CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS

  • December 31, 2015, 09:42:21 AM
  • Welcome, Guest
Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: 1 ... 19 20 21 22 23 [24]

Author Topic: Five Worst Pieces of Audio Gear You've Heard (Members Only)  (Read 30450 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

takato14

  • Designated furfag on deck
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +85/-11
  • Online Online
  • Posts: 446
  • Likes it fuzzy
Re: Five Worst Pieces of Audio Gear You've Heard (Members Only)
« Reply #230 on: June 19, 2015, 08:23:10 PM »

I can't leave out the ergonomic issues either.  The ER in ER-4 actually stands for Ear Rape, not Etymotic Research
Odd. These are the most comfortable IEM I've used to date.

Of course, they're also the third IEM I've ever seriously used, one other being the Monoprice cheapies...
Logged
This industry is really fucking broken

briskly

  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Powder Monkey
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +6/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 66
  • Net Stalker
Re: Five Worst Pieces of Audio Gear You've Heard (Members Only)
« Reply #231 on: June 19, 2015, 09:04:52 PM »

I've been wondering about this for awhile, but how many flanges in a triflange normally go past the bony canal?

Etys are surprisingly easy for me to insert, they just glide in. The DBA-02 mk1 is comparatively a pain in the ass to do a deep fit. What really ticked me off about the ER-4 was that the cable seemed engineered to be as microphonic as possible.
Logged
I love the asmr vids - a bunch of people just got together and decided that foley sound effects were now an official fetish
-Anetode

maverickronin

  • Objectively Sound
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +58/-2
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 670
  • Your friendly neighborhood audio skeptic
Re: Five Worst Pieces of Audio Gear You've Heard (Members Only)
« Reply #232 on: June 19, 2015, 09:25:29 PM »

Odd. These are the most comfortable IEM I've used to date.

Of course, they're also the third IEM I've ever seriously used, one other being the Monoprice cheapies...

You can find worse ergonomics and comfort than the Etys but they aren't nearly as comfortable as my SE530, PFE 232, or even the $30 MEE A151.  I have trouble wearing the ER-4 for more than an hour or so.

The ER-4 goes in so deep, still sticks out a good ways making a nice lever, and then has the cable dangling off the very end transferring every vibration and movement right into the ear canal.

So yeah.  Ear rape...

Could be worse though.  The Monster Turbines were like sticking a tip onto the end of one of their RCA cables and jamming it into your ear.
Logged
Heaven's closed - Hell's sold out - So I walk on Earth.

Claritas

  • strong in his convictions
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +4200/-3162
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 495
  • Bachhead
Re: Five Worst Pieces of Audio Gear You've Heard (Members Only)
« Reply #233 on: June 19, 2015, 11:27:34 PM »

I can't leave out the ergonomic issues either.  The ER in ER-4 actually stands for Ear Rape, not Etymotic Research.

Funny, but fixable:

I dislike all the stock tips especially the triflanges, and Comply P series work fine for me.

Wearing the cable behind one's ears completely eliminates cable-born noise; using the shirt clip does a pretty decent job, but it's not perfect.
Logged

takato14

  • Designated furfag on deck
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +85/-11
  • Online Online
  • Posts: 446
  • Likes it fuzzy
Re: Five Worst Pieces of Audio Gear You've Heard (Members Only)
« Reply #234 on: June 20, 2015, 12:47:47 AM »

Wearing the cable behind one's ears completely eliminates cable-born noise; using the shirt clip does a pretty decent job, but it's not perfect.
I do both of these things so that'd explain my lack of complaints with that.

I do not mind the frost triflanges, nor the foams, but the "gliders" (round ones) and the large triflanges were extremely unpleasant to use. The foams also made them sound like beats without the S adapter >_>
Logged
This industry is really fucking broken

maverickronin

  • Objectively Sound
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +58/-2
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 670
  • Your friendly neighborhood audio skeptic
Re: Five Worst Pieces of Audio Gear You've Heard (Members Only)
« Reply #235 on: June 20, 2015, 01:23:50 AM »

Funny, but fixable:

I dislike all the stock tips especially the triflanges, and Comply P series work fine for me.

Wearing the cable behind one's ears completely eliminates cable-born noise; using the shirt clip does a pretty decent job, but it's not perfect.

I forgot about the P series.  Those may work better.  I found the normal Comply T-100s less comfortable than the triflanges which is pretty odd since I like Comply on everything else I've tried it on.

I already wear it over ear too.  That does help some, but not enough.  It still moves around too much every time I turn my head to the side and eventually my ear canals get so irritated I have to take them out.  The still last longer in my ears than the MTPG did.

Side story about the MTPG:

I got them as a review sample from Monster.  Since I couldn't sell them I gave them to my brother.  He went to a concert or something in Chicago, got mugged, and they took his the MTPGs along with his Creative DAP.  Somebody needs to walk the plank for that...

 walk the plank2
Logged
Heaven's closed - Hell's sold out - So I walk on Earth.

Type35

  • Powder Monkey
  • *
  • Brownie Points: +2/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 10
Re: Five Worst Pieces of Audio Gear You've Heard (Members Only)
« Reply #236 on: June 25, 2015, 10:21:28 AM »

My top 5 of most disappointing piece of gear I heard:
1) JM Lab Grande Utopia: I have heard these many times, in many different systems and while technically very good, they always sounded sterile to me (totally devoid of fun factor).
2) In the same vein but to a lower degree, Magnepan speakers: they do incredible things for the money, they are great with jazz and small acoustic ensemble but I dare you throw a party with these, they simply won't rock out.
3) Many years ago, a salesman put on a demo of Klipsch speakers (can't remember the model but they were expensive): they had great details, good dynamics, very impressive demo. After a couple of hours, I was ready to purchase them but at the last minute decided to sleep on it for a day or two. Finally, when leaving the shop, I was so relieved to getting back to a quiet environment: that's when I discovered ear fatigue.
4) Audeze EL-8: really guys, you used to make half-decent headphones, wtf happened? I guess you can blame it on BMW.
5) Audioquest Nighthawk: I attended a demo for the UK launch, after all the marketing hype, I wasn't thrilled with what I heard but I wasn't offended either until the presenters told me the targeted street price. Thanks boys, I'll keep my HD650 and with the money saved, I'll buy a Modi and a Magni and a Wyrd (there might be enough money leftover for the PYST cables too).
« Last Edit: June 25, 2015, 10:49:44 PM by Type35 »
Logged

DaveBSC

  • Best Korean Sympathizer
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +222/-50
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2092
Re: Five Worst Pieces of Audio Gear You've Heard (Members Only)
« Reply #237 on: June 25, 2015, 05:29:08 PM »

My top 5 of most disappointing piece of gear I heard:
1) JM Lab Grande Utopia: I have heard these many times, in many different systems and while technically very good, they always sounded sterile to me (totally devoid of fun factor).

All of the various JM speakers I've heard over the years have stunk, including the then $90K Grande Utopia Be. I listened to them at a dealer for awhile, and then went to a room showcasing Dynaudio Confidence C4s across the hall, which were then priced at around $16K. The Dyns absolutely obliterated the JMs.
Logged

x838nwy

  • Ultra Paranoid
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +10/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 118
Re: Five Worst Pieces of Audio Gear You've Heard (Members Only)
« Reply #238 on: June 26, 2015, 04:42:02 AM »

All of the various JM speakers I've heard over the years have stunk, including the then $90K Grande Utopia Be. I listened to them at a dealer for awhile, and then went to a room showcasing Dynaudio Confidence C4s across the hall, which were then priced at around $16K. The Dyns absolutely obliterated the JMs.

I heard them grand utopias a while back and thought they were good, but nothing special. I actually put it down to the room and unfamiliar music (and wasn't listening that attentively as they are nowhere near my price range). Looking back on it, they were surprisingly meh. Odd that, since they make and design drivers and all.
Logged
Pages: 1 ... 19 20 21 22 23 [24]