My full review is here: http://www.verumsonus.com/nowall-ch-1-vs-jaybird-x2-mini-review/ but I'll write a small snippet about the CH-1.
 
The CH-1 stands out in the market because they are a hybrid design with one balanced armature and a 10mm dynamic driver, so they really are an IEM that happens to have Bluetooth. They have a strong V-shaped sound with bright treble, emphasized bass, and thin midrange. But they have surprisingly decent technicalities compared to the Jaybird X2, which costs $50 more than the CH-1. While they do have a sound that may be hit or miss, the CH-1 is a step in the right direction in merging Bluetooth with good sound.

The Fostex x Massdrop TH-X00 opened a door to the idea that spending $400 on a headphone, more than the $200-$300 “mid-fi trio” but less than $1,000+ “summit-fi” range, may legitimately be worth it rather than just an exercise in impatience between buying a mid-fi headphone and what one could consider their endgame headphone. But the TH-X00 is a polarizing headphone—not everyone can tolerate its bass heavy, mid-recessed, treble-happy sound. The Alpha Dog, released in 2013 for $599, occupied the price range before the X00, but its sharp treble and hollow midrange had the potential to also turn off listeners. The ZMF x Vibro, also released in 2014 presented itself as a fun-sounding foil to the Alpha Dog, but while it had a warm, pleasant midrange, it still exhibited the treble peaks inherent to the T50RP driver and its rolled off treble allowed the peaks to come out in full force. It was an overall pleasant headphone if the treble peak wasn’t bothersome, but the signature had potential. Fast forward one year and Fostex released the T50RP MKIII with a new baffle. Zach at ZMF quickly adapted his mods to the new baffle and released with the ZMF x Vibro MKII. Now, with the right combination of tuning pegs and pads, stands out in the market as a true jack of all trades headphone and a real contender as an ideal “single” headphone.
 

 
 
The ZMF x Vibro MKII (henceforth referred to as the ZxV) comes standard with a basic white cardboard box, choice of pilot pad and leather strap, two sets of pads, tuning pegs, and cable in a user-selected termination. My cups are finished with a beautiful red “burst” effect that stands out in a sea of black and silver headphones, but there are other options for staining available on the website. The cups each contain three small holes act as bass ports. The user can plug the holes with the supplied rubber pegs to reduce bass.
 

 
 
There are three options for pads: thick cowhide leather pads, thinner lambskin leather pads, and protein pads, which, according to Zach, use a different type of foam and thus provide a different sound than the leather pads. All three pads are of very high quality; the lambskin pads are thicker than the Alpha Pads, which seemed a little too thin.
 
The cable, unfortunately, isn’t the best design as it is just a separate left and right channel wire with no Y split. As it’s included with the headphone, it’s not expected to be of utmost quality, but I’d have preferred the cables to at least be twisted together and heatshrunk into a Y to make the cables less floppy. Though, in years past there was no cable included with the Vibro without an extra charge, so it’s better than nothing. The XLR jacks in the cups use the same wiring as Audeze does, so any cable that is compatible with Audeze is compatible with the ZxV.
 

 
 
The headphones themselves are very substantial. They’re on the heavy side, partially due to the wooden cups which are heavier than the stock T50RP’s plastic cups. They do utilize the T50RP frame, so the frame itself doesn’t feel as “premium” as, say, the TH-X00 with its magnesium build, but the wooden cups are thick, much thicker than even the Audeze LCD-3, and emits its own sense of quality, not totally unlike the handcrafted Enigmatic Audio Enigma. The ZxV *feels* handmade. While the TH-X00 appears to be a beautiful mass-produced headphone with a great amount of polish, the ZxV’s beauty is in its “made in a garage” nature. The ZxV is the spitting image of, “no two are alike.” Each headphone is not only tuned, but measured by Zach before being sent out.
 

 
 
The reviewed combination is what I feel is the most subjectively neutral combination: protein pads and two holes plugged.
 
The ZxV, in the tested configuration, sounds slightly “n” shaped, with moderately more bass than treble. ZMF headphones are tuned with acoustic music in mind, and it shows.
 
The Vibro’s midrange is warm and inviting, unabashedly colored. I’ve said many times that ZMF acknowledges the T50RP’s flaws and lack of ability to be utmost resolving so instead, their headphones are tuned to highlight tone. They may not be able to pinpoint the exact positioning of a the third 2^nd flute player in an orchestra, but put on some Ottmar Liebert and there are few headphones that will sound as engaging as the Vibro. Forward midranges are uncommon for headphones, and the Vibro is a very worthy addition to that niche. It’s a bit more forward and warmer than the HD650 and K7XX, so fans of either will be right at home with the ZxV’s midrange.
 
The ZxV’s bass is its most interesting aspect. As stated earlier, there are three tuning pegs that change the bass from 100hz to 225hz by 1dB each. The more pegs plugged in, the less bass present. The Vibro doesn’t dig as deeply as the Omni or Blackwood in sub bass, but its midbass with even one port open enough to be north of neutral. I’d have preferred a little more separation and decay in its bass, as at time I do hear a bit of blurring with individual bass notes. With all holes unplugged, it has a bit more midbass than the Philips Fidelio X2, at the cost of sounding muddier than stock, but not quite as muddy as the X2.
 
While the Vibro’s bass and midrange are emphasized, its treble takes a smoother approach. I had a few issues with the ZMF x Vibro MKI because it had uneven treble with a couple spikes in it. The MKII with protein pads remove many of the peaks and overall sounds like a downward slope. There is a very tiny bit of the T50RP peak at around 9K that is more obvious with the lambskin and cowhide pads, but for whatever reason, the protein pads smooth out that peak nicely. It’s less rolled off than a stock HD650, but it’s enough of a roll off for someone coming from something like a Beyerdynamic DT990 to notice.
 
The biggest con I have for the ZxV, which is more of a problem with the headphone’s inherent nature rather than the ZxV itself, is the fact that it is power-hungry. It is very likely that the ZxV won’t even get loud enough to reliably use out of a phone or laptop. Even then, it’s likely to sound loose, with uncontrolled bass. They don’t need an incredibly expensive amplifier; one of the best values in the headphone market today is the Schiit Magni 2, which provides more than enough power for “only” $99.
 
But what’s often overlooked when buying a headphone is the value of customer service, and ZMF’s customer service is unmatched in the headphone industry. For example, I had accidentally broken my original ZMF V1 mod’s adjusting part and Zach told me to send them in and he replaced the part for free. I’d noticed he had also extended the offer to others. He also allows for buyers to slightly customize the sound should they want something a little different. In a world where a consumer can spend $600 on an audio product and be told there’s nothing the company can do to fix it because a different engineer designed it and the current staff is not equipped to repair it, ZMF is a breath of fresh air and the customer service makes the prices of its headphones seem much more reasonable.
Make no mistake, $479 is a lot to spend on a headphone, but when one considers the ZxV’s 27 different theoretical (slightly different) sound combinations through switching pads and pegs, the incredible customer service, and incredibly comfortable fit, the ZxV is a strong contender. If the TH-X00 proved to be too radical of a sound signature, the ZxV is a prime alternative with its more relaxed sound and does very little wrong as long as it is powered well. 
 

TL;DR: The X2 is a good V-shaped headphone. It’s not very good if you are looking for something neutral. This review was hard to write impartially because I don’t like V-shaped sound—I like an n-shaped sound, which emphasizes midrange. At around $200, I can’t really think of another headphone that outright beats it. At the current sub-$200 prices on Amazon Warehouse Deals, they’re a very good deal. They’re a relatively inoffensive-sounding headphone unless you’re especially sensitive to treble. I’d imagine they’re fantastic as gaming headphones if your situation allows for open headphones. But I’ve since sold them because to me, the HD600 is a step up to my preferences. Honestly, if it were my money, I wouldn’t buy the X2 at any price because the midrange is just distant enough for me to not enjoy them.

 



 
 

Intro

Sometimes, the hype phenomenon so prevalent in hobbies creates a “halo status” for some products which leads to expectations that are impossible to meet. The Philips Fidelio X2 is one such product. It had received extremely positive reviews from professionals and which led to many people purchasing it and equally praising it, leading to a hype train with seemingly no stop in sight. There’s nothing inherently wrong with a hype train, but when people with no experience purchase a product and try to convince others to buy the same product even though their needs don’t match the needs of the recommender, thereby wasting the recommendee’s money when they are inevitably disappointed, does not sit well with me. A similar phenomenon occurred with the Audio Technica M50. It, to my ears and having owned one, is a mediocre headphone; I understand its appeal in being a relatively low-priced closed headphone with a V-shaped signature, but I’d started to notice people with little to no experience with other headphones telling others that the M50 is the only good option. Those people then bought the M50 on recommendation and since the M50 was their only reference for “good sound,” they praised the M50 to no end, furthering the cycle. The X2 is currently in a similar place. This review has basic explanations in case newbies happen to wander into this review.

The X2 has been a very controversial headphone lately, starting with the transition from easily removable pads to glued-on pads. One of the original grips of the Fidelio X1 is that their pads were not removable. X2, much to the rejoice of audiophiles searching an open V-shaped headphone, has easily replaceable pads—now people are able to use their X2’s for generations knowing that they will never have to deal with flat, unusable pads for as long as Philips decided to sell replacements. The system is not ideal though; the X2 uses a proprietary pegged system, unlike headphones like the Fostex T50RP and Beyerdynamic series, so other companies’ pads like Alpha/ZMF pads are not a direct fit. There have also been reports of the glued pads sounding worse than the non-glued pads. I cannot support this theory as the X2 I own with glued pads sounds similar to, if not exactly the same as, another pair without glued pads I’d heard out of an Audio-GD Master 11.

There is also the controversy of the transition from being WOOX-made to Gibson-made leading to the X2 to be made more cheaply out of worse materials. Since my X2 is not Gibson-made, I cannot comment on the sound difference, but I can insert my two cents on the matter: the WOOX acquisition by Gibson completed in June of 2014. The release of the X2 was around September of 2014. Gibson likely had no input on the release of the X2 as it had almost assuredly been past the prototyping stage by the time of the acquisition, so the initial production is completely WOOX-made. However, “Gibson” pairs with different pads may have been created due to Gibson’s input to cut costs. But it is more likely the pairs with the alternate pads were created due to an error in ordering the pads. The sudden change in material is troubling, but the cost to convert their entire X2 production to different pads likely is not fiscally sensible; so I theorize that the change in pads is a production error rather than a production shift. But, as always, I could be wrong and I will apologize for spreading false information.

 



 
 

Packaging

The Fidelio X2 comes in a presentable two part cardboard box. It’s nothing particularly special. Under the first pretty sleeve is a plain black box with “Philips Fidelio” engraved. Open the flap, and you are greeted by the X2 and its cable. It’s a simple packaging—nice enough to be presentable but not so nice that the cost of packaging is a significant portion of the headphone’s selling price. Inside the package are the X2, a 3m cable, a generic 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter, and attached to the cable, a nifty cable manager.

 



 
 

Build

The X2’s physical build is great for its price point. It features a leather covered metal headband, metal cups, and metal gimbals. Compared to the mostly plastic Sennheiser HD650, the X2 feels much more substantial. The adjustable portion of the headband is a mesh padding that seems more at home in a camera bag shoulder strap than a headphone, but it has proven to be very comfortable. I am concerned about the durability of the elastic system. As I’ve seen in myriad AKG headphones, once the elastic system eventually becomes too loose, the headphones will be too loose to reliably stay on your head. The X2’s pads are made of somewhat hard memory foam covered in velour. The pads were made to be replaceable, but evidently, the newer pairs such as mine have been glued on. It’s not very difficult to remove the glued on pads with enough care or use of a hair dryer, but it would obviously have been ideal to not have any glue at all. Unlike some others, I never had the ink bleeding problem with the X2 pads.

Sound

The basic sound signature of the X2 is a V-shape. They have elevated bass and elevated treble with a slightly recessed midrange. There are reports of the X2 sounding “neutral” but I strongly disagree. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the X2 sounding V-shaped; it just classifies it as a specialty headphone. V-shaped headphones work especially well for movies, bass-heavy music, and in some cases, gaming. They don’t sound particularly great for music such as folk or other genres that don’t emphasize bass.

The X2’s bass, as mentioned earlier, is elevated. Many consumer headphones have elevated bass because most pop music is biased to sound more fun with bass heavy headphones. The X2 shines with such music, which I believe makes the X2 a good choice for those that only listen to EDM or pop. However, the X2’s bass is slightly loose, which means that individual bass notes are muddled together. If you can’t imagine what that sounds like, imagine individual bass drum beats. They should sound separate. On the X2, the notes bleed into each other, which is a trait that isn’t necessarily uncommon. The HD600 also exhibits this trait.

The X2’s midrange is its weakest trait. Compared to its bass and treble, the midrange is pushed back. What this means is that the vocals and instruments sound slightly farther away than normal. This isn’t necessarily bad; some people may prefer it. A recessed midrange allows for some bass-driven music to sound more “fun” with a more dominant beat over the vocals or other instruments. The downside is that the X2 would not be my first choice for acoustic music, where the low string notes may be louder than the vocals, which may be distracting. Midrange tone sounded slightly unnatural; it sounded a little tuned downwards. It’s not something immediately noticeable, but compared to some other headphones, it falters in this aspect.

The X2’s treble is strange; it is rolled off in the extremes, which means the highest notes were recessed, but there are a few treble peaks, most notably at 9-10kHz, that I found mildly uncomfortable. I found myself fatigued after using the X2 for only about two hours. But the first thing I noticed is a huge void from 6kHz to around 7 or 8kHz that created a strange hollow effect for me. I thought I would be able to get used to the sound, but after two weeks, I was never able to break the three hour mark with them. I believe was the combination of the rolled off treble and peak that fatigued me most. 

The X2’s soundstage was relatively large compared to most closed headphones, but it’s relatively closed-sounding compared to the K7XX. However, I hear a more fleshed out soundstage than the HD600/HD650’s “three bubble soundstage” that has distinct areas at 0, 90, and 180 degrees, but small voids in between.

Comparisons

To get a better feel for the X2 in the scope of the current market, I’ve compared the X2 to other popular midrange headphones: the AKG K7XX, Beyerdynamic DT880 and DT990, and the Sennheiser HD600 and HD650

AKG K7XX

The AKG K7XX sounds like a compromise. I have owned the K701, K702, and Q701 (don’t ask, I wanted to know if they each sounded different) and they all have a bright, massive sound. They lacked a little in bass and midrange, but they made up for it by projecting a wide scape for your music. However, this, combined with the fake-sounding hyped upper midrange led to a polarizing headphone. The K702 Anniversary and K712 were released to create a warmer, more consumer-friendly headphone. Massdrop collaborated with AKG to release the K7XX, which is a version of the K702 Anniversary available for the bargain price of $199, which was less than half the price of the K702 Anniversary at its release. The K7XX retains most of the wide stage, but also increased bass and midrange and decreased treble. The K7XX works for more music than the original K701, which makes the K7XX a compelling option for many. The X2 and K7XX are not as different as one may expect. They both have slightly rolled off treble, mildly recessed midrange, and accentuated bass. But the X2 takes more extremes. The X2 is bassier, has spikier treble, and has less midrange. It works much better for EDM than the K7XX as it’s a much more fun-sounding headphone than the K7XX, which is the headphone equivalent to carbonated water. However, the K7XX is overall more pleasing to listen to with music with vocals or instruments.

The X2 has one distinct advantage over the K7XX—it does not need a dedicated headphone amplifier. Despite what the specifications say, the K7XX noticeably improves, especially in its bass, when used with an amplifier. The X2 sounds just fine without one.

Beyerdynamic DT880/DT990

The Beyerdynamic DT880 and DT990 are staples in the mid-priced headphone market. The DT880 is known for its neutrality and the DT990 is known for its fun V-shaped sound. The DT880 has a mild u-shape with forward treble, slightly recessed midrange, and neutral to slightly elevated bass. I personally dislike it because it sounds boring—for some reason, I never felt like I was listening to music when I owned the DT880, twice. I bought and sold the 250ohm and 600ohm versions. The 600ohm version had more refined treble and tightened bass, but the differences were not immediately noticeable. The DT990 (disclaimer, I’ve only tried the Pro, and I cannot emphasize enough that my impressions of the DT990 are that of a demo, not owning it, unlike with the other headphones I am comparing to the X2) is significantly brighter, with less midrange and more bass, than the DT880.

The X2 is an in between step between the Beyers in all aspects. If you have tried both and dislike both, the X2 might be a good choice. This section is admittedly short because I haven’t owned either headphone in at least two years, so I’m relying on auditory memory and don’t want to give too many specifics. I do know that the DT880 and DT990 benefit from an amp.

Sennheiser HD600/HD650

Comparing the X2 to these headphones is a bit unfair as the street price of the X2 at the time of the review is significantly lower than the Sennheisers. One can purchase an X2 from the Amazon Warehouse Deals (if you don’t mind very lightly used) for as low as $150 whereas the HD600 from the same seller is 299, but the HD600 and HD650 are staples in the mid-priced market. The HD600 was released in 1997—almost two decades ago and is still widely considered among the best headphones at any price. The HD650 is relatively modern, released in 2003, but is held in equally high regard. The HD600 is neutral, for the most part. It has slightly aggressive upper mids, a mild bump in its mid bass, and slightly rolled off upper treble, but considering the alternatives, it is a very impressive-sounding headphone. The HD650 is like the HD600 if you gave it more bass, added some midrange, and toned down the treble even more. The result is an incredibly relaxing headphone.

The X2 is more similar to the HD650 with its elevated bass than the HD600. All three headphones have slightly muddy bass, but the X2’s bass is more intrusive in the midrange than the Sennheisers. Both the HD600 and HD650 have distinctly better midrange than the X2. The Sennheisers are also more detailed in the upper end than the X2. The only advantages I believe the X2 has over the HD600 and HD650 are its more energetic sound, more filled in the soundstage, and lack of necessity for an amp. However, like I said, the X2 is significantly cheaper than the HD600 and HD650, at least at this point in time. If they were priced equally, I would only recommend the X2 to someone that also plans on gaming with their headphone or has no interest in buying an amp.

Conclusion

The Philips Fidelio X2 occupies an interesting space in the open mid-priced headphone market. They have a V-shaped sound signature, which, other than the DT990, is a bit of an anomaly and they have no need for an amplifier. I wholeheartedly recommend the X2 to people that want a premium headphone to listen to EDM or other bass heavy music, especially if they have no interest in buying an amplifier. I also conditionally recommend it to people who want a headphone for gaming and want elevated bass. The X2 would even work well for people coming from other bassy headphones like Beats, as the X2 will sound like a direct upgrade as opposed to recommending a bass-light headphone like the K701, which will sound anemic compared to what they already have.

But I find it hard to recommend over the K7XX or Q701 for people who are open to the idea of buying an amplifier in the future or listen to midrange-heavy music. The X2 was created for “consumer” music which happens to be bass heavy so it shines with that music. The X2 will be tolerable with other music, but if you’re spending $200-$300 on a headphone, you want more than tolerable. You want great. The X2 simply doesn’t deliver when compared to other options.
 

RockJaw is an up and coming headphone company from Great Britain starting strong with a huge lineup. The Alfa Genus is one of their midrange offerings and offers a certain special something that is rarely seen in the IEM world other than a few OEM’s. …yeah so this is really late. Sorry to RockJaw for the delays! I’ve been busy with work and other projects (like a collab for a wooden T50RP mod [not ZMF] and trying to make a measurement system) and have another five or so reviews to write up which hasn’t given me much free time for these things.
 
Anyway, the Alfa Genus came in this really nice packaging, but I’m not sure whether or not it will be part of the retail packaging so I’ll just include a pretty picture of it rather than describe it much.
The IEM’s themselves are quite dashing with their ebony housing, flexible twisted cable coated with rubber, and silver accents. I do have a couple niggles with its build though. The main issue is that the filters tend to come slightly unscrewed after a few insertions since I tend to lightly twist the earpieces to get a good seal. A minor concern is that RockJaw didn’t really do much in terms of differentiating between left and right. There’s a light silkscreening on each side, but it’s basically the same color as the metal strain relief it’s printed on, so it’s almost impossible to read in direct sunlight. Something as simple as a dot on the left side would suffice though! Oh, I’m not the biggest fan of the tips. They take a little bit of effort to actually seal in my ears.
 
Their most interesting feature is their sound filters, which produce radically different sound signatures. Basically, the silver filter tunes the sound in a downward slope, with pretty big bass and rolled off treble. The black filter, however, does mostly the opposite. (Side note, the configuration definitely should have been switched; the black filter would totally make sense being the “darker” sound and the silver filter would make sense with the “brighter” tuning, but I digress)
 
But I guess that doesn’t really tell all too much, so I’ll go in a bit more detail.
 
The Alfa Genus was shipped to me with the silver filters installed. Since I’m lazy, I plugged them into my Audio-GD SA-31, which was   most definitely overkill. They don’t have any discernable hiss (though I’ve yet to try a dynamic that did). To be frank, I was pretty disappointed. They were dark, kind of muffled, and the mids were just pretty unimpressive. Granted, I was using my AD2000 right before plugging them in, but it was more of a difference than expected. Per RockJaw’s suggestion, I let them run in and gave my ears time to readjust to a different sound signature. The second time around, they were definitely less unappealing, but there was a certain attribute to the midrange that was still a little off to me—the AD2000 was still probably the culprit; the thing has such a strange midrange that once you get used to it, everything else sounds weird. So after leaving them alone for a week to burn in and not using the AD2000 to skew my ears, they actually sound relatively “normal.” Of course, such a bassy sound signature (And trust me, they slam. I have no idea how the heck RockJaw did this as unlike the other cheaper tunable options, these don’t have a simple low pass filter to create more bass. Looking at both filters now, they seem to have similarly wide openings, so I have no idea how they sound so different) will never have glorious mids at this price range. However one thing this tuning does insanely well for its price range is its bass drum decay. It has fantastic texture and air. I honestly am really disappointed the bass is too much for my tastes because the magic is gone with the black filters. Seriously, it has better decay than my daily use IEM, the Hifiman RE600. It’s a shame it’s rather underwhelming with vocals, because this tuning is great fun with pop music (Skylar Grey’s Don’t Look Down is a great album to show what I mean). The treble is a bit subdued, but there are a few odd peaks that keep them from being a snoozefest in case the bass wasn’t enough to keep you up.
 
Now, time to move on to the black filters, which most of the other reviewers in the RockJaw testing program seemed to prefer to the silver ones. Oddly enough, I didn’t really like it. It sounded a bit too frigid for me, about as bright as the very trebly Sony SA5000 is from memory. There really is a lot of treble, and it colors the midrange to the point where they sound nasal. The bass naturally is significantly decreased compared to the silver filters, but as I said in the previous paragraph, it loses its character. The once great decay is gone, exchanged for upper end and the detail low level information that comes with increased treble. I was tempted to put a little bit of felt in front of the driver to act as a low pass filter, but since RockJaw is working on a third filter, I’ll just wait for them to finish that.
 
With both tunings, they sounded rather wide, but they both had a bit of a cupped sound that always made them sound an IEM.
Overall, for a new company, RockJaw is pretty dang impressive, coming out with an IEM hoping to disrupt the $50 market with an IEM that essentially gives the user two IEM’s for the price of one. While neither of them are perfect (Please, RockJaw, for your third filter, try to keep that bass decay; it’s actually what keeps me drawn to them and using them occasionally over not only my other IEM’s, but the beautiful Audio Technica W10VTG and Allnic HPA-3000 combo sitting on my desk) the combination of all its merits make them a very interesting product indeed. And there’s much more where this came from.

Late last year, Brainwavz released a number of great IEM’s in the R3, Delta, and S1. The S1 seems to be Brainwavz’s attempt at making a sporty IEM, and pits it to compete against the very competitive $60 bracket. As with the Delta, I reviewed these last year, but since I can’t find it, I’m guessing I never uploaded it before my computer crashed, so this is another short rewritten review.
The packaging is a big step up from the Delta’s. The Brainwavz S1 comes with a plethora of accessories. Not only do they come with a nice ballistic nylon case, they come with five different kinds of tips. What’s interesting is that there are two different kinds of single flange tips. There is a grey one with a thinner material (which results in a more coherent sound) and a black one with a relatively thick material. They also come with Complys, double flange, and triple flange tips.
 
Their build is fantastic. The housings themselves are made of a very sturdy metal. There’s also a very nice strain relief on the housing. But, and I seem to be in the minority in this, I hate the flat cable. It just doesn’t really work with designs that force the cable to go above the ear. It was hard at time to get them to stay in my ear because of the way the cable was designed. The Y-splitter is, as with the Delta, comically large. I don’t really know why it’s so large, but I feel like I can blame the flat cable.
 
The S1’s treble seems to be a point of conflict with different reviewers. I liked to use the grey single flange with the S1 because it created the best balance for me. I’m especially sensitive to bright treble (though not the Grado treble, which is strange), which is sadly very common nowadays. Thankfully, the S1 doesn’t have any of that. While I would struggle to call the S1 rolled off, there is definitely a little dip in the upper range that makes the S1 sound smooth, which is something I’ve rarely heard in the S1’s price bracket. But this does result in a slight loss in detail, which I’m honestly fine with if it allows me to actually be able to use the S1 for more than half an hour. Though there is the occasional peak that really gets me in certain songs.
 
With the grey tips, the S1’s midrange follows suit with the treble, presenting a smooth, but not liquid midrange. It does take a bit of a back seat to the more pronounced bass, but they have a character that really works with pop music instead of destroying it like most higher end headphones. I can’t really describe it coherently, but it’s like these were made for popular music. There is a bit of a downside to that though. The midrange is definitely not as detailed as I’d like it to be, and timbre is off in almost all situations. Now, I don’t expect accuracy in this price range, but I do wish it sounded a little more realistic.
 
The bass is obviously the star of the show. It’s more elevated than the rest of the spectrum, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it muddy with anything but the bassiest music, in which the S1 gets a little overwhelmed. They have nice tactility and excellent depth. I wish they were better at separating individual notes, but despite that, I’ve recommended the S1 to countless people looking for a bassy IEM that won’t break the bank.
 
The S1 sounds rather wide, but they don’t have the best depth. Detail, as said earlier, isn’t the best, but it is acceptable and better than something like the Klipsch S4.
 
Despite their inaccurate sound, I really do like the S1 in situations that I don’t really care to analyze the music. I used it often for walking to class and working out (though their heavier cable makes them less suited for this than the Delta). For the $60 they’re going for, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to bassheads, but for those that want a balanced sound signature, you may want to look elsewhere.

While the high end IEM market has more options than ever, the sub $20 market is largely full of mediocre products, save for a few gems like the Xiaomi Pistons and LG Quadbeats. Last year, before the Xiaomi fever, Brainwavz released their own contenders: the Deltas. I reviewed these a while ago, but I guess I never uploaded the review before my computer decided to crash, so this is my short rewritten review.
 
The packaging is basic, coming in a plastic box most sub-$20 big box IEMs come in, but don’t let that discourage their quality. Sadly, the Deltas don’t come with a case (not too surprising, but I wish they did), but they do come with three pairs of silicone tips and a pair of Comply tips. Their build is fantastic for such a cheap pair of IEM’s. Their cable is somewhat thin, but not any worse than the typical low end JVC offering. Their Y-splitter is obnoxiously large though. The housing is metal, which is somewhat uncommon for such little money. Overall, I’m pretty happy with their build; they make fantastic workout IEMs because their housings are small enough to stay in my ear and their cable is sturdy enough to survive the occasional snag.
 
It’s been a while since I’ve heard a Piston, and I’m too cheap to buy a pair because they’d see little use, so I’m going to avoid comparisons. But from what I do remember, the Pistons are slightly better at the cost of not staying in my ears nearly as well as the Deltas.
 
The Deltas are clearly tuned to be bass heavy, as most budget IEMs are. But like most budget IEMs, I wish the bass was a little more controlled. I hesitate to call it muddy, but it’s definitely not refined—kind of like brown sugar, if that makes sense. It doesn’t extend down to 20hz, but it can hold its own with tracks that require deep bass.
 
Midrange is usually where cheaper IEMs stumble. The Delta has a slight RE400esque tone to it, if a little but more laidback than the RE400 (I’ve only ever heard the RE400 balanced, so I may or may not be off  in that aspect). I heard the slightest bit of edge to it when I first used them, but after hours of running with them on, I either got used to it or it magically disappeared.
 
Their treble is probably the Deltas’ weakest point. It just doesn’t sound very coherent in the upper end.  There is a bit of a 10k peak that gets a little fatiguing for me after using them for over an hour, but I think I’m abnormally sensitive in that region because the W1000X has a similar peak and I that headphone actually gave me headaches.
 
The soundstage is abnormally large for such a cheap IEM, which is a pleasant surprise. It might be the treble peak that allows for a little more airiness than most other budget IEMs, so some people may enjoy that.
 
For $19.50, Brainwavz did  fantastic job at providing respectable sound in a great housing, but, as many of you know, Xiaomi did a better job at fitting great sound in a $25 package. Of course, I never got the best fit with the Xiaomi, so for now, I’ll keep my Deltas and be happy I actually have something that I can stand to listen to while exercising without wanting to cry if sweat eventually breaks them.

Narmoo is yet another new contender in the crowded budget IEM world. To stand out in such a competitive field, one either has to get creative. What Narmoo has brought us is an improvement on a old, but interesting system.
 
The packaging of the Narmoo R1M is a great exercise in moderating excess. Instead of forcing the consumer to pay for fancy packaging, Narmoo has instead provided an excellent carrying case and added a cardboard slip over it to serve as packaging. Inside are some basic tips (I don't really like them; read more to see what I actually use with them) and the different filters (black is bassy, silver is heavily damped, and grey is in between). I did have a bit of a problem with the filters though. They would randomly screw off by themselves and I lost one of the grey ones the first week I had them. This review would have been done a few months back if I found the filter before moving out of my dorm last week. The cable is a nice flat cable with a microphone, with with a proper strain relief. For the cost of entrance, the R1M is a great value if for nothing but its case.
 
I primarily used the grey filters with the R1M for this review, but I will describe the differences between the filters later on. At first listen, they didn't exactly wow me; for $30, I thought the Xiaomi Piston 2.0 were much better.
 
After trying to get used to their sound, changing changing the tips to Ultimate Ears tips, and learning not to compare their faults with my Hifiman RE600, I got a better feel of the sound. What stands out most to me is that unlike a large number of sub $30 IEMs, they are able to project a decent soundstage, albeit more wide than deep, but it makes for a very good pair of IEMs for rock lovers. Also a strong suit, which I didn't at all expect, was a forward, energetic midrange. Of course, they suffer what I've normally come across in cheaper headphones: the midrange has a tendency to sound very unnatural, like they've been equalized too far up, to the point where I can sense it will distort if the music doesn't match the IEM well. The treble, even after being burned in for months, is still pretty grainy to me, and doesn't extend very far.
 
The bass deserves its own paragraph, because it's what's affected most by the filters. With the black filters, bass is definitely strong enough to satiate most bassheads, but the more discerning should try the other filters. The bass with the black filters was one of the sloppiest I've ever heard. It got a lot of praise from people that haven't heard anything "nice" but I couldn't even stand a minute of them. The grey filters were a bit of an improvement. Still obviously bass heavy, but finally listenable, if still sloppy. Individual notes were at least differentiable. The silver filters are still bassier than neutral, but the most tolerable to my ears. Timbre with any filter is not very close to natural, but the silver ones get the closest to it.
 
All in all, the R1M is an acceptable choice for $30, but I can't help but think that if the case was ditched, they'd instead be a spectacular $20 option. Even at such a low price point, unless you're explicitly looking for a tunable IEM, there are better options. The good thing is that they're better than the Xeport 5010 at the same price, and much better than MEElectronics' entry. Not to discourage Narmoo, but I feel like the best option for them now is to focus on making an IEM with one fantastic sound signature rather than three slightly different ones.

 
[size=small]DUNU has been one of the IEM world’s rising stars as of late. In just two years, DUNU has released a lineup of great IEMs, ranging from the entry level Trident (my favorite budget IEM), to the mid-level Tai-Chi. In fact, the Tai-Chi is what’s to be reviewed today.[/size]
[size=small]The Tai-Chi’s packaging is similar to other IEMs in DUNU’s range. It’s a simple two-part packaging, with a sleeve covering a box with a magnetic flap, which opens to reveal the Tai-Chi’s in their full glory. Inside, there are a great number of accessories, including two (!) cases, an airplane adapter, a 6.3mm adapter, and a mysterious box. Inside this magical box are six pairs of tips, a microfiber cloth, an additional pair of ear gliders, and many pairs of acoustic dampers, which I will explain later.[/size]
 
[size=small]The Tai-Chi is a beautifully made IEM, especially at its price range. The cable is stranded silver and is very pleasingly thick. The plug is the typical right angled plug DUNU has, and the same Y splitter. My favorite feature of the cable is the brilliant cable organizer built right into the cable. It's genius. I wish other companies would adopt this idea. It'd probably save a lot of IEMs' lives. It sure will save these for me. It gives me a reason to wrap them rather than balling them up. I mean, an organizer is built in; might as well use it or else it gets in the way.[/size]
 
[size=small]Now up to the IEMs themselves. One thing I haven’t seen in pictures is there is actually a Tai-Chi on the IEMs themselves, which probably influences the IEMs’ name. The IEM’s body is a nice rounded shape that fits perfectly within my ears. However, the bass port sometimes jams itself into my tragus, which gets irritating after a while. I doubt there would be many ears that the Tai-Chi would not fit, but it should be a factor one must consider before purchasing a pair of these[/size]
 
[size=small]Now about the bass port: the Tai-Chi has this fantastic feature that allows the user to slightly alter the amount of bass the Tai-Chi puts out. Without the dampers on, they sound slightly muddy, with slightly better extension. But all in all, I don’t feel that, for my tastes, the dampers are necessary. But it’s wonderful that DUNU allows the option in the first place, and I’m sure many people will love the sound without the dampers. However I do worry that I will lose all of my dampers at some point in time. I've already lost 4 because they tend to come out by themselves.[/size]
 
[size=small]Before going into the sound, I would like to address that the Tai-Chi’s laid-back, dark sound is basically the opposite of my sound preferences, so take whatever I say with a grain of salt. I’ll be writing this review in the point of view of someone who wants to seek sonic nirvana through sound signatures other than my preferred, mid-range focused sanctuary.[/size]
 
[size=small]The bass with the dampers was a little more pronounced than I thought it would be, even when I looked at DUNU’s supplied frequency chart and viewing it as an idealized result. It’s north of neutral, but south of what I’d call “bassy.” For example, the nice rumble that I expect in the JLE Dub Mix of Puscifer's [/size][size=small]Indigo Children[/size][size=small] is not as pronounced as I wish it was. However, I did find something I like in the lower regions. I found that the Tai-Chi rendered string bass much, much better than the T-Peos H100. The timbre was just so much more right than the H100. The Tai-Chi has a certain sense of air that allows for the small details to sing. The little twangs of the strings are fantastically rich for an IEM in this price range.[/size]
 
[size=small]With the bass dampers off however, things start to fall apart just a tiny bit. I finally got that rumble I was craving for electronic music (It's starting to approach Monster Turbine Pro Gold levels) but it also starts to muddle up a bit. The timbre that I so loved with the bass dampers on just wasn't there after the dampers were removed. It's an excellent lesson in physics.[/size]
 
[size=small]The midrange with the dampers on was not my favorite. But for reference, my main headphones are the Beyerdynamic DT48, which is a headphone that is basically [/size][size=small]only [/size][size=small]midrange, so the bar is set pretty high. Despite this, the midrange wasn't the worst (again, better than the T-Peos H100), and was actually rather soothing. It's clear that DUNU was aiming to make a pleasurable IEM when one hears what was done to the midrange. I find vocals to be somewhat subdued, bordering on veiled, which at times got annoying (For example, an artist like Allen Stone, who basically requires a rather bright headphone, sounded muted and didn't have the impact I was hoping) but that's a trade off that must be taken. However, jazz wasn't that great with the Tai-Chi as a result of the muted mids. Trumpets almost sounded like they had mutes on; saxophones suffered the same fate. But the timbre that I so enjoyed in the bass extended itself to other instruments. It wasn't perfect, but much better than both the H100 and Sennheiser CX985. I'm liking these.[/size]
 
[size=small]Without the dampers, the midrange, like the bass, suffered. The newly boated bass started intrude into my mids, which is one of my pet peeves of any sort of headphone. It was one of my main complaints about the Audio Technica M50, it's the reason I bashed the T-Peos H100 so much, and why I'm so uptight in general. It's getting increasingly hard for me to recommend that the dampers not be used because with the dampers on, the sound changes from “ack” to “yum.”[/size]
 
[size=small]The treble, like the midrange, is slightly subdued. Granted, it may be because my main headphone for the past two months has been the treble-tastic Sony SA5000, but I find the Tai-Chi's treble to be mostly smooth, without being sparkly or anything. It's certainly nothing to complain about compared to other IEMs that have awkward peaks that make them nearly unlistenable, but I must note that the Tai-Chi also has a few peaks that can get slightly annoying at times. But it's certainly not enough to complain too much, especially because I've never encountered sibilance.[/size]
 
[size=small]With the dampers off, there is the slightest bit of sibilance (not sure why...), and after I heard the sibilance, I tried not to concentrate too much on the treble. But it retained the general smoothness of the damped sound, just with a little less smoothness.[/size]
 
[size=small]Soundstage is okay for an IEM. It isn't spacious, nor is it excellent at spatial abilities, but it spreads out sound about a foot forward and 2 feet across. Detail is much better than I expected for a laid-back IEM, but pales in comparison to my ACS T15 (modeled as a warmer Etymotic ER4) and even my Monster Turbine Pro Copper. However, it does beat out the T-Peos H100 and Sennheiser CX985. It's about even with the Monster Turbine Pro Gold and from memory, just a little behind the Brainwavz B2.[/size]
 
[size=small]The Tai-Chi comes with two different kinds of tips. One type is a Sony Hybrid clone, which has a tapered tip. There is also a grey pair that is not tapered. Surprisingly, the difference is quite noticeable. Both have their merits and faults. The black, tapered tips have a little more upper mids, possibly because of the shorter tube. There's more midbass, but it's not of the clean sort. The grey tips sound more fleshed out than the black tips (as in no awkward accentuations, more like everything is accentuated than anything) and sound more natural. The hybrid tips have a similar effect as removing the bass dampers, except the upper mids are even more pronounced, which is just really annoying overall. I can certainly understand the appeal for those looking for a fun sound though. Black tips plus open ports provides a sound signature that's similar to an Ultrasone (from memory). [/size]
 
[size=small]Overall, the Tai-Chi has proven to be my favorite sub $150 IEM, despite my predisposed ideas of them. Like I noted early in the review, the laid-back sound signature of the Tai-Chi was something I initially expected to not like. However, their smoothness has bewitched me. Despite their faults, I can listen with the Tai-Chi for hours and not feel any fatigue. If I could ask for anything though, I'd love if DUNU could squeeze in just a little more midrange. I like my vocals. However, for about $120, I'm quite hard-pressed to recommend against these. They've surpassed my two most recently reviewed $150 IEMs with ease, and are more comfortable to boot. While these have only managed to whet my appetite for a laid back sound, I'm liking what I'm hearing. If DUNU can do this with a $120 IEM, I can't even imagine what a high-end IEM would sound like. In merely two years, they've managed to, in my opinion, take both the $50 section and the $150 section with ease.[/size]
 
[size=small]And thanks to DUNU for the sample![/size]

 
[size=12.0pt]Sennheiser is the first “legit” headphone company most people hear of and are generally praised unabashedly by people that lack experience. Well at least that’s what I’ve gotten from in my years in the internet. I’d never been the biggest fan of Sennheiser, mostly because I’d never tried anything in their line above the HD25. Everything under the HD25, to me, performed a bit lackadaisical at retail price, so I thought these hardcore supporters were just uninformed. I was hoping the CX985 would cause a change of heart for my opinion of Sennheiser. Well to put to it simply, the HD600 is next on my ever-changing to-buy list.[/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]The CX985’s packaging is quite nice, not only at its price range, but nice period. It’s reminiscent to Monster’s Turbine Pro packaging with the magnetic flip for the front of the box, but there’s a nice section that allows the buyer to see the CX985’s really pretty housings along with the overengineered volume control. Inside, there’s a nice case, a really cool clip, replacement filters, and two different types of tips, which I will elaborate on later.[/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]The CX985’s themselves are completely made of plastic (I know, metal would have been so much nicer, but considering how much they cost, something had to give), but they definitely feel nice. Their design, in my opinion, is fantastic because they bend around my earlobe so I know which ear to put which IEM in. The cable admittedly isn’t the best I’ve come across; I’ve had much cheaper IEMs with nicer cables. The cable retains a bit of memory and is kind of thin. The volume control, which I mentioned earlier, almost looks out of place in the cable; it’s almost comically large. However, it’s magnificent in its own right. It’s completely made of metal, fantastic to hold, and works quite well. I’ve actually repurposed it as a way to hear when someone wants to talk to me because at its lowest setting, music is basically silent at my normal levels. The plug, though, is probably Sennheiser’s most ingenious feat of engineering on the CX985’s cable. It has the ability to switch between a right angle and a straight plug because of the swivel mechanism on the plug. It’s probably not all that useful and probably puts some strain on the cable if swiveled too much, but it’s really cool to look at.[/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]The CX985 sounds rather interesting. When I first used them, I passed them off as just another V-shaped sound sigged IEM—the type that has lotsa bass, lotsa treble, and really bad mids. The bass was a tiny bit bloated, the treble was almost harsh, and the mids were, well, pretty recessed. Then I started really listening to them.[/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]True, the CX985 has a lot of bass with even the balanced-sound tips (again, more on that later), but it’s not as bloated as I initially thought. It lacks a little bit of control to my ears, bleeding a tiny bit into the midrange, but it has a good bit of separation. I usually use Hallucinogen’s Mi-Loony-Um as a bass test to test both relative lows (it goes down to around 40hz) and separation. There was a little bit of blurring, but it was actually catching up to my modded Fostex T50RP, which is a pretty high compliment. For a mid-range IEM, it’s pretty impressive. [/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]The midrange is probably going to be where I slam the CX985 the most. Not to say it’s bad, it’s just not fantastic. It’s kind of like the Audio Technica ESW9’s midrange in a sense; it’s smooth and inviting (not nearly as smooth or tube-y though), warmed up by the bass, but for a lot of singers, there’s a very noticeable dip in the upper midrange that makes vocals sound very hollow and off. Ingrid Michaelson was the first singer with whom I noticed the recession. It’s almost infuriating, because other than that one flaw, they’re pretty good for a sound signature that inherently recesses the midrange. I’m usually quite against a V-shaped sound signature, but the CX985 seems to do it in a very pleasing way. [/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]The treble can get a little bit harsh for my tastes. I’m really not sure why, because the Sony SA5000 is one of my favorite headphones and those are lambasted for their brightness. There are a few random peaks that can make me flinch a bit (that’s probably why; I can deal with a consistent bright sound signature, but the CX985 isn’t quite as linearly bright), but other than that, I’m quite pleased. It’s slightly grainy, but it also extends more than I thought it would. It dropped off at the extent of my hearing, which is…average for an 18 year old. Avoiding songs with too much treble would be ideal with the CX985 though.[/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]One trait that I definitely didn’t expect the CX985 to excel in was in its general spatial abilities. Classical music was actually quite nice to listen to. While they certainly don’t live up to any of my full sized headphones, they definitely can hold their own against any other IEM I’ve ever tried, including the Hifiman RE272 (from memory anyway).[/size]
[size=12.0pt]Now about those tips: Sennheiser was gracious enough to design two different types of tips for the CX985. There’s a balanced pair, which have white cores, and a bass enhanced pair, which have extended, purple/magenta cores. The bass enhanced tips are longer, which allows for extra bass because science (if anyone actually wants an explanation just ask). I found the magenta tips to be a little too bass heavy for my tastes to extensively test, but from the limited time I used them, the bass seemed to be much more prominent at the expense of some blurring and further recession of the midrange and harsher treble. I don’t really advise using them unless bass is more important than anything at that particular moment. I used Phutureprimitive’s Kinetik album to test the magenta tips and while there seemed to be a slightly airier sound, the bass was simply too much for me. Regardless, I think Sennheiser is especially nice for giving people the option.[/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]Basically, the general sound signature of the CX985 is slightly prominent, but mostly controlled bass, warm, sometimes recessed midrange, and both smooth and strident treble. But somehow, for 95% of my music, it still sounds really, really nice.[/size]
[size=12.0pt]While I’ve been a bit mean to the CX985, I really do like it. It’s just that it gets so close to perfect for my tastes that I get a little upset, and I hope that my attempts prod Sennheiser to fix them. Compared to other IEMs in the CX985’s price range that I’ve heard, I’d certainly pick it over the B2 (too bright for me) and maybe even the Monster Turbine Pro Gold. If the treble was a little calmer and the midrange fixed, I’d tell everyone to buy a pair regardless of price. But even with their flaws, at $160, I can’t think of a better IEM for someone looking for a relaxing sound signature. Just use EQ if the treble is too harsh. And yes, if these little IEMs are any indicator of what Sennheiser can really do, I may find myself unboxing a pair of HD600s soon.[/size]

 
I have a proposition for you. I’ll tell you all about the first balanced armature MEElectronics has made if you agree to think about buying them. Deal? Deal.
 
The A151 is MEElectronics’ first balanced armature IEM, and I must say, it’s a valiant first try indeed in a market saturated with <$100 IEM’s, and we all know MEE’s specialty is dynamic IEM’s right? So are these A151’s subpar? Far from it! Read on!
Packaging: The packaging of the SP51 is noticeably more upscale-looking than the previous line’s plastic box. Instead of the clear plastic boxes of yore, the current box is a dark and mysterious paper box with a mirrored inside. Inside, there is a “safety and tips” piece of paper that most people reading this have no need to read, the traditional MEElectronics case, and inside the case are extra tips. I’ve been trying to figger out what size the tips are, but I’ve lost my TX100’s to use as a reference.
 
 Build: The A151’s are not made of any type of esoteric material like ceramic (CC51) or even metal, but they are, in fact, plastic. It’s really not a big deal though. The housings are very sturdy and as a bonus, I can sleep with these on! The cable on these is probably my favorite of all time on a <$100 IEM. It’s an incredibly flexible twisted cable a la Westone, and one of the few over ear IEM’s that work with my ears. If I do have any gripes about the A151 it’d have to be the strain relief on the plug. It doesn’t really do much to protect from strain. It doesn’t really bend much, which is a bit of a problem.
 
First Impressions: I really didn’t know what the first album to test the A151’s on, but I figured they’d err on the warm side of things seeing as how that’s how MEElectronic’s always done things. I decided to start with Emily Haines’ Cut in Half and Double. My first listen of the A151 showed a somewhat detailed warm IEM. The treble is smooth, even a bit toned down. The midrange is a bit romantic and the slightest bit veiled. Bass was surprisingly full for a balanced armature IEM, but for electronic with low beats, they struggled, which is acceptable for a single balanced armature.
 
Review: The gear that shall be used in this review are the Nationite NaNite N2, Sony A726, Blackberry Tour, and EMU 0204. Music is 320kbps. They’ve been used about 50 hours, and balanced armatures don’t technically need burn in.
 
I feel that the treble the A151’s have is pretty much ideal for my preferences. As a reformed treblehead, I prefer smooth treble to Grado levels of treble for almost any type of music, and smooth is definitely a word I’d describe the treble of the A151’s. Now, they aren’t exactly smooth a silk, there are a few dips here and there, mostly in the upper range and extension isn’t great, but pretty decent all in all.
The lower midrange is nice and meaty, erring on the warm side of things. The 1k-3k region is the slightest bit recessed though. Electric guitars and vocals can sound the slightest bit flat at times because of this. Regardless, it's ridiculously smooth sounding throughout, making these my ideal relaxation IEM's.
 
The bass is surprisingly punchy for a balanced armature, even moreso than a few dynamics I have. Sub bass however, is lacking in weight, which is to be expected from a <$100 single balanced armature design. However, what’s there is very formidable indeed.
 
Soundstage is very average. It’s a tiny bit out of my head though.
 
Detail retrieval is very good with the A151. It captures a bit more microdetails than the CC51 and M3. Tone is a bit off due to the softness of the sound though.
 
Conclusion: The MEElectronics A151 is a very competitive sub $100 IEM for those looking for a non-fatiguing sound signature. So how has MEElectronics done with their first balanced armature IEM? I’d say pretty dang good. Comparisons to its sister, the CC51 are inevitable, and I have to say that the choice is pretty hard. They sound rather similar—the CC51 having a more exciting sound, while the A151 falls on the gentler side, but if I had to pick one for all around listening, the A151 has my heart. 

 
[size=12.0pt]Ladies and gentlemen, I have found my new favorite budget IEM. Most recently, it was the MEElectronics CW31 with its warm woody sound, but it has been dethroned by a new challenger. What’s the catch? It really doesn’t do anything technically perfect. If that’s so, why is it so good in my opinion? Well, honestly, I DUNU, but the DUNU Tridents just…work. Wait! I can explain![/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]But first, the readers always need some appetizers before the main course.[/size]
[size=12.0pt]The packaging of the Tridents is quite nice, but it’s way too similar to the Turbine Pro packaging than I’d like, mostly because the DUNU packaging is so much cheaper-feeling than the Monster version. However, one has to keep in mind that the Tridents are 10% of the Copper MSRP. But since the opportunity arises, I’ll scrutinize the packaging and compare it to the Monster packaging. Skip this if you simply do not care, but I find the situation rather funny.[/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]I find Monster’s presentation pretty much my favorite IEM packaging of any kind. I find it reasonable that DUNU makes an homage to it, but it really feels underwhelming in comparison. The thickness of the DUNU cardboard is about a third of the thickness of the Monster cardboard. In addition, the Turbine flap folds away from the box quite nicely due to a different method of folding out. There are two different sections. In contrast, the DUNU flap seems to want to take the box with it. It’s really not a big deal, but I wanted to hopefully get DUNU to fix this issue. I doubt a thicker gauge cardboard for their boxes would cost more than a dollar, and would really make the IEM’s package seem more upscale. At this point, it screams “Chinese crap,” which this really isn’t.[/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]Where the similarities end, however, is how the IEM’s look. I heartily applaud DUNU for creating an IEM whose housing is completely different from any other IEM I’ve seen. There may be a slight similarity to the Monster Butterfly IEM’s, but it’s a stretch. I have found that many reviews have neglected to mention the finer details of the housing, which I will state, simply because I am awestruck by how nice they look for $40. The housings themselves are made of seamless titanium, as stated on the box flap (more on this in the conclusion; I have a proposition for the guys at DUNU). By seamless, I mean it; the nozzle is made from the same piece of titanium as the rest of the housing. I don’t know of any other IEM made of titanium, and for a $40 product, it’s pretty cool. In addition, the titanium housings have a machined ribbed design—even cooler. The back of the IEM prominently displays a big distinctive D, which many fellow students have asked me about, along with a gold plated outer ring. [/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]As far as the build goes, I’m quite sure that they’ll be able to last a lot of abuse. I commend DUNU for basically over-engineering the Tridents. The strains on the housing side are the slightest bit too stiff, but the Y split and nice-looking plug are A-OK. The cable is sufficiently beefy, and hasn’t been too tangle-prone in my experience.[/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]So I’ve been gushing about how they look, but that’s really not important since they’re in your ears where they’re impossible to see. The sound portion is next. This test involves a NaNite N2, and, for tehlulz, the Burson HA160D I have on loan to test how much they scale up.[/size]
[size=12.0pt]For the lazy, the general sound signature is on the warm side, with occasionally peaky treble and slightly recessed midrange. The bass doesn’t reach impressively low and warms the lower midrange up almost too much. Do read the conclusion though, because that gives a better description of why I like the sound.[/size]
 
 
[size=12.0pt]For the rest of you, a more detailed version, straight from the N2 (the Burson will come later):[/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]The treble with the Tridents really isn’t all that impressive. Pianos lose their luster on the upper end, and flutes sound flat and dull as well. The treble really doesn’t extend very much, and drops off pretty quickly. At times, they can get shrill, especially with soprano vocals and the highest trumpet notes. Basically, they have lower treble issues. [/size]
[size=12.0pt]The midrange is really a mixed bag. Most will find the midrange underwhelming at best because they are rather warmed up on the lower end, and plain funky on the upper end. Heck, they can even be called recessed .The Tridents have some weird coloration on the upper end that’s basically an acquired taste. I remember my old Audio Technica A500’s had a similar colorization. (Actually, they have similar midranges all around. I remember the A500’s had a slightly recessed midrange, even after modding, along with a warmed up lower midrange.) The Tridents’ lower midrange is, as stated, somewhat warm. This gives male vocals and lower instruments a body that is welcoming, but not as full as the MEElectronics CW31.[/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]The Tridents seem to really like drums. They have a wonderful sense of portraying drum sets with surprising accuracy, especially bass drums, allowing for excellent space and air around it. It’s quite shocking actually, how nice bass drums sound—tympanis too. Bass (guitar) gets slightly muddled up with faster riffs—the Tridents are a slow IEM sadly. This seems to be a common drawback with cheap dynamics. For electronic, it also slightly suffers due to its slowness, but it’s listenable. I certainly wouldn’t pick it as my first genre for the Tridents though. [/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]The soundstage is slightly above average as I never get any true out-of-headness with the Tridents, but positioning is better than most. Detail is rather iffy, as the treble is much too funky to extract any upper end detail, and timbre isn’t really its strong suit due to its strange upper midrange. [/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]Now, for the section I’m sure everybody is at least slightly curious about: how do they scale up with an amp that’s 25 times more expensive than the IEM’s? Well, they do improve quite nicely. The bass tightens up to something that’s very manageable, without the muddiness I complained about. The midrange is a bit more forward, but still recessed. Sadly, none of the tonality issues are fixed. They still sound colored. Good think I like the coloration…[/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]So where are we now? Well, the Trident is a very strange IEM. It doesn’t really do anything…right in a technical sense, however, as an IEM to just listen to, it is by far my favorite. Why you may ask? The Tridents just portray music in a sense that’s easy to listen to. They’re engaging in a way that makes one just get lost in the music and chill out in the enveloping bass and upper midrange that makes vocals ever-so-slightly more intimate than most would be comfortable with—female voices are, in a way, voluptuous. Let’s be honest. These are $40 IEM’s. Nobody expects the best of anything for $40. They expect an IEM they can just listen to, and the DUNU Tridents are just that.[/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]As an addendum for DUNU, the English translations on the Trident box are absolutely horrendous. I’m willing to offer to fix the English translations for you guys for free—well, I may want to test some products for my trouble…I’m sorry, but the poor translation further contributes to the “Chinese crap” stigma ignorant people may give this product. With a good translation, they can learn to shut up.[/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]For example, the box says (and I’ll include a better translation after):[/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]-Loaded with high grade full frequency unit, it enhances the detailed of bass and presents crisp and crystal in mid and treble. It also provides you the high sound quality and the best recognition. (Full frequency dynamic driver presents detailed bass, crisp midrange, and crystal clear treble for excellent sound quality and enhanced detail)[/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]-The earphone is designed with highly covered and sound leaking proof which can block the outer noises and only preserves the sound you desire (The housing is fully sealed to block outside noise, leaving only you and your music (this can be fixed to remove tense shift, but this sounds more presentable))[/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]-With DUNU’s patent technology (F.R.E.S), the full frequency enhancing system, it presents you rich dynamic and extraordinary full range music incisively and vividly (F.R.E.S., DUNU’s patented technology, presents rich, dynamic, and extraordinary full-sounding music vividly and accurately)[/size]
 
[size=12.0pt]And so on. [/size]

Paraphrased from my original review since it won't submit without shortening: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/533055/review-fanny-wangs-on-ear-wangs-aurgasm-in-your-ears
 
 
Highs:  Okay, the highs in these are a bit depressing. The treble on these is definitely not its strong point. It’s laidback, yet peaky at the same time. It’s very inconsistent, to say the least. The treble is peaky—not to be confused with aggressive—in the more electric driven genres.  Cymbals tend to sound veiled and damped, along with other high pitched instruments and vocals.
 
Mids: The mids on these are undoubtedly colored. It’s debatable whether or not it’s pleasant. The upper mids are the most colored part of the sound, resulting in a very artificial and unnatural tone. From there it starts to thin out. The middle mids are the most distant and recessed sounding of the mid frequencies. The lower mids are given a bit of warmness by the bass.
 
Bass: The bass on these have mellowed out since initially, and gone up and down in weight throughout the burn in process. As of now, I probably have 250 hours at the very least. Now it’s about 3-5dB north of neutral. The increase was primarily mid bass. There is very little—I daresay laughable—bass extension on these. It’s also rather smeared and lacks realism. Not terrible though.
 
Detail: The detail on these, as of a direct result of the veiled highs, is not too impressive. Sure, there are small nuances in music that you can hear on these that you won’t hear on the Solos, but compared to other Head-Fi favorites like the V6, it’s about even. Bear in mind the V6’s are a third of the price. The decay of instruments is a bit too quick.
 
Soundstage: As expected from a headphone such as the Wangs, the soundstage isn’t exactly brilliant. It’s actually rather small, even compared to what I was expecting, which wasn’t much. The sound is very claustrophobic. The drivers seem to sound like they want to sound bigger than they actually are, and as of a result, sound confused. Everything is compressed, but extended forward somehow.
 
This may sound a bit too harsh, but I’m better at pointing out negativities in reviews than superlatives. The general sound of these is relaxing yet fun. They’re basically chillout headphones. If you bought these expecting a reference quality headphone, I really have to question your thought process. These are called Fanny Wangs for a reason. They are not meant to be taken as seriously as an HD800 sound-wise. You should not dissect every bit of music with these. These are headphones to listen when you’re in the mood to space out and think, which appeals to the target consumers of the Wangs. The colored mids, while artificial, are admittedly fun to listen to. Sure, they’ll never take the place of any of my mid centric headphones like the DT48, Sextett, or orthos, but I wouldn’t dare take them outside where they can get damaged, since I’d have a hell of a time finding a replacement DT48, VSH-5, or RP50. The Wangs look cooler anyways and turn more heads. And these have surprisingly great PRaT (Pace, rhythm, and timing) It’s basically impossible not to rock out to these.

Intro:

    I’d like to start this review by thanking Joker for sharing a link to MEE’s site looking for reviewers. I was one of the 10 chosen to review the MEElectronics M9s (Thanks to MEE too!!!). And this review is probably a bit overdue, but I wanted to spend a long time with them before saying anything about them. And enjoy my summer. Haha, oops. And to those of you who read my Copper review, I’ll make it easy on you guys. It won’t be nearly as long and overly detailed. And there won’t be as much humor. Sorry guys, just wanted to get to the point. If you want some humor, support your local comedians. Or not. More often than not they’re not that great… May I have a nice little backstory? So I was out somewhere and randomly checked my email. The first thing in my inbox was an email from Joe at MEE saying I was chosen to review them. I was pretty ecstatic. And the guys almost always answered within 5 minutes. Pretty impressive. Anyways:


Packaging/Accessories:

    The packaging for these is pretty decent for a budget IEM. The accessories are aplenty, much more than one would expect for $30. The M9’s packaging is a plain (nothing fancy, this isn’t a hipster company that gets customers at first glance with the box) a plastic box with a nice soft-shell case with a cable wrap and airline adapter. Also included are two different kinds of tips. A pair thin, grey double-flanged tips labeled “balanced”, and some thicker black tips labeled “enhanced bass”. The shirt clip is pre-mounted onto the cable, which is nice, because I could never get the blasted things on.

Build:

    The M9s’ housings are made completely of metal. It’s very nice. Even the nozzle is metal. I’d imagine you could use these as an impromptu weapon if you happen to be assaulted wearing these, should that ever happen. The wires are decent too. The silver M9s have a zebra-like cable covered by (what I can only assume) Teflon. The cables do hold decent memory (they’re curly when you use the wrap), but they’re soft and flexible.
    
    Strain reliefs are pretty nice. The strain between the cable and earphone is very nice, but strange looking. It’s just too big. Not that I really can complain. More security that the cables won’t fail up there is always nice. It is a bit loose though, most likely because I was futzing with them when I was bored. It would have been nice if they were clear though. Black on silver looks okay though. The plug is the strange (in my opinion. Straight in or in a 90 degree angle for me!) hockey stick 45 degree style plug. The strain on the plug is adequate, and the plug itself seems sturdy enough.

The drivers in these are dynamic drivers, so they need to be vented. The vent on these is pretty, well…obvious. It doesn’t look too bad though. And as far as I know, doesn’t really leak.

First Impressions:

    I’ll admit, I wasn’t completely impressed by the M9s at first listen. I plugged them into my already warm sounding Sony A726 and played some Muse (Black Holes and Revelations, in fact. I know, bad mastering, but it’s just a fun album). It was decent, not really incredible. The album sounded pretty veiled. The mids seemed a bit recessed, bass was pretty big (I don’t want to say bloated, because it’s controlled to a good degree), and the treble was almost piercing. Soundstage was rather enclosed and timbre and decay was meh. All this in a general sense. Very very good for the price though. So far, easy to recommend to friends at retail.

Review:

    Now, for the review, I’ll be using my Sony A726 as a source, unamped. I talked to Joe about amping and he said it tended to add more bass, which I didn’t really want. I’ll try to make the review short and sweet by merely outlining the sound instead of specific albums. It was just too time consuming and probably didn’t really help too much. If you have any questions, just ask me. I’d be glad to help.

    These are burned in at least 200 hours for your burn in believers. I did hear a decrease in bass, emergence of mids, and the treble is tamed, but I still think it’s just me getting used to the sound. I’m using the balanced tips in the review. I’ll post impressions of the sound with different tips later on.

Albums used (average of 256kbps):
Resistance - Muse
Falling Into Infinity - Dream Theater
He Has Left Us Alone But Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace The Corners of Our Rooms - A Silver Mt. Zion (long album name ftw!)
Shudder - Bayside (had to do some kind of tween band!)
Fever - Bullet For My Valentine
The Eventually Home - Right Away Great Captain!
Hope - Non Prophets
Monkeys For Nothing and Chimps For Free - Reel Big Fish
Hot - Squirrel Nut Zippers
Somethin’ Else - Cannonball Adderley
The Fall - Norah Jones (Ick. Clippy, but that’s why I chose this album)
Lateralus - Tool
Discovery - Daft Punk
Catch 33 - Meshuggah
From the Yellow Room - Yiruma

Mkay, so a lot of albums right? Onto the review!

Bass: Okay, I’ll do this section first. If you’re looking at these, you like bass. Not really any way around that. Bass on these is pretty substantial. It does have good detail and decent depth though. Decay is decent too. It doesn’t have the boomboom “3P1K” bass that just gives you headaches. In Discovery’s Something About Us, there is a nice amount of impact, not too much, not too little, and decay was quick. It went as deep as the bass went without faltering. In Falling Into Infinity’s Lines in the Sand, the low end rumble is pretty prominent--almost headache inducing. Non-Prophets’ Hope’s Any Port’s (triple possessives!!!!) bass was pretty overpowering and overshadowed a bit of the mids. The bass in Somethin’ Else is rather subdued and blurred. Lateralus’s Schism’s bassline is rather subdued and faded too, yet prominent. Yeah, basically, these are more bass-centric than anything else. Although they don’t really take control of the rest of the spectrum. It’s good bassy bass.

Highs: They are, put simply, kinda harsh, yet smooth. They’re also detailed. I’ve never been great at describing treble, so I’m gonna spitball stuff. The Fall’s Light as a Feather shows, beneath all that clipping, a smooth voice, but at times, sounds a bit peaky and harsh. From the Yellow Room’s Kiss the Rain beautifully conveys the high notes of the piano, but seem somewhat veiled. Very pleasing to listen to though. Somethin’ Else’s One for Daddy-O features Cannonball’s wonderful alto (A King Super 20 with a Meyer 5?) playing. The highest notes seem to have a bit of grain in them, and sound a teeny bit off in general. Still pretty impressive. Basically, pretty good treble, especially at the price. It can be harsh at times, but never upsettingly so. To my ears.

Mids: Why did I put the highs before mids? No clue. Too lazy to move this though. The mids here are a bit too subdued to my liking, but this is a tradeoff for having bass as big and meaty as the M9 has. I hesitate to call it recessed. They certainly aren’t recessed, but they’re a tiny bit overpowered by the bass and treble. If anything, they have a very slight V curve. In certain songs, well a lot of metal (BFMV, Meshuggah, Tool, NIN (Yes, they aren‘t in the list of albums. I cheated. Sawwie) for example, sound congested and slow. The more complex, the more congested, obviously. Not really a metal IEM in my view. Ska performs a bit better. Brass sounds decent on the M9s. Not really “realistic” to a T, but acceptable. They retain nice tone and have nice bite. Strings also sound pretty decent. Sound real enough, and retain emotion. You can’t really complain about the sound at all for the amazing price that these sell for.

Soundstage: As you can see, they are vented, so this allows the M9s to have a rather large soundstage. Not really large per say, but it’s about a foot or so in front, 6 to either side. Not really much in between. It’s rather blurred.

Details: These are surprisingly detailed. It has about 90% the detail of the Monster Coppers, which is either impressive for the M9s or sad for the Coppers. It picks up most muttering and finger twacking. Timbre is realistic-ish, could be a lot better though.

Sibilance: None. Plain and simple. If there was any, I didn’t hear it with stock tips.

Isolation: Pretty good. Not amazing though. When mowing the lawn, you can still hear the hum with music playing rather loud. Blocks pretty much anything reasonable though. Triple flanges obviously improve isolation.

Different Tips:

    I figured that since I have some random tips, I’d try them to see how they change the sound. So here’s some very brief impressions.

Balanced: Thinner silicon. Obviously, the more balanced of the two prepacked tips. Nice soundstage, bass is less prominent compared to the thicker tips.

Enhanced bass: Thicker silicon, irritates the ears pretty quickly. Bass heavy, treble subdued, mids are pushed to the back of the sound. Same soundstage.

Comply: Treble actually less subdued than the EB tips. Soundstage is more compressed, bass is muddier, mids aren’t as recessed as the EB. Complex passages are smeared.

Ultimate Ears tips: AAAAACK! Sibilance! If you can deal with that, you’re rewarded with a larger soundstage, forward mids, and tighter, quicker bass, and more detail. The highs are harsh though.

Monster Foam Supertips: I actually like these on the most. Most balanced sound, and sound about 75% of the Coppers in every way. Kind of unsettling when you consider the retail of M9s is 1/10th of the Coppers’.

Monster Gel Supertips: In my opinion, the worse of the bunch. The mids disappear behind a veil, treble is somewhat sibilant, bass is bloated and uncontrolled. Ick. Although, if you’re weird and like that, get these. Detail is kind of a moot point with these.

Monster Triple Flange: These have a decent soundstage, better decay, although sound more echo-ey. Mids are neutral, as is the treble, but can be shouty at times. Bass is still somewhat big. Never bleeds into the mids though. Detail is not its strong point. More isolation than the other tips, obviously.

Skullcandy silicon: No. Just kidding. Actually, these were better than I thought they’d be. The sound hole’s the biggest of all the tips. Well the ones I have do. I’ve borrowed some friends’ when I had nothing on me (okay, it was once. It was dark, I didn’t know what was going on!) and the hole was a bit more narrow. The sound’s a bit less controlled than the rest of the others, but have a nice soundstage. Not as large as the UE ones or multi-flanged tips. Bass is pretty large, but doesn’t mask the mids. The mids are actually rather forward, surprisingly. Treble is smooth. These are actually halfway decent tips. Although the uncontrolled sound’s a bit of a turnoff. Vocals also have a plastic-ey artificial tone to them with these tips. There’s also a hint of sibilance.

Comparisons:

    I have a couple headphones/IEMs in the same price range, so I shall compare them to the M9s.

Modded Koss Portapro: So these are about the same price, so I figured it was somewhat fair to include these. The mods I did to the Portas were basically an extreme version of what Kramer did with the KSC75s. Instead of drilling holes in the grill, I just took the sucker off and put a mesh grill in its place with quarter modded pads. The result is a much less bassy sound with more forward mids. The soundstage opens up a bit too. Treble is probably a bit too much for most people, but I really like it. I’m masochistic like that. Anyways, the tightness and quickness of the bass in the Portas is preferable to me. It’s not as deep and impactful though, so it loses out to the M9s with balanced tips in genres that need deep bass. Mids, well the Portas win, no contest. Then again, they are majorly modded. I’m sure the battle would be much closer with both stock. The mids stock weren’t that great stock. I’d assume the M9s win out compared to the stock ones. Treble is a bit of a tossup. It all depends on the user. If one likes a smooth treble, the M9s win. If one likes a forward and engaging treble, Portas are the way to go. Soundstage, Portas win easily, obviously. Detail, the Portapros actually have as much detail as the Coppers, which really isn’t much to brag about, but still commendable. M9s have a good amount of treble, but not as much as the Koss.

Ultimate Ears Super.fi 4: Supposedly, these are the same as the Super.fi 3, assuming more people have heard those than these. These are balanced armature IEMs as opposed to the M9’s dynamic driver. The sound of these is tilted more to the treble/mid side of the spectrum. It has pretty nice treble, mids are pretty good for the price, bass is not very strong, which is a plus in my view, but tight and quick. Soundstage is somewhat compressed. The mids of the SF4 are admittedly a bit better. The mids of the M9s are ever so slightly recessed, and I prefer more mids. Treble is about the same. M9s have a smoother treble though. Bass is a tossup. It all depends on how much bass you want. When I say the SF4 is lean in bass, I mean it. They have only a little more bass than the AKG K271. It makes up for it by being pretty fast and detailed in that department. The M9s have deeper, bigger bass, but with the wrong tips. Can start to creep on the mids. Most people looking for a cheap IEM would prefer the M9s The soundstage on the M9s is much wider, in a comparative sense. Isolation on the M9s is a tiny bit better. The SF4 is too shallow and awkward fitting to have good isolation. Detail is also a tossup. Some subtleties on the M9s weren’t heard on the SF4. And vice versa. The SF4 has a retail of $100, so…yeah. They’re relatively easy to find for $40 though.

Conclusion:

    Put simply, these are pretty amazing for $30. They do most genres (metal’s a tossup.) really well, have a fun and somewhat engaging sound signature. Bass is big and rather enveloping, while staying in its place more often than not. Mids are a tiny bit turned down, but that’s a consequence of the big bass. Treble is smooth for most songs. Rarely harsh. Detail is very impressive for the price. Soundstage is pretty (have you noticed I like the word pretty?) big for an IEM. Yup. I think that’s pretty much it. BUY ONE. NOW. Seriously, it’s common to find these for under $20, and I think it’s insane how that’s possible. These should be on everyone’s shortlist for a gateway to this hobby, and a cheap gift to corrupt friends with. If it were $50, I’d be more hesitant with so much new competition, but these aren’t anywhere near it. Yeah. Thanks for reading! Baiiiizzz!

    For the TL;DR crowd, they are great sounding headphones. They can do pretty much everything well, if  you don’t mind a smallish soundstage. They bass extends to all but the lowest notes, electric guitars have a nice bite, vocals can be enchanting, pianos can give goosebumps if you haven’t heard much better, drums are nice and impact, imo, saxophones are rendered fine, not great, however. (I’ve played the saxophone for 5 years, so I’m too critical on this part) Violins are rendered better than saxophones, much better. Classical is not their forte if you like a cavernous soundstage, but I was able to pinpoint instruments pretty easily. They are quick enough for most electronic, and detail is about par with my K271.

    For the rest of you, a little back story before the review. I got these about two years ago. I quite honestly don’t know why I got them. I had an A500 so I had no need for a closed headphone, but something about them called to me, and a $20, straight from Beyerdynamic USA, it was impossible to resist. It’d be more portable than the A500, I hoped. It’s quite frankly, impossible to be bigger than them.

    Three days later, they’re on my front door. Excitedly, I rip open the USPS box. I start playing Death Cab for Cutie, and…brightness. There’s a lot of harsh treble, so I let it burn in for a few hours while I was at school. When I came back, they seemed to be less harsh. Remember, I had a warmish (imo), colored headphone before them. The bass was kind of loose and unrefined, so I tried sticking some blu-tack to absorb some reverberations, and the bass was--or it could have been placebo--tighter and refined a good bit.

    On to the review. I use a Harman Kardon receiver with a PS1 CDP and a Beogram 2402 with a cheap TEC phono stage. I’ll update this when I actually have a decent source. I got a K271 the following year for, again, no clear reason except that it was $60 shipped, so I’ll make a few comparisons to them too.

    Where should I start…? Might as well start with Plans, since I’ve mentioned it in the beginning paragraphs. Starting with Marching Bands of Manhattan. The intro has always perplexed me. I never quite knew what instrument, if it was an instrument, played in the intro. Well it sounded like a synth on the DT220, and I stand by that. I listened in to the ending to make sure the bass kept up with the vocals and piano unlike my K271 unamped. The bass seems to falter a bit, but nothing major. If I listened to the song as background music, I wouldn’t have noticed it.
    On to I Will Follow You Into the Dark, a song I played until my fingers bled--the things we do to make a girl happy… Anyways, because of this, I know the song inside and out. What I hear is pretty good. Ben’s voice is intimate, yet there is something strange about his voice. It seems colder than normal and contains less body than I’m used to. And the guitar is about 5 feet behind his voice. Strange.
    “Love is watching someone die…”, a quote from What Sarah Said that makes my heart hurt every time I hear it. The piano intro is another section I have learned to play for a friend, so I listen in to make sure I hear the piano when it drifts away. Gibbard’s voice enters powerfully, reaches into your soul when he utters the fabled words.
    Second album, a Tool album. 10,000 Days to be specific. No particular reason why I chose this album, but it is a recent album that isn’t brick walled, so there’s a plus. It’s also pure fun to listen to.

    Starting off with Vicarious, a song I like to use to test aggressiveness. The guitar intros prove a nice crunch, but somehow seem to be too polite, like the brakes are being pushed. The drums prove to make me tap my toes to follow the beat-something neither of my other two headphones could do.

    Time to get some wings. Wings for Marie and 10,000 Days is next. The guitars drifting from left to right is entrancing. Keenan’s voice is wonderfully deep and raspy, in a good way. The thunder in 10,000 Days proves itself by making me jump out of my seat when it suddenly crashed when I least expected it to.

    “Incomprehensible words”--best description of Rosetta Stoned my friends and I can come up with. We joked that if  you could understand every single word, you are God. Sadly, I am not. The DT220 misses about half the lyrics, sadly. What is incomprehensible, however, is involving gibberish. Guitars are yet again, exciting.

    I’ll admit I’m not the biggest classical fan, so I’ll do my best to describe the DT220’s performance in classical music.

    New World Symphony by Dvorak-The opening trumpets shine, but seem hazy at the same time. Same with the clarinets, but seem to be more upfront. Flutes, for some reason, seem to sound much clearer than the trumpets and clarinets. Violins are just amazing though. They are rendered pretty nicely compared to the trumpets. And to get off topic about the instruments, I found it laughable how obvious it sounded when a person in the audience stood up and left the room. Anyways, yeah, sorry I can’t give much of a description here. I’ll be sure to update this at once.

IT’S ELECTRIC! BOOGIE WOOGIE…Yeah no. Sorry about that, so tempting. A couple random Chemical Brothers songs for this portion, and a Shpongle song.

    Galvanize, a song we all know. Really popular when it came out. This song the first song I’ve heard sibilance in. The intro made me jump out of my skin for some reason. Bass is nice and impact, synth is pretty nice too. You might notice how short this portion is. I couldn’t stand the sibilance I heard. I also hear some unfavorable distortion.

    Hold Tight London, a less popular song. This song, however one of my favorites by the Chemical Brothers, mainly the way the soundstage is all over the place and makes use of both channels really nicely. The vocals have an eerie, almost ghost-like attribute to them that makes the song impossible to pause.

    Private Psychadelic Reel, another of my favorites by the duo. It escapes how the wall of synth manages to climb up your back at approximately 2 minutes into the song. The repetitive nature of the song would make one think it gets boring, but the DT220 has the great ability to make the song involving. The section at approximately 3:30 is also amazing. The tunnel of sound that forms about 5 feet away from your face is just jaw dropping. The DT220 does electronic. And pretty decently at it.

    On to jazz.

    Dave Brubeck’s Take Five is a nice example showing that the DT220’s forte is not jazz. I have heard a Selmer Super Balanced Action many times. The DT220 fails to replicate the sound nearly as well as I expected it to considering it’s a monitor headphone. Perhaps I’m being too hard on it, but I have standards. Yes, it plays the song well. Not as well as my K271, however. Still decent though. There is a fuzzy element in the sound that leaves me wanting more however. The tone is just off…

Well, there’s a quick and dirty review of the rare on Head-Fi DT220. Hope you guys liked it! This goes without saying, but all this is in my opinion. Oh, and one more thing. These really hurt my ears after about two hours.
 
Update, addressing Punnisher's review, if you can sew pads the same dimensions out of leather, that would probable increase comfort a good bit. I tried some pad rolling with a baffle, and sadly, any pads other than the DT220's killed the sound.The velour K271 pads made the sound too thick, and the A500 pads sounding tunnely. Please resist the temptation to make the pads too thick. It will kill the sound. Ideally, maybe a centimeter thicker than the original pads to improve comfort, but this is just a speculation. I haven't made pads for them yet. I'll make some in a few weeks and report my findings. And while Punnisher has the 400ohm version, I have the 20ohm version.