Some thoughts on the Ultimate Ears 350 earphones
- Thread starter wishihadtubes
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wishihadtubes
Active Member
jls001, theironhorse - thanks! Best part about having a blog is learning that people read it.
Coming up: My first review of headphones actually provided by a manufacturer.
Coming up: My first review of headphones actually provided by a manufacturer.
I rarely listen to headphones or IEMs but I am keen to buy something nice for not too much outlay (say, equivalent of $100, or thereabouts).
Can you/others please suggest something balanced and detailed? A well defined bass would be a bonus. I am looking more for bass quality than sheer quantity.
My current headphones are Sennheiser HD215 studio monitors and another Sennheiser (can't even remember the model number; it is consumer grade and not a pro model).
IEM is a Sennheiser MM50.
Sources are an ancient iPod (30 GB, 5th Gen iirc) and my Android phone (Samsung Note II stuffed with .wav files). And sometimes, but rarely, a laptop too.
I don't like any of the 'phones I have:indifferent14:
I have a spare CDP with decent headphone out too but it is cumbersome.
Can you/others please suggest something balanced and detailed? A well defined bass would be a bonus. I am looking more for bass quality than sheer quantity.
My current headphones are Sennheiser HD215 studio monitors and another Sennheiser (can't even remember the model number; it is consumer grade and not a pro model).
IEM is a Sennheiser MM50.
Sources are an ancient iPod (30 GB, 5th Gen iirc) and my Android phone (Samsung Note II stuffed with .wav files). And sometimes, but rarely, a laptop too.
I don't like any of the 'phones I have:indifferent14:
I have a spare CDP with decent headphone out too but it is cumbersome.
wishihadtubes
Active Member
Hi jls001,
The best earphones that $100 can buy is also my quest right now
May I direct your attention to this? Some of the recommendations on this list may seem weird but the person who wrote this piece, Lauren Dragan, knows a thing or two about ear/headphones - I have great respect for her opinions.
The Sennheiser MM50 sounds pretty decent for something in that price range but there is better stuff out there.
BTW, I think the Samsung Galaxy Note II has a Wolfson DAC but the stock player that comes on the Samsung phones is crap. You might like to download the paid version of Poweramp, which is probably the best player now for Android phones (my review here).
The best earphones that $100 can buy is also my quest right now
May I direct your attention to this? Some of the recommendations on this list may seem weird but the person who wrote this piece, Lauren Dragan, knows a thing or two about ear/headphones - I have great respect for her opinions.
The Sennheiser MM50 sounds pretty decent for something in that price range but there is better stuff out there.
BTW, I think the Samsung Galaxy Note II has a Wolfson DAC but the stock player that comes on the Samsung phones is crap. You might like to download the paid version of Poweramp, which is probably the best player now for Android phones (my review here).
Hi jls001,
The best earphones that $100 can buy is also my quest right now
May I direct your attention to this?
Thanks for the link to the Wirecutter list. Would you know where one can the Sony IEM?
Thanks in advance.
wishihadtubes
Active Member
Unfortunately, no one seems to be selling the Sony XBA-C10IP in India, either online or in brick and mortar stores. I haven't spotted it anywhere so far. Though it is available in several Asian countries and on Asian websites.
I have been searching for the recommended Sony IEM but what I come across are only the MDR series IEMs.
As an alternative, the Klpsch S4 is available for <6K. Street price ought to be much lesser from the right stores.
I did try the Poweramp but didn't find the sound interesting enough. I didn't know that there is a graphic equaliser buried somewhere in the menus. I never tried that.
As of last night, I installed Jetaudio basic on my phone. Suddenly it is like having a much better headphone. It also has a nice equaliser. I tried boosting the lowest octave, a dB boost in 1 and 3.2kHz bands, plus 2 dB boost in 9 and 13 kHz bands. It is sounding very nice. I ended up listening late into the night.
Another observation: I was converting a playlist from .wav files ripped from my CDs to LC-AAC to squeeze into a relative's phone. The idea was that AAC at given bt rate is superior to mp3 of the same bit rate. I chose 128 kbps assuming that it would be close to 192 kbps mp3 (just my assumption). On listening to the AAC converted tracks, I was surprised to hear that the bass sounds boosted on every track (as compared to the original .wav). So I ended up re-doing the whole exercise to mp3 @ 192 kbps. I find that it doesn't boost any part of the audio. I use MediaCoder. Anyone else with similar experience?
Moral of the story for me: I ended up stuffing my phone with uncompressed playlist. Takes up space but at least I don't hear the tendency to etchiness in the highs.
As an alternative, the Klpsch S4 is available for <6K. Street price ought to be much lesser from the right stores.
I did try the Poweramp but didn't find the sound interesting enough. I didn't know that there is a graphic equaliser buried somewhere in the menus. I never tried that.
As of last night, I installed Jetaudio basic on my phone. Suddenly it is like having a much better headphone. It also has a nice equaliser. I tried boosting the lowest octave, a dB boost in 1 and 3.2kHz bands, plus 2 dB boost in 9 and 13 kHz bands. It is sounding very nice. I ended up listening late into the night.
Another observation: I was converting a playlist from .wav files ripped from my CDs to LC-AAC to squeeze into a relative's phone. The idea was that AAC at given bt rate is superior to mp3 of the same bit rate. I chose 128 kbps assuming that it would be close to 192 kbps mp3 (just my assumption). On listening to the AAC converted tracks, I was surprised to hear that the bass sounds boosted on every track (as compared to the original .wav). So I ended up re-doing the whole exercise to mp3 @ 192 kbps. I find that it doesn't boost any part of the audio. I use MediaCoder. Anyone else with similar experience?
Moral of the story for me: I ended up stuffing my phone with uncompressed playlist. Takes up space but at least I don't hear the tendency to etchiness in the highs.
wishihadtubes
Active Member
Poweramp has something called Dynamic Volume Control buried deep within its audio control menus that is set to 'On' by default. Switching it off makes a dramatic difference to the sound. Wonder if you tried it?
As for lossless vs lossy music files on phones: For me, it's only MP3s at 320 kbps as lossless files are overkill. I convert all files from FLAC to MP3s using Foobar on the fly and they sound great, especially MP3s derived from high-res FLACs.
esanthosh
Well-Known Member
Hmmm.... That Wire Cutter list lost me here
If SQ is the sole concern, I'd refer to these instead: Earphone Buyers Guide by Sound Signature | The Headphone List
Philips Fidelio S2 is still tempting at 6200 JPY when forwarded through Tenso (add ~ 1500-2000 Yen for Tenso EMS). It dropped briefly below 6000 Yen one day, but seems to have settled in this region for now.
If SQ is the sole concern, I'd refer to these instead: Earphone Buyers Guide by Sound Signature | The Headphone List
Philips Fidelio S2 is still tempting at 6200 JPY when forwarded through Tenso (add ~ 1500-2000 Yen for Tenso EMS). It dropped briefly below 6000 Yen one day, but seems to have settled in this region for now.
I never dived deep enough to discover the dynamic volume settings. By then my 14 days of trial had expired
I agree .wav is overkill
but I get very irritated by the harsh treble I sometimes hear on compressed files.Another observation: MediaCoder could not convert any of the four AIFF files I tried converting to .wav. It just said "Error" and gave no output. Any pointers to a good freeware to convert AIFF to WAV? I have some really nice rock songs (Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, Alice Cooper, etc
) in AIFF and I want to listen to them sometimes without using iTunes, or importing them into iPod.Thanks for the pointer. This looks like quite a selection to choose from. I am (mostly) from the neutral camp, so the HFiMan RE-400 at $99 looks very interesting. And so are Philips Fidelio S1 at $95, Etymotic Research HF5 at $100. VSonic GR07 mkII is way above my mental budget.
Even the Shure SE215 looks quite interesting.
What I am looking for in an IEM are: should dig out the details; must have nice bass tone and texture - not necessarily more bass (I love small ensemble, acoustic trio and quartet jazz so the weight and texture of standing bass must come across as believable); good high freq extension; and comfortable fit, while costing 100-ish (since my headphone listening is too less to warrant spending more at this time - I am basically looking for a sonic upgrade over what I have now).
I will not use it for phone calls so mic and controls are not needed. If they happen to be there, I am OK, but they are not important. I am looking for sound quality ONLY.
Of the above I have short-listed, any idea which will one will best? Also, will the Klipsch S4 fit in my scheme of things? I am asking because I now know where I can buy it locally.
Thanks in advance.
esanthosh
Well-Known Member
If there's one thing I'd agree with Wire Cutter, it's on Klipsch S4. It had muddy bass with large quantity and huge impact, mids were thinner and there was sibilance. I disliked the short time I had it on loan.
I haven't heard them, but SE215 is said to be slightly bass heavy.
Hifiman RE400 is available at Hifinage in India. The last time I heard, it was in the process of getting dealership from Hifiman. But they do honor local warranty. It is slightly more mid-centric, a bit rolled off in sub-bass, smoother in treble and is generally a signature that I like.
From what I've read, Philips models have a better sound stage and more bass quantity. Read about them here. I am guessing S2 might fit your requirements. But isolation, slight difficulty with fit and lack of warranty (Wire Cutter says Philips do not support them any more. Even if they do buying from Amazon Japan means there's no local warranty) are factors you should seriously consider before buying. Both Philips models have mics though.
I haven't heard them, but SE215 is said to be slightly bass heavy.
Hifiman RE400 is available at Hifinage in India. The last time I heard, it was in the process of getting dealership from Hifiman. But they do honor local warranty. It is slightly more mid-centric, a bit rolled off in sub-bass, smoother in treble and is generally a signature that I like.
From what I've read, Philips models have a better sound stage and more bass quantity. Read about them here. I am guessing S2 might fit your requirements. But isolation, slight difficulty with fit and lack of warranty (Wire Cutter says Philips do not support them any more. Even if they do buying from Amazon Japan means there's no local warranty) are factors you should seriously consider before buying. Both Philips models have mics though.
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wishihadtubes
Active Member
In freeware, almost nothing beats foobar for converting between formats. Provided you install the required codecs, you can convert almost all formats.
Tell us more
I use foobar on laptop as well as music PC. I didn't even know that you can use it for format conversion!
wishihadtubes
Active Member
It's very simple: right click on any track within foobar and the option to convert comes up. Unlike other music players, foobar even allows you to have fixed presets for conversion (eg, one for converting FLAC to MP3, another for FLAC to .ape with detailed settings like where the converted tracks should be stored, whether album art should be retained, etc).
Straight out of the box, foobar doesn't have some codecs like .ape, which have to be installed.
Multiple tracks can be converted even as you play your music, provided your comp is up to speed.
I use foobar all the time to convert FLAC files to 320 kbps MP3s for use in my phone.
Foobar has a steep learning curve and isn't for everyone, but once you've figured it out, it's hard to beat.
Straight out of the box, foobar doesn't have some codecs like .ape, which have to be installed.
Multiple tracks can be converted even as you play your music, provided your comp is up to speed.
I use foobar all the time to convert FLAC files to 320 kbps MP3s for use in my phone.
Foobar has a steep learning curve and isn't for everyone, but once you've figured it out, it's hard to beat.
HifiMan RE-400 from Online Portable Music System Store in India - HiFiNage seems reasonably priced (~ Rs 6200).
Another interesting candidate is the Ultimate Ears UE 600 from here. About Rs 5200.
Any idea how the above two would compare?
The name VSonic GR 07 Mark II keeps popping up in practically every review of <$200 headphones. I guess it is the gold standard. Any idea if there is a brick and mortar shop or online store that sells it in India? I won't mind paying upto 25% premium on the international price of US$ 170.
Prices I have seen online:
1) Yamaha EPH-100 -- US$ 150 international price (~Rs 9300)/Rs 15000 at Amazon.in
2) HifiMan RE-400 -- US$ 99 international price (~ Rs 6200)/ Rs 6200 at hifinage.com/Rs 11493 at Amazon.in
3) Etymotic Research HF5 -- US$ 100 international price (~Rs 6200)/Rs 12352 at Amazon.in
4) Ultimate Ears UE 600 - Rs 5199 at The Audio Megastore
To reiterate my needs: should dig out the details; must have nice bass tone and texture; good high freq extension; comfortable fit, while costing 100-ish (stretchable if the 'phone in question warrants it)
At this point, the HifiMan RE-400 looks like a good choice but I am intrigued by the VSonic GR07/II. Or is Ultimate Ears UE 600 the dark horse?
Another interesting candidate is the Ultimate Ears UE 600 from here. About Rs 5200.
Any idea how the above two would compare?
The name VSonic GR 07 Mark II keeps popping up in practically every review of <$200 headphones. I guess it is the gold standard. Any idea if there is a brick and mortar shop or online store that sells it in India? I won't mind paying upto 25% premium on the international price of US$ 170.
Prices I have seen online:
1) Yamaha EPH-100 -- US$ 150 international price (~Rs 9300)/Rs 15000 at Amazon.in
2) HifiMan RE-400 -- US$ 99 international price (~ Rs 6200)/ Rs 6200 at hifinage.com/Rs 11493 at Amazon.in
3) Etymotic Research HF5 -- US$ 100 international price (~Rs 6200)/Rs 12352 at Amazon.in
4) Ultimate Ears UE 600 - Rs 5199 at The Audio Megastore
To reiterate my needs: should dig out the details; must have nice bass tone and texture; good high freq extension; comfortable fit, while costing 100-ish (stretchable if the 'phone in question warrants it)
At this point, the HifiMan RE-400 looks like a good choice but I am intrigued by the VSonic GR07/II. Or is Ultimate Ears UE 600 the dark horse?
esanthosh
Well-Known Member
Of the ones you have mentioned, I have heard the EPH100 and own the RE400 and HF2 (which is the same as HF5 with mic). I owned the VSonic GR07 MKI, but have never heard the MK2 or the BE.
I would leave out EPH-100 unless you are particular about bass. It is not a detailed IEM, rather a very smooth sounding IEM with good sound stage, separation, but a slightly uneven, yet far from hurting ears treble. It is a very nice IEM to fall in love with, but if you are after 'digging details', then it may not suit you.
GR07, much like most VSonics, has sibilance issue. Otherwise, I loved it's bass and comfort. The dynamics was not great, but it could go well with every genre. GR07BE (which despite it's name has less bass than bass-heavy sets) is said to have less sibilance and all the good characteristics of GR07. I would keep it as the best choice to cover all bases. You should try and get GR07 from LendMeUrEars, Singapore. They were selling it for $130 or so last time I checked. Being official dealers and all and them 'knowing' Indian customs, you should not have an issue getting them.
HF2 (or HF5 or HF3) is something you would be satisfied with for details from the mid range and up. They all require deeper insertion with tri-flanges to get that bass. While bass quality is good, quantity is not great. Of course, Etys do not know what sound stage is. Otherwise, they tick the details, high frequency extension thing. Comfortable fit? As long as you train yourself to push tri-flanges where no ear tip has gone before.
RE-400 is a good compromise as well. I'd put it right behind GR07. It has a slightly mid-centric sound, a smaller in-the-head sound stage, but with very good presentation. It lacks sub-bass a little bit and it's treble is a bit smooth (not much sparkle there), but has very good value for money considering the price it sells for. But, on Hifinage, once you add the taxes, price will be a little more than 6200.
I don't know anything about UE-600.
I'd think that Philips Fidelio S2 could be a contender. From what Joker says, it is more of a GR07 than RE-400. The only thing I am not sure is if it is a bit cold sounding as Joker mentioned in a recent comparison, it is not 'exciting'. Otherwise, it ticks all the right boxes as far as sound goes.
I would leave out EPH-100 unless you are particular about bass. It is not a detailed IEM, rather a very smooth sounding IEM with good sound stage, separation, but a slightly uneven, yet far from hurting ears treble. It is a very nice IEM to fall in love with, but if you are after 'digging details', then it may not suit you.
GR07, much like most VSonics, has sibilance issue. Otherwise, I loved it's bass and comfort. The dynamics was not great, but it could go well with every genre. GR07BE (which despite it's name has less bass than bass-heavy sets) is said to have less sibilance and all the good characteristics of GR07. I would keep it as the best choice to cover all bases. You should try and get GR07 from LendMeUrEars, Singapore. They were selling it for $130 or so last time I checked. Being official dealers and all and them 'knowing' Indian customs, you should not have an issue getting them.
HF2 (or HF5 or HF3) is something you would be satisfied with for details from the mid range and up. They all require deeper insertion with tri-flanges to get that bass. While bass quality is good, quantity is not great. Of course, Etys do not know what sound stage is. Otherwise, they tick the details, high frequency extension thing. Comfortable fit? As long as you train yourself to push tri-flanges where no ear tip has gone before.
RE-400 is a good compromise as well. I'd put it right behind GR07. It has a slightly mid-centric sound, a smaller in-the-head sound stage, but with very good presentation. It lacks sub-bass a little bit and it's treble is a bit smooth (not much sparkle there), but has very good value for money considering the price it sells for. But, on Hifinage, once you add the taxes, price will be a little more than 6200.
I don't know anything about UE-600.
I'd think that Philips Fidelio S2 could be a contender. From what Joker says, it is more of a GR07 than RE-400. The only thing I am not sure is if it is a bit cold sounding as Joker mentioned in a recent comparison, it is not 'exciting'. Otherwise, it ticks all the right boxes as far as sound goes.
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@esanthosh: thanks for the wonderful feedback.
lendmeurears currently sells only the BE version of the GR07/II. No regular GR07/II. Can't find it anywhere, either. This is strange, considering that it seems to be a very highly respected earphone in its price range.
The Fidelio S2 is available from HK sellers.
I contacted hifinage. The RE 400 is 7200 with taxes and shipping. Good price, BTW. But I was hoping to snag a regular GR07/II after reading the glowing reviews it has garnered. My thought was if I need a bit more bass, I can always boost it the EQ, instead of opting for the BE version. As per Inner Fidelity's measurements, BE has 5-6 dB of bass boost.
I think I will wait a bit to see if I can come across the GR07/II. Or re-consider the Fidelio S2.
lendmeurears currently sells only the BE version of the GR07/II. No regular GR07/II. Can't find it anywhere, either. This is strange, considering that it seems to be a very highly respected earphone in its price range.
The Fidelio S2 is available from HK sellers.
I contacted hifinage. The RE 400 is 7200 with taxes and shipping. Good price, BTW. But I was hoping to snag a regular GR07/II after reading the glowing reviews it has garnered. My thought was if I need a bit more bass, I can always boost it the EQ, instead of opting for the BE version. As per Inner Fidelity's measurements, BE has 5-6 dB of bass boost.
I think I will wait a bit to see if I can come across the GR07/II. Or re-consider the Fidelio S2.
esanthosh
Well-Known Member
@jls001,
You should also checkout VSonic VC1000. I doubt it will have the bass or sound stage you need, but I guess it should do well with mids and highs. There are comparisons against RE-400, Fidelio S1 and ER4S to help you with.
VSonic VC1000 Review | The Headphone List
You should also checkout VSonic VC1000. I doubt it will have the bass or sound stage you need, but I guess it should do well with mids and highs. There are comparisons against RE-400, Fidelio S1 and ER4S to help you with.
VSonic VC1000 Review | The Headphone List
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