[wotts]

[size=medium]When Spider Cable announced the Realvoice earphones, I was initially struck by the chance to get a pair for free. I mean, who doesn't love free stuff?! Also, they were offering $10 off the retail of $89.99 and a 30 day trial period, so I decided to take the offer. Since my only other in-ears/earphones are the Etymotic HF-5s, I'll make some comparisons, but my intent is not a Realvoice vs. HF-5 style review.[/size]
 
[size=medium]Tiffany at Spider was great to work with during the ordering process, and followed up with me to ensure I received the product. The packaging is nice, and included were four pairs of tips, a carry case and a CD of reference music. I have not actually listened to the CD yet.[/size]
 
[size=medium]First: The fit.  I wasn't sure about the way the Realvoice fit my ears at the beginning. I had been using the HF-5s and was accustomed to having the deep insertion for good sound quality and isolation (think earplugs). I've found the Realvoice do not need to seat so deeply. This does affect the isolation, but not to the point where external noise is an issue. I have worn them for extended periods at work and while relaxing at home and do not find them irritating or bothersome. In fact, they have completely disappeared at times, and I've fallen asleep with them in a few times.[/size]
 
[size=medium]Construction / build quality: impressed! Having fallen asleep still wearing the Realvoice earphones, I can attest to solid construction. They are lightweight and strong. I did not realize there was the microphone or volume controls when I first ordered them, so that was a surprise. I did not test the function of this particular feature. As for the cable, it too is lightweight and I found it to have very low microphonics.[/size]
 
[size=medium]The sound! My initial impression was the bass. I thought the bass was muddy and bloated. However, I want to again mention what I found with the fit. By changing the depth of the insertion, the sound became more well rounded. The bass was much more detailed and had good extension. The mids are well presented, and the highs are not fatiguing. Once the proper fit was established, I really found myself really enjoying the Realvoice earphones. I have found them to be unforgiving on lower quality recordings, but that can be said of many different earphones/headphones too. I spent most of my time listening straight out of my iPhone 3G (demoted to iPod use) and from my HTC Evo. The iPhone is clearly the better sounding source using the Realvoice earphones (I'm guessing the iPhone is better regardless of what is hooked to it). The music selections were primarily from Norah Jones's "Come Away with Me", Peter Gabriel's "The Definitive Two CD Collection", OAR's "Live from Madison Square Garden" and Eric Clapton's "Complete Clapton". The way the Realvoice handled the tracks from "Come Away with Me" convinced me that they worth the price of admission. I was quite taken with clarity of the music and how simple it was to pick out individual instruments. When "Solsbury Hill" (Peter Gabriel) played, a huge smile crossed my face and I was tempted to sing along - the  music was very engaging.[/size]
 
 
[size=medium]Final thoughts: I will definitely be keeping the Spider Cable Realvoice.  At $90, the Realvoice seem like an good value, but I only have my $120-150 HF-5s to compare to. Would I recommend these to anyone else?  Yes.[/size]
 
[size=medium]Thanks for reading my first review and general rambling. Hopefully it was coherent enough. Happy listening!

[/size]

 

[wotts]

I'll give the EQu a try. Thanks for the tip!

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

I'll give the EQu a try. Thanks for the tip!

If you don't like EQu, you can also try Equalizer (for iPhone and iPod Touch).  I've taken a look at both, but still prefer EQu.

 

[Spidercable]

[size=medium]About your first impression of the Bass, our engineer said it’s probably because majority of earphones only cover 15Hz to 20000Hz, you are not used to feel the vibration of 5Hz and 10Hz. But once you get used to this wide range bass, you should love it more than others.[/size]

 

[wotts]

It is definitely different. I think the bass response is on par with some of my full-size headphones, and more detailed than some of those as well.

 
Quote:

[size=medium]About your first impression of the Bass, our engineer said it’s probably because majority of earphones only cover 15Hz to 20000Hz, you are not used to feel the vibration of 5Hz and 10Hz. But once you get used to this wide range bass, you should love it more than others.[/size]

 

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

[size=medium]About your first impression of the Bass, our engineer said it’s probably because majority of earphones only cover 15Hz to 20000Hz, you are not used to feel the vibration of 5Hz and 10Hz. But once you get used to this wide range bass, you should love it more than others.[/size]

If you can feel that frequency, that also means you have a really great seal too   Which also makes it more enjoyable.

 

[Mochan]

Just got my pair today. These are awesome. I didn't have the "muddy bass" impression... but then I am a basshead. These fit me quite nicely.
 
The bass actually is a lot less than I'm used to on some of my IEMs like the Turbines and the MF220. It doesn't sound muddy at all. It's very good, deep and exciting but controlled, warm bass. I love it. 
 
It's a mids-centric IEM though, quite similar to the Turbine Golds actually. I don't have my Golds anymore, which is a shame, but I can borrow someone else's to do a proper comparison. I actually think these are quite comparable to the Turbine Golds. I still tremember their sound sig and these are quite similar, but still a bit different. I'll write more about it in my final review. Don't want to spill too much here in a quick impressions post.
 
 

 

[wotts]

Good to hear others are enjoying them. I loaned my HF5s to my girlfriend since I'd been using the RealVoice so much. Look forward to reading your review!

 

[Mochan]

This Realvoice is really growing on me. It's a really good IEM from a SQ perspective. I have some issues with it more around the build and material quality -- but for sound I am very impressed. I am not a "neutral seeker" and don't look for neutrality at all in my gear. I have absolutely no use for neutrality. I prefer color or anything that makes my gear more "exciting."
 
I don't need something that is like a DBA02 or RE0, completely neutral or very close to it. People who argue neutrality are splitting hairs to me. What I need is something that sounds good and exciting.  I prefer smooth, laidback and bassy. This IEM hits my preferences very well.  It is not ultra-laidback like an HD580, but it's laidback enough that music isn't all in my face. It is very smooth -- it's the smoothest sub-$100 IEM I have ever heard, totally lacking in grain. I've heard more expensive IEMs with more grain than this; even my old favorite the Monster Golds had more grain actually, and I felt those were a very smooth set already. 
 
Treble is rather rolled off, so it's not very bright, and I like this actually. I can see a lot of people having issues with the treble though; a lot of people seem to prefer hot treble and sharp mids. This set has nothing of the sort. It's a very smooth upper range all the way down to the mids, which are slightly elevated but not terribly so. I'm loving it a lot. It sounds incredible with acoustic, jazz and latin-type music.
 
And yet the bass is sumptuously there. Doesn't get in the way of the mids though, and the mids are always able to take the spotlight. Very good tandem with the bass and the mids. Lots of bass and very full down there, but very minimal mids bleed. Quite excellent. These really are a steal at the $90 or so asking price.
 
 
 
 

 

[TheGame21x]

My review (and comparison to the RE0) is coming along and should be posted sometime next week but I can safely say now that I'm enjoying the Realvoice earphones quite a bit.

 

[Mochan]

I personally find the Realvoice to favor comparably against more expensive IEMs I've had as well such as the Turbine Pro Gold and Copper, the SE530 and even the IE8.  There's just something so smooth and rich about its sound that I'm not hearing in the other more expensive ones. Coupled with its surprisingly good fit and isolation, I'm really happy. My only real complaints about it are:
 
1. the wires. They are really bad, tangles a lot and has a strange memory effect that I don't like
2. the control talk module. The buttons are horrible and hard to press.
3. lack of strain reliefs and generally poor build. I don't think these wires will last. I will probably have a friend recable these in a year.
4. generally cheap plastic feel of the housings. The chrome finish is nice and blingy but one touch of the ear pieces and I know what kind of cheap-plastic-with-chrome-paint-finish it is. 
 
Still, all of these are issuse with its build and design. For the actual SQ, I am not sure if it's just new gadget honeymoon again but I am really digging these. The only IEM I could compare these to is a single BA one, the Klipsch X10, which I think sounds closest to these. These have a bit more bass though, I think.

 

[mark2410]

Quote:

[size=medium]About your first impression of the Bass, our engineer said it’s probably because majority of earphones only cover 15Hz to 20000Hz, you are not used to feel the vibration of 5Hz and 10Hz. But once you get used to this wide range bass, you should love it more than others.[/size]

may i ask you personally, what else have you listened to at around the US$90 level? 
 
given their name i take you were aiming for great mids so id suggest you try a pair of PL-50's

 

[goodvibes]

I have to say that I preferred them to the PL-50 before mine were swiped. Nothing sounds cleaner than a Pl-50 but it's not quite as detailed as it appears. The mids are just slightly glassy on PL-50s and a slightly warm on the Realvoice so it's a wash but the Realvoice is an easier listen with great bottom extension. I don't think anything below 20hz matters but it's nice that they get all the way down with a little extra and without messing the mids. They have a nice texture that's missing from the PL50 while the PL50 has that spotlight clarity but lacks a bit of breath.

 

[mark2410]

ill grant the PL-50 doesnt do the bass that some may want but things like the M2 and EX500 certainly can.
 
still if your going for bass then talk about the bass on the box and call them Realbass not Realvoice

 

[rroseperry]

Interesting. I found them mid-focused, especially compared to the RE0s (which is what the Spider folks wanted). But the blobby bass drove me crazy. I ended up giving them away to someone who's very happy with them.