A List of Good IEMs (In Ear Monitors), Canal Phones, In-Ear Phones

[dfkt]

Good to hear! So they really need a "proper" amp - the D2 is the strongest player on the market, with its 74mW output.

Your idea in the other thread (with the UE cable) sounded good, why not go for that?

Still hoping to test-drive the E500/SE530 soon.

[CrowdAds]

[Cowon#1]

Yeah you were right about them needing a better amp...

Yeah I'd love to do that with the UE cable but I can't find a nice black straight female plug anywhere. I've seen some metal silver ones but it be heavy plus it would look kind of funny plugged into a black cable...I found a kinda cheapy looking black one by Sony...I may try that one since I will never need to unplug it for any reason..it's the one on the top:

http://www.showmecables.com/showProd...egory_id=16942


I might also buy that neutrik right angle one just incase it doesn't work out.
It's to bad neutrik doesn't make a nice straight female plug.

[dfkt]

You could put a black heatshrink tube over a golden plug, to cover up the bling-bling. -- The way I did it with my V-Moda Vibe and the amp interconnect cable. It also prevents a plug from being scratched.

The link you posted has a nice looking metal plug that should work fine: "984 - 3.5mm Stereo Jack Metal Handle". Personally, I wouldn't use a plastic plug for any serious business.

[Cowon#1]

Yeah that's sounds like a good idea....I'm just wondering how heavy it will be pulling down on my ears...because the E500's already have that big fat connection there...plus with the weight of the metal and the heak shrink...I don't know...plus it might end up being way fatter than the part it's plugged into....I may buy one of each just so I have a better idea what to do....it's not like there a lot of money.

[dfkt]

I guess the strain on your ears isn't much, since the E500's cable goes up and around your ears instead of dangling down.

Another idea, maybe equally annoying and involving some hassle: give back the E500 and get the SE530. They're the exact same phones as the E500, but without the PTH-box and a longer cable (no need for an extension, just in need of an angled plug at the end). They're just an external redesign of the E500's, the sound and driver configuration is unchanged. The SE530's cable is 91cm long.

http://www.earphonesolutions.com/shu...earphones.html

EDIT: They're available with the PTH thingi, too - but cost $50 more then.

[Cowon#1]

I'm not sure I know what you mean dfkt, I can't find a picture of the IEM and the cable...
I have the pth thing but I'm not using it...
Does the E530 have that extra connection about 18" off your ears???

Really the only thing I'd need right now is the need for an angled plug on the end...but I didn't want to do that because those angled plugs are so big....that's why I wanted to buy the UE cable and buy a female straight plug for the other end.
Maybe I'm missing what you mean...I don't know...

[dfkt]

If I got this right:
The E500 has a short cable and needs an extension cable (or two different ones?).
The SE530 has a long cable and needs no extension cable.

So you only need to change the straight male 3.5mm plug on the SE530 to an angled one, and don't have to care about an extension with a heavy female 3.5mm plug dangling around.

[Cowon#1]

dfkt, that's the thing I don't see any pics of the 530 so I'm not sure I know what the difference is in the cables.

But I would think the cabling would be the same since you can hook up the pth thing to the 530 if you want, just like you do with the 500.

Do you have some good picks that show the complete E530? Are you saying that the E530 doesn't have any connections from your ear all the way until you plug it in to your dap?

You probably seen this but here's a pic of the E500's...the 3rd picture shows the whole thing...what I do is disconnect the pth thing and hook on the extension cable that's lying next to the user manual.

http://www.headphone.com/products/he...shure-e500.php

[dfkt]

Yes, it's terrible - no pics of the SE530 around. Probably because it's so new. I read the thing about the cable over on Head-Fi, but can't find the link at the moment. It was confirmed by a Shure employee, IIRC (no internal change, only cable and slightly different color of the housing).

[t-nine]

I just picked up the JVC Gumys and I love them! They can get a little uncomfortable after awhile. Nice sound quality, nice looking, cool color... I love 'em!

[turner]

Originally Posted by aflo

I've already tried the Sennheiser CX 300. They are great for watching film, but a bit to bassy for music. Which earbuds would you suggest me? I've heard the Sony ones are even more bass centered, but the Creative are less bassy. Price limit 50$

I bought the sony for $40 at radio shack and I love them. To me they are not overly bassy but I suppose it depends on the music and eq settings

[TheBsK]

Well, I recd my 2nd pair of bass freqs from V-moda and I have to say, they are the exact same as the first pair I got. My $7-10 Sony cheap earbuds are significantly LOUDER and have much more BASS...as for clarity that is a debatable issue, but I just can't imagine what the deal is with this...can anyone reasonably explain it. Just to recap, I bought the bass freqs primarily based off of reviews saying they were very bass heavy and great for hip-hop and the like, which is what I listen to primarily. But I have been shellshocked by how feeble they sound. Am I missing something? Do I just need to burn them in? Will this increase their bass and overall volume by 100% just by doing this? That seems such a strange idea to me that it is hard to believe.
I also can't believe that $40 phones can't come close to my $7 phones in volume. I can't fathom this. If anyone can explain this, or has any suggestions as to how to alleviate this issue, I would gladly welcome it. I feel so cheated by purchasing these and I thought as a long shot that the first pair was a bum pair, but after this, I suspect they simply are a poor IEM, which is even harder for me to accept. There have been too many positive reviews that I have read on them for this to be the case. Any input or resolution ideas is greatly appreciated....
Thanks, BsK

[dfkt]

Did you let them burn in?

[JDGAFFLIN]

Let them burn in...10-12 hours minimum. Dont mess with em, dont even check. Just let them burn in for the time I mentioned, and check back after.

Then give 'em a listen...

[TheBsK]

At least 20 hours of burn or so and they still can't compete with $10 buds....this is so disappointing. I cant solve this one....any other ideas? The sound level simply can't compete. Bass hits so much harder and the overall volume is so much louder on the Sony buds. If the Sony's were a 10 in volume and bass, the V-modas would be about a 6. They probably have a clarity edge, but if I have to break my ear drums to turn them up as they sound so "tinny" and thin, this simply isn't going to work. I'll keep burning them in the interim til I hear back. Thanks for all of your sincere input here.

[s.zhao2891]

Well the Bass Freq aren't supposed to be top line as their Vibes are so you can't expect TOO much. I'm pretty sure CNet's 8.0/10 is way inflated, as they rated them higher than the Vibes... If they don't work out, just return them if you can and exchange for something else.

[TheBsK]

I dont feel as though I expected too much, I just was hpoping for them to be superior than my $7-10 Sony buds, not clearly inferior. Unfortunately, I have already returned them once and won't be able to a second time. This is just money lost it appears.

[dfkt]

There might be some issues - I don't know what. Maybe you're not inserting them properly, or something else... Many people prefer the Bass Freqs to the CX300 - and the CX aren't half bad phones already. They most certainly should sound better than some Sony crap. Maybe your ears aren't made for IEMs, but I can't believe they're that bad.

I'm familiar with Sony EX51, EX71 and E818LP - and they're all total crap, I wonder what it is that makes the V-Modas sound bad to your ears.

[TheBsK]

Originally Posted by dfkt

There might be some issues - I don't know what. Maybe you're not inserting them properly

dfkt----I have thought all along that maybe this could be the problem...or something bizarre like earwax or something....after reading your post, I decided that really there has to be a reason, so I will fiddle and fool with the position of these in-ears until I feel I have gotten it right. If I press them deep into the ear and form a faux seal around my ears with my hands, I think I can hear their potential...maybe it is a positioning issue within my ears.

[TheBsK]

A little embarrassing but having the reassurance that it could be something as "simple" as position within the ears led me to JAM the damn things into the ear canal and now I get a better sense of what they are all about. They are much louder and bass heavy inserted deep into the ear canal in this way. Call it a rookie move not knowing how to wear these things. I thought I had tried just about all the ways to put these things in too...oh well. Think I got it now, and they are indeed significantly improved. Still not sure that they really kick the tail off my Sony's but at least they isolate sound way better and shut off the outside world when they are shoved in like this. Thanks for the help!