Image X-10 and Custom 3 comparo with Grado GR8,Shure 530,Sennheiser IE-8,Etymotic ER-4S and UE 11 comming soon!

[TheEAR]

Hello fellow Klipschers ,

After a slight break from audio I have decided to try(buy) the finest headphones and earplugs made. Last night I purchased FIVE "earplug" type units(Klipsch X-10,Image-3,Shure530,Grado GR8 and Sennheiser IE-),the UE 11 are custom so it may take a few weeks before I post my review.

I will be also doing a comparo of full size headphones( Sennheiser HD600/650/800,Grado SR125/225/325/RS1/ PS1000, Denon AH-D5000/7000, AKG 701/702 and maybe one or two more upscale units from the known players).That will come in december. For reference I use my Headroom MAX headphone amp as well as the Grado dual 9V cell powered amp and a class A Creek unit.

So far from the preliminary listening I can tell the in ear units offer stellar midrange reproduction at the expense of deep bass performance(save for two units that do quite well). For monitoring a few of these in ear headphones are superb,as long as the source does not contain very low frequency content.I have for refrence also five pairs of powered studio monitors from Genelec,Focal,Dynaudio,Adam and Yamaha.

Sound cards used are the MOTU 828mk3 and RME Fireface 400 plus I have my Creative X-Fi Fatality (general gaming card).I have also the Presonus Monitor Station and Central Station/remote (switchers for monitors,inputs).

I will start posting next week my observations, no favoritism here ...if it sounds great I will post about it. If I can hear faults I will report. One thing is a given , all the in ears have audible limitations(these do not distract as they are near the bottom of the frequency spectrum),all range from very good to stellar in the vocal range and upper registers.Insulation contributes to the clean sound as outside noise(even in a quiet room) is reduced . I have not head the UE 11 as I said I should get these in my mitts in a few weeks,and from what i have read i am expecting a near sonic miracle (the price is clearly over a grand with the custom fitting).

I will post a few preliminary pics shorthly...[]

Testing...

I will post pics of the other headphones as i get them (on order).

[BLSamuel]

Any chance to include an Image X-5 in the mix? I'd be interested to know how it compares in the bass to the X-10 and Custom 3. Sounds interesting.

[TheEAR]

blsamuel,

I will try to include the Image X-5 too just for the sake of comparison.

[Bill H.]

How do you like the DynaudioAcoustics speakers ?

[TheEAR]

Bill,

Dynaudio Acoustics (Dynaudio's pro division) monitors can be best described as natural,open,defined and are capable of world class image and soundstaging.With minimal coloration. These however do not like wall proximity placement,Yamaha monitors for example can be placed closer to walls with less ill effect on performance.

In the $1000 range the BM 5A is contender for best price performance ratio with the ADAM A5. The A5 has a more detailed tweeter (some may describe as agressive, it is not is reveals all the good and the very ugly).Both are a joy to listen to.

These are my new PC desktop speakers.

[TheEAR]

Today a small update, still gathering (buying) the very finest headphones made. Here the Sennheiser HD800 and Grado PS-1000. Next week Denon and Audio Technica's very best.

Comming up...

HD800

PS-1000

One ugly box,who cares it is what is inside that counts !

[TheEAR]

Today I have spent some quality headphone time with both of these flagship headphones. Te HD800 is the epitome of quality fit and speaker like sound, you do not listen to headphones, simply reference studio mains here ! The Grado flagship have more impact and are more monitor like, the weight is forgotten as soon as a few monutes bring you so close to the music.

The HD800 is slightly laid back, the PS1000 more direct,ruthless monitor. Both are simply stunning with either solid state or tube headphone amps. The Grado matches better with tube amps, the combination of quality tubes with the PS1000 becomes magical.

Cannot wait for the big Denon and Audio Technica flagships. Report and pics will comenext week if all goes well. At the end I will compare these with the Stax flagship electrostatic,the Stax represents the last step when it comes to detail.

The best value in full size headphones so fat sounds to be the AKG K 701/702, supreme comfort and simply world class transparency,neutrality and full range sound reproduction at a low price !

These are just quick preliminary tests.

Next week I will start in-ear headphone preliminary listening.

Note I use my RME external FW sound card as source feeding quality solid state and tube headphone amps.

And I have purchased these Monster Beats(Studio and Solo) just for fun,so far the Studio's sound quality is very good for noise canceling headphones !

The Solo's are a bit bass heavy and work best with portable MP3 players as the bass heavy side is reduced and the Solo's improve. One thing The Solo's go for $199 and the Studio for $349 here in Canada. At this price the much less costly Koss PortaPro and Sennheiser PX100 best the Solo's with ease in sound quality.

About the Klipsch Custom 3 and X10's, so far after a few hours of use...with a proper seal. They rank in the upper class of in ear headphones. The Shure Sh530 bests the Studio 3 in detail and offers a more balanced presentation(to be expected considering the price tag).The Klipsch use higher quality wires,Shure's wiring on the 400 and 500 series is seriously lacking in quality. Noodle wires should be used,as the stiffer wires will break alot faster than flexible wires.

[DrWho]

Shure's wiring on the 400 and 500 series is seriously lacking in quality

Really? [] Are they failing, or they just don't seem like they're high quality?

What
headphone amp are you using for your listening? Just the built-in ones
on the soundcards you're using? I keep hearing good things about the
HD800, but haven't gotten around to listening to a pair myself. A buddy
of mine in college had the PS1000's and I couldn't get past the weird
ear cushions...always made my head itch. They seemed a bit lean in the
bass too, but I think pretty much all open-backs kinda sound that way.

Have
you spent any time with the AKG K240? I've been eyeing the new K702 and
have been wondering how the two might compare to each other. The K240
is real good for studio work because they are such a dry sounding pair
of cans and getting things to sound liquid smooth on them really
translated well to normal home speakers.

Btw, you can get some
really nice bass out of the new Klipsch earphones, but you gotta get a
really good seal. The Klipsch Image are the only in-ears that I can
keep in my ear for more than 15min without my ears starting to hurt.
I've always been a fan for how Klipsch voices their speakers, so I
think their in-ears sound really awesome too.

Shure just came
out with some new over-the-ear type headphones, but I dunno if they're
in the same pricepoint as the stuff in your list. I just thought I'd
put in a shameless plug []

http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/Products/Headphones/index.htm

I own a pair of the 840's, but I think the 440's sound more accurate.

[TheEAR]

DrWho,

Good to see you noticed this forgotten section. []

Grado's PS1000 are not lacking in the bass,you need a proper headphone amp to drive these headphones properly. I agree about the wacko ear cushions, what was John Grado thinking ? With the proper headphone amp these are stunning headphones, these are in the heavyweight division due to the massive weight(for a headphone).

Sennheiser has struck a perfect balance with the HD800, they are electrostatic like more so than any headphone I have or have tested. These are to me the last step before the almighty Stax reference cans/amp.And they float over the ears,you can wear them for hours with zero fatigue!

Shure, shure they have godo headphones I have the 840 and 440, both competent headphones.

The in ear Shure earphones suffer from cheap cabling ,this is the only gripe I have with them. Klipsch for example uses quality wiring on the Custom 3. Shure uses Dollar Store wires! WTF where they thinking, you use very high quality wiring on $500 plus in ear , not wires found on no name units sold at your local Dolla Store.

Seal with all in ear headphones is a MUST to really hear the what they are capable of,the Klipsch Custom 3 I have...the seal is not easy to get. I have found a method that makes them easy to "install", for the average customer this may be an issue.

[DrWho]

lol, I just use the "Not Read" feature and never have a clue which section I'm replying in []

Maybe I'll have to give the Grado's another go around...the headphone amp I listened to them on was built by the same guy so maybe that was the lame variable. Although I'll probably never own a pair.

[TheEAR]

The Grado headphone amp is nothing special,I love Grado headphones(the sound quality not comfort) but the overpriced piece of wood with two 9V cells...a nice catch. Get a Headroom MAX or at least a Headroom Supreme and listen to these again. Lacking in bass...not any of the Grado cans I own and I own the SR60/80/125/225/325...RS2/1 and PS1000...I mean I think I know how Grado cans sound. Unless I am deaf and in that case I would not even bother spending a dime on audio.Grado are not bass heavy and as you know open air cans do not match sealed cans in the bass(in general).

Never own a pair ! Come on, I am sure one day you will be able to buy any pair of headphones you will want. Hey I started dreaming about RadioShack $79.00 headphones in 1983, I did not even have the money for $39 cans(I had $5.99 headphones made in Taiwan)! The Optimus 1000 were incredible High-End speakers (I know I know these are jokes today)and the K-Horn was an unrechable target. Times change for the better for those who work hard(well most of the time).

Oh I like my Shure SRH440 alot, for the price these are an incredible value! And one of the best buys in the headphone world, sound quality is good enough you do not miss much more expensive headphones! This says alot about the Shure.

[TheEAR]

Ah my newest arrival...

In all modesty of course.[]

Headphones can be like subwoofer to me,like a drug. I am overdosing constantly!

The budgeto cans ! The Denon are quite pleasing ,sound quality from the preliminary listening ...great and built quality first rate.

[neo33]

TheEar, do you know anything about the Stax SR-X Mark 3 headphone and SRD-7 adaptor?

[TheEAR]

Anything like? I know these are older Stax headphones/energiser unit that is about it. I have no experience with this model, I saw someone selling a combo like this for cheap...that is about it.

[neo33]

Well, how's Stax headphones in general? From what I heard, they are supposedly very airy. This headphone was given to me and I haven't quite figure out how to use it yet.

[TheEAR]

Very airy...[]

STAX from all the models have I auditioned at home and the one I have are way more , not just airy. They are the most accurate,detailed,natural sounding cans money can buy besides the Sennheiser electrostatic headphones I have heard.

Hard to go wrong with Stax headphones, lets say they do not have too much competition in what they do best,superb resolution and capable of detail no dynamic match.They are not perfect but to my ears as close to perfection as it comes.

[DrWho]

Hey Ear, if I might make an observation....I think you might like all headphones []

[TheEAR]

DrWho,

Nope , for example the many Sony headphones even the high end cans have faults I cannot tolerate for critical listening. The Monster beats Studio are good, if they sold for $100 less(the price I paid ..$200).The Monster SOLO are bloated in the bass, making them good only for listeners who like heavy bass( sound like a BAND PASS subs stuck in a corner!).

Shure 440 with Grado SR80 are my favorite inexpensive headhones, Skullcandy Ink'd are my favorite super duper cheap plugs(paid $10 what can you as for for $10...a lap dance?) .And the Ink'd sound better than many known 20-$40 plugs! Shock and awe.

There are nice finds in inexpensive headphones and major garbage.

My personal favorite for the price is the AKG 702, can compete with the $1400 and even $1700 headphones I have with little loss of sound quality. That is impressive.

[neo33]

Okay, so I don't have much experience with headphones and didn't know that STAX headphones are THAT good. Now, only if I can figure out how this SR-X Mk III / SRD-7 works.

Very airy...

STAX from all the models have I auditioned at home and the one I have are way more , not just airy. They are the most accurate,detailed,natural sounding cans money can buy besides the Sennheiser electrostatic headphones I have heard.

Hard to go wrong with Stax headphones, lets say they do not have too much competition in what they do best,superb resolution and capable of detail no dynamic match.They are not perfect but to my ears as close to perfection as it comes.

[TheEAR]

Neo,

Figure out how it works? Can you post pictures of the kit(headphone/energiser) and all the cables you have with this combo? Then I may be of help.