Audio Random IEM / Headphone Rants

Philips will be launching Fidelio models in India by June 1st week. I could not figure out from their reply if they meant both models or just S1. I will be keeping an eye out for them. Should be my first IEM purchase in 2013 (in case I do not lose interest by then).
 
Think I may have lost my EPH100's :mad:

Any suggestions for mid-centric vfm iem? Ideally, under 50 USD but would be willing to splurge on a RE-1 (making that the fourth RE-1 I've owned) should I find one :p
 
I've used my Re-0s for quite a bit now 7 months I think and TF10s for exactly 5 months. I was using Nuforce NE-700x before that, ME-6 before those and Creative EP-630 was probably my first decent IEM.

I'm quite fond of the Re-0s. TF10s are great but I generally reserve them for EDM or songs where Low End seems too much for Re-0s to handle.

Re-0s. Anybody who plays an instrument should pick these up. Be it laid back live Hip Hop bands, Jazz/Neo-Jazz, Rock, Metal w/o serious low end. It's beautiful.

The snare sounds, the Rack tom sounds, the brightness of cymbals, the natural sounding kick and the ever elusive ghost notes. It's a drummer's delight. If you've ever liked tasty lip-smacking pocket grooves kinda drumming pick these up. Oh and they have ample kick and detailed bass for most kinds of music.

From Pantera to The Roots, K-Pop to Jaga Jazzist I love wearing these w/o any discomfort, fatigue and for fairly long periods. The cables suck though.
 
esanthosh said:
Philips will be launching Fidelio models in India by June 1st week. I could not figure out from their reply if they meant both models or just S1. I will be keeping an eye out for them. Should be my first IEM purchase in 2013 (in case I do not lose interest by then).
Click to expand...

Only the earphones or the headphones as well?
 
@anu0512

I haven't used UHA-6S in a while. So whatever I say below is based on memory.

I haven't heard either the E17 or the O2. As an amplifier, UHA-6S is among the best ones in the price range. Many say that you have to double the price to get a better amplifier. I haven't tried any FiiO since E5. So, it's hard for me to judge how better, but I would think both O2 and UHA6S are much better than E17.

As a DAC, I have heard people say that UHA-6S' DAC is at least on par with ODAC. If you read head-fi, many are 'disappointed' compared to DacPort LX. I just think they have this strong affinity for the warmth and note weight of the CEntrance. I have CEntrance DacMini CX, which is a higher end version of the DacPort LX. While I consider DacMini to be a better DAC, I just don't hear the huge difference that is supposed to be there, it is in the next tier at thrice the price with lot more bells and whistles thrown in! To me, UHA6S has the best implementation of a Cirrus Logic I've heard (I've hated most of the rest) - no wonder since Nick works at Cirrus Logic. I sometimes wonder if my source, QA350 Mod v2 via Coax->Optical makes the difference compared to a PC which most others use.

So, if you intend to use it as a DAC+Amp, you may have to figure out yourselves. If you intend to use it as a Amp, I'd say that both O2 and UHA-6S should be good.
 
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Which Beyer? I have DT880/600 and HD600 both of which do better with Burson HA-160 than UHA-6S or Arrow 3G. Not that they seem lacking, but these headphones shine better with a desktop amp.
 
esanthosh said:
Which Beyer? I have DT880/600 and HD600 both of which do better with Burson HA-160 than UHA-6S or Arrow 3G. Not that they seem lacking, but these headphones shine better with a desktop amp.
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Beyerdynamic dt990 pro 250ohm. Actually don't want another charger hook in board, i use laptop so it will better amp have charing capability via usb.
 
I assume you want a DAC + Amp, not just an amp.

In that case ODAC + O2 is out since it requires AC adapter. UHA-6S MK2 should work fine with DT990/250 in high power mode. But, keep in mind that Leckerton would not mark down the price. So, if you have someone bring it from US / forward it, it would end up cheaper (customs duty could otherwise destroy the value).

You can also look at Audinst MX2, which is available locally (Review). But the only issue I see from the review is that it might slightly get hot in treble with the DT990, UHA-6S is a bit more refined. Something similar to Audioquest DragonFly / Meridian Explorer might work out too, though they tend to be too costly in India.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Haven't read it completely, but quite an effort from the folks at IF to gather many custom reviews under one article. It's fun to read different people's take on the same CIEM: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/totl-madness-24-top-line-custom-ear-monitors-reviewed

Seems like JH13FP, ES5, Miracle and UERM/NT6 are what I should consider to replace my clutch of universals. But, in no mood to spend even a penny on audio right now.
 
Life without an IEM sucks. The 40 min ride to work and back is unbearable. :mad:

Shure have a new flagship iem out, retarded pricing again.

The 535, TF10, 4R and the rest of the more popular universals are not worth more than 200-250 in my opinion.

None of this matters though ........ Found a RE-1 with a years warranty even though its out of production :p

Customs can now wait.
 
esanthosh

How about Fiio E12 it can feed my headphone very well but there is no DAC so which DAC will be better option ob-course portable. And UHA-6S MK2 is also good option but I'm have doubt it server my headphone because 250 ohm is over its capacity, UHA-6S MK2 do best under 100 impedance but more than 150 impedance :(
 
@anu0512,

Curious - Who told you that UHA-6S MK2 does better under 100 ohm impedance and not more than 150 ohm impedance? Granted it does well with IEMs, I have used my HD600 with 300 ohms satisfactorily with it. Even DT880/600 was not bad with it. It's hard to imagine it would have trouble with 150 ohm headphones. If one has a dedicated desktop headphone setup to compare, then yes! It cannot drive them as loud. If it is going to be your only amp at least for a while, I don't think that's a huge problem.

As I've mentioned, I have no experience with FiiO products after E5. I have no idea about E12.

Did you research further on Audinst MX2?

@Ritvik,

RE-1... again? I thought you'd have bought another EPH-100 :). Isn't a Westone (W3?) supposed to be good with vocals and stuff? Why not that? Too costly?

Is Philips Fidelio S2 out in SG?
 
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Hi guys, its been a long time i've posted here. My sflo2 has been misplaced. I can't seem to find it anywhere and I was considering getting the AK100 to pair with my Sm3 v2. What are your thoughts? What's the best mp3/flac player in the market currently. I don't want to carry a separate amp.
 
Yeah, the love affair with the RE-1 is set to resume.

I just can't justify spending too much cash on a universal IEM. I know I'll buy the JH13 again someday.

No idea about the Philips models. Haven't been following any of the new stuff at all.

Benny!!

C4 for ease of use, AK for great looks and decent enough performance and DX for performance but crappy UI/responsiveness.

Another reason to consider the DX100 is the amp it uses. You're HD25's will probably sound much nicer on these than the other players and they're quite portable, making it a nice change from the SM3V2 when you want something else. BTW, is the SM64 a lot better than the 3?

The new Hifiman one is interesting as well, think its called the 901, might not be out for a while though.
 
RE-1s are here!! The Audeze cans go back to their box.....hibernate.

The seller threw in a Fiio E3 as well which was a nice gesture. Giveaway time, too much junk lying around.....need to sell some cables as well
 
received my RockitSounds R50 today..
man!! they are simply awesome
loved its clarity
guys need some TIPs regarding TIPs
currently using comply T100... the ones i received with Comply Foam Plugs.. they finally found some real use
i'm looking for some biflange or triflange tips
cause i know T100s are going to die in a while with my use :shy:
also when someone borrows my iems.. comply brings back wax from their ears :yuck:eww!
where can i get some biflange or triflange tips having small inner diameter here in india.
 
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