Earphone Review: Battle of sub $80 in-ears earphones plus others!

theory_87

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Zephyron said:
^
I told you to stay away T_T;
the more u ask, the more curious he is.. tt human.. haha.. lucky i nv gt addicted to it...
 

RePlaY

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afbug1 said:
Over at headfi, i expect the FOTM to be big, quite a lot on the waiting list already. Same goes for the new Grado GS1000 as well. At least i read critics of the E500, some not impressed, some favouring the warmer SQ of UM2. But i still expect more than decent amout of bass from it. After all, it got 2 bass drivers. What i like about it is it comes with 2 different lenghts of extension cables. Can use with remotes, necklace and normal length.

Getting it will have the little problem of tax. Way exceed the limit permited. :s27: Headroom dun delcare lower for international shipment.

BTW what is the price headroom quoted you for the E500? Can PM me the price? :)
 

afbug1

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RePlaY said:
BTW what is the price headroom quoted you for the E500? Can PM me the price? :)

Sure. PM Sent. Its worth it. :s31: BTW, ER4P in the house. Just got them. Dunno how to use lol. Think will take me another month to learn and get use to it. :o Non of the tips fit me so far and the soft case is really tiny. Its the ER6i one. Want to complain to Ety liao.
 

kangaroobabe

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hi guys, would like to ask whether a um1 paired with a PA2V2 would achieve good results. coz someone over at sgheadphones told me it would be useless pairing an amp with IEMs.Using cans according to him would be better. another can verify this coz i donnoe whether to get an amp to try out
 

afbug1

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kangaroobabe said:
hi guys, would like to ask whether a um1 paired with a PA2V2 would achieve good results. coz someone over at sgheadphones told me it would be useless pairing an amp with IEMs.Using cans according to him would be better. another can verify this coz i donnoe whether to get an amp to try out

All earphones will improve when amped. The question is, how big is the improvement and does it warrant the extra hassle and cost of an amp?

Earphones like the ER4S and ER6 sounds best only when its amplified. In UM1's case, i feel that it do not need an amp to sound good. UM1 with PA2V2 will have good results. More bass impact. But this is my opinion, others might think differently. BTW, whats your player?

I got some extra black Ety foams and a Ety triflange from the ER4P, brand new. I think i got no use for them. Anyone want, PM me. :)
 

RePlaY

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Etys casings rather cheapo.. i use the soft case for my E4 instead.. convenient mah. One thing abt Etys earphones is getting a good fit.. really have to stuff it into the ears, then adjust here and there like using a earplug to get a good sound isolation. Rather uncomfortable.. but definitely the sound difference from other earphones is rather obvious once u start listening to it. BTW.. right now whats exactly in your total collection of headphones? :)
 
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RePlaY

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Partly depends on your player.. earphones.. and of cos quality of ur songs i suppose..

Best is try it out first lor.. im sure many ppl in sgheadphones own them?
 

afbug1

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RePlaY said:
Etys casings rather cheapo.. i use the soft case for my E4 instead.. convenient mah. One thing abt Etys earphones is getting a good fit.. really have to stuff it into the ears, then adjust here and there like using a earplug to get a good sound isolation. Rather uncomfortable.. but definitely the sound difference from other earphones is rather obvious once u start listening to it. BTW.. right now whats exactly in your total collection of headphones? :)

The prob is non of the tips fit me. I'm using Shure's soft flex small now, even so, my ears are raw. :o Thanks for the advise, i stuffed them in until cannot in already and it even help me remove some ear wax. lol. Yes, SQ is good.

The soft case is the same as the ER6i one on the 1st page. I tot its rather nice. Size wise, its just nice for 6i but too small for 4P. I emailed ety for sample tips and also complained about the case. If they dun send me another case, i think just use the Westone one.

I got UM2, ER4P and ER6i <-------WTS. UM1 is my bro's. The rest of the cheaper in-ears, sell also no value.

Edit:
BTW, anyone interested in a brand new set of ER4P? I think i can get another one. Below SDG$300.
 
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Zephyron

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I just modified my E4G to use the Ultimate Ears SuperFi BiFlange tips! Apparently, for my ears, these 2 are MEANT to be together! Unlike CK7, the biflanges cause no loss of detail to my ears, and unlike all the default Shure tips, they're extremely comfortable, and transitions the bass, mids and highs to complement each other in a somewhat eargasmic proportion :D

Give me a few moments, gonna post up some pics!
 

brianadam888

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Zephyron said:
I just modified my E4G to use the Ultimate Ears SuperFi BiFlange tips! Apparently, for my ears, these 2 are MEANT to be together! Unlike CK7, the biflanges cause no loss of detail to my ears, and unlike all the default Shure tips, they're extremely comfortable, and transitions the bass, mids and highs to complement each other in a somewhat eargasmic proportion :D

Give me a few moments, gonna post up some pics!

Detailed review of E4G would be nice though :D
 

Zephyron

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I need to spend more time with them, Need to get adjusted to them for a week and then also try it out with the PINT amplifier this weekend to observe the sonic frequency changes. Besides, I'm not really a basshead either, and my opinions are equivalent to that of a non-basshead, so I might not describe things too well since the E4g's bass more than satisfies me by a loooong shot, so an early written review by me would be much irrelevant I guess :)

Well then, here I go:

OMG! Look! Is it an Ultimate Ear? Is it a Shure? No, its both! XD

Anyways, down to the main thing, the Shure E4g comes supplied with several tips/sleeves. These include the Shure Ultra Soft grey Flex Sleeve, the Clear Flex Sleeve, the Foam Sleeve and the TriFlange Tip.

I tried all their tips for the past 2 days I've owned them, but can't really said I've been very satisfied to have used most of them. The Ultra Soft Grey Flex sleeves passes along nicely, btu somehow to me, they do get warm after a while (I use the M sized one)

Here comes in the Ultimate Ear SuperFi universal fit series Biflange sleeve. As compared to the given default Shure tips, to my ears, they provide better isolation as compared to standard single flange sleeves, as well as Shure's Ultra Soft Grey Flex Sleeve and Clear Flex Sleeves (which are very uncomfortable BTW, they're very hard!), and even the modified Biflange sleeves (I do struggle to get them into my ear, and they're not the most comfortable tips for long time wearing because they also have certain fit problems after I got rid of the smallest flange to fit them in my ear.

Then, I was wondering if there were any alternatives to the foams as I found those to be the most isolating and comfortable, then it struck me when I saw my UE SuperFi Biflange sitting side-by-side to my Ultra Soft Grey Flex Sleeve. I looked at the narrow stalk of the Grey Flex Sleeve, and tried fitting the UE Biflange in... It went in beautifully, and I supposed by stretching it 'thicker' into the E4's nozzle tube would only serve to make things better... And lucky enough, I was right!

For those bored of reading, here comes the pics!

E4G_Mod_01.jpg

This is the very first step you'll have to do. Personally, i chose the largest Shure Ultra Soft grey Flex Sleeve since it has the longest fitting stalk.

E4G_Mod_02.jpg

The next step is not to actually fit the stalk directly to the nozzle of the Biflange, but rather onto the E4's fitting nozzle, otherwise fitting the little buggers onto the E4 will be hell!

E4G_Mod_03.jpg

And viola, this is the final result, the E4g that I'm currently wearing with its ear support (which actually serves to protect the E4 itself AND the cables that come with it).

With bass giving deep extensions and coming in right quantities, lush mids flowing liquid smooth coupled with somewhat lush vocal forwardness, crystal clear highs that do not sound sibilant, the 3 sound frequencies blending together in rainbow like harmony, great levels of detail (OMG! Piano keys are being pressed down!), a soundstage size that only comes a slight notch behind the UM2 and great levels of comfort... This chio bu gave me eargasms yeah!

Fll review to come in a weeks' time or slightly later.
 

afbug1

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Innovative but as of now, not many ppl have the UE biflange. :s22: Only you and a select few have them and of cause, the UE owners. :) BTW, i forgot to congrat you on your new purchase. I think you can sell your CK7. :s13:

ER4P = Stunning details even at low volumes.

To those who ordered the GS1K and E500, impressions from jude.

Link
 
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killingb

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hi guys, i juz got a pair of MDR E888. i found that the wires are badly deformed. Do you guys have this problem?
 

afbug1

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killingb said:
hi guys, i juz got a pair of MDR E888. i found that the wires are badly deformed. Do you guys have this problem?

What badly deformed? Its suppose to be straight, like normal earphone cable. I think you better exchange them if its 'badly deformed'.
 

Zephyron

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I'd love to hear the ER4P one day too, but gotta get my PINT built first. The U3 a bit CMI with the E4, synergy is not bad at most, soundstage feels compressed. Used my audio card's lineout and dO_Ob

Plug into home system also dO_Ob
 

afbug1

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What is dO_Ob? Yeah the E4 is a little hard to drive at times. SQ wise, the ER4P is very impressive for most music but still cannot cut it for rap. Surprisingly, it handle Gorillaz's music very well. Comfort wise, its the next best thing to hell.



BTW, anyone interested in a pair of brand new ER4P/S/B at US$150? Includes expedited shipping direct from Etymotic Research USA. But there are some other cost, overall, still cheaper than retailers. I know of a guy from headfi selling them. PM me if interested. Offer last till this Saturday.
 

Zephyron

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d b is cans, O_O is shock

dO_Ob is is shock listening to cans. But my home system is quite low end, and my audio card is a cheap Creative Sound Blaster external sound card... Can't wait for the PINT. That extra ER4 is tempting me but... mustn't... spend... more... x.X
 

RePlaY

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Suddenly so many people into IEMs lately.. If only I had so much info last time when I wanted to buy..

BTW afbug u got the supermacro already? I remember u mentioned b4 u wanna get it?

When are you going to organise a "Portable Media Player SIG Meetup"? Then we can all bring our gadgets down to have fun! :s22:
 
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brianadam888

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Zephyron said:
With bass giving deep extensions and coming in right quantities, lush mids flowing liquid smooth coupled with somewhat lush vocal forwardness, crystal clear highs that do not sound sibilant, the 3 sound frequencies blending together in rainbow like harmony, great levels of detail (OMG! Piano keys are being pressed down!), a soundstage size that only comes a slight notch behind the UM2 and great levels of comfort... This chio bu gave me eargasms yeah!

Wah lau! Describe until like dat make me gian siah ;)
 
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