what headphones do you own thread - i own dt150's :)

Praetorian said:
To added to my Future Sonic's which I use for mobile use (as already stated in this thread (absolutely love them and can't recommend more!)), I've also now got:

Sony MDRXB700 for home use when I'm doing late night gaming/music - seriously these things really do punch hard even though I thought they were a gimmick; and
TECHNICS RP-DH1200 for when I actually decide to do DJing/mixing - loved them cause my colleagues Sony's kept breaking and these things really excel in the power department .. 5 minutes with these on near full volume and you've got ringing ears!

At some point I'm going to replace my Future Sonic Atrios M5 with the newer version with custom moulds .. just need to find an audiologist :(
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Come down to London and go to Harley Street Hearing or whatever it's called. They do famous musicians and that kind of thing, so should get the right kind of impressions for IEMs, less chance of fit issues etc.

Also sod the Atrio's save up and get the MG6 Pros they do. By all accounts they are reference quality and rated very on Head-Fi by the few who own them. Also every time they come out with a new version... you only have to pay a smallish fee for them to give you the upgrade, rather than paying for a whole new set. It's what I'll be doing come Christmas...
 
Just listening to my newly acquired Ultrasone HFI-2200s. Unfortunately after about 5 minutes of putting them on my head the first time, the right channel died. It transpired that one of the copper strands from the voice coil wasn't soldered to the PCB on the rear of the transducer properly. After finding that a replacement transducer would cost £47, I decided I could fix them after all.

They're quite comfy, similar to HD 650s. Very bassy and laid back. Great for late night listening with no harsh treble at all. They are quite like a cross between HD 650s and Denon D2000s, with fuller, 'warmer' bass than the D2000s. Not quite so punchy as the D2000s. I could really get to like these given some time with them.
 
Shamrock said:
So you are going for the MG6Pro? I'm still considering the UM Merlin/Miracle whilst wishing I could afford a JH16.
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Yes.

Reviews on the Merlins aren't great. The Miracles are better but I've heard the demos and wasn't blown away.

JH's are slightly over-rated. The 16's are meant for bassists/drummers (these are stage monitors, after all) and as such are heavily coloured, the 13's are more balanced but it's still a 'hot' sound. Several people at the Head-Fi meet I went to preferred the 13's to the 16's.

Also, they're balanced armature phones at the end of the day, the FutureSonics are dynamics. No matter what the spiel is, BA drivers can't move air like dynamics can to give you that bass impact/feel, and this whole Gillette thing about having ever more drivers is getting ridiculous; the Ultimate Ears Reference Monitor is getting great reviews and that's just a triple driver. More drivers = more crossovers = harder work to make it all work cohesively. Dynamics are easier to repair and cheaper to produce and easier to pair with different sources (the JH16 in particular is v. sensitive and on some players gives a very limited amount of play with the volume). You buy a JH16 then they come out with JH18s or something and you have to pay another grand for them etc etc.

The MG6 Pros have an adjustable vent which can vary the sub-bass response to your liking, use their own drivers (JH use Knowles etc like many other companies). They're cheaper than a lot of BA customs, for the reasons listed above.

I'm sure the 13's and 16's are great (as they should be for the price), but as has been seen on Head-Fi, some of the best universal fit IEMs have been dynamics like the Sony EX1000s, and FS are one of the only companies offering custom dynamics.

Kunlun on Head-Fi thought they were considerably more natural, realistic and basically better than the JH16 demo units he tried. It's also worth looking at people comparing things like the Westone ES5s and Average_Joe's custom comparison thread to see that the 16s aren't the be-all and end-all.

I'm going with FS based on:
Glowing reviews
Price
Cheap upgrade path in future
Dynamics > BAs in my opinion.
 
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Somnambulist, have you had a look at the 1964 ears quads?

I have a pair and they are excellent, they are also working on a 6 driver set for next year.

Excellent vfm and they also do the upgrades for you
 
You have to remember when reading reviews, everyone has their own sonic preference. I try to ignore their personal opinions in a review and focus on the description of the sound sig. After reading many of Kunlun's posts I don't really trust him. He seems to have some ulterior motive and I reckon he's in bed with Futuresonics.:p

I'm not really seeking a neutral response and would prefer something with more bass like the Merlin or JH16. I haven't seen any overly negative reviews of the merlin except from one guy who sold it.

My concern with the vented DD customs like MG6Pro/Merlin is the isolation as my ACS T1 is definitely awesome at isolating.
 
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Another Senn HD25-ii owner here.. use them for 99% of listening.

Also got a pair of Sony Fontopia MDR-ED21LP for things like sport, theyre the only in ear jobbies that stay in my ears.
 
Etymotic ER-6i
UE Super.fi 5 Pro
UE Super.fi 5vi
Panasonic HJE900
Sennheiser HD650

[If you're looking for in-ears, the Panasonics are highly recommended. You can get them for about £70 now from a certain website, and they sound fantastic if a little U-shaped, i.e. lots of bass and top, slightly recessed mids.]
 
sHo0sH said:
Somnambulist, have you had a look at the 1964 ears quads?

I have a pair and they are excellent, they are also working on a 6 driver set for next year.

Excellent vfm and they also do the upgrades for you
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1964's have rolled off highs (part of their 'house sound'), and the Quads are going to be usurped soon with the V6s. I'm sure everyone will say they sound better. Will you fancy upgrading? ;)

Shamrock said:
You have to remember when reading reviews, everyone has their own sonic preference. I try to ignore their personal opinions in a review and focus on the description of the sound sig. After reading many of Kunlun's posts I don't really trust him. He seems to have some ulterior motive and I reckon he's in bed with Futuresonics.:p

I'm not really seeking a neutral response and would prefer something with more bass like the Merlin or JH16. I haven't seen any overly negative reviews of the merlin except from one guy who sold it.

My concern with the vented DD customs like MG6Pro/Merlin is the isolation as my ACS T1 is definitely awesome at isolating.
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And you think all the ones reviewing their JH don't? :p Look at the JH3A debacle thread, there's some real reality distortion in full effect right there, even when the company is treating their customers appallingly. The thing is, HF is predominantly American, and so JHA being an American company that aggressively targets Head-Fi members means you get more people using them. The problem with customs reviews is 90% of the time, these people are going from entry/mid level universals to customs because HF has this culture of YOU MUST GO CUSTOM ASAP!!!1 and have never owned another pair, so they go all hyperbole about how they're the best thing ever without having something to compare them to.

Only a handful of people on HF own multiple customs. I'm more inclined to listen to those people like Average_Joe, Kunlun, ClieOS etc because they've heard more than one pair than first time owners who're gushing. As expected, these people (even if you want to exclude Kunlun) aren't falling over JHA, merely they think they make good customs with a certain sound signature. I really would hope anyone buying customs has listened to enough different IEMs to have a good idea of the kind of sound sig they prefer. I've heard UEs, Westones, Senns, Earsonics, Fischer Audio, Sonys, a load of Chinese ones... I feel like I know roughly what I want.

I met cn_11 at the UK meet and we had similar taste when it comes to how we hear things. If you go further through Kunlun's review thread, he got a pair and is extremely happy with them. As you'll read from his impressions, the bass is more than satisfactory.

What you have to remember with IEMs is even with 'neutral' sounding ones, they should have a curve on the bass; they're not speakers and can't move as much air at the same volume levels, so you have to adjust the bass to make them feel similar to a loudspeaker response. I love bass, but am not a fan of mid-bass humps (the JH's for instance have an objective bump at around 60hz as part of their 'exciting' sound), I'd rather have deep extended bass with a fairly smooth upward curve so that's it's still impactful and enjoyable, but natural in the sense that it doesn't taint non-basshead songs with it's presence. Many JH16 owners will admit that the enhanced low end sometimes gets in the way of non-bassy music because they are, after all, monitors for bassists and drummers, where as the 13's are more for vocalists etc. I want something 'natural' because ideally I want to hear things as they were supposed to be heard. If you've ever heard crazy good (and usually £££) speakers, you'll know that they can be eerily life like in that you can close your eyes and listen to some vocals and it feels like that person is singing in your room. With IEMs you obviously have to settle for 'singing in your head' but it's the same sort of principle.

Re: isolation. From what I can work out, the MG6 Pro with the vent closed isolates as well as any other acrylic-type custom (i.e. not silicone customs like the ACS T1s, which offer the most amount), with the vent completely open, it's mainly strong wind noise that becomes more audible, but they never isolate worse than a good pair of universals tips. Of course there are a couple of other vent hole plugs that offer an amount in between. I like this concept because it means you can adjust bass response without resorting to EQ, which usually messes with the rest of the frequency spectrum somewhat, although things like the bass boost on the HeadStage Arrow amp are good fun.
 
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Well, I think I've definitely listened to enough high-end IEMs (I still own 6 which I'm considering selling), but unlike a universal which you can sell easily with minimal loss, a wrong choice in custom IEM is gonna cost you! So all you have to go on are subjective reviews and possibly a poor fitting demo model.

I'm a basshead and favour that sound signature in my IEMs and headphones, so you can appreciate why the Merlin appeals to me. It seems there are a similar number of negative reviews as there are positive reviews for the Merlin which indicates to me it's a matter of taste. I'm slightly suspicious of a product that receives no negative reviews or overly glowing ones. That said, so few people own the MG6Pro relative to the likes of offerings from Westone, JH and UM. If I were to get the MG6Pro I'd definitely be using it at the medium or largest vent size!

I'm not sure I'd say a bump at 60Hz is mid-bass though, I consider anything below ~80Hz to be sub-bass.

I could wait for you to get your MG6Pro, but I'm keen to take advantage of what appears to be a sale on UM models.
 
Only the best for me, so I have Sennheiser HD205.

I know you guys are going to say that they are completely overkill for all types of usage and that only seasoned pro's should be using them, but im proper boss.
 
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Shamrock said:
Well, I think I've definitely listened to enough high-end IEMs (I still own 6 which I'm considering selling), but unlike a universal which you can sell easily with minimal loss, a wrong choice in custom IEM is gonna cost you! So all you have to go on are subjective reviews and possibly a poor fitting demo model.

I'm a basshead and favour that sound signature in my IEMs and headphones, so you can appreciate why the Merlin appeals to me. It seems there are a similar number of negative reviews as there are positive reviews for the Merlin which indicates to me it's a matter of taste. I'm slightly suspicious of a product that receives no negative reviews or overly glowing ones. That said, so few people own the MG6Pro relative to the likes of offerings from Westone, JH and UM. If I were to get the MG6Pro I'd definitely be using it at the medium or largest vent size!

I'm not sure I'd say a bump at 60Hz is mid-bass though, I consider anything below ~80Hz to be sub-bass.

I could wait for you to get your MG6Pro, but I'm keen to take advantage of what appears to be a sale on UM models.
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Fair enough. UE used to be plugged to death on HF, specifically the UE10s and then 11's because they were really some of the first customs people went out and bought. Nobody even talks about them now. For the past couple of years it's been all about JHA because that's what's 'in'. Westone get a few votes too but they seem to be aimed at the 'refined' crowd a bit more. You get these 15 year olds coming on HF and within 10 posts they're all 'omg I'm gunna save up $1100 and get some JH16s!' It's depressing. Then you have all these random brands nobody has ever heard of which people write super reviews from, everyone goes and and buys and then because they're tiny operations, they can't cope with the demand and end up not delivering on orders or making mistakes repeatedly due to trying to cash in on HF word of mouth before they'd prepared their business adequately (see http://www.head-fi.org/t/429275/are-high-end-custom-iems-overrated acute observations on the cult of Head-Fi, lol).


I think from what I've read of the Merlins, it's a case of an obvious crossover between the dynamic bass driver and the BA mids and highs, and the overall sound sig being tailored a little too much towards the 'fun' side of things. I thought about the Merlins too, but as said, I want something that can give me the low bass when it's required, but isn't going to intrude upon more gentle music. It's one of those things that might be fun initially, but as you live with them for a while you start wanting things to sound as they should. Also from a technical standpoint, a single dynamic full range driver in theory should be easier to make sound great than multiple BAs.

The Miracle demo had plenty of bass, I felt the highs were slightly exaggerated and may end up being fatiguing but the mids were lovely. The low end needed amping to become powerful enough for me (I listen to most genres including very bassy ones like dubstep) and the rep from AmpCity made a point of saying the Miracles were more natural than the JH13s as they had no 60hz bump. Okay it might not be midbass, but it's still at a frequency point where I feel it's more 'bass that's heard' rather than 'bass that's felt' with IEMs, which is why I think so many BA IEMs have the bump around there as they lack the physical ability to make you really feel an 30hz tone or something.

Also as said, the upgrade path. I know at least if FS are going to introduce newer, more advanced dynamic drivers in years to come, I can upgrade to them at a small cost. Every other brand will charge you full price, or perhaps a small pre-order discount for their new models, and as you say, you can't make much money back off your old customs because the resale value is terrible. Hence I feel with FS although they're slightly 'unknown', at least I'm not going to ever feel left out when it comes to new stuff and won't pay through the nose to get it. Also if Les Paul thought they were amazing, then I'd feel pretty confident about getting a pair!
 
I used to own the FS Atrio which I thought was pretty awesome and had great bass that extended down to 18Hz (according to FS). The main problem for me was it had fit and comfort issues that made it a hassle to use. I can definitely see the appeal of the MG6Pro as it is meant to improve on the Atrio in all ways and being a custom, there should be no fit issues.

The thing is my ACS T1 does the natural sound very well and provides bass when required but I still think DD bass is superior to BA bass. So that leaves only the Merlin and MG6Pro. What attracts me to the Merlin is specifically because it is geared towards a fun signature. I don't really listen critically while out and about, I just want to rock out whilst isolating myself from the sounds of the daily commute. Also the price of the Merlin is currently £575 whereas I can only see the MG6Pro for £726.

If only I could afford both...
 
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http://www.headfonia.com/japanese-flagship-sony-mdr-ex1000/
Just throwing that in there, see his comparison of these universals to the JH16s. ;)

I take it you're looking at HandHeldAudio for those prices. I'd just buy straight from FS. They're $900 which is about £560, so quite similar to the Merlins, although you have to include the cost of impressions etc, but that applies to both. I know the place in London is about £60. You can get impressions done for less elsewhere, but it's one of those things where you really want the people doing them to a) do the properly b) take impressions for correct way for custom IEMs, as opposed to hearing aids/plugs for sleeping etc.
 
The JH16 will never be in my budget so really its just the Merlin and MG6Pro.

About the impressions, I got the ones for my T1 done at a Boots Hearing centre and they seemed to get it right, but I definitely think you have a point about getting them done at a place for IEMs rather than hearing aids.
 
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