Pros: Deep, deep bass. Very crisp highs. V-shape sound body is ideal for baseheads.
Cons: Slightly cold mids. Not too great for vocals/instruments. Rather small soundstage.
Atomic Floyd are a relatively small British based company that not many people have heard of. They continue to sell their products through as few authorised dealers as they feel necessary which means that the £200 price rage for these is pretty much what you're going to have to pay if you want to have your socks blown off by these little gems.
First Impressions:
As I opened the parcel that the earphones came in, there was an essence of premium quality. The box has been finished with a matt texture and a rather shiny picture of the earphones themselves led me to believe these were worth every penny. When i first popped the earphones out of the rather premium box, I plugged them straight into the nearest source of music I could to test them. However, initial impressions weren't fantastic. The bass wasn't very deep, the treble was harsh and the mids just lacked warmth.
A plethora of different striking statements were made around the box. Things like 'Spectacular Sound - Made in metal' and 'Steel. Kevlar. GOLD.' really created an air of drama about the whole process.
The display on the product itself is brilliant. The earphones also come with a small rubber carrying case, 3 different size buds and a DJ adapter. I found the silicon tips to be a little subjective when it came to fitting correctly and I couldn't find the right size for me so I had to look elsewhere for the right fit.
WOW:
However after about 30 hours of burn in using white noise, the difference was immense. The bass was ground shakingly deep and powerful, the highs were twinkling with every note and the mids started to warm up a bit. I mainly listen to Electro/Dance and these earphones suited them perfectly. The lows were not sluggish or muddy at all and when it was called upon, fast and dynamic bass was delivered.
However I do listen to a few other genres as well, such as classical and guitar oriented music and sadly, this is where the Superdarts fall down. They just didn't give me the sense that I was actually listening to the artist himself/herself in the same room. The way that the SuperDarts were built means that they just weren't made for reproducing beautifully warm mids. Having said that, it is clear that Atomic Floyd were not going in that direction when they made these and therefore it cannot be too much of a criticism.
Build Quality:
As it says on the box, they were 'Built For Life'. The SuperDarts really are something of a masterpiece when it comes to earphone beauty and robustness. They apply '1300°C heat to injection-moulded steel for 10 hours so thinner walls can be carved out, resulting in an enlarged acoustic chamber.' Its this sort of level of detail that makes these earphones really special. They have also incorporated a kevlar cable that works really well when it comes to being tangle free and also feels very sturdy. The 3.5mm jack is gold plated which ensures that no feedback can be heard when listening to even the quietest of tracks.
Comfort:
Being crafted from steel and premium materials, these earphones do weigh quite a bit and can become quite uncomfortable after prolonged periods of time. If you have rather small ears, you might want to look elsewhere as the rounded earphones are rather hefty. It also has an inline mic which does work rather well with the volume and track controls.
Comparisons:
In the past, I have owned: Bowers and Wilkins C5, Sennheiser IE8
But I have also sampled many other earphones.
Bass:
With regards to bass, I would say that the SuperDarts win hands down. It just reaches deeper than other earphones that I have heard previously and it does this while delivering it crisply and powerfully. Compared to the likes of Shure SE535, this is on another level when it comes to bass. However, the C5 and the IE8 aren't too far behind.
Mids:
As I said previously, this is where the SuperDarts fall short of my expectations. The deliverance of the mid range frequencies from the SuperDarts is rather feeble and there just isn't much warmth at all. The soundstage is also quite small as the earphones are rather 'Forward' when it comes to delivering the music to your ear canals. This is where the likes of Shure and Westone absolutely trounce Atomic Floyd, along with the IE8 or IE80's. If you predominantly enjoy listening to vocal tracks with a lot of acoustic instruments, you will be disappointed with the SuperDarts.
Highs:
The SuperDarts perform rather well when it comes to the higher end of the frequency chart as the internal sound setup within the earphones slightly boosts the highs and the lows. The crash of a cymbal will ring in your ears with a certain sparkle that, whilst not being too harsh, gives an amazing amount of detail. As stated earlier, the SuperDarts are probably not for the dedicated audiophile as they just do not live up to the standards of other IEM's and they might not be able to reproduce everything the artist intended you to hear. They're not awful in this respect and I must admit that I was hearing a few new things in my favourite tracks.
Overall:
If you have ever heard a pair of SuperDarts then you probably know what I am talking about when I say they will rattle your skull. The bass response from these things is almost unrivalled. I purchased my pair for £200 and in all fairness, i think they are worth that. The overall sound quality is pretty good and for genres like Electro/Dance, i would go as far as saying that these are THE headphones if that is your taste. They really do please the inner basehead in me, I'm just not sure whether the slightly cold mids and forward highs will be to everyone's taste.
Good review, mate! Truly head-fi worthy write up
Here, on this side of the pond, Atomic Floyd is not as big name. B&W is popular, and I actually reviewed P7 and P3 (check out my index from sig). Though these sounds like not my cup of tea, I'm trying to distance myself from v-shaped sound since I gotta have my vocals clarity. Balanced or a bit mid-centric is fine, as long as it not too much upfront/analytical.
I assume you can't post picture in your review because you don't have enough posts yet? Would be good to see some shots.
I went ahead googling it, and found pictures from T3 review:
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To be honest, I'm a bit confused with this design. I assume that's the one you have/reviewed? The back of the shell has some rough edges; if those come in contact with ears - that's not going to be fun. Not to the same extent, but I recently reviewed a pair of cheap Chinese earphones: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2690229 (honestly, not that great), and that diamond cut was really bothering me. How is it with SuperDarts?
The biggest concern is where/how the wire comes us. It's very non-traditional, looks like absolutely no strain relief, and feels like that wire will break any minute. I know the kevlar reinforced cable probably strong enough, but my concern is the attachment in the back of the shell?
Related
This is a review of BlueAnt Pump Bluetooth wireless HD sportbuds. http://blueantpump.com/
Lately, there has been a number of new releases in wireless sport headphones. I found it to be very interesting how each pair brings something new and original to stand out from competition. The latest one I had a chance to review is from BlueAnt, a well known company with a number of wireless products. They just entered a market with their own set of Sportbuds. All I can say is they made one impressive "splash" with this entry, releasing one of the toughest built waterproof headphones I have seen to date. Let's take a closer look at what I found.
It's clear that BlueAnt done their homework really well by studying the competition to come up with a spec, a fitment, and accessories to make everybody happy. Arrived in a very impressive packaging, their presentation showed almost realistic-like 3D water droplets on top of the tray where these sportbuds were sitting. I was honestly expecting to see yet another variation of two earbuds connected by a cable with in-line remote. To my surprise Pump HD has a behind the ear design, but it looked very slick and modern, not like some other headsets I've seen in the past that resemble a hearing aid. I also noticed how lightweight Pumps felt in my hand and hardly even noticeable once placed around my ears. One common problem with earbuds is finding proper eartips for the best fitment to seal your ear canal and also to make sure they won't fall out of your ears during extreme activities. Here, though Blueant included a very generous selection of a total of 7 pairs of eartips (doubles of each S/M/L pairs and a pair of Comply premium awareness tips), and 2 pairs of stabilizers, and a separate cable zip - all this was to enhance the sound isolation and customize cable length. The fitment itself was taken care of by behind the ear design.
The headset itself has IP67 rating which guarantees to withstand heavy exposure to wet condition. With a Teflon coating and Kevlar shielding, it blocks water, salt, dust and sweat from entering the headphone set. Also, the micro-usb recharging port (with a high quality cable included in accessories) has a durable seal cap. All the Bluetooth button controls are sealed as well. The included blue eartips seems to be made out of durable silicone material and with a right size selection provide a decent noise isolation. But if you need to be aware of your surrounding, Blueant also included a pair of premium Comply Awareness tips that allow background noise. To compliment it's durable built, Pump also includes a durable lasting battery for up to 8hr of play - a very impressive performance!
Wireless pair up was very easy, and it got connected to my phone and media audio without any problem. It supports all the common Bluetooth profiles, such as A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, and HSP. Using multifunction Play button, easily distinguished by raised profile on a side of right earpiece behind your ear, you can play/pause and pick up a call with ease. Volume up/down buttons, shaped as plus and minus, are used to change the volume and also to skip tracks next/prev. The wireless range was very impressive as well, I was about 50+ feet away from my phone across 2 rooms and it was playing without a problem. Blueant claims 100ft wireless distance which I still have to test, but in my opinion it's probably in the open area and with hair out of the way without covering headphones. I also run a number of calling tests, and it sounded very clear on both ends.
Now, let's see how this sound translates into steaming audio. Here, things got a little more interesting. Though using Bluetooth 3.0, Pump actually supports AptX and AAC codecs to provide high quality audio without a typical wireless compression. As a matter of fact, this is a first time ever I have seen a non-audiophile company to disclose frequency response of their headphones
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They are definitely very proud of their 12.5mm customized dynamic driver, and v-shaped sound tuning. But for me it was a mix bag of impressions. It's not fair to judge sport headphones comparing them to audiophile in-ears, but sound is as important as the durability and design appeal. These headphones has a very high emphasis on deep punchy bass. When you exercising - beat is driving your motion, and Pump will really pump you up with a strong beat! Mids were recessed, typical for v-shape sound, but then toward the upper mids and treble instead of going back up, it rolled off down killing the clarity and the sparkle of high frequencies. As a result, overall sound has a nice driving rhythm but it's veiled with overpowering bass and not enough clarity and details in vocals. So what does it mean? By default with your smartphone audio player without any EQ setting the sound might not be your cup of tea (it wasn't mine). The good news - it can be easily corrected with EQ by boosting upper mids and highs around 5k region. Don't take this as a negative comment. In my recent review of ROX I also suggested that it needed some EQ to brighten the sound, to make it more enjoyable, in my personal opinion. I guess this is just a general comment for a lot of sport headphones where I would prefer to have a more balanced sound with some default bass enhancement and let me tweak EQ further to fine tune it, rather than tweaking EQ setting for different headphones in order to enjoy it from get go.
Overall, I don't want to leave this review on a negative note because these headphones are really fantastic for exercising or any extreme sport activities. Nothing I have tested (BlueBuds X, BackBeat Go2, ROX, HBS-730/800) comes close in durability and secure fitment of Pump. For everyday casual active use, I think a more traditional in-ear sport headphones would be more appropriate where I still prefer ROX. If you spend a lot of time making calls or listening to music in the office, HBS-800 would be great for casual use. But if you are into pushing yourself to the limit while exercising, if you find that you have to go through a new pair of headphones every few months because they break under your sweat, if you have to constantly adjust the fitment of your current headphones because they don't stay in place, and if you are not getting enough of daily "bass" to drive you to your next workout goal - Pump HD is calling your name!
Here are the pictures.
This is a review of MOE SS01 twin-driver in-ear headphones. http://penonaudio.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=167 (manufacturer website: http://www.52erji.com/xiaomengerji)
A lot of people probably never heard of MOE before, but as it turns out you might be familiar with their sound already. It's because they were original manufacturer of dynamic drivers for a number of headphones from JVC, Sony, Audio-Technica, and others - http://www.52erji.com/category/product2. Finally, they spread their wings and took off with a new product, MOE SS01, which I just received from www.penonaudio.com and would like to share with you about. As I continue my journey to discover more high quality budget in-ear headphones from lesser known Asian brands, sometime I get overwhelmed with all the available choices, especially when you start reading about it on Head-Fi. That's why I do appreciate guidance with recommendations from penonaudio, and it also gives me a piece of mind that I'm getting genuine product since there are so many fake ones out there. So, let's take a closer look at what I found.
When you look at the box MOE SS01 arrived in, you notice right away these are not your traditional looking in-ear headphones. A clever display on the front of the box demonstrates an arrangement of dual-cylinder design surrounded by "S" letter. Along with a detailed specification in English and a list of accessories, that was a very nice compact presentation of the product. But the big surprise is when you take it out of the box and take a closer look at the actual design. Am I looking at headphones or a piece from my kids LEGO set? Will these even fit in my ears? That was the initial thought that went through my mind, and without hesitation the first thing I did was to put it in my ears for a quick test. These fit like a glove!!! The clever ergonomics with angled nozzle of the perfect length and rounded corners made it very comfortable to insert these dual-cylinder shells in my ears. These have 2 separate chambers, one for low frequency driver and the other one for mids/treble driver. A design detail of red plastic "S" snaked around/between these cylinders adds to a very unique visual effect. Not too often I rave about the cool looks of the headphones since I always put a value of sound quality as the most important factor. In this case - the design and the sound both share a spotlight. Coming out from the lower cylinder, these feature a narrow flat flexible cable with a decent build quality. I typically comment about lack of strain relief, but for some reason in this design it just works and feels secure enough. A separate flat cable from each earpiece goes down through a chin slider to y-splitter cylinder marked with "SS" and continues flat all the way down to a straight gold plated 3.5mm connector. The wire selection of the cable is OFC with a typical 1.2m length.
Among included accessories you get 3 pairs (S/M/L) of soft silicone wide bore (opening) eartips, a shirt clip, and a velor draw string storage pouch. For my personal taste I didn't find these eartips useful since I needed a better seal, so I ended up with original AT small bore tips. Keep in mind, the sound quality of these headphones is VERY eartip dependent where without a good seal you are not going to get much bass. I also have to mention that nozzle had a cloth filter, very similar looking to RE400 stick-on filters (need to confirm if it's the same in size, just looks relatively close). Each earpiece has a stamped L/R letter on the plastic red S piece which is not easy to see. But the unique shape with an angled nozzle and a slight front facing tab makes it very easy to distinguish which one is Left and Right without even looking at these. Also, I found that symmetrical placement of the nozzle between two cylinders actually allows use of these headphones with wire up behind your ears where chin-slider comes very handy to secure the fitment. As a matter of fact, I found wire down and wire up fitment to yield the same level of sound quality and almost an identical seal.
Now let's get down to a sound test. Straight out of the box at first the sound was a little too bright for my taste and bass was missing until I played around with different eartips settling on AT narrow opening one. I figured to give it a few hours of burn in with a pink noise loop to have a better assessment of the sound signature. It didn't take too long to realize these are bright mid-centric headphones with a rather surprising layered bass. I have tested analytical and mid-centric headphones before, and usually they either have hardly any bass or low bass quantity with a main focus on quality. Here, due to a physical separation of low frequency driver and mid/treble driver, MOE was able to create a very unique sound signature where you can literally hear two layers of the sound coexisting together in a perfect harmony. Bass comes with a punch of a fast attack, courtesy of a mid-bass hump, and a warm sub-bass layer right behind it, all very well controlled without bleeding into mids. On the other hand, mids are bright, detailed, and upfront, and treble is crisp and extended. This sound signature does give vocals a bit of a cold feeling, and at first sounded a little bit harsh. But after a few more hours of playing, I noticed an improvement where the peaking started to settle down. The sound is still bright, but a lot more smoother, full, and ear-friendly. I was especially pleased with how natural all the tones sound, either if it's vocals or acoustic instruments. The soundstage is definitely wider than average, great stereo separation. Thanks to a flat cable and it's attachment to the shell, I didn't experience any microphonics. Furthermore, because of high sensitivity and low impedance, these headphones are VERY efficient where you actually need to keep the volume a few click down from your usual setting. It paired up well with my Note 2 as well as FiiO X5.
Overall, I REALLY enjoyed these twin driver headphones and currently can't get enough of it. With some headphones I have to think hard if they offer anything unique or just an overlap with a similar slightly enhanced sound characteristic. With MOE-SS01 this was an easy decision because they offer a very unique mid-centric bright sound with a bass which is great in quality and quantity without being overpowering (not a basshead level). With this kind of bass and treble details you typically have to pay a price of recessed mids, but in the case of SS01 - you also get mids in your face!!! These are definitely worth checking out because they sound great, they look unique, and have a great value being currently on sale from penonaudio for $59.
Here are the pictures.
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Someone just asked me if these could be purchased from eBay and which seller to trust. It's always a tough question because there are so many fake headphones on ebay. But for those who are interested, penonaudio actually has ebay store (under "bigbargainonline") and I just saw these MOE SS01 in there as well: http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOE-SS01-Tw...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item43c1afb6d6
Alternative source
vectron said:
Someone just asked me if these could be purchased from eBay and which seller to trust. It's always a tough question because there are so many fake headphones on ebay. But for those who are interested, penonaudio actually has ebay store (under "bigbargainonline") and I just saw these MOE SS01 in there as well: http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOE-SS01-Tw...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item43c1afb6d6
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can also get it from this seller from aliexpress at the same price.
http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/6396704439.html?orderId=64996927930152
Bought mine here. Also got the VSonic GRO7 from her. Quite reliable.
This is a review and comparison of Ostry KC06 and KC06A in-ear headphones. http://www.ostry.com.cn/item/detailPage?itemid=28 and http://www.ostry.com.cn/item/detailPage?itemid=29
I get a chance to review and to compare a lot of different headphones some of which represent an amazing value with an OK sound while others have a great sound with a price tag that makes you question their value. Once I got a chance to listen to Ostry's latest KC06 and KC06A headphones, I knew right away these represent a rare combination of both amazing sound and value!!! As a matter of fact, these headphones got quickly escalated to the top of my all time favorites. Let me tell you more why I'm so excited about these.
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Due to similarities in packaging and design, most of the review will be combined with an exception of sound description where KC06 and KC06A have their own individual style.
Starting with a packaging, I was truly impressed in how much thought went into its design details. Everything from a foam padded outer sleeve with a distinct cutout to reveal headphones under a plastic display cover to an etched out spec on the back of it (which unfortunately I wasn't able to capture in pictures due to unique nature of it) and ergonomics of accessories placement inside of the box - represent a great level of pride this company took to showcase their flagship product. I also noticed that original packaging of KC06 from 5 months ago has been re-designed, and now KC06 and KC06A look similar with an exception of red details of "A" version.
When it comes to accessories, both models include an ample amount to keep everybody happy. You get a pair of soft earhooks to assist with wearing these wire up in addition to a default wire down, a shirt clip, a soft velvet drawstring pouch where surprisingly KC06A had a wider one (more appropriate in my opinion), a warranty/spec card, and plenty of custom eartips. Both include a set of S/M/L wide-bore short stem eartips (enhances high frequency) and a set of S/M/L narrow-bore longer stem eartips (more balanced with bass emphasis enhancement). In addition, "A" model includes a very unique set of S/M/L eartips with a built in filter which I found to enhance bass performance even further. All these eartips look to be custom made, rather than cheap generic ones, and I was able to achieve a great fitment comfort and the best sound with narrow-bore tips. But for enhanced sound isolation, since I do have a relatively wide ear canal opening, I settled with my go-to UE900 eartips.
Moving on to a build quality, I was very impressed with what Ostry had to offer. Unlike your typical cylindrical in-ear shape that sticks out, these have a flat vertical design with a very comfortable fitment. For me personally, these didn't require any additional adjustment after the initial insertion. As a matter of fact, you can lie down with these on a pillow and they still feel comfortable. The body of the earpiece supposed to be made with some lightweight titanium material with a very durable construction. Both models have a similar pinhole opening at the tip and the body of earpiece, overall have an identical size/shape, and the only difference is the design graphics with a more neutral sort of question mark of KC06 and a more aggressive KC06A with red accents. The wire is attached to the back/side and gets wrapped in a strain relief which blends with a tear drop shape of the earpiece.
The cable between two models is identical with an only exception of red accent marks on KC06A model. The cable jacket, though offering a great protection, unfortunately is stiff and has a "memory" effect where after unfolding it doesn't get straight. I guess it's one of those things you have to live with. Y-splitter has a very interesting "Y" shape design, and the end of the cable is terminated with a very slim 3.5mm gold plated straight connector. It has a short strain relief, and I would prefer it a little bit longer considering wear of straight plug. Also, surprisingly there is no chin slider, though it's not a deal breaker and mostly useful for behind the ear wire fitment. Furthermore, I didn't sense any microphonics.
But as you know, all these eye-candy design details would mean nothing without a sound to back it up. Here, both KC06 and KC06A deliver with a top notch performance! Starting with KC06, I was very pleased to hear a well balanced sound with a touch of mid-centric brightness. Starting with a bass, you get a great quality with a detailed performance. I can clearly hear separation of sub-bass and mid-bass, but sub-bass quantity is just there to give sound a body rather than a rumbling to make you feel it. Mid-bass punch is snappy and quite satisfying to my taste. The bass feels a step above of the reference performance, and it's pleasantly well controlled within it's frequency range. Mids are very detailed, clear, slightly upfront but still in great balance with the rest of the sound. I really like how this performance translates into vocal delivery, very organic, with a touch of brightness, and still smooth. Treble is well extended, detailed, with enough brightness without being too overwhelming, and still very easy on your ears. For the comparison, if I consider RE400 to have warm reference sound, KC06 has a balanced reference sound.
Now, the KC06A kicks it up a notch into a direction of a more commercial sound signature with a slight v-shape cut (relative to KC06). Luckily, they did it a smart way without doing any extreme tuning to kill the mids which sounds a bit warmer in comparison to KC06. The bass here gets a refreshed quantity of rumbling sub-bass that can even put a smile on some bassheads. You still get a great separation between sub and mid bass where the later one is on par with KC06 performance. Bass is still well controlled without spilling into lower mids or the rest of frequency range. Mids are still detailed but now just a bit recessed to bring up a power of the low end. I was very pleased Ostry didn't reduce the quality of the mids except for smoothing out some brighter peaks, and just slightly scaled down the quantity while keeping most of the original attributes from KC06. Treble is still well extended, has a similar crisp performance without any hint of sibilance. Also, I didn't find any significant difference in soundstage width. A principal change from KC06 and KC06A is enhanced/additional sub-bass and slightly recessed warmer mids. As a matter of fact, I'm still on a fence if what I'm hearing as "slightly recessed" could be an effect of enhanced bass and a bit of brightness reduction.
Overall, I was very impressed with everything about these fantastic headphones. Well, almost everything except for the cable where I would prefer a softer jacket to get rid off that wire memory effect. Now, when it comes to ergonomics of the design and it's comfortable fitment and the sound signature - both KC06 and KC06A quickly got elevated to the top of the list of my current favorite headphones. I was actually thinking which one I would like better, and it was a hard decision to make because I enjoy both of them very much, and would highly recommend either. With a current price of around $60-$80 (newly introduced KC06A is higher in price), these headphones represent a true "giant killer" value in every aspect of their design and sound performance. Can't wait to see what Ostry going to come up with next!!!
Here are the pictures of individual models.
KC06
KC06A
For those interested, Penonaudio has KC06A in stock, listed both on their website and eBay store, along with original KC06 pair.
KC06A
http://penonaudio.com/OSTRY-KC06A
http://www.ebay.com/itm/OSTRY-KC06A...51194374?pt=US_Headphones&hash=item58b275eb06
KC06
http://penonaudio.com/OSTRY-KC06
http://www.ebay.com/itm/OSTRY-KC06-...95666575?pt=US_Headphones&hash=item58a930c08f
I've one of those (KC06) and I'me quite happy with the buy (since December), very good construction quality and stylish!
The sound is amazing (off that I don't have a lot of comparing experience), payed 45€ what I believe it was a great deal.
This is a review of SIDY (BGVP) DGS100 2-way hybrid in-ear headphones. http://penonaudio.com/BGVP-DGS100
My adventure in a land of hybrid in-ear headphones continuous, this time looking into a new offering from SIDY with their latest flagship model DGS100. For someone who just wants to buy a pair of replacement headphones or on a budget to find something that "sounds good", it will not make a difference about a type and a number drivers used in various headphone models. But for those who understand and appreciate a sound quality and have different headphones in their collection, hybrid IEM has been the latest buzz word. Having a flexibility of dynamic driver to deliver strong low frequencies and balanced armature driver for high frequencies opens up a door to a new sound shaping opportunity. Having already a number of dynamic IEMs under their belt, SIDY decided to join the hybrid revolution with their own offering. Here is what I found.
Arrived in a very unique tin box, it was a pleasant change from a traditional headphone packaging. In addition to headphones, inside of the box I found a very impressive collection of accessories. In addition to a quality hard shell storage case, you also get red over the ear wire guides and a collection of 16 (!!!) pairs of eartips. We are talking about a set (S/M/L) of quality Foam eartips, a set of hybrid eartips with red stem (S/M/L), a set of a typical audio-technica narrow bore opening eartips (S/M/L), and another 10 pairs of wide bore opening eartips in gray/white/black colors. I actually found these foam tips to be a lot better than Comply since they are softer and more spongy with less memory effect, goes into your ear faster without a need to wait for a foam to expand. I also found them to provide the best sound isolation and also a more detailed presentation. It all depends on your personal preference and anatomy of your ears, but SIDY definitely provides you with a big variety of eartip to find the one which fits you the best.
The headphones itself have a very basic cylindrical shape, but it's made out of a solid metal material and has a nice black finish. The design revealed a few interesting details. Looking through the nozzle's mesh cover, I was able to see all the way down to a sound port opening which suggests there is no filter insert, and kind of reminded me of their other DM2 model with interchangeable filters where the nozzle itself was a shaped filter. Also, a typical port opening found at the base of the nozzle (common in a lot of headphones) was on the side of the shell facing outward in Left/Right earpieces. Furthermore, there was another port opening on the back of the shell which I found to affect low frequency content as you close and open it with your finger. The cable attachment had a very nice strain relief and clear L/R marking, including a small bump on the Right side. Cable shielding was round, not too thin or too thick, and with enough flexibility to keep it tangle free as well as folded over your ear without a need for included earguides. I was surprised a cable cinch (chin slider) wasn't included, but y-splitter had a nice touch with an individual S/N marking. 3.5mm gold plated connector had a great strain relief and was 270 degree angled for additional comfort. I didn't detect any microphonics while wearing these either wired down or up.
Even so DGS100 might look plain, there is nothing plain about it when it comes to the sound. But I have to warn you, they absolutely require at least 20-30hrs of burn in. This is a first pair of in-ear headphones where I experienced such a drastic change from when I heard them out of the box and throughout first 20hrs of burn in. Out of the box, the mid-bass was overwhelming and upper mids were recessed. Now, 25hrs later - what a difference!!! Starting with a bass, mid-bass definitely settled down in comparison to my initial impression, but it still a dominant element across entire frequency range. Sub-bass is present as well, but it's more of a fill-in layer which supports mid-bass. I feel there is a little bit of mid-bass bleed into lower mids, though bass is still under control while being "on" most of the time. Upper mids are very detailed and smooth, and no longer feel recessed. The only thing I feel it lacking is a bit of clarity.
It took me awhile to put my finger on what's going on until I came across FR curve for DGS100. I personally trust my ears more than any visual graph, but in this case when I saw a sharp dip around 6k region that made sense to me. DGS100 upper mids are warm and smooth, not too bright, which creates a perception of less clarity in comparison to some other brighter IEMs in my collection. The same with treble, it's super detailed, but not as bright. I'm not saying this in a negative sense, it's just a different sound signature. As a matter of fact, upper mids/treble of DGS100 reminds me A LOT of Westone W40 (and we are talking about $500 IEM). Soundstage is actually wider than average, while depth is average. Also, these headphones are not as forgiving when it comes to playing lower bit rate encoded files, and I noticed a difference with 192kbps mp3s.
Overall, in my opinion if you have been waiting to try out a pair of hybrid IEMs and not after a bright analytical sound but rather want a smooth fun sound - these get my high recommendation. I don't want to compare them to other BA only or dynamic only headphones because they are in a different category. Also, their smooth and laid back sound signature makes it more tolerable for extended non-fatigue listening, unlike bright sound of Altone 200. Furthermore, I prefer DGS100 sound signature over AX35 where I found upper mids to be veiled and a bit recessed. If you are on a budget and looking for a single pair of in-ear headphones to invest money into, these might not necessary be the end-game pair. But if you are a headphone enthusiast who understands and values a sound quality and has a collection of headphones with different driver technology - these will be a worthy trophy on your shelf with a great value under $80 (once you sign in to Penonaudio).
Here are the pictures.
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This is a Review of AuGlamour AG-R1 in-ear headphones. http://penonaudio.com/AuGlamour-AG-R1
Lately I covered a lot of great budget in-ear headphones and hopefully was able to convince you that you don't have to spend a fortune in search for a good quality IEMs. But as you start moving down in pricing, especially below $50 mark, you will start noticing that every manufacturer has to cut some corners. When you get down to $25 level, it will not be as easy to find something that sounds great, looks great, and has a great build quality. Some looks could be deceiving underneath of cheap plastic shell. In case of AG-R1, a newcomer from AuGlamour, they were able to get very close to satisfying all these requirements. Here is what I found.
The packaging AG-R1 arrived in was very impressive considering $25 price tag. I feel like every new budget headphone release is trying to outdo their competition by raising a bar higher to make their product standout. Here you have a black hard carton box with a logo across entire top cover and a ribbon with a bear sticker (?) in the back. Once you remove the top cover, you see a ribbon going around the bottom part of the box, holding down headphones inside of the foam cutout insert. After removing this ribbon and taking everything out, beside headphones itself I found a nice soft draw-string storage pouch, a pair of earhooks for over-ear fitment, S/M/L pairs of hybrid eartips with a medium bore opening, and another pair of red foam eartips. For its price, this was not a bad selection of accessories.
The biggest surprise is when you get these in your hands and feel their weight - you will quickly appreciate their all metal quality shell. With a round flat design resembling a scaled down shape of CKR9 IEMs, these have a very high build quality. Also, the shape is comfortable enough to put your head on a pillow without them pocking you. The fitment is similar to Ostrys, but it's smaller and more comfortable; there is an air port at the bottom of the nozzle, and the back has a cool round logo. Cable is twisted and comes out from the side, supported by a decent strain relief. Due to a twisted/braided nature of the cable there is no cable cinch which could come handy during over the ear fitment since I personally don't like earhooks, but you can also use it to your advantage by twisting both of the earpiece cables to bring them closer together. Still, I preferred wired down fitment. Y-splitter is a small metal capsule without much of strain relief, but braided nature of the cable prevents it from sharp angle bending. 3.5mm straight gold plated plug has a very slim housing and also a good strain relief. Overall, cable microphonics wasn't bad at all, and with a good eartip seal you can get an above average isolation, but not enough for a total isolation during subway/bus commute.
Now, the sound quality. AuGlamour describes these headphones as "mainly for vocals", and they are absolutely correct. AG-R1 has a very clear and detailed mid-centric sound signature, but unlike most of the other IEMs in this category you also get a taste of bass. Starting with low frequencies, unfortunately you won't get as much sub-bass extension and the focus is more on a mid-bass with a faster attack. It works great for the rhythm of the music but makes it sound a bit thinner without sub-bass support. Mid-bass is well controlled without spilling into lower mids, but after 20-30hrs of burn in peaked a bit causing a mild hollow thumping effect. Nevertheless, I still found it balanced rather well with mid range - the star of AG-R1. Mids are clear and detailed without getting peaky or harsh. They definitely have a good balance between brightness and smoothness to make vocals shine, but at the same time sound a bit thinner and colder due to a leaner lower mids. Treble is clear and crisp, doesn't extend too far, but just enough to appreciate details without causing fatigue during extended listening. Staging is definitely above average with a decent width and depth; great stereo separation!
For a quick comparison, I put AG-R1 against a few of my other IEMs and found the following. My recently reviewed EP100 have more sub-bass, with mids pushed more back, and staging a bit narrower. VSD3 have more sub-bass, with mids being smoother and thicker and at the same time more recessed, and overall sound being a bit less detailed. KC06A also has a bit more sub-bass, but mids are grainy and splashy in comparison, while staging is more narrow and shallow. With T1E you get more sub-bass, and mids are way more recessed and less detailed. Furthermore, AG-R1 was very easy to drive out of any source, and I actually found it to be not as picky about source quality.
Another thing I would like to add, for an additional $4.90, Penonaudio offers a set of 5 eartips, including double flange and new hybrid "turbine" wide bore tips. I guess as part of cutting some corners you don't get as many stock tips, and if you don't have spares - you can buy these. Also for those who want a better protection for your headphones, beside an included draw string pouch, Penon has a new aluminum cases (http://penonaudio.com/Earphone-Aluminum-Box) for about $10 plus change. Those are very sturdy with a tight seal, great for traveling.
Overall, I really enjoyed AG-R1 and found not only their sound sig to be refreshing but also really liked their build quality and look/fitment. Perhaps if you are craving more bass or more rumbling extension down to sub-bass layer, these will not satisfy your appetite and will sound a bit too thin for your taste. But that's the whole beauty of these IEMs - being more mid-centric with a clear and detailed mids to deliver great vocal performance and a great non-fatigue sound adequate for an extended listening. But don't worry, these can still handle all your Top40 hits and will be able to keep up with a pumping rhythm. For $25 it's a great value.
Here are the pictures.
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Extra eartips
Hard Case
Thank you so much for this review, you just made my choice so much easier!
Are you still satisfied with these? Would you say it would be a good set for working out / gym?
Thanks
For the price they are pretty good. Some people like extra bass/beat for the gym to pump them up, these are more for music/vocals, but the bass and the beat are there, just not as pronounced.
Anyone still here? I just wanna buy it tomorrow, i usually listening to mainstream music in spotify and some pop covers in youtube, will this IEM suit my needs?
And hows it compare with Xiaomi Mi IV Hybrid?
Thanks btw
tigantabrother said:
Anyone still here? I just wanna buy it tomorrow, i usually listening to mainstream music in spotify and some pop covers in youtube, will this IEM suit my needs?
And hows it compare with Xiaomi Mi IV Hybrid?
Thanks btw
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I would go with hybrids. I no longer review budget iems, but in general hybrids will have a separate dynamic driver for bass and BA drivers for mids/highs. AG-R1 is more mid-centric, good for vocals as well as rock music. Mainstream tunes need some good bass impact, not basshead, but just good low-end extension. In my opinion, hybrid will suite your music style better.
vectron said:
I would go with hybrids. I no longer review budget iems, but in general hybrids will have a separate dynamic driver for bass and BA drivers for mids/highs. AG-R1 is more mid-centric, good for vocals as well as rock music. Mainstream tunes need some good bass impact, not basshead, but just good low-end extension. In my opinion, hybrid will suite your music style better.
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Woww, very fast reply. Thanks for your opinion, thats help me alot