• 3 Posts
  • 8 Comments
Joined 11 months ago
Cake day: October 29th, 2023
  • TagalogON@alien.topBtoHeadphones•Confused/Dissapointed with HD 560s - My First Audiophile Headphones.English
    1·
    10 months ago

    Hello, I have the same comfort problem with the Sennheiser HD 560S/many other headphones.

    That’s why I mainly use IEMs (+ TWS adapters/Bluetooth adapters) these days since there’s like this IEM Renaissance at the moment, so many good deals every week/month (new marketed hype trains cycle, lol).

    Most of my headphones are just there in their headphones cases and collecting dust, sigh, consumerism and fear of missing out is too real.

    Anyway, do you wear glasses or have a big head and so on? That may be the problem and sadly you have to specifically look for headphones known for their comfort. Which is unfortunate as nobody really mentions that factor or experience, lol.

    For comfort with headphones, if you have a big head, ear piercings, glasses, et cetera, basically anything that will interfere with the seal/fit of the earpads, here’s more info about headphones and glasses and workarounds it: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/zkjjcu/are_there_any_headsetsphones_that_are/j00kjt2/

    As for the sound itself with the HD 560S, make sure you don’t have any hair/etc. covering the earpads. Or like try wiggling the earpads to find an optimal position (sometimes this means the new angle of the earpads will be less comfortable but that’s just how it goes, same thing with ear tips and IEMs). Oh and try different headband width/tightness/etc. For me I don’t move around that much as I’m mainly at my computer and so I can make the fit more loose but if you are constantly going back and forth that can be a problem, so make sure to adjust it to your taste.

    The soundstage of the HD560S can actually be good, same with the treble, and such things, and ya it’s the bass that people often find lacking and so on.

    Since you like EDM/hiphop/etc. or bassy music then you’ll probably never be satisfied with the open back headphones and so you have to look for closed back headphones. It’s just a physics/design/etc. reality. Some people really do try using parametric EQ to work around their open back headphones like you’ve done already right, so just make say a bass shelf and see if it helps. But ya it probably won’t since people miss that closed back experience.

    It’s like the noise reduction, the boosted bass, etc. that’s helping you get immersed sometimes with the sound of closed back headphones. On the other hand, for open back headphones users that lack of noise reduction and leakage of sounds (especially when they are listening at dangerously loud volumes) and so on are what enhance their experience. Atmospheric expectations.

    Forgot if some of the people on squig.link have graphs of the newer closed back headphones (these are like rarely released or reviewed aside from the mainstream Bluetooth ANC closed back headphones) but they do have the newer open back headphones last time I checked. They have AutoEQ and so on there now, try matching the HD560S to other headphones known for bassy sounds. And ya use oratory1990’s presets (https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/wiki/index/list_of_presets) if you aren’t already, same with (Peace) Equalizer APO, Neutron Music Player, UAPP, etc.

    Sometimes IEMs/headphones will have drowned out vocals and so it can get tempting to raise the volume but after a while the brain will adjust to it since it’s always looking to adapt. Unlike IEMs, earpads rolling with headphones is not as talked about anymore IIRC, so you have to just to bear with the stock earpads.

    Aftermarket earpads can considerably change the sound, especially comfort too. Like some of us used to switch the leather/etc. to velour because we wanted better comfort and all that.

    Anyway, just search up the reviews about Brainwavz, Dekoni, etc. earpads. Check Head-Fi/etc. for updated info as recently some people are saying Brainwavz earpads went even more downhill or something.

    Unfortunately, yes $30 is a lot and so that’s why stick to the well-known budget earpad brands on Amazon/etc. if you don’t mind the sound/etc. changes that come with them in comparison to the stock earpads.

    Sennheiser/HiFiMan/etc. have that same expensive pricing for their stock earpads, cables, etc. lol.

    Personally despite enjoying a lot of the Sennheiser/HiFiMan/etc. open back headphones, I live in a loud busy area (even at midnight those random motorcyclists or car racers be flexing their mufflers constantly sometimes) and so even if my windows are closed, I need that noise reduction and so I can’t enjoy them as much.

    Check the threads below as your window/door/room/etc. is affecting your sound perception with the headphones. If you are able to listen in a quieter environment, then you may appreciate the strengths of open back headphones more. Unfortunately a lot of people in the world don’t have quiet surroundings and so unless loud music is playing, people are tempted to drown out the external noises and this in turn causes a different sound experience. Basically try to listen at lower volumes first and then see how it goes for a while.

    And ya sometimes it just takes like a week or so before going back to your older sets to understand the better clarity/details/etc.

    Headphones, IEMs, and reducing PC/room noises: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/12yxyqs/question_about_open_back_headphones/jhq4mj6/

    Open back headphones and solutions to PC noises: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/11dh2v9/is_there_anything_i_can_do_stop_hearing_my_own/ja8mltw/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/xpa9zd/pc_noise_with_open_back_headphones/iq2znjn/

    How to maybe soundproof your room for better noise reduction/isolation: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/10epr17/struggling_to_enjoy_my_headphones_in_noisy/j4t4qaw/

    If you get (legit, the expensive heavy ones, not the light/cheap/etc. ones) blackout curtains and tape them, it should do some changes. Though actually even using those plastic film thermal insulation kits did nicely as the vacuum seal on the window reduced the sound a lot.

    Those thermal insulation kits will help a lot with not needing to run the air conditioner (or heater) all the time, you can keep it on a timer if your AC unit has that option. Just make sure to achieve that good/perfect vacuum seal with the windows when it comes to taping it. There’s also those door draft stopper or like foam you put at the bottom of the door, those can actually help quite a bit too with retaining the heat/cold, believe it or not.

  • TagalogON@alien.topBtoHeadphones•Which items provide the best noise isolation (not etymotics (dual or triple flange), foam tips, or custom hard shells)English
    1·
    10 months ago

    Did you try FiiO HS18 or Dunu S&S with your IEMs yet? Despite the HS18 collapsing on itself if you wiggle it too much, it’s actually good for noise reduction (though if you’re at a workplace I don’t recommend it since it’s super thin). And yup, you’ll have to constantly reinsert the IEMs if the seal/fit with the FiiO HS18 is altered by your jaw movement and so on.

    Dunu S&S’s cylindrical shape can also help with the noise reduction/seal but for me that can get uncomfortable with certain IEMs.

    Spinfit CP155 is what I used as its length/height and conical/bullet/etc. shape works well with a deep fit for my ears.

    I don’t really have any Shure IEMs anymore but I still do have my MEE audio Pinnacle P1 and those have a similar shape to a lot of the Shure/Westone/etc. IEMs.

    Anyway, try the IE 200 instead too. Because unlike with Pinnacle P1/etc. the smaller shape of the IE 200 or maybe its nozzle angle/etc. makes wearing somewhat longer/taller ear tips more comfortable for me.

    With the Pinnacle P1, if I use a wide/big/short/etc. ear tip, it will still hurt my ear, but then the smaller ear tips sizes don’t seal/fit as well, so it was cursed, lol.

    With the IE 200, I literally used that with a 100dB or so fire alarm recently and it worked like magic. I think I had the FiiO HS18 during that time or maybe it was even just the AZLA SednaEarfit MAX Standard (I doubt it’s the MAX Standard since that one is pretty neutral (not good or bad) for me when it comes to noise reduction, but I mention it since I was using MAX Standard a lot during that time), or say Spinfit W1. But I don’t remember much since I literally got woken up by the damned stupid fire alarm and so my brain just went AFK for the rest of the day, lol.

    Using IEMs (like the IE 200) with a random crazy 100+dB fire alarm for noise reduction: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/11szuzw/besides_concerts_what_places_should_we_wear/jch00er/

    You can also just get the DIY IE 900 for only $80 or so, it has good noise reduction too. Only thing you’ll need to do is use TRI Clarion in order to hear the vocals (or use parametric EQ) and thankfully TRI Clarion can also be good with noise reduction. Though for me the TRI Clarion makes it easy for moisture/etc. to drip on the nozzle as well, haha, lmao, there’s somehow always a trade-off.

    For the Sennheiser IE 200 (try it stock first, then get the new aftermarket ear tips and I guess cable), some general info here: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/17tnn49/crinacle_the_budget_sennheiser_iem_thats_finally/k8y7kke/

    More info on the Sennheiser IE 200, DIY IE 900, MMCX to MMCX for N5005, IE 300, IE 600, IE900 adapter/converter, et cetera: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/14vm7ly/sennheiser_ie_600_alternatives/jrfbo45/

    But ya, it’s probably your IEMs that you need to change since unfortunately it really is the nozzle length, nozzle angle, etc. that will mess up your comfort levels.

    For example, there’s a lot of IEMs that people on Head-Fi/etc. talk about and then I get those IEMs and yup they sound good and all that, but then I can’t also wear them for more than 10 minutes because even if I use my whole ear tips collection, I wouldn’t be able to find a decent one no matter what. Well, I could but then the sound will change too much in order to accommodate the poor comfort/ergonomics/etc.

    See for example what I mentioned in your previous post, that Spinfit CP155 mod for Etymotics will change the sound for sure, same thing with the Comply P foam ear tips. Wait, did you try Comply P foam ear tips yet with Etymotics? Or even just the Comply T(x)100 should’ve worked fine too.

    Don’t know if you went through the repetitive thread links (lol, that’s on me), but somewhere buried in those threads I mentioned that I can’t use the Shure Olives (this is the black one with the wax guard too) foam ear tips, the yellow Shure foam ear tips (also has wax guards), the stock gray Etymotic foam ear tips, etc.

    And so Comply P foam ear tips are super expensive and basically the only option. But if you don’t have the weekly/monthly funds for that (I did the Spinfit CP155 mod since it was super expensive to buy Comply P and oddly enough it was out of stock sometimes too on Amazon), you can just get say Tennmak Ultra Strong on AliExpress for like $5 or so (this has like 12 pieces). And then use the adapters/converters from Spinfit CP100+ or Spinfit CP240, Final Audio E ear tips, AZLA SednaEarfit MAX Standard, et cetera. In order to make the Tennmak Ultra Strong snug on the Etymotic nozzle, it should work, don’t remember if it worked properly or not, been a while since I’ve used my Etymotics.

    I feel you fam, I know how frustrating it is to need noise reduction for hearing/mental/etc. health and so it sucks when the options are expensive and also don’t really work as expected.

    But ya all I can say is that try other IEMs with the same flush, low profile, etc. shape as the Sennheiser IE 200, MEE audio Pinnacle P1, etc.

    Or try bullet style IEMs. I used to use even JVC Spiral Dots ++ with the Final Audio E2000 and so on, and those worked fine. Not as good as Etymotics or non-bullet style IEMs with a traditional shell a la Shure/KZ/et cetera, but it has good comfort as long as you don’t fully shove it in.

    Btw, don’t get Spiral Dots ++ as you’ll probably produce a lot of earwax/moisture during work and it’ll clog the nozzle. Same with the E2000, people report bad channel imbalance with the Final E500-E5000 lineup, see RikudouGoku’s graphs and posts about it, and so ya, I’m just giving an example though.

    There’s always the bullet style IEMs if you want that hassle-free ergonomics. Only Etymotics and certain boutique/etc. Taobao/AliExpress IEMs go real deep, so it’s easy to use wide/shallow ear tips with the common bullet style IEMs. Personally I still use say the taller Spinfit W1, CP145, and CP155 with bullet style IEMs, it works better for my ears.

    There’s now a massive database for bullet style IEMs on Head-Fi: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-bullet-cable-down-iem-database-140-update.964041/page-3

    Oh and the hybrid ear tips are also uncomfortable for me, but they might work for you, you never know.

    Hybrid ear tips are like Symbio W, SeeAudio x Z Render, etc. ear tips. Those often have pretty hard foam, so it doesn’t compress as much. For my small ears those hybrid ear tips are not really usable as they’re too big/wide/etc.

    On Taobao/Chinese sites, there’s also this purple ear tip (foam-silicone hybrid) called EarrBOND Hybrid or something like that. They have dimensions of the EarrBOND ear tips, check MTMTaudio, Taobao, etc.

    There’s also the ear tips with gel inside them instead of foam, like Canal Works gel ear tips (these are found on Amazon Japan/etc.).

    The L size for CWU-GECL (narrow bore) is supposed to be like 13.2mm.

    The L size for CWU-GDECL (wide/bigger bore) is supposed to be like 13.5mm.

    More info on the importance of ear tips sizing, dimensions, et cetera: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/11vmvw6/largest_foam_ear_tips_like_comply_p/jcvhfie/

    So ya with different IEMs, sometimes you’ll need to use big/shallow ear tips. Other times you’ll need to use small/narrower ear tips.

    For wide and shallow ear tips (Penon has those orange ear tips with like 14/15mm width): https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/13033j8/tips_for_freakishly_wide_outer_ear_canals/jhurf9b/

    See here for a bit more info on smaller ear tips (Final Audio E, Sony EP-EX11, Radius Deep Mount, etc.): https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/xdqljz/azla_sednaearfit_max_vs_spinfit_w1_which_one/iod0gkl/

  • TagalogON@alien.topBtoHeadphones•Which items provide the best noise isolation (not etymotics (dual or triple flange), foam tips, or custom hard shells)English
    1·
    10 months ago

    Did you try FiiO HS18 or Dunu S&S with your IEMs yet? Despite the HS18 collapsing on itself if you wiggle it too much, it’s actually good for noise reduction (though if you’re at a workplace I don’t recommend it since it’s super thin).

    Dunu S&S’s cylindrical shape can also help with the noise reduction/seal but for me that can get uncomfortable with certain IEMs.

    Spinfit CP155 is what I used as its length/height and conical/bullet/etc. shape works well with a deep fit for my ears.

    I don’t really have any Shure IEMs anymore but I still do have my MEE audio Pinnacle P1 and those have a similar shape to a lot of the Shure/Westone/etc. IEMs.

    Anyway, try the IE 200 instead too. Because unlike with Pinnacle P1/etc. the smaller shape of the IE 200 or maybe its nozzle angle/etc. makes wearing somewhat longer/taller ear tips more comfortable for me.

    With the Pinnacle P1, if I use a wide/big/short/etc. ear tip, it will still hurt my ear, but then the smaller ear tips sizes don’t seal/fit as well, so it was cursed, lol.

    With the IE 200, I literally used that with a 100dB or so fire alarm recently and it worked like magic. I think I had the FiiO HS18 during that time or maybe it was even just the AZLA SednaEarfit MAX Standard (I doubt it’s the MAX Standard since that one is pretty neutral (not good or bad) for me when it comes to noise reduction, but I mention it since I was using MAX Standard a lot during that time), or say Spinfit W1. But I don’t remember much since I literally got woken up by the damned stupid fire alarm and so my brain just went AFK for the rest of the day, lol.

    Using IEMs (like the IE 200) with a random crazy 100+dB fire alarm for noise reduction: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/11szuzw/besides_concerts_what_places_should_we_wear/jch00er/

    But ya, it’s probably your IEMs that you need to change since unfortunately it really is the nozzle length, nozzle angle, etc. that will mess up your comfort levels.

    For example, there’s a lot of IEMs that people on Head-Fi/etc. talk about and then I get those IEMs and yup they sound good and all that, but then I can’t also wear them for more than 10 minutes because even if I use my whole ear tips collection, I wouldn’t be able to find a decent one no matter what. Well, I could but then the sound will change too much in order to accommodate the poor comfort/ergonomics/etc.

    See for example what I mentioned in your previous post, that Spinfit CP155 mod for Etymotics will change the sound for sure, same thing with the Comply P foam ear tips. Wait, did you try Comply P foam ear tips yet with Etymotics? Or even just the Comply T(x)100 should’ve worked fine too.

    Don’t know if you went through the repetitive thread links (lol, that’s on me), but somewhere buried in those threads I mentioned that I can’t use the Shure Olives (this is the black one with the wax guard too) foam ear tips, the yellow Shure foam ear tips (also has wax guards), the stock gray Etymotic foam ear tips, etc.

    And so Comply P foam ear tips are super expensive and basically the only option. But if you don’t have the weekly/monthly funds for that (I did the Spinfit CP155 mod since it was super expensive to buy Comply P and oddly enough it was out of stock sometimes too on Amazon), you can just get say Tennmak Ultra Strong on AliExpress for like $5 or so (this has like 12 pieces). And then use the adapters/converters from Spinfit CP100+ or Spinfit CP240, Final Audio E ear tips, AZLA SednaEarfit MAX Standard, et cetera. In order to make the Tennmak Ultra Strong snug on the Etymotic nozzle, it should work, don’t remember if it worked properly or not, been a while since I’ve used my Etymotics.

    I feel you fam, I know how frustrating it is to need noise reduction for hearing/mental/etc. health and so it sucks when the options are expensive and also don’t really work as expected.

    But ya all I can say is that try other IEMs with the same flush, low profile, etc. shape as the Sennheiser IE 200, MEE audio Pinnacle P1, etc.

    Or try bullet style IEMs. I used to use even JVC Spiral Dots ++ with the Final Audio E2000 and so on, and those worked fine. Not as good as Etymotics or non-bullet style IEMs with a traditional shell a la Shure/KZ/et cetera, but it has good comfort as long as you don’t fully shove it in.

    Btw, don’t get Spiral Dots ++ as you’ll probably produce a lot of earwax/moisture during work and it’ll clog the nozzle. Same with the E2000, people report bad channel imbalance with the Final E500-E5000 lineup, see RikudouGoku’s graphs and posts about it, and so ya, I’m just giving an example though.

    There’s always the bullet style IEMs if you want that hassle-free ergonomics. Only Etymotics and certain boutique/etc. Taobao/AliExpress IEMs go real deep, so it’s easy to use wide/shallow ear tips with the common bullet style IEMs. Personally I still use say the taller Spinfit W1, CP145, and CP155 with bullet style IEMs, it works better for my ears.

    There’s now a massive database for bullet style IEMs on Head-Fi: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-bullet-cable-down-iem-database-140-update.964041/page-3

    Oh and the hybrid ear tips are also uncomfortable for me, but they might work for you, you never know.

    Hybrid ear tips are like Symbio W, SeeAudio x Z Render, etc. ear tips. Those often have pretty hard foam, so it doesn’t compress as much. For my small ears those hybrid ear tips are not really usable as they’re too big/wide/etc.

    On Taobao/Chinese sites, there’s also this purple ear tip (foam-silicone hybrid) called EarrBOND Hybrid or something like that. They have dimensions of the EarrBOND ear tips, check MTMTaudio, Taobao, etc.

    There’s also the ear tips with gel inside them instead of foam, like Canal Works gel ear tips (these are found on Amazon Japan/etc.).

    The L size for CWU-GECL (narrow bore) is supposed to be like 13.2mm.

    The L size for CWU-GDECL (wide/bigger bore) is supposed to be like 13.5mm.

    More info on the importance of ear tips sizing, dimensions, et cetera: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/11vmvw6/largest_foam_ear_tips_like_comply_p/jcvhfie/

    So ya with different IEMs, sometimes you’ll need to use big/shallow ear tips. Other times you’ll need to use small/narrower ear tips.

    For wide and shallow ear tips (Penon has those orange ear tips with like 14/15mm width): https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/13033j8/tips_for_freakishly_wide_outer_ear_canals/jhurf9b/

    See here for a bit more info on smaller ear tips (Final Audio E, Sony EP-EX11, Radius Deep Mount, etc.): https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/xdqljz/azla_sednaearfit_max_vs_spinfit_w1_which_one/iod0gkl/

  • TagalogON@alien.topOPBtoHeadphones•Crinacle: The budget Sennheiser IEM that's finally... great.English
    1·
    10 months ago

    Some of us got this Sennheiser IE 200 back in February 2023 and since then they’ve regularly had discounts/sales with it on Amazon. A few people have said it’s been below $100 (instead of the $150 launch price) or even at $90 or so regularly, check Keepa/CamelCamelCamel/etc. for the price history and deal alerts.

    For those complaining about cables, just get the “Audiohive MMCX TO MMCX for N5005, IE 300, IE 600, IE900” adapter/converter" from CKLewis Audio Store: https://ALIEXPRESS/item/1005005445306949.html.

    And then it should work with a lot of MMCX cables. I use it with my FiiO UTWS5 (still can’t believe FiiO discontinued the UTWS5 without the UTWS15/etc. or its successor available yet) and it’s really good and secure. It doesn’t make the IE 200 cut out, unlike the other N5005 and IE 300/600/900 converters, just make sure to fully plug in the adapter/converter, you should hear a loud click of some sort.

    More info on the Sennheiser IE 200, DIY IE 900, MMCX to MMCX for N5005, IE 300, IE 600, IE900 adapter/converter, et cetera: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/14vm7ly/sennheiser_ie_600_alternatives/jrfbo45/

    For the bass, some people are trolling about the hole in the nozzle of the IE 200. As long as you don’t use the stock Sennheiser ear tips or so, it shouldn’t be a problem.

    Spinfits are like $10. FiiO HS18 is $5, often cheaper during AliExpress sales from FiiO’s Official Store (FiiO HS19 is out of stock at the moment). Those will alleviate any bass leakage issues, no need to use tape or anything.

    The (sub)bass will hit hard but the driver size and tuning may make it feel lacking for some.

    To really seal the bass or increase it, use Final Audio E ear tips (they add more bass and/or reduce the treble), it should be $15 for the 5-sizes multipack on Amazon.

    Final Audio E have a smaller opening for its stem/core and so it’s pretty tight on the IE 200’s nozzle. With wider nozzle IEMs, the Final Audio E will actually bounce off the nozzle if you don’t put it on quickly/properly, so ya that tension is perfect for IE 200.

    More info on Raptgo Adaptive ear tips, Audiosense S400, ddHiFi ST35, Final Audio E Clear/Red or 2020 Edition, and Spinfit CP155 ear tips: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/11pyujp/eartips_similar_to_the_ones_included_on_the_hbb_x/jc1b41g/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/13f6j7m/am_i_crazy/jjv10r9/

    Conversely, if you want to reduce the bass (lol), use TRI Clarion, it’s like $10 too on Amazon. I only use TRI Clarion on IEMs that have overwhelming bass (think all the way to the ear/pinna gain or ~800Hz), it will probably let the vocals through no matter what.

    Ear tips, noise reduction, comfortable IEMs and nozzles with small ears, et cetera: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/14uzhh8/ear_canal_stretched/jrbrpwy/

    These days thankfully ear tips are being graphed (due to different insertion depth, nozzle length, nozzle angle, etc. it’s not gonna be the same experience even with the graphs) on squig.link and so on. And as such you can see how the Final Audio E is a consistent outlier for the treble/etc. areas.

    MD Jacques with the KZ Castor Bass Version and Final Audio E with other ear tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWZIQ3fFr7E&t=132s

    The IE 200 will need more volume, so just a few presses up your regular range. Since some people will think there’s no soundstage, vocals, et cetera, and in reality you don’t really need a dongle/amp/et cetera.

    You only need to increase the volume a bit on the phone/PC/app as you’ll immediately notice that the IE 200 is low volume if you were listening to a different IEM beforehand. Some people like crinacle and myself listen at around 50-60dB or so (for testing IEMs some people go up to 70-80dB), and that’s why some people feel like the IE 200 is underwhelming as they forget to adjust their volume levels.

    Oh and unfortunately, even with the UTWS5 TWS adapter or aftermarket cables, the plastic shell of the IE 200 will produce a lot of noise (echo) if you are touching it with your hand or something like that.

    Some people eat/talk/etc. while using their IEMs (try not to do that especially if it has the vacuum seal, especially when eating potato chips, lmao), and so that’s why you hear people complain about the microphonics/etc. of the IE 200 shell. Even if you try different ear tips, that plastic echoing or reverberation will remain. It’s not really an issue if you are just listening to music but yes, compared to other IEMs it can be pretty noticeable if you’re moving around or something like that.

    Otherwise, for ergonomics or comfort, the IE 200 is super good. There’s some newer ones recently with a similar flush or low profile design, like say NF Audio RA10, but these are not as well-known and so quality control may be good or bad (oh and people also talk about bad QC with Sennheiser IEMs).

    There’s always the bullet style IEMs if you want that hassle-free ergonomics. Only Etymotics and certain boutique/etc. Taobao/AliExpress IEMs go real deep, so it’s easy to use wide/shallow ear tips with the common bullet style IEMs. Personally I still use say the taller Spinfit W1, CP145, and CP155 with bullet style IEMs, it works better for my ears.

    There’s now a massive database for bullet style IEMs on Head-Fi: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-bullet-cable-down-iem-database-140-update.964041/page-3

  • TagalogON@alien.topOPBtoHeadphones•Crinacle: The budget Sennheiser IEM that's finally... great.English
    1·
    10 months ago

    Some of us got this Sennheiser IE 200 back in February 2023 and since then they’ve regularly had discounts/sales with it on Amazon. A few people have said it’s been below $100 (instead of the $150 launch price) or even at $90 or so regularly, check Keepa/CamelCamelCamel/etc. for the price history and deal alerts.

    For those complaining about cables, just get the “Audiohive MMCX TO MMCX for N5005, IE 300, IE 600, IE900” adapter/converter" from CKLewis Audio Store: https://ALIEXPRESS/item/1005005445306949.html.

    And then it should work with a lot of MMCX cables. I use it with my FiiO UTWS5 (still can’t believe FiiO discontinued the UTWS5 without the UTWS15/etc. or its successor available yet) and it’s really good and secure. It doesn’t make the IE 200 cut out, unlike the other N5005 and IE 300/600/900 converters, just make sure to fully plug in the adapter/converter, you should hear a loud click of some sorts.

    More info on the Sennheiser IE 200, DIY IE 900, MMCX to MMCX for N5005, IE 300, IE 600, IE900 adapter/converter, et cetera: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/14vm7ly/sennheiser_ie_600_alternatives/jrfbo45/

    For the bass, some people are trolling about the hole in the nozzle of the IE 200. As long as you don’t use the stock ear tips or so, it shouldn’t be a problem.

    Spinfits are like $10. FiiO HS18 is $5, often cheaper during AliExpress sales from FiiO’s Official Store. Those will alleviate any bass leakage issues, no need to use tape or anything.

    The (sub)bass will hit hard but the driver size and tuning may make it feel lacking for some.

    To really seal the bass or increase it, use Final Audio E ear tips (they add more bass and/or reduce the treble), it should be $15 for the 5-sizes multipack on Amazon.

    Final Audio E have a smaller opening for its stem/core and so it’s pretty tight on the IE 200’s nozzle. In wider nozzle IEMs, the Final Audio E will actually bounce off the nozzle if you don’t put it on quickly/properly, so ya that tension is perfect for IE 200.

    More info on Raptgo Adaptive ear tips, Audiosense S400, ddHiFi ST35, Final Audio E Clear/Red or 2020 Edition, and Spinfit CP155 ear tips: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/11pyujp/eartips_similar_to_the_ones_included_on_the_hbb_x/jc1b41g/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/13f6j7m/am_i_crazy/jjv10r9/

    Conversely, if you want to reduce the bass (lol), use TRI Clarion, it’s like $10 too on Amazon. I only use TRI Clarion on IEMs that have overwhelming bass, it will probably let the vocals through no matter what.

    Ear tips, noise reduction, comfortable IEMs and nozzles with small ears, et cetera: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/14uzhh8/ear_canal_stretched/jrbrpwy/

    These days thankfully ear tips are being graphed (due to different insertion depth, nozzle length, nozzle angle, etc. it’s not gonna be the same experience even with the graphs) on squig.link and so on. And as such you can see how the Final Audio E is a consistent outlier for the treble/etc. areas.

    MD Jacques with the KZ Castor Bass Version and Final Audio E with other ear tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWZIQ3fFr7E&t=132s

    The IE 200 will need more volume, so just a few presses up your regular range. Since some people will think there’s no soundstage, vocals, et cetera, and in reality you don’t really need a dongle/amp/et cetera.

    You only need to increase the volume a bit on the phone/PC/app as you’ll immediately notice that the IE 200 is low volume if you were listening to a different IEM beforehand. Some people like crinacle and myself listen at around 50-60dB or so (for testing IEMs some people go up to 70-80dB), and that’s why people feel like the IE 200 is underwhelming as they forget to adjust their volume levels.

    Oh and unfortunately, even with the UTWS5 TWS adapter or aftermarket cables, the plastic shell of the IE 200 will produce a lot of noise (echo) if you are touching it with your hand or something like that.

    Some people eat/talk/etc. while using their IEMs (try not to do that especially if it has the vacuum seal, especially when eating potato chips, lmao), and so that’s why you hear people complain about the microphonics/etc. of the IE 200 shell. Even if you try different ear tips, that plastic echoing or reverberation will remain. It’s not really an issue if you are just listening to music but yes, compared to other IEMs it can be pretty noticeable if you’re moving around or something like that.

    Otherwise, for ergonomics or comfort, the IE 200 is super good. There’s some newer ones recently with a similar flush or low profile design, like say NF Audio RA10, but these are not as well-known and so quality control may be good or bad (oh and people also talk about bad QC with Sennheiser IEMs).

    There’s always the bullet style IEMs if you want that hassle-free ergonomics. Only Etymotics and certain boutique/etc. Taobao/AliExpress IEMs go real deep, so it’s easy to use wide/shallow ear tips with the common bullet style IEMs. Personally I still use say the taller Spinfit W1, CP145, and CP155 with bullet style IEMs, it works better for my ears.

    There’s now a massive database for bullet style IEMs on Head-Fi: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-bullet-cable-down-iem-database-140-update.964041/page-3