Report back on the new MonoPrice "Form Fitting" IEMs. Link below.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10823&cs_id=1082303&p_id=9397&seq=1&format=2
Results:
They're muddy. It seems like anything from about 200Hz to about 2000Hz are the only sounds that exist. Highs feel like someone tossed a blanket over them, lows sound like someone put the woofer face down in a puddle.
Songs (all lossless WAV files extracted from CDs, done by me):
Chet Baker - Candy
Chet Baker usually sounds like he has a cold, it's just his singing voice. In these new IEMs I felt like placing some NyQuil on his grave because it was magnified by the spectrum they produce. The stage for the piano was decent, however, only on this song.
NaS - Nasty
This song has been out for a year now, and I've never gotten tired of listening to it. Some people don't feel NaS' music is mastered very well, I feel like that puts the burden on proof on the speakers then to produce some good sound and make up for the poor recording. I've listened to this song enough times on different set-ups (from cars, to my home theater, to cans, to IEMs) to know what sounds good, and what doesn't as far as speakers go. The low-end bass on this song is pretty much non-existent (there's a heavy drum, a kick I think that serves as a bit of a metronome but I don't think it goes below 60Hz), something my Mark Levinson system in my car reminds me of, and something my home theater tries to make up. These IEMs didn't even know there was supposed to be a low-end. It just sounds like all-mid. It's muddy, and doesn't sound good. NaS' voice is pretty clear in the intro of the song, prior to his verse. It wasn't very crisp or clear, but rather just mixed in with the rest of the noise.
The Goat Rodeo Sessions - Attaboy
A beautiful song turned into nothing but mud. Aside from the violin solo, the entire song sounded terrible. If you had never heard the song before I would be shocked if you could tell me what instruments were in the quartet. Not much else to say other than I didn't even make it past 1:10 into the 6 minute song.
Other notes
MonoPrice also switched back to a regular cable (w/o the fiber strand) with a rubber casing on these. They feel much cheaper now, and I'm afraid I'll end up ripping the cable out of the buds at some point... Oh well, I won't really be missing them.
Bottom Line
Not conducive to MonoPrice's IEM line. They produce $7 IEMs that sound like $40 IEMs. These are $12 IEMs that sound like something I'd find at 7-11 for $9. I don't recommend them. Get the cheaper "Enhanced Bass" or "Hi-Fi" models if you want to be impressed; and enjoy your audio.
I have a pair of Sony XB500 headphones, and out of nowhere 30 minutes ago, sound in the right side died. I tried fiddling with the wire at various connector spots but I can't coax it into working again.
Am I out of luck?
Not necessarily, you could always take them apart and reset the connections...
...have you tried another pair from the source to make sure it's not that?
