attention of the head-fi market which is constantly bombarded with 15 new products every day really needs a real head turner. It is difficult, but not impossible as Chinese brands like Hifiman (despite it's poor build quality) and VSonic (despite confusing nomenclature and one different variant of a model every week) have proved over the years. Based on my vague memory of the prototypes, I feel that C-12 is something like RE-2 or early Visang products and SA's best products are yet to come. I hope SA does catch some fancy in the times to come.

Due to the superior build quality for the price range, local warranty and the signature, C-12 is easy to recommend for the bass head who does not want to compromise much on mids and treble. On one hand, I really want to appreciate the dedication, effort and passion put into the product. But sound wise, C-12 doesn't impress me as much as MH1C (despite it's terrible, terrible, terrible cable and especially with UHA6S from Laptop / iPad 3. That damn thing needs some volume).
 
esanthosh said:
Due to the superior build quality for the price range, local warranty and the signature, C-12 is easy to recommend for the bass head who does not want to compromise much on mids and treble. On one hand, I really want to appreciate the dedication, effort and passion put into the product. But sound wise, C-12 doesn't impress me as much as MH1C (despite it's terrible, terrible, terrible cable and especially with UHA6S from Laptop / iPad 3. That damn thing needs some volume).
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lol So it takes a 279$ amp for the terribly cabled MH1C to outshine the C-12? damn..
 
toxicdrift said:
lol So it takes a 279$ amp for the terribly cabled MH1C to outshine the C-12? damn..
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No LOL there! It outshines even with Clip+. It's just my poor writing skills, which is getting worse every day :shy:

What I meant was - MH1C > C-12 for my preferences. While that difference exists when it comes to Clip+ or UHA6S, it gets even more widened with 6S. I felt that C-12, while losing a bit in clarity, was more likable than E10M and M4 on the whole. But, IEMs like MH1C, Flux, Eterna felt a step ahead.
 
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Why does it feel there's a lot more pre-typed material that didn't make it to the "random thoughts".... :p
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Remember when the M2 was all the rage back in '10? Fun! Fun! Fun! Budget surprise!
Now we have a cheaper(even compared to the M2 pre-order price~50$),all around improved version of the sig and it garners a polite applause from everyone.
Goes to show how much the budget-fi world has moved forward. But, like I said in another thread, I feel Pristinenote now has a nice base to try and do what the M2 did, with their next offering(and really put them on the map). For them and for India:)
 
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