Hand phone and laptop is having different build in dac/sound card & build in headphone amp. It's very normal to have different sound quality and sound signature. It's just like you will hear different sound on Fiio X3 and Ibasso DX50 even using the same headphone.
Besides that, different software for music playing will also affect the sound.


Superlux HD381 series is quite decent around this price range
The details is quite good and clean.

This post has been edited by liquidgal: May 24 2014, 12:33 AM

Can try Beyerdynamic custom one pro. Now is having 30% promotion. You can adjust the bass level on the headphone.
I would recommend DAC comes first. Amp is to decorate the timbre and amplify the sound signal. Certain big cans that is with high impedance or low sensitivity is amp hunger. custom one pro is quite easy to drive.

But adding an amp doesn't mean will improve the sound quality. Laptop and hp build in dac/sound card is not up to audio level. So adding an amp will only amplify the low quality sound signal. If you begin with a good source, you can be more flexible adjusting the sound afterwards by adding in amp or other accessories.

Fiio E6 is around RM100+. It's a pure amp, not DAC.
You can also try UD110 V2 around that price range. Tested it yesterday. Mid and treble is quite clean and outstanding compare to onboard sound card/hp build in dac. Bass is a bit muddy but it's quite acceptable and worth the price.


PM you, please kindly check.

Within this price range, can try Vsonic VSD1/1S. Balance sound and suitable for all genre. Tested X2, heavy bass, slightly muddy in details.
Depending on what you are looking for. Probably you can audition around first.

To me, Custom one pro is overall one step higher on SQ than M50x. But this also depends on your personal preference on sound signature and the set up you have.
Custom one pro is quite dark sound, as in focus more on the bass part and with dark treble like HD650.
But it's not a rich sound headphone like Sennheiser. A little slim and empty on the mid.
Tested it on Ibasso DX90, personally think that they are not really a good combination. The sound is not very solid since DX90 is soft, clean and refined kind of sound. Tested it with Fiio X3, sound quite pleasant. X3 is slightly warmer and richer, helps to improve the solidness and thickness especially in mid and bass. Treble will be further improve if you pair it with DAC/amp/cable with brighter treble.

* to add on: tried custom one pro on dx90 + shonyun 306a. Sounds much pleasant, music body is still soft and refined. So i believe it's more on the build in amp problem. It's easy to drive loud, not so easy to drive well. with amp and without amp, the difference is quite big. No doubt it's a really good headphone with high potential.

Can also consider Noontec Zoro wireless.

This post has been edited by liquidgal: May 26 2014, 01:18 AM

K612 pro is a very good headphone and even comparable to K701 that is price more than double. But it needs a good amp. Amount of bass is slightly less compare to sennheiser and beyerdynamic.
If you were considering AKG, can also give a look at AKG K240. consider dark sound in AKG, needs amp to excel also. Not necessary an external amp, but at least a more decent build in amp.

CAL2 is quite balance sound, slightly lower range but easier to drive. Not really for bass head, but the bass amount should be adequete for EDM and bassy music.
But since you have higher budget, you can actually consider Denon D400. It's a very suitable for the type of music genre that you like.

I tried Bose Quiet Comfort 3 before. It is quite bass boomy and slightly muddy in details, the sound is not very hifi. Probably bass head can consider it.
For slow and acoustic or R&B, Bose might not for you.

For AKG K550 wise, it could be a little bright and lesser bass depending on your set up. Do you have any DAC/amp or audio interface? or directly plug in to computer?
If you do not have dac/amp, probably can allocate some of your budget for it then the rest for headphone.

You can consider Beyerdynamic custom one pro which is on 30% promotion now. It's a dark sound headphone and need at least a decent build in amp to drive it well. It got the potential to be dig out the details. If not drive well, the mid will be a little empty and sound is not solid.
If you don't mind desktop unit and do not have any dac/amp, can try pairing with Aune T1. With stock tube, mid is still a little backward and empty. Changing to certain vintage tube, the mid will be no longer empty and music body is much stronger.

Actually it's depends on whether you still want to keep your La Figaro 339 as the headphone amp. If yes, then I would recommend you to go for Hifiman HE-560 instead of HD800. If the Sennheiser sound that you like is referring to HD600 and HD650, HD800 might not be your cup of tea. Though HD800 is still German sound, steady and accurate but it's not rich, dark and lush, not as warm as HD600/650. The presentation of midrange and bass is quite different for HD800 and the 6X0 series. HD800 is more refined, faster, colder and cleaner.
HD800 is a very good headphone. I have tested it on 339 but it doesn't match very well. A lot of headfi-ers will replace HD650 with Audeze LCD2 as an upgrade. I also tested with 339 but it still deserve a better performance. Probably if you change the power tube to Tung-sol 5998, the driving power will be much stronger. 339 still has a lot potential to be discovered and it needs very long time to burn in. Stock tube (shuguang tube) is quite normal, changing of tubes will defnitely show great improvement.

You can read out the reviews from headfonia. It does reviewed the combination of several flagship headphones with 339.
http://www.headfonia.com/lafigaro-339-my-fav-otl-amp/
The reviewer gave a high rating for the combination of 339+ HE500. So you might want to give HE560 a try.

This is a review from headfonia regarding HE560. This is only the review on a sample headphone not the final version. You can take it as a reference.
http://www.headfonia.com/hifiman-he-560-un...rst-impression/

I will be getting AudioGD master 9 on next week and Hifiman HE560, Audeze LCD-X around mid of the month. You can come over to audition if you want.

If you are going for HD800 or Audeze LCD2, you can try out more amps first.

yes, some HE560 sample units with the reviewers are having build quality issue. Headfonia reviewer did mention about this as well.
This is why Hifiman is revising and fixing these problems on the final version. In terms of sound quality, it receives very positive feedback no matter in China or foreign countries. I auditioned it before and very satisfied with the sound signature and performance, price is also reasonable.

So, I believe it is definitely worth looking forward to. Just like Fiio X3 and Ibasso DX50, when they are just being released, the firmware has some bugs, functions is not very complete. But the sound quality is good so people are willing to give it a chance to release better firmware to fix the problem. And even first batch of Audeze that being released long long time ago, has build quality issue for the wooden ear cup. Of course I'm not saying this as an excuse for the manufacturer to not look into these issues. In fact, users should feedback to manufacturer to fix and improve the said problem. This is beneficial to everyone no matter to manufacturer, sellers or consumers in long terms.

I will get the final version some time around mid of the month or later. If anyone is interested can have a look at the real item and audition it. Real item is the best to justify the build quality.


Frankly speaking, when 339 was just out of the box, I was not satisfied with the sound quality. Reviewer from Headfonia and China gave it a very high rating, and this is why I was quite disappointed. Even the lower range 332S has a more pleasant sound.
After I burned in for some time and the sound quality is gradually improved and stable over 2-3 months. The sound quality for now is really a night and day different from what I first heard on 339. So I know that it really need to burn in for long time and require your patience.
I have also replace several tubes such as:
Power tube:
Sylvania 6080
RCA 6080
Raytheon 6080
CSF 6080

Driver tube:
OTK 6*4
Telefunken EF80
Mullard EF80
Volvo EF86

Now, if I'm listening to the music that needs fast pace or need strong bass slam, I will use Sylvania 6080 + Telefunken EF80. For songs that need more focus on the small movement and more refined, such as pop ballad, new age, chamber music, I will use Sylvania 6080 + Volvo EF86.

This post has been edited by liquidgal: Jun 4 2014, 09:37 PM

Your DAc and stock tube also will affect the sound. For further details, I have pm you.

If you plan to add in DAC and amp in the future, can consider AKG K271 MKII. A very decent pair with great potential at cheap price but needs amp to drive.
If you don't, probably can consider portable unit like ATH ES700.

Denon AH-D400 is a quite good for strong beats music but it's over ear.
Another good one would be sennheiser hd25-1 ii. Though it's mean for portable, but works better it you have amp. Very punchy bass with good details and sound stage. Rich and thick as sennheiser typical sound signature. SQ wise is much better than its brother sennheiser momentum and amperior but the later 2 are easier to drive

Lower range can consider Superlux HD681 Evo.
Higher range can consider Creative Aurvana live though it's slightly over your budget.

ATH M30 to my knowledge focus more on mid and lesser bass. Might not be suitable for the genre that you listen.
Probably can consider Creative Aurvana live.
For more punchy bass and portability, can also consider Beyerdynamic DTX501p. Extremely small but comfortable for wearing. Clean with good surrounding and tight bass.

You are welcome

D400 is comparable with M100. XS is a M80- upgraded. D400 used to be priced quite high at overseas which is around USD400, M100 is priced lower around USD300 and have greater portability.
So I guess it's depends on what you need and how much you manage to get them.

If you need a gaming headset with mic and surround sound, you can consider Sades SA902. It comes with build in sound card and sound quality is really not bad at this price range.

If you need a normal headphone with 2 channel, lower range can consider Superlux HD681 Evo, HD631 DJ, HD669. Price ranging from RM100+-200+
For better sound quality, can stretch your budget a bit for creative aurvana live.

Other options for you guys:

between RM300-400:
Vsonic GR07 classic : Balance, clean sound with wide sound stage and good details. With adequate amount of bass. It is more direct sound and with better expansion on treble & bass and music ends compare to RE400. Details is better than bass edition.
Vsonic GR07 bass edition: bass edition enhance the bass part, with stronger punch compare to classic.
Hifiman RE400: A very comfortable and smooth sounding iem. Has very unique sound signature that soften the outer line of music body, slide out like water, and not aggressive. Balance version sounds wider and cleaner.

Below RM200:
Vsonic VSD1/1S: it's being said to have 80% of the sound quality of gr07. Surprisingly good details and sound stage for IEM at this price range.
VSD3S/3: touching down Malaysia soon. haven't auditioned them yet.

Below RM100:
Superlux HD381 series:
definitely the iem that you should consider below RM100. but as compare to vsd1/1s, the later is definitely better.


Can get a quite decent pair of headphone at this price. But couple of questions to answer here.
Do you plan to get an amp in the future? if not then your choice maybe easier to drive kind of headphones.
close back or open back? or both are alright?
what kind of sound signature that you prefer? warm and rich? thin music body and refined? audition more headphones would help.
For music genre, which one to be focused specifically? every headphone has their advantage in playing certain genre.

Eg:
AKG, with beautiful treble and light movement,good at presenting piano, acoustic guitar, female vocal
Sennheiser, famous for thick and rich sound headphones. good bass (with lots of details), grand sound stage and good dynamic, good at presenting orchestra, rock and etc
Beyerdynamic, direct sounding with good punch. not as rich as sennheiser, not as refined as akg, and gain the balance.

To me H850 is hard to beat at this price range. A very decent pair with extremely good details. If I were to pick a weakness, probably it's less aggressive and bass could be stronger. can try superlux series but audition them first

Alright. Close back, warm and rich, easier to drive, can consider denon d400. price is much more expensive than v-moda m100 at overseas. but you can get it cheap at Asia now.

Do you have any dac or amp?
if you do have at least a sound card/dac with decent build in amp, I will suggest going for hd598 (open back) or sennheiser HD25-i-ii instead. Sound quality of sennheiser momentum is also much better than the on ear version, but over your budget. Momentum is actually easier to drive/ portable version of Sennheiser HD25-i-ii. To me, I would rather invest in a more decent headphone first. But also depends whether you have any plan to upgrade in the future.

No problem
As long as you are satisfied with it.

E10 is a quite decent IEM at this price range. You can also consider Vsonic VSD1. E10 is with more punchy bass, VSD1 is balance and and with good clarity, quantity of bass is adequate.

you can search for more reviews about them at headfi or other reviewers' blog.

Or you may also consider Vsonic VSD3S. It is reaching Malaysia end of the month or early July.

This post has been edited by liquidgal: Jun 21 2014, 01:40 AM

If you need strong bass, can consider Superlux hd681 evo. It's the most comfortable one for wearing in superlux series. It's to the warm side with more bass. Details slightly muddy but velour pad does help to improve compare to the PU one.
HD681 has better clarity but might a bit sharp in the treble. HD669 is higher range than hd681 with focus more on treble and bass. mid might be a little bit empty to me. HD330 is very balance sound and with the sound signature that sounds like a few hundred headphone. but it's 150ohms, not easy to drive. Personally think that all three mentioned doesn't sound too nice as compare to hd681 evo if direct plug in to handphone or laptop.

Not sure if you need a basshead IEM. If clarity, dynamic and sound stage does matter to you and need a clear bass, can consider Vsonic VSD1.

No idea how does the a gaming headset sound like. Superlux is a good one at its price. With RM300+, you can actually consider Creative Aurvana live.

Personally haven't tried MMX102IE. At this price range, can check out Vsonic GR07 Classic. A neutral version of GR07 MKII with same range sound quality but half the price.

For less than RM100, Superlux HD381F is really a good one with decent sound quality. Good clarity, details and sound stage. Hardly imagine it's from an IEM that only cost RM60. Tested Xiaomi piston as well, SQ not bad. Though 381 series is a step ahead on the sq, xiaomi has very nice outlook and with mic. So, depends on what you need.

If you can up your budget to slightly above RM100, can consider Vsonic VSD1/1S. They have clean and balance sound, good sound stage, details, neutral with adequate bass. So if you are going for clarity but not bassy iem, then they are for you.


When you mentioned "directly into a field monitor", do you mean you need an iem for monitoring when you are on stage?
If yes, RM400 budget might be a bit hard to get something with good isolation.

I met someone who just played for Wan Fang and Huang Ann for their show at Genting, he did try to use Vsonic GR07 classic on stage before. Isolation is not good enough for that kind of performance. But he likes the sound quality and sound signature very much. It fulfil your requirement of being flat and accurate response.

His all time favourite for on field monitor is still Etymotic. But if budget is a concern, probably you can give GR07 classic a try as well. It has very similar sound with mk2 version but the more neutral version and only half the price. MK2 is already stopped production.

if without amp and for music listening, I personally prefer H850 though I am not selling it
The sound signature is softer, more elegant and comfortable.

HD662, HD669 and HD681 might sound a bit sharp on treble, would excel better on amp. I usually recommend them to composers and musicians who are looking for budget headphone for sound monitoring. The details and separation are really good.

If your budget to up to RM600+, can consider Vsonic GR01.
If you don't mind dynamic, can consider Vsonic gr07 classic and HiFiMan RE400.
GR07 classic is more direct with better expansion at the bass and treble, more vocal and instruments details at the end rhythm.
RE400 is focus more on mid and treble but doesn't really expand a lot on the treble. The charming part of it is that, it sounds very attractive when the music flow out, soft and smooth like a feather. A very comfortable sounding iem. It has a balance version that comes with the package of hm700 portable player. B version is even cleaner with larger sound stage and better details, which makes them a good combo.

can try superlux hd381 series if can up your budget a bit. It doesn't have mic. With mic, can try xiaomi piston.

You might wanna enquire further over here:
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1938025

Sometimes, is the source (dac/sound card) that matters. If you really want to get an amp first and don't mind desktop unit, can try Bravo audio V2 or Bravo ocean. Very powerful and US sound, sounded a bit rough on stock tube but for budget use, they are quite decent.

Else straight away go for a better dac cum amp like Aune T1 MKII. That solve both the dac and amp problem.

Actually it's really depends on your preferences and acceptance. Also, depends on your set up and the music genre that you listen to.
To me, GR07 classic is actually quite clean and balance sounding. It's not the bassy type but with adequate amount of bass. GR07 bass is actually having darker treble compare to classic version, details slightly muddy and with more bass.
If I were to do sound monitoring or mixing with IEM, I would choose gr07 classic at this price range.

If you find certain earphones has sibilant and being annoying, probably you prefer a darker and thicker sound earphone?
But who knows, since everyone has different ears. Best is you can audition them yourself.

Headfi is a system and all about mix and match.
If you are having a "bright" sound earphone, probably you can pair it with a darker sound DAP or DAC cum amp for e.g. Matrix mini portable. Or if you have a clean and thin sound DAP with slightly lesser bass such as dx90, then maybe you can source for IEM with more bass and rich or other gear to get the sound signature that you want.



This post has been edited by liquidgal: Aug 6 2014, 03:39 AM