i have got the pl50 but it seems kinda hard to remove the foam tip. Is there any special technique of doing so coz im afraid that i will damaged it during the process

try

RE0 , SP1 , Crossroad Quattro , Woody , Bijou #3/4 ^^

I 'd have to say, great observation. You actually have great ears for a non audiophile, to be able to discern so much (better then mine IMHO). I'd take it that I'm not really a wide soundstage kinda guy, as PL50's soundstage on my Silicone+Shure Foamies hybrid feels okay to me (the silicone on its own hates me. Can't get a proper seal even if my life depended on it. Havta experiment more later).

But, as long as I don't have my PR2 yet (said to have a good, JVC FX500 level soundstage) I can't really comment much about soundstage and such (not much to base my observations from).

It must be kept in mind though, IEMs have long been inferior in this respect (especially fully closed ones like the PL50) to earbuds, and normal headphones. It has always been more isolation = less soundstage --> less isolation (open design IEMs) = more soundstage; due to sacrifices that have to be made to make good SQ come out from such small things (at such paltry prices). IMHO, anyway.

So, next on the line, with better highs would prolly be the Head-Direct RE0 (RM300++ or the thereabouts - although it's available ONLY online) - little bass unamped, supposedly great highs. Most sub-RM300 IEMs I know of are of the bassy catagory - as I'm not really a treble person - so my knowledge of sub-RM300 IEMs with GREAT highs are quite limited.

Another source of IEMs with great clarity should be the Entymotics (am I even spelling them right), but I haven't done much research on these.

BUT, if my hunches serve me right, what you REALLY need is a good full sized headphone (for the wide soundstage). RM250 can net you some Audio Technica headies with great clarity, last I checked. But my knowledge regarding headies are darned limited - I DO plan to get one for home use later, maybe next year when I have enough resources.

ALSO, there's the thing about the sources (MP3 player) and the source files. Some sources sound brighter and some sound bassier; some have GREAT soundstaging and some put the sound right in your brains; some have great EQ ability, while some distort on everything but the defaults. I don't really have or have heard an iPod for an extended amount of time (except for the Touch) and my main portable source is my Nokia 5800 (warm, bass heavy, small-ish soundstage) so I can't comment much about that. Try searching Head-Fi with people with enough time to compare EVERYTHING audio related.

Its this synergy between the source AND the IEM is just as important IMHO (though there are those who would scoff at this idea - saying sources don't matter much) as just changing the IEMs.

Just something to keep in mind.

No special technique, BUT BE CAREFUL - if it's TOO tight you might have just gotten the previous batch (which has a known issue of foam tips being TOO tight to the point of breaking the earpieces)... Ask for a replacement if its FAR TOO tight...

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Oct 18 2009, 08:13 PM

Hmm, thanks for the advice. I dont like earbuds, never liked them just dangling off the outside of the ears like that. So it's either IEMs or full-sized headphones, which I dont mind except for its bulkiness.

I've heard people say the iPod classic has great sound quality. I've also heard people say the quality is only average. But it was the only sane option for me, I need at least 40 or 50 GB, and I think only the iPod classic offers this, aside from the iPod touch or the Walkman (A series I think), both of which cost a lot more.

I read about the RE0 a few days ago when I was at the head-fi forums. Sounds good, but it's only available at head-direct.com right? I did a search here and no one carries it I think. $99 + shipping costs = not sure I can afford it yet.

I also read about some IEM by Fisher Audio, model Eterna I think, which is $59 but I think it's not available here. There's this guy ClieOS (or something like that) who reviews lots and lots of earphones and he's from malaysia too! I think you mentioned him a few pages back. Maybe I'll go ask for recommendations over at head-fi.

Anyway thanks Moniquee and Eiraku.

P/S: did your PL50s come with a manual? Cos mine didnt, and I thought the new batch should include one. And jimmy, the foams are a bit hard to remove. Not too hard though. Try using a bit more force and peel it back.

So, try full size headphones for the movies? That should be the best option for that price range. As for the Eterna, it's actually quite bassy according to some people - and utter crap according to one Russian Head-Fier. He has no idea if the drivers have been changed or not though.

As for the Ipod capacity, the best next thing would prolly be an old style Zune, sadly NOT available here (unless through parallel importing).

As for the manual, the only thing I got in the box is the small piece of paper that is the Warranty sheet. That's all. Was searching myself for the graphics indicating how to wear the IEMs and for a manual, it turns out that it's on the back of the box...

And the recommendations on Head-Fi thing, that should bring even MORE suggestions! Good luck...

well since QuickFire needs a wider soundstage n all... i would recommend to get Audio Technica Headphone which satisfy all ur demands...

try some ATH headdies... keke

AT-CKS70 wons the Good Design Award 2009 in Japan

Good Design Award

Hey, I'd like some advice on some decent headphones for a mp3 player as I have absolutely no idea bout headphones. My budget's <RM100 (Poor student, eheh ^^') and the type of music I listen to is mostly rock and pop. Thanks!

Any of the SoundMagic IEMs (search for SoundMagic in garage/bulk) should serve you well for budgets below RM100, especially the Soundmagic PL21 (RM90) - good mix of bass and clarity.

For bass and more bass, try the PL11 (RM60) - at least clarity is still there. For more clarity, the PL30 (RM90).

For EVEN more bass, go search for the Creative EP630 boom cannons (all bass and more bass, very little treble - RM65?).

Oh, and my PR2s are here. 1st impression? Great bass, cold mids and slightly sibilant highs - everything the other guy said it would be. Relatively - next to the PL50s - they suck at anything with a lotta vocals.

Build quality is HORRENDOUS though, especially for an RM200+- IEM. It went *kaplooey* on me while I was trying to pull out a silicone tip. Had to do a quick epoxy surgery right there and then - thankfully the drivers didn't crap out.

Sample variance? It still sounds great though...

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Oct 20 2009, 06:34 PM

Lol.how could that happen?so pl50 still better?
And did u try to pair with E5?

This post has been edited by amon_meiz: Oct 20 2009, 07:41 PM

Thanks for the list~ But what about non IEMs?

How could that happen? Lets just say that the PR2 is a dangerous mixture of bad design decisions (ear stem too long, not enough places to hold to pull out very tight fitting tips due to factor no 1) and shoddy building materials (I mean, it split apart in my hands? What kinda glue are these guys using? UHU?).

To be fair, the early batch Crossroad Bijous suffered from much the same problem, but at least on those things the earpieces don't come undone due to simply changing tips.

So yes, in terms of build quality, the Soundmagic PL50s win by a mile - even if they ARE made using plastic. Heck, even the SP1s are better built, thin wire, limited strain relief and all.

EVEN THEN, I can't really say the same about SQ. Even to my noob-audiophile ears, it's clear that the PR2 is at least one level higher compared to the PL50s or the SP1. The soundstage is large, even on my "sempit" 5800. The bass is very tight - even cranked up using the E5, it doesn't feel like it loses much control of the extra bass. The details, even if they are a tad rough sounding, are abundant.

And, somehow, to my untrained ears, the bass boost on the E5 seems to add some presence and warmth to the vocals and mids presented by the PR2s as well. Plus the slight soundstage extension... wahla...

They're really fun plugs, that's for sure. Shame about the build quality problems, which means I can't really recommend them to anybody else while keeping my conscience clear.

As for me, I'm packing up the Quads back into their boxes, as me putting the PR2s into KEEPER status means that the Quads will have to go. You guys should see a [WTS] in Audio Equipment soon enough if Monique doesn't grab it first.

I'm not really that knowledgeable in terms of non-IEMs (heck, I'm not even that good in terms of IEMs either)... But for earbuds you can try the PK3 (there's a bulk going on, patience needed though), or the Xbrand 1/2. The Xbrands in particular seem great and they only cost you like what, 40 ringgits?

For clip-ons, there's always the cheap and cheerful Koss KSC75s...

For full sized headies, there should be others chiming in with suggestions.

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Oct 20 2009, 09:46 PM

Hi all.

Well I'm not sure should I quantitatively compare like this, but this is the one way I can get a picture of what I would finally get.

Say, I'm going to get a full-sized Circumaural headphones, of price range of <250. However, the bulkiness is a bit of an issue to me.

What I want to know is, will an IEM of similar price provide similar sound quality with a full-size?

I'm one who enjoy orchestra a lot, but many a times, i listen to bass heavy music, for instance, i like rihanna's 'please don't stop the music'.

So, any recommendation, and comments on my above questions?

Thanks a lot.

At the RM250 price range, I'd say no. It should take an IEM approximately 3 times that price to even come close to a proper Circumaural headies, blame the price of miniaturization.

It SHOULD, though IEMs at the RM200-300 bracket is developing very quickly nowadays - though we still have a long way to go before an RM250 IEM can BEAT a similarly priced full-sized headie, at the very least in terms of pure SQ and soundstaging.

So, full-sized level of clarity and bass in an IEM for RM250? Ugh... This is hard, most IEMs I can reccomend at this price range should have strengths and weaknesses, but the only one I can think of that fits the bill for you should be the Klipsch S4 - RM380 and ONLY available online or through US Amazon/Ebay buyer contractors here...

Also the Phillips SHE9800, available in bulk for about the same price.

But good overall SQ IEMs with little weaknesses are kinda hard to come by for RM250...

Anybody else with suggestions?

well..if its about soundstage,iem can hardly match a(proper) headphones.its just different.like comparing headphones to a speaker soundstage.

and if its bout bass,then we would have lots of iem to list out

-sp1
-quattro
-hippo boom(or maybe the newer one,what was it again? )

hi guys, i'm currently using soundmagic PL20, which i think is a great IEM for it's price. but now i'm thinking of upgrading. i'm not using any soundcard or headamps. what kind of earphones could u guys suggest for a strict budget of less than rm150? i'm the sort of person who listens to a lot of vocals and oldies, and i prefer clarity instead of bass. currently interested with Crossroad Mylarone SVi (RM70). is this ok? or do u guys have better suggestions? prefer earbuds, iem also ok, but not headphones though.. thanks in advance!!

*really interested in the HR2 actually, but way out of budget...

This post has been edited by danny_sp15: Oct 22 2009, 03:37 AM

how bout bijou 3?its about rm170.maybe u could stretch ur budget a bit.try bijou 3,less bass,but really detail and quite bright.

Third time i'm asking here,

What are the good choices for IEMs & Headphones for budget of RM100+/-

Currently considering Philips SHE9700 (IEM) and ATH-ON3 (HPH)

if u could go for rm190,go for pl-50.best bang for bucks.nice mids and vocal.
hippo boom for basshead,at rm170.or pl30 at rm80,can set for bass or clear.

headphones,go for beyer dt231.if can stretch a bit,go for audio technica m30