the 3rd set of budget iems i have taken on loan this weekend.
these are the most expensive of the 3 at $169. they are also slightly different in that they are planar drivers, as opposed to the dynamic / balanced armatures of the others.
first impression is that they are surprisingly difficult to drive. i had to set the touch on high gain, where all the others were more than comfortable on low gain. i suspect that this could be a problem if you wanted to use these with a phone.
the sound signature on these is different as well. even more balanced. livelier. not harsh, these are real. very different from the bass oriented, smooth sound of the other 2. acoustic instruments sound superb - tons of timbre & detail. listening to really well recorded & executed acoustic tracks like rani arbo & daisy mayhems's "joy comes back", or any of the tracks on on "skip , hop & wobble" by jerry douglas, russ barenburg & edgar meyer is a real joy.
with the other 2 i hopped around listening to the sound characteristics. with these i am just having a great time listening to some of my favourite tracks all the way through. i was disappointed when the dap's batterty went flat, and i think that says a lot.
the only other planar iems i have heard was the audeze isine 10, which i liked. but i don't remember them sounding as good as this - though the source may have a lot to do with that.
so the most expensive of the three sound the best. no real surprises there, i guess. all 3 are great options, and i wouldn't have any hesitation to recommend all 3.if you do a lot of rock / electronic music i suspect the thieaudio l3 may be a better selection.
the tinhifi would be my preference though.
these are the most expensive of the 3 at $169. they are also slightly different in that they are planar drivers, as opposed to the dynamic / balanced armatures of the others.
first impression is that they are surprisingly difficult to drive. i had to set the touch on high gain, where all the others were more than comfortable on low gain. i suspect that this could be a problem if you wanted to use these with a phone.
the sound signature on these is different as well. even more balanced. livelier. not harsh, these are real. very different from the bass oriented, smooth sound of the other 2. acoustic instruments sound superb - tons of timbre & detail. listening to really well recorded & executed acoustic tracks like rani arbo & daisy mayhems's "joy comes back", or any of the tracks on on "skip , hop & wobble" by jerry douglas, russ barenburg & edgar meyer is a real joy.
with the other 2 i hopped around listening to the sound characteristics. with these i am just having a great time listening to some of my favourite tracks all the way through. i was disappointed when the dap's batterty went flat, and i think that says a lot.
the only other planar iems i have heard was the audeze isine 10, which i liked. but i don't remember them sounding as good as this - though the source may have a lot to do with that.
so the most expensive of the three sound the best. no real surprises there, i guess. all 3 are great options, and i wouldn't have any hesitation to recommend all 3.if you do a lot of rock / electronic music i suspect the thieaudio l3 may be a better selection.
the tinhifi would be my preference though.
