There's Jaben Audio:
http://jaben.com.my/shopping2/home.php

yuheng and walabies are the 2 I know represent the store, and I've dealt with them more than once. They're fast and reliable with pretty good warranty service.

Then there's E1-AKG which also has an online store. Then there's jjjkj from whom I bought a Shure SE215-SPE. IIRC I bought an Audio Technica IM50 from him as well, and at a surprisingly more affordable price. Fairly competent in presenting detail, but the treble wasn't my most favourite trait of that IEM. It wasn't that it was piercing but it's a bit too shy.

It certainly won't reach Sony XB level bass on its own, but with good EQ it's fairly capable of much more bass. Excellent choice for the money. Between it and the EX310-SL, I'd go with either, but the IM50 isn't the most comfortable or easiest to put on. It's actually pretty big its small drivers. However the IM50 does have removable cable so they can theoretically last pretty much forever.

This post has been edited by VagueConcerns: Nov 16 2014, 10:44 PM

I don't know where to look for discontinued products unfortunately. Which discontinued product are you looking for? If it's the XBA-1, there's actually the replacement XBA-10, at RM199.

That's odd, XBA-30 is still in production but not XBA-20, at least not the non-mic version.

This post has been edited by VagueConcerns: Nov 18 2014, 09:34 PM

They both sound radically different, and IMO the more fun to listen to is the IM50, while the XBA is more humble in every way. Yes the IM50 takes a little getting used to putting on, but it wasn't the worst I've ever owned. The worst would be the Radius HP-TWF11.

My ear bowl is pretty large and open to the point where an earbud will never ever be able to hang off my ear, so the IM50 though not the best fitting IEM does stay on pretty good after I've learned how to put them on. Plus the stiff cable section that lets you shape the cable to your ear helped a lot.

I almost forgot, there's also Beyerdynamic XP series. There's clear, balanced, and bass (XP3,2, and 1 respectively). Pretty good sound quality whichever you choose.

Yes actually I have read quite a lot of complaints about the durability. Despite having a metal body they're quite fragile. Considering their price and sound I believe some things were compromised. These may need a bit more care than what one would like for an entry IEM from a big brand name.

The IM50 certainly feels solid even though it's plastic, and the cables are replaceable but even so still looks and feels like they can take a beating (though I would reserve the 'toughness' for when accidents occur, and not make abuse a regular thing). I believe the higher price is totally justified.

This post has been edited by VagueConcerns: Nov 22 2014, 12:03 AM

I don't remember hearing any noise from my laptop using those.
Compared to the XB400, the IM50 is more sensitive and have a much lower impedance. 108dB/mW is quite sensitive, plus at 10 Ohm getting it loud is a breeze.
Be sure to try it out on a few more portable music players.

The TV would have a bit of noise but you'd be surprised that they don't actually sound that bad. When I Google Macbook Air noisy headphone jack, there seems to be a lot of forum posts about that. But as for the noise following the music, I've never had that happen ever with any players, laptop, amp, or DAC. My old 2008 Dell Vostro 1400 was noisy, and also my old Samsung LCD through the heapdhone jack, but the noise could be drowned with a bit of music, provided that they're not 128 kbps mp3 or lower.

If it's indeed the IEM it's still under warranty right?

Glad you like it.
Be sure t get a vacuum fit to get the best out of it.

A second eardrum or diaphragm to relieve our actual eardrums from excess pressure which doesn't contribute to details and sound.

That logic is sound (no pun intended). I notice that at louder volumes my ears experience some sort of "cut-off"...heck it's almost like my ears were clipping. It'll start to happen just before it gets loud enough for me to cringe, and my head has this 'tightness' feeling like my brain is flexing. I listen using IEMs quite softly, usually no more that 20% of available volume. That usually makes bass a little light and details a little shallow, and the only IEM so far that was good at low volumes to me was the Atrio.

The IM50 has more bass, and has a removable cable so it practically lasts a life time unless you damage the earpiece. It is not the most ergonomic of IEMs however, and getting a good fit will be troublesome for smaller ears.

The a-jays 5 is much easier to wear and is practical with the inline remote control, but I just don't hear it as being a movie IEM because it hasn't got the bass kick.

This post has been edited by VagueConcerns: Apr 10 2016, 06:21 PM

Sub RM200 is entry level, so don't expect miracles in this price range, but there are a few that I like. Some people refer IEMs as earbuds, so I might be totally wrong on what you are looking for, but here they are anyway just in case I hit the mark.

Sony MDR-EX450. Or XB50 for more bass, which is good for pop, but for metal if there is little treble those electric guitar distortions don't sound as engaging. I am a basshead, yet for metal a bass-oriented gear is not what I would go for.
Soundmagic E10. Balanced IEM, with a hint of a V-shaped sound signature. Good for metal IMO.
JVC HA-FR202. Well I'm a bit reserved on this one when I tried it out at Jaben. Sort of good enough for RM120, then again it is only RM120. A lot of bass if I remember them correctly, just don't drive them too loud. Sharp edges on the IEM might be uncomfortable for smaller ears, but I find no problems.

I don't try out actual earbuds because they don't fit my ears well. They don't sit well enough in the bowls of my ears to snugly cover my ear holes.

This post has been edited by VagueConcerns: Mar 14 2017, 09:49 PM

IEMs produce bass better in general. With bass, the "head rumble" you experience with headphones is no different than what IEMs do and is not the function of them actually putting pressure on your head. You can feel that headphones have a "larger" hit because with music bass instruments don't play single tones. What headphones do much better - especially over-ears - are sound staging and imaging, because they allow the sound to interact with your outer ear. Bass in music have harmonics which present themselves in higher frequencies that the headphone can image better. You can compare the bass energy on IEMs and headphones by playing pure sine tones on both. You'll find that they feel exactly the same.

I've only ever owned two "bass kings". The Sony MDR-XB90EX, and the Futuresonics Atrio M5 with the MG7 driver. You can't find them anymore, they're discontinued. I have never owned or tested the JVC FW01, but it would likely have a more balanced sound compared to the Denon you have that is deliberately tuned to be on the bassier side. You could find the treble detail either refreshing or distracting, but I can't imagine them lacking in bass at all.

In any case, if purely for bass you can have them in any form. Good basshead headphones are just as good as basshead IEMs. It's just that getting that bass with IEMs is a lot easier (for manufacturers and for users).

This post has been edited by VagueConcerns: Oct 2 2021, 01:48 AM

If you have never heard a proper basshead IEM before something cheap and "disposable" to first dip your feet in could be a good idea. Someone recommended KZ and that's a good start, but be wary that their signature sound is the U-shaped tuning - strong bass presence with a similarly uplifted treble. Some have more aggressive treble than others, like the ZS10 Pro and ZSX (the one I have). KZ ATE and KZ ZST are two safest choices that you could try, each costs less than RM50 and RM70 respectively from the official KZ store in Lazada. If you don't like them sell them off for cheap, or if you do and want an upgrade from it immediately you can save them as backup or also sell them off cheap as well. It's better than spending RM1000 on something you might not like.

I mentioned XB90EX before, but the current "equivalent" might be the XB55AP which I think may be more up your alley depending on how much of a basshead you are. I like its bass but my music preference limits their use for me. If you can find a demo unit at any Sony store you can try it out. Less than RM200 last time I saw them.