^^( First I would like to thank Rob Reyna of In Ear Customs who got me the R-50 to make up for my reshelled GH-ERC-DMS getting stolen in POST )
 
I am writing this review as I will be parting with my R-50 within another day or two, the left cable has come loose and rotates around the housing, making the IEM unusable as it can only be worn around ear.
 
 
On to the sound quality, this for me is the TWFK to be. A role model of sorts. The sound quality is excellent, imaging is the best I have heard from an IEM. The treble dont get very peaky like my GH-ERC-DMS(another TWFK). Mind you, the treble will definitely get annoying to listeners sensitive to brightness/treble emphasis also with the sibilance that is present.
I don't think TWFK Knowles implemented earphones really need a second introduction to detail reproduction, as far as I know they are second to none. 
 
The bass is real tight and fast. Does n't show much sub-bass body but the mid-bass is excellent in quality and to an extent satisfying in quantity. 
 
With comply tips, the sound really is something astonishing. The brightness is reduced by a good margin and the over-all sound remains airy yet delicate and detailed. A slightly warmer presentation with extended treble and better bass body while the sibilance in the mids is nullified. I think, this is the best presentation for me and reminds me of the RE-272 by Hifiman, with better bass and better present treble.
 
The imaging is spectacular and beats all my previous earphones by a mile, and the transient response is also stunning with these earphones. 
 
As evident, my only gripe is the ridiculous,sub-par, atrocious build quality that really annoys me to have it send back.
 
I ll do a couple of comparison for you other IEM owners out there although much of them is from memory(which is clear)
 
1. Sony MH1C
 
The sony is very very very forgiving compared to the R-50. The bass is the highlight, yet the mids are present to a very appreciable extent and the treble just dies down but is well extended. They resolve a very good amount and is generally a perfect signature for the casual listener. Their sound stage offers very good width and height but loses in accuracy and imaging to the R-50, which also has an amazing height in its presentation yet not so much width. Micro-detailing is completely polar to the MH1C, and the overall sound is very very warm to my ears to get the real hang of things in music.
 
2. GH-ERC-DMS
 
The GH-ERC-DMS was my first TWFK Knowles dual BA monitor that provided excellent imaging, great resolution and adequate bass. With comply tips the sound was excellent albeit brighter and more treble tilted than the R-50. The micro-detail is on par with the R-50 but the refinement and imaging is not. The mids are also much more forward than on the R-50 and the over all balance is towards to the uppermids-treble.
 
3. SE-535
 
Mid-forward presentation with the best bass I have heard from an IEM. They are not so resolving as the R-50 nor has the height in presentation. Their build quality was just light years ahead of the R-50, but to me that is almost what you pay for. I think the R-50 is much more transparent of the recording and their imaging still beats the $300+ Shures. Their transients are good yet not in the level of the R-50. The bass is very refined on the SE-535 and much better in quantity and quality over the R-50s.
 
4. RE-272
 
So far my reference, I do not know what exactly happened to these godly IEMs or why Fang Bian decided to replace them with the new line up. Their paper filter version(which I auditioned first) is more of what I prefer over the metal filter version(which I acquired second). I think the R-50 offer much better imaging and is also more transparent of the recording than the RE-272. The R-50 has better treble presence, yet quality of the treble on the RE-272 is simply better. The bass is very low in quantity on the RE-272 and the R-50 just feels better with the low-end. The mids on both are fairly flat, yet I think the RE-272 has the edge. 
 
If you want an IEM for re-shelling get the R-50, that's all I have to recommend to you. I do not think that they are supposed to be used for long time and are like disposable cameras, only good for the roll of film inside.
 
Thanks for reading 

 
I really can't believe I am taking my time off a super busy weekend to type up a review of the FOTM Sony MH1C (while I wait for my RE-272s  ).
 
For firsts, I am not an ace reviewer, and I regret reading my previous reviews. I think I just belong to the race of head-fiers who just enjoy listening music and accept the fact that they are not the best with words.
 
 

 
 
Either way to make a long review short, I've bought these around a month back and used them more than once a day, so its definitely plausible and probable that they have gone a good amount of burn in and the total signature has reached its ultimate state of polish and vigor. As for 'brain-adjustments' and burn-ins, I think its least important and too consuming a time to discuss it further.
 
Let me, secondly, address the worst part of these IEMs as a whole - the Cable! 
Flat, annoying, J-corded, Hhhhheavy - even pulls the earphones out of your ears quite too often. This might be a deal-killer for many and you can see quite too many people calling this the worst cable ever made. 
Also can be found is a real good method to get rid of any and all cable issues in the Clieos' discovery thread right up here in Head-fi. I just use the shirt clip and 'clip' it to my collar once I have the J-cord up and around my neck. This might slightly let the cable difficulties to self-destruct but do not allow for a full solution, just my side of the coin really.
 
Now for the sound. Some of the best sound to be had at the price and a few notches up! Seriously..
Very non-fatiguing consumer friendly sound with good amounts of resolution as well(although the bass can be sometimes too much - Yes! I come from balanced armatures).
 
The overall sound is very warmish with a slight tinge of treble at the very top. Mids compliment the bass very well and vice-versa, they show good thickness and are not particularly forward, but I can't call them recessed either, although at times I feel that in the bass-mids competition, the bass wins by a slight margin. 
The treble is recessed which tends to the overall warmish signature, but the moment I try and conclude its recessed, the high-highs just sound clear! yup! I feel that some of the high-highs or where the treble shows 'air' sounds boosted. 
So the treble doesn't show good body really but 'air' in the highs are easily identifiable to call the overall soundscape 'clustered'. 
Now for dominant part, THE BASS! the mid-bass is literally some of the best I've heard in quantity, shatters the likes of my SE-535 by a good margin, and quality wise I wouldn't really differentiate. The bass extends really low and show good body but I often feel that they are a bit too sub-bass happy(I use the bass-reducer EQ on my I-Pod)
Now comes the magic, once amped, the bass gets tighter, and the overall sound gets really good. There is a good increase in the width of the soundstage and imaging gets better as well. The sound is also very detailed to be honest but don't compete much with the likes of SE-535 and Brainwavz B2( yes! I know both of them are armatures) ; then again I would call their resolution to be stellar given the price of these. Once amped I would consider them competition to my SE-535(unamped) and seriously given their price difference, you do understand how astounding a value they purport!
Like I said, they are very detailed, but the overall warmish sound negates the possibility of micro-detailing IMHO! Beside whatever detail they come up with also carries a sense of warmth to it.. this is not really a problem, just a matter of preference.
 
 
Comparisons & Conclusions!
 
I ll compare these to the Brainwavz B2 clones(called the GH-ERC-DMS) which I'll be addressing simply as DMS and the Shure SE-535 so you can clarify why they are really the king of value.
 
Bass wise, the MH1c offer superior bass punch and very good sub-bass in quantity, though I prefer the quality of the sub-bass on the SE-535 ; but still not by much as the price-difference would imply. The DMS has good bass but don't really come up in the bass-comparison with the other 2.
The mids are great show overall thickness and required emotion on the MH1C, but they are neither as forward, emotive or transparent like the mids of the SE-535 and the sweet-sounding DMS. Yet, what they take away is the sibilance issues of the other two, and show better justice to low bitrate recordings.
The treble is best on the DMS, they show superlative sparkle and body without any excessive points! The SE-535 with a 6N OFHC SPC after-market cable show good treble body, but still sound rolled off next to the DMS. For the MH1c, they provide very good extension as much the SE-535 with the after-market cable at the same time give a a little extra-like feeling of extension with that weird boost in the 'air' that puts a smile on my face to how really full-sounding these IEMs are, besides its stupendous value! 
 
The above comparison doesn't really do the MH1c any justice but for day to day use I can't really recommend any better IEM! The DMS has a fragile cable and is too analytical and bright sounding to wear out on the sunny days( I like to blend with the weather ) & the Shure SE-535 is $400 to take the same risk! Other than this if you want a well behaved sound at (1/n)th of the price without much sacrifice to detail and that provides real good competition to high-tier in ears, look no further this is your cup of tea! 
 
Thank you Sony! Thank you Clieos! 
 
Hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it! 
 
Cheers to all! 
 
 

great bass. especially the mid bass is superb and delicately punchy... no bleed to my ears 
 
very clear for a bass heavy headphone
 
they sound warm and overall very easy on the ears...supremely forgiving....great clarity ..
beats my xb 500 in almost everyway.  bass is very well layered and faster than sennheiser hd 428 and xb 500. also shows equal layer and extension in bass to xb500, at the same do not sound bloated like the latter
 
treble is enough not to complain about..  I dint have my usual treble checking tracks but i can still vouch for this....(eq might help here)
 
mids sound warm but i dont find any particular bleed...
satisfying soundstage with good height and nice width... again better than the xb 500s..
 
the mrp of this is 4k inr( around 75 dollars) and thats not really a steal...but price depends where you find it 
 
if you can get it at 40 dollars a pair, these hold the best value i can think of but 75 dollars is still high ...
 
to me it sounds much more realistic and convincing in portraying depth and layer in comparison to similarly priced sets like the hd 438 by sennheiser. Provided, they are super comfortable I would pick these up against similarly priced cans like the ones mentioned.
 
isolation is subpar to average - as good as the xb 500 if you ask me.. but not as good as the ultra-budget friendly hd 202 by sennheiser. 
 
overall the signature is warm and the bass compliments the mids but bounce about high and big when called for.. treble is good but resolution and detail can as well be considered a contribution of the size of the soundstage and overall clarity which gives the sense of perceived detail(imho)
 
cheers

+ve
 
Superb Clarity
Accentuated Treble but not tiring 
Superlatively Detailed! 
Banging the buck baby! 
Satisfying Bass especially the mid-bass(very much more so than the RE-272s)
Technically Musical(more musical but equally detailed to the RE-272s)
Speed Speed Speed
Instrument Seperation
Imaging
 
-ve
 
Build could be better(nitpicking)
SQ not quite there yet(in comparison to the RE-272s and the SE 535)
Average Soundstage
 
 
Products like these especially at the price i got it at...makes me think that sometimes Human economy can simply be Owned !! I really can't believe a pair of japanese Iems that is mostly made with the not-used excess by-products can practically sound better than something that is 5 times its price and the heights of human engineering (yes I am talking about you SE-535)
 
I have not heard any TWFK knowles sets but if this is one( since theres some speculation that its b2 clone) Im very much happy with the sound it has to offer.
 
it more neutral than the se-535, but not as refined .. however extremely detailed...I think it puts up with the re 272 in terms of detailing of sound ...
 
the only fault is the sibilance that can be cured with shure olives or comply tips, also using these will make them sound thicker in note and more convincing in naturalism...
 
 
first jazz recording I heard with these and I think they kick the re 272 in timbre
http://www.youtube.com/user/gilmour509?feature=CAgQwRs%3D
 
read comments below for cons 

+ve 
Class leading sq(among the best of what i've heard).. I would definitely put the SQ as high as the Shure SE-535 & on par with the SRH-940 out of an HUD MX-1
Very coherent presentation - i think this is the most pleasing presentation an analytical listener can get
Clinical yet musical - for this you will have to take a listen for yourself
Clarity that keeps up with speed - the almost no bass sound makes up for astounding clarity that's second to none
Motherly Micro-detail - I think this might be one of the most detailed sets i've heard till date
the treble is very very airy which helps in identifying micro-details in the music very easily.. its not the most prominent treble I've heard, but its smooth yet clinical at the same time, yes it is a bright pair of earphones but still the over all sound quality is extremely pleasing to the analytical ear
 
-ve
fragile build(price not justified) - I got a used pair of the re 272 after a year from my initial audition, and the build to my eye was fairly good, but then the left driver started distorting and thats when I came to know there was a problem with the wiring, which is polished and refined in appearance but finicky and cheap .. you do not get what you pay for here! 
adequate bass but not satisfactory, the sub-bass shows no body, theres a considerable roll off and the overall bass is shy of neutral. even the mid-bass has very less impact and decay..
limiting soundscape - the soundstage is average but not to the competition of other flagships I've heard such as the ex 1000 or the se 535, however the sound is not at all clustered, infact its just the opposite
 
 
 
 
 
  

let me start with the common confusion of burning in cans!!
with a huge amount of forums that generally end in personal arguments, i am completely quizzed if im to believe in it or otherwise..
however, its not much of a loss to try it out as they can only bring out the true sonic characteristics of a headphone, if at all there are any..an example being my xb500s change in sound once burnt in, but it wasn't the same with the shure se 535(then again BAs need no burn in or so is the talk) ,
at the time of this writing i've given the dt 990 pros a 100 odd hours of white, pink,brown noise profiles and music .
they were pathetic straight out of my laptop...so i started to burn flac cds and play them through my onkyo sr 501 ...yes!!! they need a lot of power but that is very evident from the 250 ohm label.
the bass is really crazy and in fact its quality bass providing a lot of signature to the overall sound!! yes im talking about quality bass and not brain disorienting vibrations(xb 500)..
i wouldn't call the mids recessed at all, instead its just a bit overshadowed by the full bass and treble. when i heard some boney m tracks(flac), i found the vocals upfront, attention grabbing and good enough to prove wrong the rumor ....but the vocals don't stand out with respect to the instruments during chorus and the like even though there is no sacrifice on detail...which contributes to the so called 'recession' behaviour...yet again, this is partly subjective as im comparing them to my super-forward mid-centric se 535... i would still consider the mids to be clear with immense clarity and on its own league of sorts! 
however reminding myself of the se 535 signature, the dt 990 pros had a strengthened amount of texture in comparison to the shures, this might be part of the balanced armature sound vs dynamic sound debate.
another noteworthy point > these make a a stupendously brilliant movie headphone ...
let me make this point clear. movies like inception(yes!!hyped, overly so) and the general works of Nolan have a sense of eerie and this fear of sorts is very hard to come across while watching them on poor screens with poorer audio seperation.
and this eerie, which is part of his direction, became very evident once i watched it through these cans, i almost peed my pants when marrion cotillard looked onto the camera in dicaprio's dream basement in inception...and watching bourne ultimatum was a heavenly pleasure...very very realistic and detailed sound ... ...car tires screeching, gunshots, shell casings landing, glass breaking ,bombs going off and impacts are just absolutely mental!! 
i can only imagine what terminator 2 judgment day would sound like...apparently thats next on my list
and now for the treble.
treble is a bit piercing, especially if you listen to mainstream pop but for movie watching i find this brings out a lot of realism in the sound.  this would be my ideal sounding headphone if the treble is brought down by 4 decibels but then again a 300 ohm resistance adapter will do this faithfully.....
yes! i've found a true keeper in them and i suspect that for a real long time i will restrict my hi-fidelity search to iems alone! 
another common budget recommendation with these cans will be the cmoy bb amplifier as it also mellows the treble and brings more body to the mids! 
happy listening!! 
 

>>(first impressions)
 
>>as tyl herstens said - "Ahhh! Someone slipped liquid gold into my ears! The genies at Shure did some    
    real magic here."
>>just wonderful ...handsome bass , rich and forward mids , in-offensive treble
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
Impressions after 6 months :-
 
I thought of pimping this review and adding on to the above after a full 6 months of listening .
 
I hated the Shure Olives at first, so started using the flex tips that came with it for most of this period except recently when i switched back on to the olives and came to know what I've been missing.
 
With the flex tips any one can easily point at the disorganized presentation with a 'here and there' soundstage that is loose, flabby and not so convincing in height.
 
Let me start with the paradox that these IEMS portray.
 
They have more of a dynamic sound to my ears and show lotsa timbre and texture, which essentially takes away its 'armature' nature. They are on the meatier side of things, which 'sounds wrong' in some of the fast music i listen to occasionally . I tried my hand at almost everything to get a fast sound out of them but none worked. 
 
Another thing that these were not showing were some of the texture in treble, which in head-fi terms is a roll-off. I EQ'd my source for treble to pop out but FR charts proved me wrong there and the treble EQ gives it a piercing sound with some of the electronica that the shures handle very well.
 
So I decided to take a look at some faster IEMs out there and found a great deal on the CK100 pro, that's when a great head-fier pointed me to the option of after-market cables, hell he even made me a custom one, a 6N OFHC SPC.
 
 

 
 
 
 
I noticed better seperation and better treble, not instantly but you could say I sank down to it. The bass might be a bit tighter with the custom cable as well, but this is something I still have to verify.
 
However the flex tips were still limiting them from providing any coherency, so I went back to the olives. 
Now if you can't get out of a problem, you might as well go further in. (implying my search for improving the shures at what they are good at)
 
So i tried the olives again, and this improved the texture even further, yes even the treble had some
body with the olives and the custom-cable.
They can be only worn over the ears.(Below is an on the ear picture of them with stock cables)
 
 

 
 
 
 
Evaluation of the sound and Conclusions:
 
The sub-bass of these are very much there, all the way down low, provide great texture but at the lowest of lows can sound abstract.
The mid-bass is great as well, but they don't really hit you like my DT-990 Pros do.
The mid-bass is more like a water balloon that someone threw at you, but it didn't break on impact(with your FACE) and neither did you close your eyes.
 
The mids are the magic. Amazingly open and very forward mids that might get annoying to some. But as much as it wowed me at first, it has still remained a great pleasure and can provide one too many eargasms. The forward mids really provide superlative clarity that still stands as a reference to my ears.
With the flex tips, I even found a lot of sibilance in the mids, this goes away obviously with the olives, comply foams etc. an example here for its mids is 'lullaby for cain' by sinead o'connor that with the 535s actually sounds like it was sang to scare a baby to death(beautiful vocals with lots of raw emotions - what did you think?)
 
The treble with the stock is 'very' inoffensive and sound only extended to make details audible and provide great resolution .This is the place where higher pitch toned instruments lack air and you can find deficiencies .In other words, most of the instruments like flute, trumpet, clarinet, cymbals of drums, oboe etc sound thin and bodyless once they go to the higher registers of the instrument pitch. It might be unsatisfying to many, atleast to me it is. 
 
the solution > custom cable starting from the 6N ofhc SPC available for 60 $ all the way to the OCC 7N pure silver dream cable for 300 $, provide great compliment to the overall sound(see link below). I wouldn't say the treble just improved to sheer awesomeness or anything. It was much more strong and slightly more extended from its original presence.
 
http://stores.ebay.com/liutaiyo-console/Other-/_i.html?_fsub=1
 
The shures have a very inorganic presentation with no rawness to it imho(mind you its just the presentation and not really the sound which is supremely realistic), the music sounds forward and mesmerizing and the details sound slightly in the distance. I know the music I listen to from back to front, sideways to centre, so the 'detail' i listen to is more or less part of the rythm now. this i deem to be the characteristics of the shure magic and does not really work with the other iems I've tried.
Like a dad riding a bicycle who is helping his kid balance on a bicycle at the same time.
 
P.S>What most IEMS represent today are great transparency, a technical nature of revealing details and brilliant transients.
 
The shures might not be the best for any of the above sonic properties and signature , but the quality of sound they put out is one of its kind. 
they are a good all rounder and provide a near full view of the music without sacrificing too much of any part of the sonic spectrum.(with SPC to my ears)
 
 
AFTER P.S>What I mean to say is that these are an amazing product, but more or less an acquired taste(easiest one in that way) and very expensive. They are very sensitive and provide me with deafening volumes at around 70 percent of my i-pod volume bar.
The build quality is just superb, one of my fat assed friends sat on it for hours while I was asleep and  NO-THING at all happened to them, super tough build( made for audiophile construction workers out of their hard hat material) !! The microphonics of the stock cable is near to NO-THING. 
The isolation is just stupendously superbly divine. A few months back, I roamed for around 3 hours in the city  with the shures on, and don't even remember hearing a private bus honk reminiscent of ship horns(very present in my part of the world). Comfort again is good, but not really great. They don't really disappear into the ears, you always know they are there and cutting you off from this world in 2 ways :
 
1. you have them on and walk around your house, don't here the phone ringing (probably your boss who wants to fire you)
2. you have them on and walk on the road, take your DAP to change the music, forgetting you are on the middle of the stupid road and get hit by a kidnap van.
 
Hope you enjoyed this. 
Thank you for reading.
 
 
 
 

 

nothing hi-fidelity about them.. cheap pair of on ears with poor response through out the spectrum