Quick Comparison of 63 IEMs (Spreadsheet)

[Pierre]

Well I've got the Super Fi.5 as of today and this table is just making me want the Hippo VBs more... Doh!
The UE are very nice though. Very fun sounding earphones, and they still feel a step above the S4s. I'm glad I have these and the Ety HF5, they're very different and complement each other well.

[CrowdAds]

[vechung]

Odigg, where did you buy the fx700? Are you in the US?

thanks

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by vechung

Odigg, where did you buy the fx700? Are you in the US?

thanks

There isn't a USA distributor selling them, you either have to buy online from Japan or buy them there.

Edit: here are two sites, but I doubt that they ship internationally because of JVC distribution restrictions, you’ll probably have to wait unless you know someone there or if a friend is going over … btw the links are to the 500s

http://www.amazon.co.jp/ビクター-HP-FX50...sr_1_1?ie=UTF8

http://kakaku.com/item/20469011135/

[dfkt]

Most people buy them here, AFAIK: http://www.seyo-shop.com/ They should have rather fast international shipping.

[lestatar]

dfkt: have you auditioned the FX500? Significantly cheaper than the awesome FX700 on that site you linked. Any chance of FX700 greatness spilling over to FX500 I wonder?

[dfkt]

Yes, I have them here as well, but I only listened to them for a few minutes. There FX700 are significantly better than the 500, and I really didn't feel like listening to the 500 for longer than necessary.

The FX500 has a more recessed midrange and somewhat harsh, sibilant treble compared to the FX700.

[odigg]

Originally Posted by vechung

Odigg, where did you buy the fx700? Are you in the US?

thanks

I'm in the US but I got them from Seyo Shop (link given above by dfkt). Shipping was fast. I got them in 6 days including the weekend.

[odigg]

I heard the Hippo VB at Canjam.

I can understand why they got an Editors choice rating. I listened to all three bass ports. The port with the highest bass has a lot of bass, but the quality is decent.

My preference was the port with the least bass. The middle bass port was nice as well.

They're just a nice sounding headphone all around. For the price they best stuff that is far more expensive.

[lestatar]

odigg: I couldn't agree more. I purchased the Hippo VBs based solely on the great review from dfkt and from others - my best purchase in this area yet.

I also use the middle plates as for me they strike the best balance between amazing bass and terrific mids/highs that satisfy me.

The Hippo VBs are indeed worthy IMO of all the praise... :-)

[vechung]

dfkt, any reason why the SM3 is not on this table?

[dfkt]

Cause I'm writing a front page review of it at the moment.

[JxK]

Aww, does that mean the fx700 doesn't get the same honor?

[GreatZen]

dfkt,

I've been coming to this site regularly for years to get reliable audio advice about music and media players that don't have sound that makes me want to tear my ears out. Yet, somehow I've never noticed this chart in the Headphones section before!

I've never registered before today because I never needed to post anything. I'm glad I registered because it means I can thank you for your hard work in creating that table, which is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

On a side note, I agree with your evaluation of the SuperFi 5pros. I bought them without hearing them when they went on sale at CostCo (a US bulk buyer's club) for $129 USD (clear only) and was a little disappointed. They are nice, don't get wrong but not imo particularly better than ER-4Ps (not listed) which are significantly cheaper MSRP and significantly easier to wear. I also find them roughly equivalent (but with a very different sound of course) to the Shure E3s - also a much cheaper IEM.

What I find MOST annoying about the UE SF5pros (Universal Fit, not Custom) is the very rigid and mimetic cable. I take them with me wherever I go and store them in the case in which they came. It takes 4 days of being out of the case under strain to get them to anything vaguely approaching straight. On top of that, I find that when I sit down, the rigidity of the wire from my pants pocket pushes on the headphones enough to sabotage the seal of the headphones in my ear. A similar effect occurs if I turn my head sharply to say... look over my shoulder.

On a side note, I find the isolation very good (rated medium on the table), excepting of course the seal problems noted above. In fact, I find it SO good that I find difficulty wearing them under a wide variety of circumstances, such as at work or while walking down the street, because its hard to hear anything else.

Anyway, I've been hunting for a set of "daily driver" (pardon the pun) IEMs in the $50-80 range to fill the hole between my UEs (which I only wear when its music time or when I need the sound isolation) and the long series of virtual throwaway $15-30 buds I use when doing things which are generally a bad idea to do with decent cans (like going to sleep, listening in/near water, etc). Based on your evaluation, I'll have to give those Hippo VBs a spin.

Note: Any comparison opinion I've given is while listening to the same lossless (FLAC) tracks ripped from CD (with prosumer-grade PC sound gear) playing over a Cowon D2/iAudio7 with EQ and effects set to neutral during the same listening session. Needs to be said. Now that I think about it, a shocking amount of this happened while killing time in airport stores.

[Xinz]

I took a look at the table but I didn't go through all 18 pages here so I apologize if it has been asked before.

Your term of good and bad soundstage is not refering the the size right? Like whether it is near/small or wide?

[crazycanuck332]

Where would you rank the earsonic SM3 dfkt

[JxK]

Originally Posted by crazycanuck332

Where would you rank the earsonic SM3 dfkt

I'm predicting nowhere. Trying to qualify the sm3 for dfkt will be like trying to choose between beer, music, or sex. It simply can't be done. Even the very thought defies convention.

[crazycanuck332]

I think I would go for the JVC FX700 because it seems to be the "fun" type of iem without distorting any highs or lows

[dfkt]

Added the SM3, the Panasonic Zirconia bling things (very nice for the price), and the Shroom EB. Re-ranked the FX700, since their excitement wore off a bit over time, and their non-isolation is often a dealbreaker for me.

[miow]

[QUOTE=lestatar;475795]I also use the middle plates as for me they strike the best balance between amazing bass and terrific mids/highs that satisfy me.[QUOTE]

Terrific mids?! You have to listen to Playaz N3 Nature or Xears TD100 to see what mids are. The difference is terrific.

[lestatar]

[quote=miow;482332][QUOTE=lestatar;475795]I also use the middle plates as for me they strike the best balance between amazing bass and terrific mids/highs that satisfy me.

Terrific mids?! You have to listen to Playaz N3 Nature or Xears TD100 to see what mids are. The difference is terrific.

Touche!...LOL...I am the first to admit that my quality headphone/IEM experience/education is still in the early growth stages. Still, I like what I like....

I stand by it...the VBs, for the money, and for the overall sound quality, do provide pretty terrific mids to my ears. This coming from a decades long guitar player with a particular preference for strong mids/highs. The bass from the VBs is awesome and is pure gravy for me.

So ...