Quick Comparison of 63 IEMs (Spreadsheet)

[disposition]

Originally Posted by dfkt

Please stop posting/quoting such links. It only helps those sites generate more traffic. I added some censorship to them.

Just wanted to thank you for the spreadsheet and the recommendations. Just got my PFE's today and while I still need to do a little more testing, I am pretty sure I will be keeping them and using the SE110's as a backup. I tried a few different songs but a Dirty Projectors song really brought out the difference between the 2 headphones. The SE110's sounded like I was listening through a murky swamp after hearing the same song with the PFE's. Excellent recommendation.

[CrowdAds]

[dfkt]

Glad you like them.

[disposition]

I do indeed. At first I thought they might lack bass...I guess because I was listening mainly to classical / jazz / rock with little bass, but then I put on Daft Punk Alive and I found the bass, it sounded like I was there. I have yet to find music that doesn't sound better through these phones.

I hope to get some Grado's soon and that will give me both IEMs and actual headphones. I just hope the Grado's are close to these PFEs in terms of sound quality.

[mbamg]

What happened to your CX300s?

[dfkt]

Originally Posted by mbamg

What happened to your CX300s?

Guess I made a cut/copy error at the last update. You've got good eyes.

Added the Hifiman RE252 to the list. They're an overpriced, badly built disappointment.

[JK98]

Interesting. Why aren't other Sennheiser CX series models on the list? Are they too similar to the CX300? I love my CX300, but am wondering if other Sennheiser CX series iems might be much better. I am also wondering why the CX300 isn't higher up on the list. It is not lsted as bad under any heading. I am also wondering why the Radius Atomic Bass, and Jays Q Jays aren't much lower on the list. Why isn't the CX300 listed as a great value?

[dfkt]

Read the second sentence and the last sentence in the first post, the part in red.

[h1a8]

Originally Posted by JK98

Interesting. Why aren't other Sennheiser CX series models on the list? Are they too similar to the CX300? I love my CX300, but am wondering if other Sennheiser CX series iems might be much better. I am also wondering why the CX300 isn't higher up on the list. It is not lsted as bad under any heading. I am also wondering why the Radius Atomic Bass, and Jays Q Jays aren't much lower on the list. Why isn't the CX300 listed as a great value?

At $50 I guess the cx300 is just worth it. The midrange isn't quite smooth as I would like. That is probably why it is listed as medium for price/value. But it is actually $28 at amazon. Dfkt only used MSRP and not street prices.

I would say most of the iems on the list moves up a level as far as price/value if one considers the street price instead.

[dfkt]

Indeed. For example, the original $169 MSRP of the RE0 was a joke, but now at $79 they're a good value.

[Orange]

lol i noticed u made some small tweaks.....Hippo VB > Shure 530pth? thats pretty impressive, ill have to splurge again. How does the VB take to amping? I got a Nuforce Mobile Icon for Christmas (or will be getting).

[h1a8]

Originally Posted by Orange

lol i noticed u made some small tweaks.....Hippo VB > Shure 530pth? thats pretty impressive, ill have to splurge again. How does the VB take to amping? I got a Nuforce Mobile Icon for Christmas (or will be getting).

I saw that too. I might be getting me a pair for christmas too. I just hope I don't need an amp.

[trautix]

ok DFKT let me be help u sorting out ur HIPPO VB rating : BASS good ,mids medium, treble medium, high mid/treble sibillance in whole specrum is aparent even after 100 + hours of burn in. personally i think u r just overexcited ... :-)

[dfkt]

Originally Posted by trautix

ok DFKT let me be help u sorting out ur HIPPO VB rating : BASS good ,mids medium, treble medium, high mid/treble sibillance in whole specrum is aparent even after 100 + hours of burn in. personally i think u r just overexcited ... :-)

Trust me, if you read my reviews and forum posts you'd know I'm the last one that is overexcited about stuff. If anything, I'm usually underwhelmed by most offers.

I hear what I hear, some people hear similar things as me: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/6214814-post8.html

Yet again other people might hear something different. Once again:

Originally Posted by dfkt

And always remember: This is just my opinion, my experience with these IEMs, and your mileage may vary!

[wisemen]

just love this thread. getting hippo vb for now from jaben.

[denox]

I got my hippo VB few weeks ago, thanks to dfkt.
Best bass so far, little bright in the beginning but settle down after break in.

[JK98]

I paid $20 for my CX300. For a while they were $16 at J&R. Imo using actual prices rather than list price is a better indication, as some models are very heavily discounted from the list price, while others are discounted much less. It is possible for an earphone with a list price over $100 to sell for less than an earphone with a list price of $50 or $60.

I am wondering if the CX300 II and CX400II are really so much better than the CX300, or if the differences are very slight. I think the CX300 II sells for around $35-60(a large variation between retailers) while the CX400 II seems to be around $60.

[WalkGood]

The best practice when writing reviews or doing comparisons is to use MSRP.

[JK98]

"The best practice when writing reviews or doing comparisons is to use MSRP."

I disagree. For the reason I gave above. Or perhaps both the list price and the lowest price from a reputable dealer could be listed. While the actual prices will change, imo they are still a much better indication than list price. For example, Grado headphones sell at very close to the list price, while the Sony V6 headphone lists for $150 but can be bought for under $65. Would it be fair to compare the Sony V6 to a Grado headphone that lists for $150 and actually sells for very close to $150, or should the V6 be compared to a Grado headphone that sells for around $65?

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by JK98

"The best practice when writing reviews or doing comparisons is to use MSRP."

I disagree. For the reason I gave above. Or perhaps both the list price and the lowest price from a reputable dealer could be listed. While the actual prices will change, imo they are still a much better indication than list price. ... ...

First off "MSRP," "list price" and "recommended retail price" are the same thing. As you well know, some stores sell at or below suggested retail price, while other stores do it only when items are on special, sale or clearance/closeout. It’s not the job of the writer to shop “price,” but rather evaluate the products performance and make a recommendation or state his opinion to you, which you can agree or disagree depending on your preferences.

While this practice may confuse some consumers, I’d be willing to bet that many are sharp enough to know this and that high ticket items, including headphones are negotiable. If you doubt what I’m saying, next time your going to purchase an expensive pair of headphones, rather than place your order over then net, call them and try it out, you might be surprised.

Back to the topic of “why” using MSRP for reviews is the best practice, beyond what I said above, it keeps things consistent and who’s going to be best at and go through the trouble of shopping price for your next investment other than you.

[JK98]

" It’s not the job of the writer to shop “price,” but rather evaluate the products performance and make a recommendation or state his opinion to you, which you can agree or disagree depending on your preferences."

I disagree. When evaluating a product, it must be done within the proper context, based on the price, in terms of which competing products at close to the same price it should be judged against. One wouldn't have the same expectations for a $20 headphone as for a $500 one.

One reviewer might say a particular $20 headphone is great, and a particular $200 headphone is horrible, even though the $200 headphone is still much better than the $20 one. It is when these products are compared to others at close to the same price that reasonable comparisons can be made. Imo using the list price for comparisons is like judging the sound quality of players just by using them with the included earphones, so that a mediocre sounding player with $10 headphones included gets a much better rating than a great sounding player with horrible included headphones. The result is that the truth is distorted. I suggest that all players be tested with a few popular models of headphones that are mid to low priced(and perhaps also some higher priced ones?) I would perhaps use the Sennheiser CX300, PX100, and Sony V6 with each player to judge sound quality.