which headphones should i purchase i have read great reviews on both but hopefully some one can give me some feedback as to which is the better out of the pair, i dont listen to music a lot but when i do i want a nice crisp clear sound with no distortion.
which should i get ?
A word of warning: All headphones sound a wee bit dull and lifeless when plugged into the HOX due to its dreadful amp circuitry (I guess it must be the amp side as I'm led to believe the Nexus 7 uses the same DAC, despite sounding waaaaay better on the same cans.) If this really bugs you (as it does me) you'll probably end up investing in an APT-X capable Bluetooth streamer as a workaround because although a cheap dedicated headphone amp might solve the impedance issues that toally lose everything over 16KHz with my TDK BA100s, it's not going to improve the general muddiness of the sound I've noticed even using cheaper dynamic driver IEMs. I've got a Samsung HS3000 streamer on the way to try (it was pretty cheap, at about £20 so I'm not too worried if it doesn't sound fantastic and it would be really difficult for it to sound worse than the HOX )
Regarding the actual headphones you choose I've only tried (briefly) A-Jays 3 but I'd describe them as having a notably better soundstage than CX300s (I or II, I didn't notice a difference in sound to be honest) - they have better instrument separation and placement... But the Sennheisers (several sucessive pairs of which were my mainstay for years before switching to the TDKs I've got now) are far more bass-centric and could take a lot more in EQ if that's your kind of thing. I listen mostly to a mixture of electronic music like dubstep and drum and bass which tends to favour these kind of earphones, and progressive rock and metal, which definitely sounds much better through something with a more detailed high end and real mid punch like the BAs I'm using now.
The CX300s were something of a revolution in the IEM market when they first came out, because there was nothing else cheap worth owning. Now they have a lot of competitors (A-Jays, Soundmagic, MEElectronics, etc, etc) who if anything outdo the cheaper Sennheisers.
If you've never used IEMs before, you might find a while to get the tip size and style that suits your ears best sorted. They usually come with a few different sizes of the single flange silicone type, but there are also double and triple flange silicone tips and aftermarket 'Comply' memory foam tips I'm using now. They are dead comfy. You'll know when you've got the fit/position right because you won't be able to hear anything outside short of a small nuclear blast happening next to you, plus the bass tends to lose all depth without a good seal.
Oh, and one more thing: Don't buy Sennheisers from eBay. Or, for that matter, any online distributor you haven't heard of. 95% of those available are fake, and some are physically very good copies right down to the packaging.
Azurael said:
A word of warning: All headphones sound a wee bit dull and lifeless when plugged into the HOX due to its dreadful amp circuitry (I guess it must be the amp side as I'm led to believe the Nexus 7 uses the same DAC, despite sounding waaaaay better on the same cans.) If this really bugs you (as it does me) you'll probably end up investing in an APT-X capable Bluetooth streamer as a workaround because although a cheap dedicated headphone amp might solve the impedance issues that toally lose everything over 16KHz with my TDK BA100s, it's not going to improve the general muddiness of the sound I've noticed even using cheaper dynamic driver IEMs. I've got a Samsung HS3000 streamer on the way to try (it was pretty cheap, at about £20 so I'm not too worried if it doesn't sound fantastic and it would be really difficult for it to sound worse than the HOX )
Regarding the actual headphones you choose I've only tried (briefly) A-Jays 3 but I'd describe them as having a notably better soundstage than CX300s (I or II, I didn't notice a difference in sound to be honest) - they have better instrument separation and placement... But the Sennheisers (several sucessive pairs of which were my mainstay for years before switching to the TDKs I've got now) are far more bass-centric and could take a lot more in EQ if that's your kind of thing. I listen mostly to a mixture of electronic music like dubstep and drum and bass which tends to favour these kind of earphones, and progressive rock and metal, which definitely sounds much better through something with a more detailed high end and real mid punch like the BAs I'm using now.
The CX300s were something of a revolution in the IEM market when they first came out, because there was nothing else cheap worth owning. Now they have a lot of competitors (A-Jays, Soundmagic, MEElectronics, etc, etc) who if anything outdo the cheaper Sennheisers.
If you've never used IEMs before, you might find a while to get the tip size and style that suits your ears best sorted. They usually come with a few different sizes of the single flange silicone type, but there are also double and triple flange silicone tips and aftermarket 'Comply' memory foam tips I'm using now. They are dead comfy. You'll know when you've got the fit/position right because you won't be able to hear anything outside short of a small nuclear blast happening next to you, plus the bass tends to lose all depth without a good seal.
Oh, and one more thing: Don't buy Sennheisers from eBay. Or, for that matter, any online distributor you haven't heard of. 95% of those available are fake, and some are physically very good copies right down to the packaging.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thxs for the advice i think i will go for the a jays one + many thanks for a very detailed and helpful reply
This is a review of Syllable wired on-ear headphones: http://dx.com/p/syllable-g04-201-wired-game-headphones-w-microphone-for-iphone-4-4s-red-black-194551
Before you start reading this review, scroll down to take a look at the pictures and then back up to my write up. You have to be living under the rock not to recognize these, and if you are still in doubt just look at what the doctor prescribed to use in the studio last year So what does this mean? Well, if you were planning to spend $200 on a certain pair of studio wired on-ear headphones, now you can test drive it for 1/4 of the price without sacrificing build or sound quality. That is exactly a target audience for this product. As far as I can tell, these are nearly a carbon copy in terms of looks, and from a very reliable source who took another similar pair apart - have almost the same controls and drivers. For me, I wanted to give this pair of cans a fair run through the test mill and to share with you my opinion about it's performance rather then a comparison since I don't have the original ones.
From my previous experience of using on-ear headphones, these could go either way of being very comfortable or not. Just because you have soft foam "marshmallow" earpads, it doesn't mean it will fit you like a glove. Its a size, weight, bend radius of headband, and padding inside of headband that determines how comfortable these will fit. I found these to be very comfortable with a perfect fit and a balance of all the design details. Weighting at about 240g (256g with 2x AAA batteries), it's relatively light weight. In addition to soft earpads, the inner side of headband which sits on top of your head has the same soft padding, while the rest of the inner headband has a soft touch plastic material. Outer construction of the headband is a durable abs plastic which I found to be scratch proof. You will appreciate that especially when trying to take off battery cover which requires some nail work The headband itself has a steel band inside to keep the shape and to give it a nice springy action without any pressure on your head. Headphones have a clever folding design to a minimum footprint which is comfortable when you are traveling. I do have to note that package includes a fake leather pouch, but you can always get a spare hard case for "these" headphones. Along with leather pouch, it also included airplane adapter, 1/4 adapter (to connect to an amp or pro mix board), a cleaning cloth, and set of minimal instructions. The folding latches are metal with a nice click-action, and headband adjustment also has a nice latch action. Everything is held together with over two dozen of external hex screws.
Now about controls and sound. These supposed to be active noise cancellation headphones which mean they sample outside noise source, invert it's waveform, and combine it together with a source to cancel it out. I can't comment about the "original" ones, but have read comments those were not as great. In case of Syllables, noise cancellation is noticeable by passive nature of covering your ears with sealed earpads, but active part of noise cancellation just adds some mild white noise hiss to mask it out, not much of an improvement. Just think of these as passive noise headphones. At the same time, in order to use these headphones you need to turn the power switch on, which activates both noise canceling and enables the sound. Syllables are just sticking to "original" design, either if you agree with it's logic or not. The power comes from 2x AAA batteries housed in one of the earcups. I can't comment yet on its longevity, but do keep in mind that after you done using headphones - don't forget to turn power switch off, otherwise batteries won't last for that long. Battery cover is not the easiest to take off, but it has two notches to push on with your nails, and I did appreciate scratch proof plastic material in this case The same earcup with batteries also has 3.5mm connector. Having a replaceable chord is a fantastic idea since most of the times chord connection is the weakest point in the design. If it fails, you replace it. Plus, these headphones come with 2 sets of cables - a straight red cable without remote control, and a black cable with in-line remote that has mic and multifunction button. This particular remote design worked well with apple products, but on my Note 2 it sets the volume to 0. I assume this is apple specific remote (due to internal resistor selection). But since it's replaceable, there are other "original" cables with in-line remote that could work with Samsung devices. Typically multifunction button should work in these, but not volume controls. I also liked how earcup with a power switch had a button in the middle that muted a sound when you press and hold it. Very convenient when you are listening and someone wants to talk to you - you don't need to take headphones off or reach out to your phone or in-line remote. Just push that button and hold it to hear what's going on outside.
Regarding sound quality, I have a feeling it was also a very close to the "original" characteristic since I have seen inner guts of comparison between active filtering elements. Syllables have a very strong bass, and nice warm sound characteristics throughout entire frequency range, and a typical V-curve EQ setting (with enhanced lows and highs and deep cut in the middle). These are definitely not audiophile headphones, but neither does the "original" version. These are intended more for EDM and Rap/Hip-Hop music where you want to feel the bass (nice warm rounded bass sound without being too overpowering). Don't count on too much on mid frequency presence, but you can correct it with your own eq.
Overall, I was very impressed with a level of design details and the quality of material. The fit is very comfortable, something you can keep on for hours without fatigue, or wear around you neck for people to think from a distance you have "those" on. You do have to keep in mind Syllable have a cleverly designed upside down question mark, so the cat will be out of the bag after a close examination. Sound quality will be more then adequate for modern electronic dance music or hip-hop/rap music. In my opinion, all this is no different then what you will get with 2012 model of the "original" ones that still cost 4x more. Up to you to decide.
Here are the pictures.
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Great review! What material is the Syllable logo made of on the ear cups? They kinda look like stainless steel, but also don't at the same time. The inclusion of a Syllable-branded serial number sticker is quite interesting. The only difference I can pick up on are the box design, accessories (specifically the carry case, cables, 6.3mm to 3.5mm adapter and flight adapter (that's all of them, isn't it?)).
The cables are seen here with L-jacks at the device end and the 6.3mm adapter does not have a mirror finish:
Bonus picture of my flight adapter:
Also in this picture here:
You can see the cable running through the headband. I'm not sure if it's the lighting or not, but the gray matte-plastic components on the interior of the headband seem darker in comparison, as mentioned by myself in the other thread:
vantt1 said:
(...)The Syllables might have darker gray matte-plastic components, or the ear cup can slide side to side (not fixed in the center). (...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's an official stock picture of the red and white pair for reference:
Taking all this into account, the Syllables replicate the Beats Studio reasonably well from a physical standpoint, but in the end it just seems a bit "off" to me. As many deem Beats headphones to be a fashion accessory, the branding also plays a part in the aesthetic appearance of the product, like the Mercedes Benz bonnet emblem. Without the famous (and infamous) Beats by Dr. Dre branding, you could say the Syllables are nearly 'cringeworthy'.
This thread seems awfully quiet...
Well, I don't know what else to add The bottom line, retailers who deal with PP will not be selling "Beats" labeled products. While those on alibaba that deal with credit/debit cards is where you can get a fully legit "knock off". Also I'm not sure about the pricing of Syllable from DX ($54) versus from Alibaba site shipped. From craftsmanship and sound quality I believe both should be the same. I still didn't get a chance to take it apart, but I have no reason to believe it will be different. Basically anybody who can't afford to shell out the full price of real Beats, now has a choice of other alternative options.
As a disclaimer from someone who reviews a lot of legitimate products, I want to add - this review was done for "research" purpose
I see, I never knew PayPal sellers can't sell branded replicas.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
Syllable G18
I bought a Syllable G18 Bluetooth 4.0 Headphone.
Pity I don't have the skill set to judge if these are technically good or not.
But to my naive ear, they sound OK with a good bass, midrange and treble.
They don't fit my ears to well and become sore after an hour.
Has a 3.5mm jack so you can use them wired as well.
You can pair two devices with the Bluetooth headphones.
On receiving a phone call, the person at the other end said I sounded like I was on any other normal landline phone.
MicroUSB adapter for charging the battery broke away from the mount, so it'll have to re-solder it again .
Battery is bespoke to the headset, so not sure where I'll find a replacement in the future.
If they don't actually work, why consider them?
Not sure I get the point of this review, which seems to be the ONLY one out (yet) there for these headphones.
These are supposed to be active noise cancelling. No one is going to buy them if they dont cancel out noise reasonably well at relevant frequencies while leaving adequate bass and treble response in place. They will opt for the model which doesnt have this function or the model which touts itself as being passive noise reduction. If the noise canceling doesn't work, which you indicate, who cares about the rest?
Even worse, you seem to say that these suffer from the "Bose problem", which is that if you dont keep the batteries charged for the non-working noise canceling part, the whole headphones wont make any sound at all. . "At the same time, in order to use these headphones you need to turn the power switch on, which activates both noise canceling and enables the sound" Which sorta makes these cans an absolute no-no for most purposes?
Does the " active part of noise cancellation just adds some mild white noise hiss to mask it out, not much of an improvement"? If so, these cans are just an expensive chinese waste-of-money copy with an added gimmick which completely defeats their purpose? Period. Why would anyone want to consider them to " Just think of these as passive noise headphones"?
Thanks for the clear warning about these cans, - Sorry you appear to have had to buy them to write it!
licensedtoquill said:
...
Thanks for the clear warning about these cans, - Sorry you appear to have had to buy them to write it!
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Click to collapse
I review products other companies send my way, so don't feel sorry for me since no money was wasted. I do a detailed write up, provide my honest opinion, and at the end you guys should decide if it worth spending you hard earned money.
The idea behind this review was to showcase a knock off of Beats Studio headphones (2012 edition, since in 2013 they updated it with rechargeable battery). This is 1:1 copy of what Beats is selling for a few hundred dollars, with an exception of some details as it was pointed out above were the name and label was changed and a few accessories are different. All your comments above are valid and understandable, and also applicable to those who spent $200-$300 on a real thing
Oh well, in that case, well done for having got yourself into that position!
I have reviewed a number of noise cancelling headphones myself, starting with the Noise Busters which were the first on the market over a decade ago, made by a firm on Long Island which specialised in headphones which HAD to work, for people who work habitually on airfield tarmac surrounded by 747s. Sooner or later the consumer headphone companies undercut them in price enough to put them out of the consumer business. However after a while one common thread became noticeable, which was that with few exceptions, they all seemed to use the same circuitry and did more or less the same job. The difference being the drivers themselves which most companies dont think worth spending too much on if the consumer likes noise reduction.
The result is that most of them sound very much alike, with some white noise, no really deep bass and mediochre mid range and not particularly clear high end. But they all more or less detect and get rid of much the same background noise. Interestingly, these Syllables according to your review, don't do that job at all! Leading to the question:: What is the circuitry which needs those batteries for exactly? And why did the company design circuitry which is not only cheap and is married to cheap drivers but which doesnt read sound and produce inverse sound waves? Especially where the universally available circuitry seems to be produced in one factory for sale to all sorts of headphone companies and does do what the other companies claim!
Did you try these cans in various different sound stages? In a plane, or in the street, in a subway or in a crowded room/bar? Sometimes the noise reduction is quite subtle and is only apparent after the sound has been sampled for a period of time. The cheaper ones (even the Philips, a company renowned for producing electronic equipment stuffed full of knobs which don't actually do anything) do in fact mask quite a lot of sound. it is just not apparent that they are doing so at first and the symptoms can sound like an ordinary injection of white noise.
There is a trick in the trade of not turning the item on and looking for effect; but listening for a while and turning the unit OFF and then registering any difference.
I would be amazed if Syllable didn't buy the circuitry from the factory which produces it, although there is something different about these if they don't work with the batteries flat. Just injecting white noise does nothing in noise canceling terms. If anything, it reduces any passive noise canceling effect?
There is some controversy in the industry concerning whether the inverse waves have to work at low frequency for aircraft noise or high frequency. (the original Noise Busters used to have an airplane slider to increase or decrease the effect. Which also didn't do a whole lot in consumer terms) And what is needed to cancel the background noise for telephone conversation has been in issue ever since people started trying to use VoIP on the 8125/Wizard!! Do these REALLY do none of these things?
---------- Post added at 12:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:12 AM ----------
I would be interested in knowing the answers to my questions because i do accept that if a chinese producer of absolute junk uses pathetically bad drivers, they will use the cheapest conceivable microphone which wont be able to read any realistic frequency range so it wont know what to tell the circuitry to cancel.
They may well use, for example, the real licensed NoiseBuster circuitry and still not work!
licensedtoquill said:
Oh well, in that case, well done for having got yourself into that position!
I have reviewed a number of noise cancelling headphones myself, starting with the Noise Busters which were the first on the market over a decade ago, made by a firm on Long Island which specialised in headphones which HAD to work, for people who work habitually on airfield tarmac surrounded by 747s. Sooner or later the consumer headphone companies undercut them in price enough to put them out of the consumer business. However after a while one common thread became noticeable, which was that with few exceptions, they all seemed to use the same circuitry and did more or less the same job. The difference being the drivers themselves which most companies dont think worth spending too much on if the consumer likes noise reduction.
The result is that most of them sound very much alike, with some white noise, no really deep bass and mediochre mid range and not particularly clear high end. But they all more or less detect and get rid of much the same background noise. Interestingly, these Syllables according to your review, don't do that job at all! Leading to the question:: What is the circuitry which needs those batteries for exactly? And why did the company design circuitry which is not only cheap and is married to cheap drivers but which doesnt read sound and produce inverse sound waves? Especially where the universally available circuitry seems to be produced in one factory for sale to all sorts of headphone companies and does do what the other companies claim!
Did you try these cans in various different sound stages? In a plane, or in the street, in a subway or in a crowded room/bar? Sometimes the noise reduction is quite subtle and is only apparent after the sound has been sampled for a period of time. The cheaper ones (even the Philips, a company renowned for producing electronic equipment stuffed full of knobs which don't actually do anything) do in fact mask quite a lot of sound. it is just not apparent that they are doing so at first and the symptoms can sound like an ordinary injection of white noise.
There is a trick in the trade of not turning the item on and looking for effect; but listening for a while and turning the unit OFF and then registering any difference.
I would be amazed if Syllable didn't buy the circuitry from the factory which produces it, although there is something different about these if they don't work with the batteries flat. Just injecting white noise does nothing in noise canceling terms. If anything, it reduces any passive noise canceling effect?
There is some controversy in the industry concerning whether the inverse waves have to work at low frequency for aircraft noise or high frequency. (the original Noise Busters used to have an airplane slider to increase or decrease the effect. Which also didn't do a whole lot in consumer terms) And what is needed to cancel the background noise for telephone conversation has been in issue ever since people started trying to use VoIP on the 8125/Wizard!! Do these REALLY do none of these things?
---------- Post added at 12:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:12 AM ----------
I would be interested in knowing the answers to my questions because i do accept that if a chinese producer of absolute junk uses pathetically bad drivers, they will use the cheapest conceivable microphone which wont be able to read any realistic frequency range so it wont know what to tell the circuitry to cancel.
They may well use, for example, the real licensed NoiseBuster circuitry and still not work!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny that you should mention the circuitry. I have just the answer to your question:
vantt1 said:
Now onto the internal components. This replica uses the exact same speaker drivers, noise cancelling microphones (one in each ear cup) and active noise cancelling amplifier circuit as the real ones. This means they have the exact same audible range (20-20,000 Hz) and the same bass-heavy audio (but surprisingly less muddy than the real ones). The circuit does a mediocre job at noise cancelling, also having the same noisy hiss like the real ones.
As seen here, the circuit board is like a clone of the real one, seen in comparison with an official picture. It even has the same dual-color LED that changes color when the battery is low. The only difference I can see is the Monster branding on the power switch.
The circuit board mainly uses two ICs to achieve the unique Beats EQ effect - the Maxim Integrated MAX4410EUD+ 141 and two ON Semiconductor MC33202 (ALGW?) ICs. The Maxim provides a -3 dB high-pass filter to decrease treble (thereby increasing bass). I'm not sure what is responsible for the ANC though, the 33202's look like they're independent amps driving the left and right channels.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm that the microphones used are real piezoelectric microphones. Being absolute junk though? You'll have to ask Dr. Dre why that is.
And for your information, noise environment =/= sound stage.
Sorry for delay on this response, I wasn't notified of your response.
vantt1 said:
Funny that you should mention the circuitry. I have just the answer to your question:
I can confirm that the microphones used are real piezoelectric microphones. Being absolute junk though? You'll have to ask Dr. Dre why that is.
And for your information, noise environment =/= sound stage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it is the old chinese trick of using the correct licensed boards or copying them, but completing your product with such low quality junk components that the end-product doesn't either work or continue to work. (Just because the mics are real piezo doesnt mean that they are the same as Sennheisers or Bose and that proper QC was maintained in the factory making them)
Incidentally, you didn't say what happens when you use the headphones for a while so that the mics become acclimatised to the exterior sound and turn the NR off?
licensedtoquill said:
So it is the old chinese trick of using the correct licensed boards or copying them, but completing your product with such low quality junk components that the end-product doesn't either work or continue to work. (Just because the mics are real piezo doesnt mean that they are the same as Sennheisers or Bose and that proper QC was maintained in the factory making them)
Incidentally, you didn't say what happens when you use the headphones for a while so that the mics become acclimatised to the exterior sound and turn the NR off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correction: they are typical electret condenser microhpones, not the piezoelectric type.
I don't know about the ANC turning itself off. Are they supposed to do that?
vantt1 said:
Correction: they are typical electret condenser microhpones, not the piezoelectric type.
I don't know about the ANC turning itself off. Are they supposed to do that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what happens when you use the headphones for a while so that the mics become acclimatised to the exterior sound and turn the NR off?
licensedtoquill said:
what happens when you use the headphones for a while so that the mics become acclimatised to the exterior sound and turn the NR off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, sound stops coming out of them, because they only work when the headphone's on.
vantt1 said:
Well, sound stops coming out of them, because they only work when the headphone's on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting: I always wondered why so many reputable companies (eg Bose, which arent exactly cheap) bothered with that lousy design in which the whole headphone dies completely when the battery gives out.
I've checked out the reviews on Amazon & many people say that these are cheaply built & break easily. Plus the "1 year warranty" is only if you live in China & they won't honor it anywhere else
licensedtoquill said:
Interesting: I always wondered why so many reputable companies (eg Bose, which arent exactly cheap) bothered with that lousy design in which the whole headphone dies completely when the battery gives out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you used those headphones passively, you'll no longer be able to experience the "Bose Experience" or "What the artist intended".
I am kind of hard of hearing.
I am looking for suggestions on the following for headphones/buds. I would prefer buds but over the ear is okay.
1. Loud. (Loud enough to use while I am mowing the lawn and weed eating) I listen to both music and podcasts.
2. Clear/Good sound.
3. Not too expensive.
First one that says "Beats" gets my AR-15 pulled on them. Though no one should make that suggestion since two of my requirements are that they sound good and are inexpensive.
I use the ones that came with my M8 for everyday use and I had a certain set that I used while mowing. (They were earbuds and came with one of my MOTO phones I think) I broke them the other day mowing when they caught on the handle of the pull start and ripped apart.
Anyway, is anyone in a similar situation that has suggestions for me?
Also, down the road, I would like to find some BT earbuds or headphones that fit the same criteria.
If you have seen a sticky with all my reviews (also the link in my signature), I reviewed a ton of headphones. When it comes to wired ones and on a budget, Xiaomi Pistons might be a good choice for you but wires will get in the way. Speaking from a personal experience when I'm working in my backyard, you need to go with a wireless headset. I absolutely enjoy using my LG HBS-730 because of all the controls under my fingers. HBS-800 has a better sound, but some of the controls are not as easy to access and 800 cost $90 while 730 is on sale for $43 now. Both were reviewed and in my list. 730 is a great choice under $50, you can get it loud enough, and all the controls are easy to access.
It really depends on what you want to use them for.. Yes obviously listen to music but is that all?. Do you want a pair for watching movies with big sound or are they just for your way to work on the bus..
Perso, I bought the cheapest pair of sony buds and they work like a charm.
On a side note, if your hard at hearing why would the sound quality be a priority since your probably going to phase out the deeper hrz you would find on more expensive gear.....
If somewhat hard of hearing, I think sound isolating headphones (either closed back ones that just keep sound out, or active noise cancellation ones) would be the way to go. In my experience, managing the signal-to-noise ratio is as important as total volume. Knock out the background noise, and the signal that you want to hear will be easier to hear at moderate volume.
Xiaomi Piston 2 have very good sound from what I have read. If you use Comply tips they will also isolate very well.
Xiaomi Piston IF Commemorative Edition (With more tips)
Xiaomi Piston Design 2.0 Earphones
They are both the same
vectron said:
If you have seen a sticky with all my reviews (also the link in my signature), I reviewed a ton of headphones. When it comes to wired ones and on a budget, Xiaomi Pistons might be a good choice for you but wires will get in the way. Speaking from a personal experience when I'm working in my backyard, you need to go with a wireless headset. I absolutely enjoy using my LG HBS-730 because of all the controls under my fingers. HBS-800 has a better sound, but some of the controls are not as easy to access and 800 cost $90 while 730 is on sale for $43 now. Both were reviewed and in my list. 730 is a great choice under $50, you can get it loud enough, and all the controls are easy to access.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for just now getting back here but I have been busy. Thanks for the replies. As recommended both by you and note10 I will check out the Pistons.
As for the LG BT buds, I picked up a pair a few months ago at the Verizon store. A lot of the employees in the stores had them on so I specifically asked about quality and volume. I was told they were great. So I bought them. They were the LG Pro. On sale for $59.
Well they sounded like crap. no volume and it was like I was listening through a tin can. So I took them back. Someone I know was working theat day and I told him my problem. And he was wearing a pair. So this guy leveled with me. The ones they are carrying are the second gen and they have been getting them all back. Just about everybody in the store that was wearing them had the first gens. Huge difference.
obtuce said:
It really depends on what you want to use them for.. Yes obviously listen to music but is that all?. Do you want a pair for watching movies with big sound or are they just for your way to work on the bus..
Perso, I bought the cheapest pair of sony buds and they work like a charm.
On a side note, if your hard at hearing why would the sound quality be a priority since your probably going to phase out the deeper hrz you would find on more expensive gear.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will mostly use them around the house and yard work for both music and podcasts of talk shows.
As for wanting sound quality, I am hard of hearing, not deaf. I have losses in some upper ranges. And I also have tinnitus which is mainly why I need the louder volume. I still like deep rich bases and clear highs (at least the ones I can hear)
Skullcandy
I don't like buying headphones that are too expensive. That's why I bough the Skullcandy Ink'd 2.0. They seem to be really solid headphones and even after 5 times in the washing machine were working for me. :good:
They can go pretty loud and they're really clear audio quality. That is my recommendation
If volume is the biggest problem, something like a Fiio E11 ask amp, or even an E6, would help.
However, I fully agree you should first focus on isolation and clarity, thus salvaging whatever hearing you can. Foam tips are your friend.
Bluetooth will likely never be as loud or as clear as plugging directly in, also.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
For me it is BT headphones.
Hello, my House of Marley Earbuds recently broke and now I'm searching for an replacement. I'm not sure if I buy wired headphones again or switch to wireless headphones. Can someone recommend me some good headphones under 40$ ? Is there also a pair of wireless earbuds with an wired option (that would be ideal) ?
Do you want earbuds, in ear monitors, or headphones? Those are 3 different things. Earbuds, just like apple ipods that don't have a nozzle that goes into your earcanal, the best price/performance ratio in that category is $5 VE Monk+. In ear monitors (IEM) have a nozzle that goes into your ear, a more traditional, probably like the one you had before where you have a nozzle and different size eartips you select to make a better seal. If you want a killer price/performance ratio iems, try Meeaudio RX18, they are on amazon for $5-$6.
It has been awhile since I reviewed budget headphones, back when I used to review and to post on XDA, but I can tell you will not be disappointed with either of these $5 budget gems. Both have a very impressive sound quality, and shows you that you don't need to spend even $40 to get a good iem. Also, IEMs by KZ, like KZ ATE model which you can find for $12-$13 are very good. Of course, there are TOTL flagship iems that cost thousands of dollars, but that's not for XDA discussion
Thank's for the explanation ?. I mean't the In ear monitors. I'l check out the Meeaudio RX18.
What do you think about the Xiaomi Hybrid ?
And is it a good idea to buy a pair of Bluetooth i montiros (mostly for watching YouTube and gamimg) ?
Frostplexx said:
Thank's for the explanation . I mean't the In ear monitors. I'l check out the Meeaudio RX18.
What do you think about the Xiaomi Hybrid ?
And is it a good idea to buy a pair of Bluetooth i montiros (mostly for watching YouTube and gamimg) ?
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Xiaomi makes great stuff, you probably gonna like it! You can never go wrong with hybrids that usually feature dynamic driver (for the bass) and Balanced Armature "BA" driver for mids and treble.
You can find a ton of bluetooth IEMs, typically a pair of earpieces connected by a "wire" with in-line remote. They sound OK, but not all of them have a decent fit/comfort. With a wire-down fit they can fall out easily as you move around. Again, for example, Meeaudio has X6 Plus wireless sports in-ear monitors that have over-ear fit so it stays comfortably in your ear and those are reasonably priced under $30. In general when you are a looking for wireless budget iems, keep in mind that just because they look cool they might not function as good. Big fancy earpieces can easily fall out of your ears, and when you start fiddling with in-line remote to play/pause/skip/volume adjustment - earpieces can also fall out when you pull on the wire. So, over ear fit, regardless if its Meeaudio or someone else - is more desirable.
Another thing to keep in mind, most of these are BT4.1. Definitely make sure they support aptX codec, you will get better sound quality. But be aware, the current mainstream BT protocol still has a sync delay between video and audio. For playing music it's fine, but once you start watching YT or Netflix or playing games, you can have some delay. It's a gray area because I have seen some companies selling low-latency Bluetooth transceivers but not sure if there are headphones to support it yet...
Thank you for your help. I just bought the Xiaomi Hybrid.
Frostplexx said:
Thank you for your help. I just bought the Xiaomi Hybrid.
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Don't forget to come back and share your impressions!
The In ear monitors just arrived and they sound great. They sit also very well in my ears butt its a little tricky to get them in your ears because of the angled design. The only thing that I don't understand is why they change the cable midway from sleeved to rubber. I would recommend these in ear monitors.
Frostplexx said:
The In ear monitors just arrived and they sound great. They sit also very well in my ears butt its a little tricky to get them in your ears because of the angled design. The only thing that I don't understand is why they change the cable midway from sleeved to rubber. I would recommend these in ear monitors.
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Like in the attachment? That one is Xiaomi Pistons 3, so probably similar.
When cable rubs against your clothe, it can create microphonics effect, and it can get worse with that braided sleeve. That's why they change it to rubber sleeving going up above the y-splitter. Plus, rubber sleeving is more durable which makes sense to have at the top, because the clothe braid will be wearing off faster and can get loose after awhile.
Ok that makes sense. I noticed when I wear the headphones for a longer period of time they start hurting a little bit, but i think thats because u have pretty small ears.
I am a music addict. I listen to a big varienty of styles: Metal, Electronic, R&B, you name it. Beeing an audiophile in my beginnings, I do not only care about how music is produced but also how it is reproduced. I already own the RMA T20 for on-the-go music consumption. Although they are a great pair of in-ear buds, they still are tied to cables. Since my Pixel 2XL comes without audio port, I was looking for a decent pair of true wireless earbuds that do not need any kind of cord.
Half a month ago, I bought the Bang&Olufsen Beoplay E8 that I find to be the most ambitious true wireless earbuds for audiophiles available today. I tested them thoroughly over the last 2 weeks and want to share an honest review.
Notice: I paid the full price (~260 EUR on Amazon.de) and did not recieve any discounts or incentives in order to write this review. I have no relation to B&O whatsoever. So this review is unbiased and reflects my personal opinion.
TL;DR
Pros:
great sound
precious looking buds and case
nice app with versatile EQ
transparency mode lets environmental sounds through
works nice with phone calls
multiple gestures
dropouts close to none
lipsync audio/video
Cons:
expensive
Micro-USB port
mediocre battery lifetime (~3h)
skip forward gesture often mistaken for a pause gesture
Review
Package
The package contains the 2 earbuds, a charging case, a thin USB-A to Micro-USB cable, several silicone earpieces (L, M, S, XS) and Comply earfoams (M).
Looks
The buds are a little big bulkier than what competitors like the Apple AirBuds offer but they look really precious in my eyes. The case comes with a leather coating and also offers nice haptics. The buds come in two color flavors: Black and charcoal (greyish). Both look nice, I own the black ones.
Pairing
Pairing works painlessly: Holding both touch areas for some seconds, the LED in the right bud indicates that pairing is now active. Then just use the normal bluetooth pairing of your phone.
App
The app is nicely designed and shows some informations about your buds like serial no and battery but also allows making settings.
You can choose EQ presets and make your own ones by placing an indicator in a sound-grid and tuning spacial levels. Sounds complicated but is actually rather intuitive. The app also notifies about firmware updates and does them only fly.
Functionality / Use
The buds provide an average playime of ~3h while the case provide enough power for 2 additional charges.
The interaction concept is based on two touch-sensitive areas (one per bud). A couple of gestures allow turning on, skip forward/backward, pause/play, volume control, transparency mode, call control and voice assistant activiation. Even if the sheer amount of gestures might be confusing for some, I find them easy to learn. Most of the time, they work pretty well. An sad exception is the "skip forward" gesture (double-tip right bud) that is often mistaken as pause (single-tip right bud). Besides this, the control is superiour to every other true wireless bud out there that I tested.
A highlight is the lip-sync audio/video (<0,2s lag) that makes videos a pleasure to watch. I tested other buds with a lag > 1s that made videos almost impossible to watch.
And when talking about comparisons with other buds: Most suffer from dropouts. These buds don't. At least almost. My greatest fear was that frequent dropouts would kill my pleasure. But these buds do really have a stable connection as long as the phone is not to far away from the right bud (master) and the left bud (slave) is not too far away from the right bud. In fact, I only faced short dropouts only in very few moments: While walking through a safety-scan door (interference) and crouching with my phone sticking in my jeans pocket (too much body between the phone and the buds). I don't know wether the up-to-date firmware is responsible for this, but I have absolutely no complaints in this department.
The transparency mode lets you percieve your environment in 3 flavors: environment only, mostly environment with soft music and 50/50.
Phone calls work like a charm and will even work while wearing only the left bud (master).
When put back in the case, the buds turn off automatically.
Sound
The sound is where these buds really do shine. They provide the B&O signature sound. This means: Transparent sound with clear, non-hissing hights, rich mids and present, defined lows. If you favor a modulated sound instead of a neutral one, you will love the EQ that the app features. Even if the sound reproduction cannot fully compete with audiophile cable headphones, I'd call it "almost audiophile". It is by far good enough to satisfy demanding music lovers. The sound is far ahead of any true wireless competition that I've checked.
Comfort
The buds really fit my ears well and despite their size, they have a tight fit that made me never afraid of having a bud dropping out of my ear.
Verdict
These are really great true wireless in-ear buds for audio lovers that unfortunately come with a hefty price tag. If you are into music on the go, you cannot go wrong. If you are looking for a sports companion, you might want to look somewhere else.