Phonak PFE 232 {Dual Driver}

[THE_TEST]

I`ve been using pfe 112 for about a year and a half, and now the cable seems to be completely broken... in 4 (!!!) different places. I tried to fix it with different stuff. But after two months of everyday usage, now they a barely dead So it`s time to think about new ones. 1,5 years ago I was choosing between PFE`s and IE 8. And decided to buy Phonak (thanks to the review). I really like how they sound and it seems to me they fit quite fine to the music I listen-rock/punk rock, nu metal, alternative, metal, rapcore.

So now I`m confused. I know IE8 are great IEMs too. And 232 are gonna be great, no doubt. Before PFE 112 I had IE 4 and also liked them a lot too.
What you suggest ? Should I wait for 232 or give IE 8 a chance ?

[CrowdAds]

[Confispect]

Wait.

[odigg]

Any updates on the 232? Has Phonak stated a release date? Have they sent out review samples with an NDA?

[florinp3]

On head-fi there's talk about autumn now. Can anyone confirm this? I was really looking forward to these ones.

[Confispect]

For some reason I'm not at all interested in these. More like customs.

[Leroy Bad]

Well I'm definitely looking forward to them. But there are 2 things I noticed from the pictures that I don't like.
1. No replaceable cord. I know the first ones don't have them either, but I strongly believe that all higher quality earphones/headphones should have some degree of self maintenance and the cord is the first area I think of.

2. I never did like that silicone over the hear guide. They wear out way too fast, and get dirty looking. They perhaps should be place inside the cable.

Also I hope the ear tips are made with a tighter fit to the nozzle. Because occasionally they come off and remain stuck in my ear when I remove the earphones.

[dfkt]

1.) The cord is indeed user replaceable, as already said before in this thread. Connector is similar to the IE8, with two pins. (It was actually me that suggested Phonak to make it replaceable. )

2.) The silicone ear guides for the 232 will be black, not transparent - no more yellowish looks. They also will have a kind of locking connector that keeps them better in place.

3.) The tips never came off on my PFE by accident. Make sure to keep the nozzle and the inside of the tip clean of skin oils and such, then they stay on very securely. I usually rub both parts with a q-tip soaked in hydrogen peroxide to get rid of all oil/wax stuff, and I never touch the nozzle with my fingers.

[Leroy Bad]

Oh that sounds excellent!
I'm just guessing but I'd say these will be under $250.....

[Confispect]

My tips came off as well not a issue.

My long lost cousin is looking for sone cans I'll just tell him these are the greatest and to get them.

Weird but I'm not interested, customs, customs, customs.

[dfkt]

Originally Posted by florinp3

On head-fi there's talk about autumn now. Can anyone confirm this? I was really looking forward to these ones.

I've asked Phonak's acoustic engineer about that. He mentions August as a possible release date.

[florinp3]

OK, thanks! SM3 it is!

[EraserXIV]

have there been any more updates regarding this? is the latest word on the street still August-Fall timeframe?

[Ravnefar]

Should I wait for these, or should I get the new SM3v2 (I listen to classical music)?

[Confispect]

Their is no answer to that question.

Simply because Pinky Pie over there is the only one who knows how they sound.

[Soaa]

Goodness! News just broke out over at Head-Fi.

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/...5#post_7649121

They're going to retail for £399, or around $650 US. That hurts! If the first Perfect Fit and the Perfect Bass were bargains at their price, this new headphone is definitely walking right out of that territory and into the land of (hopefully) get what your pay for.

I hope market forces drive the price down, and I think they will. It's hard to imagine a large crowd jumping at $650 headphones, and if they don't sell enough, they may not make a good return on their investment into the research and development of these.

[sjondenon]

650USD? Waaaay too expensive, for that price they have to be better than a lot of customs and universals like the ie8, tf10, se530 etc which are cheaper

[jupitreas]

650 USD is a stupid price, I honestly can't imagine why anyone would buy one of these when it is possible to get triple-armature custom IEMs for less (for example, from Spiral Ear)

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by jupitreas

650 USD is a stupid price, I honestly can't imagine why anyone would buy one of these when it is possible to get triple-armature custom IEMs for less (for example, from Spiral Ear)

Personally I'd rather have the 46 Ohm custom quad armature drivers (dual low, single mid, single high freq) for $525 from 1964 Ears here

[jupitreas]

Originally Posted by WalkGood

Personally I'd rather have the 46 Ohm custom quad armature drivers (dual low, single mid, single high freq) for $525 from 1964 Ears here

Wow, those really do look good! Sometimes I wonder if I should switch over to custom IEMs from full-size cans...

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by jupitreas

Wow, those really do look good! Sometimes I wonder if I should switch over to custom IEMs from full-size cans...

I'm not sure what others think but for on-the-go I prefer customs or IEMs, for home use I prefer speakers or full sized cans, but this is off topic for here. I would tend to agree with Soaa's statement that the price will come down, "market forces should drive the price down ..."