Quick Comparison of 63 IEMs (Spreadsheet)

[miow]

Is the PFE's midrange as good on voices as it is with the IE8's? Because this is where the IE8's shines.

[CrowdAds]

[copain]

dfkt, how's the hippo pearl burning?

im interested in those, and i think you are my only source for comparison between mylar XB (my old phone, now left driver went dead) and the new hippos..

(anyway my 1st post here.. nice to meet you all )

[dfkt]

Added the JVC HA-FX700 to the list. Oh how I wish they were mine, and not loaners... They're the best sounding IEMs I've heard so far, and they deserve the top place, even if they unfortunately have almost no isolation.

Copain, hello - I haven't listened much to the Pearl yet. Been busy with aforementioned FX700, e-Q7, etc. I will give the various Hippos a listen shortly.

[WalkGood]

Whoa the ue11’s dethroned by an iem and I thought the JH audio might take that spot, I’ve got to listen to them

[JxK]

Wow, that is impressive. Are you also giving them a frontpage review? If the fx700s are truly this good, then they certainly deserve it. Plus, it gives you an excuse to keep them a bit longer.

Edit: If the fx700 actually beat your custom UE11, does that mean that the usual rules of diminishing returns don't apply as strongly to them? Basically, compared to the VB, are they just a little bit better...or perhaps more than just a little?

[lestatar]

^ Great idea!

[odigg]

I'm glad this special day has finally come - the day when people start saying that universals can sound as good as customs.

Don't get me wrong, customs have their place in the world. But for those of us who want to keep our wallets intact...

[lestatar]

Hear hear! <pun only partially intended but the sentiment stays the same>

[dfkt]

Originally Posted by JxK

If the fx700 actually beat your custom UE11, does that mean that the usual rules of diminishing returns don't apply as strongly to them? Basically, compared to the VB, are they just a little bit better...or perhaps more than just a little?

The FX700 are basically the first IEMs I heard that can really be compared to full-sized headphones. A lot of people compared UE11, JH13, or even Livewires to full-sized phones, but that is probably all a bit far-fetched fanboy talk. I know for sure that both of the full-sized phones I have are better sounding than my UE11 in pretty much every aspect. But that's to be expected since the miniaturization, the effort of stuffing a dozen armatures into a tiny shell must lead to compromises, compared to how effortless one can put a 40-50mm diaphragm in a decent full-sized can.

And just because something is a custom IEM doesn't mean it sounds better for any real reason - it's just a custom housing and isolation will be much better, but the drivers are still just normal drivers, not really any additional 'magic' there.

Originally Posted by odigg

I'm glad this special day has finally come - the day when people start saying that universals can sound as good as customs.

Don't get me wrong, customs have their place in the world. But for those of us who want to keep our wallets intact...

I've always kept the UE11 on top of my list because of their overall performance, their build, their fit, their isolation - all these things. They aren't the best sounding in any category, if one dissects the sound in the way I've did it in my list. They are all around great sounding IEMs, but the VB beat them in bass quality and quantity, the PFE beat them in treble detail, precision, sparkle, and so on.

But the FX700 just sound so good, they deserve to be on top simply because of their sound quality, which definitely hit the right spot in my ears - and despite them being non-isolating (which probably is one factor why they sound so good), and looking so ostentatious and tacky (for my taste), with not really that great build quality or exceptional comfort.

[cn11]

I agree with you about the FX700's just hitting that sweet spot, although I've not ventured into the realm of customs yet. Not sure I will either since you're pretty much stuck with them if you're not happy with any aspect of their sound. $1000+ is a steep price of admission. Plus, with these holding up that well to full customs, it's a no brainer choice.

I think next time I travel overseas I'll have trouble picking what to listen to, because the FX's will probably not work to block flight noise. And now that I have my Monster MD's back, they just don't keep up on pure sound quality- I know I'd be missing the FX700's sound if I took the MD's. But they do isolate. Hmmm....

How are the SM3's stacking up compared to the FX700's?

[dfkt]

Yeah, it's a dilemma... in many situations it's just no good having a non-isolating IEM.

The SM3 and the FX700 are like night and day, they really don't have much in common. The JVC are just so incredibly exciting and musical sounding, the SM3 are precision monitoring equipment. My brain is just getting accustomed to the SM3's dry, analytic character - they do a lot of things great, but they're certainly not "fun" sounding in any way. Then again, they have really good soundstage for an armature IEM, and played at louder volume levels they're incredibly dynamic and fast.

[jjrosaria]

The JVC looks like an outstanding value for money.. Too bad about the isolation though.

[cn11]

Thanks dfkt-
I think your descriptions are giving me a better idea of the SM3's than any others I've read. I normally don't like BA iem's, because I've not heard one yet which can touch the power in the low end that a good dynamic can deliver.... such as the FX700's. I tried the Westone 3 based on so many rave comments about its bass, but when I got it I was sorely disappointed in that part of its sound. I would expect no less from the SM3, being so used to the immersive bass of the FX. I think your comments are most helpful, and will help me not to get them to see for myself.

[odigg]

A lot of people compared UE11, JH13, or even Livewires to full-sized phones, but that is probably all a bit far-fetched fanboy talk.

My experience with the JH13 is that it is equivalent to a full sized headphone, albeit with the reduced soundstage you get from an IEM. The JH13 FR extends well in both directions and it has a solid bass thump. The bass is not neutral though no matter how many people swear it is - even JH13 has said it's boosted!

As for if it is worth the cost, I will simply point out that typically all "High End" gear needs that special sauce (placebo) to have a sound equivalent to it's cost. The JH13 needs less of this sauce than much of the other "High End" stuff like an amp, but it's there

Beyond all that, the PFE has succeeded as a full sized headphone replacement for me. I've EQed up the bass and I had to get used to the IEM soundstage, but it's among the few IEMs that doesn't seem to chop off the ends of the frequency range.

[odigg]

I purchased the JVC FX700 and have made the following discoveries.

1. When dfkt says "plenty" he means plenty.
2. FX700 has "plenty" of bass.

Therefore

3. In the future I will select products with "medium" bass quantity

[dfkt]

Yeah, the FX700 are basically like the Hippo VB when it comes to bass. Those two are the only IEMs I find to have enough "fun factor/excitement" without any additional EQ, for my taste.

Now that I think of it, it indeed is very unusual for Head-Fi hype-of-the-month threads to not mention the serious bass quantities in more detail (and the usual basso-phobic complaints from the Etymotic fraction ). I can see how quite a few people might be scared by the FX700.

I hope you still like them, at least a bit?

[lestatar]

Originally Posted by odigg

I purchased the JVC FX700 and have made the following discoveries.

1. When dfkt says "plenty" he means plenty.
2. FX700 has "plenty" of bass.

Therefore

3. In the future I will select products with "medium" bass quantity

Hey odigg:
LOL...I really hope you are enjoying the FX700s as well. Your exchange with dfkt was very helpful as I own the Hippo VBs and I now have a slightly better idea of what the FX700s sound like in terms of bass.

I am still interested in acquiring the FX700s one day perhaps, but dfkt's observations re: poor sound isolation would be a problem for me as I am in noise heavy NYC.

I hate to hijack this thread but would love to hear your thoughts on this re: the FX700s as well as your overall impressions.

cheers!
-lestatar

[JxK]

He got them fairly recently, and moreover, he's coming from the relatively bass light PFE. Give him a few days, and better yet a week, before giving impressions. Sometimes you need time to acclimatize yourself to a radically different sound signature.

[odigg]

Originally Posted by dfkt

I hope you still like them, at least a bit?

I like them quite a bit - more comments in my reply to lestatar.

Originally Posted by JxK

He got them fairly recently, and moreover, he's coming from the relatively bass light PFE. Give him a few days, and better yet a week, before giving impressions. Sometimes you need time to acclimatize yourself to a radically different sound signature.

I do agree with you about brain burn-it. At the same time, I've gone through a lot of headphones and I know what I can acclimitize to and what's going to end up in the FS section.

Originally Posted by lestatar

Hey odigg:
I hate to hijack this thread but would love to hear your thoughts on this re: the FX700s as well as your overall impressions.

Sure. I'll start with the positives first. The treble is well extended and good quantity and presence. It does NOT sound like many of the popular multi-BA IEMs which rolloff quite severely above 10khz and end up sounding muffled.

With some music there might be a little too much energy up there.

The midrange is *slightly* recessed, but I'm quite surprised how forward it is considering how much bass the FX700 has. Almost every bass heavy can I've heard has a midrange that ranges from laid-back (Denon D2K-D7K) to downright comically recessed (some Ultrasones). The FX700 is surprising present in comparison.

The bass is there with "plenty" of quantity with good quality. It's incredible that such a bassy can doesn't sound like it's just somebody farting in your ear (e.g. Klipsch S4). The bass extends down the lowest frequencies without a fuss.

As dfkt has said, it really sounds like a full sized headphone because of the great extension at both ends of the frequency spectrum. The open design also reduces that closed in feeling when moving from open or semi-open full sized headphones to IEMs.

Now for the negatives.

What immediately turned me off was the thickness of the sound. Wood instruments just sound WAY too woody. The Piano sounds too thick and voices are the same way.

I've been playing with EQ to figure out what is going on. I've ended up cutting ~5db around and between 100hz - 200hz.

The end result is that sound now has plenty of punch from the sub-bass, but much of the "thick" sound is gone and everything (to me) sounds more like real-life. IMHO this increases clarity over the whole spectrum so this is a positive.

That about sums up my opinion of it. I do agree with what others have said about this being a top IEM. It reproduces the full audible spectrum well, has good clarity, detail, and speed and is definitely the best "fun sounding" IEM I have heard. With my EQ I think it's going to be around for a while.

[lestatar]

@odigg: Thanks a ton for your initial impressions - invaluable feedback there. So glad to hear the FX700 responds really well to EQ. Enjoy them and please report back occasionally.

btw, what are you using for your sources/players?