Headphone/Earphone Reviews

[Finlandia]

Vivanco Aircoustic Black Walnut wooden IEM's added

[Finlandia]

Head Direct RE1 added

[Finlandia]

SoundMAGIC EH10 added

[Finlandia]

Thanks.

In Living Stereo and Park Avenue Audio are two places that spring to mind, not sure how much they have in stock now, but a few years ago they carried a very complete line up of high end audio earphones.

[Finlandia]

Jays a-Jays added

[Finlandia]

Hippo Shroom EB added

[Finlandia]

Westone UM2 and UM-3X added

[Finlandia]

Sorry for a late reply, I'm on holiday

The cable is very light and unobtrusive, that is the main reason why I like it so much, also it does not suffer from microphonic noises. I like the 90 degree jack, although you may be right in the fit problems on recessed earphone plugs.
The cable length shouldn't matter, just cut it to your desired length and solder a new jack on and hey presto.

Anyway, enjoy your UM3X, they are excellent.

[Finlandia]

Haven't tried the Klipsch X1, AKA Klipsch S2, but the Klipsch S4 can be found on my list

Glad you have found earphones to your liking, the sound quality/price ratio is so much better today than it was a year ago.

[Finlandia]

Thanks

Out of the ones I have tested, or more rightly the mic'd version of the ones I have tested, the Meelectronics M9P, Klipsch S4i, Zagg Z.buds, Hippo Shroom-i and Jays a-Jays Four Iphone are all very good Iphone headsets.
Shroom-i is more neutral/detailed and the others are bassy. Best bang for buck is offered by the Meelectronics M9P.

If you don't need a headset, then I can recommend the Fischer Audio Eterna or Hippo VB for powerful and clean sound, or Hippo Shroom EB for more detailed sound that still sounds powerful, but not quite as much kick as the VB and Eterna.
Or again Meelectronics M9 or M6 for "best sound for your pound".

The wooden Vivancos look very nice indeed, and sound lovely as well, but won't take as much abuse as a metal or plastic casing, for obvious reasons.

[Finlandia]

Glad to be able to help

[Finlandia]

tcant said:

Finlandia

Thanks for providing very useful reviews. I was wondering whether you can give me some advice?

I am currently using Shure Se110's and listen to most of my music on my ipod or my iphone. Problem is I can't get on with the cable going over my ears and no matter what bud I use I can't get a good fit. I want to replace the Shures and I am looking for a heavier bass and clear vocals. I want to pay £100-£150 for a new pair. I tend to listen to irish/punk/rock if that makes a difference.

What would you recommend?

Thanks

Thanks

Well, more bass than the SE110's is easy, nearly all IEM's are capable of that, it's a bit trickier to find much clearer mids/highs but still far from impossible, those added with the option to run the cable straight down and the price bracket of £100-150 makes it somewhat hard.

Out of the ones I have reviewed here, Hippo VB and Shroom EB would fit the requirements, but they are a bit off budget, in a good way though as they are quite a lot cheaper.

I have heard plenty of good things about Head Direct RE0 an RE252 as well, they are ultra clear and very detailed, while neither of them are bass-monsters they do have more of it than the SE110's. I have not personally heard them though, so can't really say. But I have heard the lower end RE1, and it does wipe the floor with the SE110, but really needs an amp to shine.

If you could imagine to have the cable over the ear, the Westone UM2 is very, very good and just slightly over your budget.

Edited by Finlandia on Wednesday 4th August 12:00

[Finlandia]

Govibe Single and Hippo Box portable amps added

[Finlandia]

CR0X said:

Finlandia said:

Govibe Single and Hippo Box portable amps added

Thanks! I know they aren't quite Fischer amp type but could they be used for a live band setup? Needing 6 makes the Fischers quite expensive!

I'm guessing you use a cordless system, with a sender hooked up to the mixing table and a receiver and amp to boost the signal on each member, or something along those lines?

Shouldn't be a problem to use them in a system like that, but the Hippo Box hasn't got a volume control of its own, so needs adjustable in-line signal (this can probably be done from the mixing table), Govibe on the other hand has a bit of a weak gain, so it may not be ideal.
Hippo Box would get my vote.

Or have a look at the amp above them, the Fiio E5, at the price asked you can experiment with the E5 and if it's not good enough, it was still only three pints worth of cash. Fiio also have other models, E7 a USB DAC and portable amp in one, haven't tested it myself but it's getting quite good reviews.

[Finlandia]

Shure SE535 added

[Finlandia]

Kiitoksia, thanks guys

Sorry, I haven't heard the B&W, but they look interesting.

[Finlandia]

NDA said:

Finlandia said:

Kiitoksia, thanks guys

Sorry, I haven't heard the B&W, but they look interesting.

They are nice.... I suffer from tinnitus these days, so my hearing is not ideal unfortunately. However they sounded very good to me, very rich and detailed.

I'll see if I can review them.

[Finlandia]

Replacing a cx400, I would advice you to look for a bassy, or at least a warm/neutral IEM, or else the lack-off-bass-shock will be too severe

Etymotic can be taken off the list at once, they are the most detailed IEM's on the market, some would even say they are anemic or very bright. They are great, no doubt, but they're just not what you're looking for.

Klipsch S4 is a warm IEM with a nice detailed mid/high and musical presentation. I haven't heard the X5, but they are supposed to be quite warm, Denon has slipped by me as well, but they are very bassy and powerful, as I've understood. Haven't heard the Shure SE115's either, but from what I've heard from those who have, they are quite alright even if there are better ones for the asking price.

If you are considering the Klipsch X5 around £140-150 give or take a little, I recommend you to have a look at the Westone UM2 for a tad more, they are excellent!

At a cheaper price tag, Hippo VB is a great all-rounder, Zagg Z.buds can be used as a headset for the iphone and they sound very good as well, Klipsch S4 can be had as a headset and they are very good too. A-Jays can be worth a look, also has a headset variant coming out soon.

[Finlandia]

raf_gti said:

I've read several online reviews of both the S4 and the UM2, comments I've seen about the S4 state that they "don't respond well to LQ files" and on the UM2 I've read they have quite a "claustrophobic soundstage", would you agree with those comments or are they simply splitting hairs on what are, most likley excellent 'phones?

It's such a shame that it's impossible to audition IEMs, it's a lot of money to spend to find you don't like the fit or the sound!

With higher end IEM's the general rule of thumb is, feed them right and they deliver, or less tactfully put, st in st out. This does not mean that low quality files sound horrendous, but the high end stuff reveals more flaws than low end stuff.
Personally I use MP3's at 192kbit/s CBR or >160 VBR as the lowest quality, most of my files are in ~224 VBR or 320 CBR quality and they sound very, very good with high end gear.

As for the UM2 having a small soundstage, not really. Some audiophiles may find the soundstage a bit small, but a normal user wouldn't. Soundstage and IEM's don't really match anyway, a full sized headphone will have a much larger soundstage than any IEM.

If you are thinking of getting the UM2, do it! They really are superb!

Agreed on the auditioning of IEM's, it's a real shame, but there is one place where you can audition most IEM's on the market, Jaben in Singapore, a bit far to travel though.

[Finlandia]

You better not have a look at Jerry Harvey's JH 16 PRO then, $1149

The UM2's are brilliant, and at £165 they are very much worth the money.