Need IEM recommendations, has some experience with IEMs

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by mbamg

... how much would that cost?

Unofficial site but good ballpark, check MEE's site for weight ... http://www.nerdylorrin.net/jerry/pos...alAndPostcards

[cnhardwick]

Originally Posted by mbamg

Thanks for the help. Hmm if I get someone to buy it in the US and ship it to me in Canada how much would that cost?

Amazon lists shipping weight as 12 ozs., but I seriously doubt it is that heavy. But even if it is USPS would only charge $4.56 for First Class International. LINK There might be customs fees or something on top of that, I am not sure.

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by cnhardwick

... There might be customs fees or something on top of that, I am not sure.

Yes there's always custom fees/duty, just have your friend that's going to ship them mark them as a gift and value of 6 to 10 bucks, works for uncle Wilson

[cnhardwick]

MEElec.com has the A151 for $39.99 with coupon code CYBER_MONDAY. It looks like shipping to Canada would be $4 with coupon code SHIPPING_COUPON making the total $43.99 (plus any customs fees).

EDIT: Adding coupon code CLARK_DANGER brings if down to $36.58. (Wow! I bet this price won't last long.)

For anyone in the US wondering, that brings them to $32.58 shipped, which is lowest I have ever seen the A151, even better than the Amazon lighting deal for $33.99 which sold out in minutes. Not bad if you want to give BA a try.

EDIT2: Probably does not help the OP out but I will mention that Overstock has the CC51 for $24.99.

EDIT3: CLARK_DANGER is now dead . . .

[mbamg]

Originally Posted by cnhardwick

MEElec.com has the A151 for $39.99 with coupon code CYBER_MONDAY. It looks like shipping to Canada would be $4 with coupon code SHIPPING_COUPON making the total $43.99 (plus any customs fees).

EDIT: Adding coupon code CLARK_DANGER brings if down to $36.58. (Wow! I bet this price won't last long.)

For anyone in the US wondering, that brings them to $32.58 shipped, which is lowest I have ever seen the A151, even better than the Amazon lighting deal for $33.99 which sold out in minutes. Not bad if you want to give BA a try.

EDIT2: Probably does not help the OP out but I will mention that Overstock has the CC51 for $24.99.

EDIT3: CLARK_DANGER is now dead . . .

Thanks for the heads up! Just ordered it... around $46 including credit card charges. Hope it will be worth it, as it's the most that I've spent on IEMs in a while.

Note: The CC51 is now out of stock at Overstock.

[mbamg]

Well, I just had a listen with the A151s, and boy, vocals are recessed. Most of my songs have female vocals so the lack of treble shows a lot. There is a noticeable improvement in separation and clarity, but I'm really not used to this sound signature. To be honest, I prefer the iM-590's but they're very tiring to listen to. In terms of soundstage they seem to be average, but just as ljokerl said in his review, they do portray a bit of height, which is quite an "eye-opener". While they don't have the sibilance of the iM-590s, I find the A151s to be overwhelming in their own way. I suppose it's the "punchiness" of the bass that's getting to me. The great isolation is probably to blame. I swear I can feel my eardrums being pushed by all these waves. That's quite ironic considering that this is a BA IEM.

I'm emailing MEE customer service to see if I can return it.

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by mbamg

Well, I just had a listen with the A151s, and boy, vocals are recessed. Most of my songs have female vocals so the lack of treble shows a lot. There is a noticeable improvement in separation and clarity, but I'm really not used to this sound signature. To be honest, I prefer the iM-590's but they're very tiring to listen to. In terms of soundstage they seem to be average, but just as ljokerl said in his review, they do portray a bit of height, which is quite an "eye-opener". While they don't have the sibilance of the iM-590s, I find the A151s to be overwhelming in their own way. I suppose it's the "punchiness" of the bass that's getting to me. The great isolation is probably to blame. I swear I can feel my eardrums being pushed by all these waves. That's quite ironic considering that this is a BA IEM.

I'm emailing MEE customer service to see if I can return it.

Have you tried them at lower volumes to avoid as you say “all these waves.” BTW sorry to hear you don’t like them, hope you get $$ back or credit towards another purchase. Can you explain the “height” that ljokerl refers to as I didn’t see it in his review. From his review I read:

… the A151 somewhat warm for an armature and there is a very slight lower-midrange bias. Despite this, the A151 sounds very accurate and carries good detail and texture through both the bass and the midrange. …

You also inspired me to re-read my review and I would agree with his sound assessment of 7.5 out of 10 and much higher for price/value (I’d say 8 to 9 and he stated 9.5) but I don't put numerical values on them as that could change over time. Both reviews have different opinions than your assessment on the midrange, yes I also find them on the warm side with good detail and texture. Although I find the vocals shine in this area (mids), only missing the upper midrange offered on some of MEEs other IEMs but very clear and detailed. I think we feel the same on soundstage, it’s not real wide but with the good instrument separation it comes across wider than it really is.

[mbamg]

Originally Posted by WalkGood

Have you tried them at lower volumes to avoid as you say “all these waves.” BTW sorry to hear you don’t like them, hope you get $$ back or credit towards another purchase. Can you explain the “height” that ljokerl refers to as I didn’t see it in his review. From his review I read:


You also inspired me to re-read my review and I would agree with his sound assessment of 7.5 out of 10 and much higher for price/value (I’d say 8 to 9 and he stated 9.5) but I don't put numerical values on them as that could change over time. Both reviews have different opinions than your assessment on the midrange, yes I also find them on the warm side with good detail and texture. Although I find the vocals shine in this area (mids), only missing the upper midrange offered on some of MEEs other IEMs but very clear and detailed. I think we feel the same on soundstage, it’s not real wide but with the good instrument separation it comes across wider than it really is.

The strange thing is that I usually listen at the lowest volume possible on my DAP. At volume level 1 the bass is still overwhelming for me. I've tried all of the eartips and it turns out that the single and triple-flanges sound about the same, while I can't get a good fit with the bi-flanges at all.

The portrayal of height seems to be a little artificial, but say when I hear several guitars playing in succession I could imagine one on the left, then the top, then the right. In that way the soundstage is still quite two-dimensional but it's in the vertical plane instead of the horizontal.

Edit: I've just listening to a J-Rock song with male vocals and it just blew me away. I guess that's what the A151s excel at. It doesn't seem to perform well with electronic music. Are there any noticeable difference in sound between the CC51s and the A151s?

[cnhardwick]

Have you tried them without the DAP?
How long have you given your ears to adjust to the warmer sound?

EDIT: Yes, the CC51 and A151 sound very different. I only had the CC51 for a few days though, so looking for a comparison on Head-fi might give you a better idea of the difference. From what I recall though, the CC51 had a v-shaped sound signature, more like that of the M6.

[mbamg]

Originally Posted by cnhardwick

Have you tried them without the DAP?
How long have you given your ears to adjust to the warmer sound?

To be honest I haven't given them much time to adjust. I just tried them on my P999 and treble extension is noticeably better - which is rather inconclusive since the P999's lowest possible volume is several times louder than my Sonys.

[WalkGood]

I hope you checked to make sure there's no EQ on for starters before you adjust to your liking ...

Got your explanation, tks, I just didn’t see that in reading his review. I’m sure they’re not for everyone and we all do hear differently, what surprised me is the similarities we both found in the A151s. Good point on the tips, they make a world of difference to me, I can’t use any of their tips except the double flange and I prefer my foamies to them, I’ll eventually get around to modding the singles to see how them sound. I got to say now that for the MSRP I don’t feel they worth it what I once felt at the writing of review, but for the current deals I’ve seen on them they’re a great bang for the buck and allows people to hear the differences between armatures and dynamic drivers.

[mbamg]

Originally Posted by WalkGood

I hope you checked to make sure there's no EQ on for starters before you adjust to your liking ...

Got your explanation, tks, I just didn’t see that in reading his review. I’m sure they’re not for everyone and we all do hear differently, what surprised me is the similarities we both found in the A151s. Good point on the tips, they make a world of difference to me, I can’t use any of their tips except the double flange and I prefer my foamies to them, I’ll eventually get around to modding the singles to see how them sound. I got to say now that for the MSRP I don’t feel they worth it what I once felt at the writing of review, but for the current deals I’ve seen on them they’re a great bang for the buck and allows people to hear the differences between armatures and dynamic drivers.

I always set EQ to flat. In fact this time I did try to bring out the trebles with the EQ to no avail.

[WalkGood]

Just a thought on the EQ, I know I've forgotten at times :/

Originally Posted by mbamg

... I did try to bring out the trebles with the EQ to no avail.

Well they do not extend into the uber highs but they're very clear, they’re not bright which makes them less fatiguing over long periods of use for me. But they have a limitation as to how high they can go, probably because of the type of armature they use http://www.knowles.com/search/family..._sub_cat_id=10

[mbamg]

After some more time with the A151s, I've decided not to return them. They perform really well with certain songs, they have great isolation, and I got them for a decent price. With that said, maybe I should start selling off some of my other IEMs...