Best IEM in 500-600Rs

OP
ZTR

ZTR

Cyborg Agent
Also since you own both the HJE120 and EM1 how much better are the EM1 over HJE120?
 

Knight2A4

In the zone
To me HEJ120 & EM1 are both same when i comes to treble laid back But when i comes to bass HEJ120 bass is really loud travels deep & decays slow. Where as EM1 bass travels deep & decays faster so it as an edge over clarity .... but also require a decent source to drive them .... I use fiio e6 with my pmp to drive them ..... there Joe Bloggs's frequency response

[IMGG]*i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y493/hakimtai/HJE120_zps8c9aa527.jpg[/IMGG]
 
OP
ZTR

ZTR

Cyborg Agent
To me HEJ120 & EM1 are both same when i comes to treble laid back But when i comes to bass HEJ120 bass is really loud travels deep & decays slow. Where as EM1 bass travels deep & decays faster so it as an edge over clarity .... but also require a decent source to drive them .... I use fiio e6 with my pmp to drive them ..... there Joe Bloggs's frequency response

So in general the EM1 have a edge over HJE120 in terms of bass.
Thanks for the info and looks like I will be going with EM1 :)
 

sandynator

Cyborg Agent
No offense @ sandynator .... Nexus would not be able to drive the 10 mm driver of E10 ....

Reason why Slide down to Clean audio output is on the quiet side
Google Nexus 4 review: Royal road - GSMArena.com

No probs bro.
Going by this logic then ES18 & Cowon EM1 are also no no then as similar 10mm drivers & 16 ohms impedance & almost similar specs
Audio Earphone--SoundMAGIC Technology Development Co., Ltd.

Audio Earphone--SoundMAGIC Technology Development Co., Ltd.

Earphones, Cowon EM1 earphone
 

RohanM

Cyborg Agent
In my location only PL21 can be delivered.. I was thinking for PL11... hmm

UPdate : SoundMagic PL11 for Rs. 790/- On Snapdeal

Wow should I go for them ?
 
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OP
ZTR

ZTR

Cyborg Agent
In my location only PL21 can be delivered.. I was thinking for PL11... hmm

UPdate : SoundMagic PL11 for Rs. 790/- On Snapdeal

Wow should I go for them ?

I think you should.

Bro they are too good,just buy them for few hundred extra.Flipkart is expensive look around and you might find them a bit cheaper. Otherwise stick to Panasonics as none make in ears sound as good below Rs 500.
 

sandynator

Cyborg Agent
In my location only PL21 can be delivered.. I was thinking for PL11... hmm

UPdate : SoundMagic PL11 for Rs. 790/- On Snapdeal

Wow should I go for them ?

Better get Cowon EM1. It won't matter IMO [there is an mic version also & its compatible with all Androids. check the official page from my above posts]
My ES18 sounds decent on my Java Fone Sony Ericsson Cedar J108i & very good on my Microsoft Lumia 520[will put my Nationite N2 on Sale ;) :D]

Even after you want Pl11 get it from.....
SoundMagic PL11 In-Ear Powerful Bass Headphone

Apply Coupon - "SMPAH" & get it for 750

Panasonic HJE 120 & Philips SHE3590 are also good options
 

RohanM

Cyborg Agent
Better get Cowon EM1. It won't matter IMO [there is an mic version also & its compatible with all Androids. check the official page from my above posts]
My ES18 sounds decent on my Java Fone Sony Ericsson Cedar J108i & very good on my Microsoft Lumia 520[will put my Nationite N2 on Sale ;) :D]

Even after you want Pl11 get it from.....
SoundMagic PL11 In-Ear Powerful Bass Headphone

Apply Coupon - "SMPAH" & get it for 750

Panasonic HJE 120 & Philips SHE3590 are also good options

I already ordered them from Snapdeal for 790. Cash on Delivery. :D
 

Knight2A4

In the zone
No probs bro.
Going by this logic then ES18 & Cowon EM1 are also no no then as similar 10mm drivers & 16 ohms impedance & almost similar specs
Audio*Earphone--SoundMAGIC Technology Development Co., Ltd.

Audio*Earphone--SoundMAGIC Technology Development Co., Ltd.

Earphones, Cowon EM1 earphone

Let me try to explain this. Cowon EM1 & ES 18 are both very good only when they are extended to there limits but if the are used with an under powered source then they do not perform. You can read more in my review of Philips GoGear Mix

Below is from a discussion that i had with Incinerator a while ago ....

Below is an example of a review for the same product done by two reviewer’s of well known Indian tech sites. The two reviewers are also professionals & express there view of the product.

tech2.in.com Cowon EM1 Earphones Review

Cowon EM1 with Remote and Mic Review, Price, Specifications - Tech2

Techtree.com Review: COWON EM1

Review: COWON EM1 (With Remote And Mic) | TechTree.com

Both of them agree that the IEM requires an amp to bring it to its fullest potential.
 

sandynator

Cyborg Agent
@Hakimtai
Totally agreed about amp part.

Please do not get me wrong my only point was if es18 (which has similar specs of em1) is driven well by my Lumia 520(without any eq) then nexus 4's amp section won't be that bad considering 520 which is sub 10k while nexus 4 @23k.

There could some other factors in case of em1 but my guess is sm es18 as well as e10 would give decent output from nexus4 without any external amp.
Peace :)
 

Knight2A4

In the zone
Well its already root and running CM11 which comes with DSP manager that also gives me access to the Wolfson WM8994 settings ;)

Edit:Also installed Voodoo sound and WOW that really improves the quality of sound especially the bass :eek:

Nice to know that you found my suggestion usefull. If you are interested in audio mods for android then try this also ViPER 4 Android Audio Effects. read and understand what they have created then if you like it try it. But be aware of any beats audio mods on android i had to erase my rom for a new one while i tried to uninstall beats audio mods :mad: .......
 
OP
ZTR

ZTR

Cyborg Agent
Nice to know that you found my suggestion usefull. If you are interested in audio mods for android then try this also ViPER 4 Android Audio Effects. read and understand what they have created then if you like it try it. But be aware of any beats audio mods on android i had to erase my rom for a new one while i tried to uninstall beats audio mods :mad: .......

Sure and I know about those fake beats audio mods and thus stay away from them ;)
 

Knight2A4

In the zone
@Hakimtai
Totally agreed about amp part.

Please do not get me wrong my only point was if es18 (which has similar specs of em1) is driven well by my Lumia 520(without any eq) then nexus 4's amp section won't be that bad considering 520 which is sub 10k while nexus 4 @23k.

There could some other factors in case of em1 but my guess is sm es18 as well as e10 would give decent output from nexus4 without any external amp.
Peace :)

Now let me show the difference b/w nexus 4 & Lumia 520. You have already read the GSMARENA review of Nexus 4 about the audio quality Now read nokia 520 audio quality report gsmarena review nokia lumia 520. Slide down to Decent audio quality. Pay attention on the second passage where they well about the overall volume of the device & comparison to Lumia 720. This will help you understand why ES18 is driven well on your lumia. Price has nothing to do with audio output that satisfy you. Incinerator who has hands on experience on high tech audio equipment can give you a better understanding of this.
 

sandynator

Cyborg Agent
Btw I never expected the amp of of nexus 4 to be that bad that even 16ohms impedance earphones with 10 mm drivers would be difficult to drive.

So rohan you would be happy with pl11 & no need to cancel the order.



@Hakimtai thnks for sharing the facts.
I do respect incinerators view infact all knowledgeble members views. Would love to get more info from him about audio.
 
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Knight2A4

In the zone
Btw I never expected the amp of of nexus 4 to be that bad that even 16ohms impedance earphones with 10 mm drivers would be difficult to drive.

So rohan you would be happy with pl11 & no need to cancel the order.



@Hakimtai thnks for sharing the facts.
I do respect incinerators view infact all knowledgeable members views. Would love to get more info from him about audio. 

I can not still make out what Nexus 4 amp can handle well usually lower Independence means its difficult for the amp to drive the headphones & i noticed that sound magic pl 11 has 10+/-2 impedance that is 12 ohms instead of 16 ohms impedance normally with a 9 mm driver. I means that lower impedance with larger drivers Either the volume will get accelerated too fast without focusing on audio signature of the IEM. Its like what happens when a dam brakes the water rush out without any guidance or nexus 4 will get choked n will not be able to drive them properly. :-?.

[IMGG]*i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y493/hakimtai/pl11_zps77850857.jpg[/IMGG]

Panasonic has same driver size but normal 16 ohms impedance.

[IMGG]*i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y493/hakimtai/120_zpscf642398.jpg[/IMGG]

Sound magic uses larger driver to produce big sound Impact. Which make's it easier to manipulate that's why it a hit on head-fi but you should also notice the source. Most of them uses either high end phones or mp3 players from top players like cowon, apple or sony or these day audiophile grade DAP such as fiio x3 or AK 120, AK120 has dual DAC one for right channel one for left channel :shock: ..... all of them have good amps chips. Some of audiophile DAP has class A amp. these things can drive even headphones with huge impedance had are traditionally designed to be used with desktop amp.

There is a reason why people appreciate philips & panasonic There engineers where able to deliver the same sound impact with smaller drivers that can be easily driven with better build at cheaper price.

I Do not know if things are getting over done or this is just a marketing gimmick ..... :shock:

[IMGG]*i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y493/hakimtai/ak120_zpse482d266.jpg[/IMGG]
 
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sandynator

Cyborg Agent
Hey Buddy

Keeping aside all technical terms/ jargons I'm still confident Nexus 4 can drive Cowon EM1 giving out decent sound output levels. I've came across many guys who are happy with EM1 & their main source is S2, S3, notes & nexus 4 as well.

Check out the reviews from all online stores you will know.

:)

Even my puny SE Cedar J108i gives very decent SQ using original Acoustics files & it shines well with third party acoustic files
 

Knight2A4

In the zone
Am sorry if things got a little to far or jargons ..... reading product reviews on E-commerce sites is not the most wise way to decide the performance of a product. Since a long time i have been using mobile phones as source for listen music. Following is what i have saturated from online research.

When coupling a low impedance I.E.M with relatively high Sensitivity to a week source. In this case SM PL11 with impedance of 12 ohms with a Sensitivity of 103dB to nexus 4 in comparison to RP-HJE-120 with impedance of 16 ohms with a Sensitivity of 96dB would result in hissing usually occurs on most players and will pull more current from a device. It will also generally be less easy to control. That’s is why I said It would be like when a dam brakes the water rush’s out without any control. Volume will get accelerated too fast without focusing on audio signature of the IEM. High impedance will require more voltage so you need to turn the volume up higher but it will not be pulling more energy from the player. Best would be high impedance and high effeciency.

High Impedance is usually achieved by thinner wire and most importantly more turns of wire in the voice coil. More turns or loops creates a larger field (area of magnetic influence). In layman's terms more magnetic force for the coil to move the diaphragm. Thinner wire usually works out to a lighter, more responsive diaphragm.The displacement (amount of movement) of the diaphragm (the part that vibrates to produce sound) can be better controlled via a more accurate flux (magnetic field to pull and push the diaphragm) Depending on the design, this leads to more accurate response

An example would be Signature Acoustics C-12 with 18 Ohms ( 2 Ohms more than normal ) & with a Sensitivity of 102 dB when coupled with a proper source like sansa clip+ would result in better control & more responsive diaphragm. Even better results can be achieved by using high bit rate & better recorded material.

Finally when i completed this i was able to understand why there was hissing noise with i couple nokia x2 with tech-fusion White Chrome .... Anyway they both are history now .... :oops:
 
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rish1

Cyborg Agent
i already have es18 working great , has there been any new IEM launch under 1000 rs which is significantly better than es 18 ?
 
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