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Review of JBL FLIP and MICRO wireless speakers w/lots of pics!!!

This is a review of JBL FLIP and JBL MICRO Wireless Bluetooth speakers. http://www.jbl.com/estore/jbl/us/pr..._JBL_US?skuId=JBLFLIPBLKAM_JBL_US&searchMode= and http://www.jbl.com/estore/jbl/us/pr..._US?skuId=JBLMICROWIRELESS_JBL_US&searchMode=
"Hear the truth" - is the slogan of JBL products. I don't know if everybody will truly understand this message unless you had a chance to test and to compare dozens of other speakers and headphones. Fortunately I had such opportunity, as you have seen from my previous reviews, and I can tell you with certainty - JBL delivers this message loud and clear, crystal clear! Of course you wouldn't expect anything less from a company that specializes in some of the top audio products under umbrella of Harman. But I was still very surprised how they were able to deliver such high quality from such compact package. Let's take a closer look at what I found.
I'm going to start my review with FLIP. This summer after my review of UE Boom, I got a number of comments and requests to compare these two portable wireless speakers together. Finally I got my chance, but more about comparison a little bit later. I always like to start with a package of the product since it sets a review tone. Once you pick up the box, there is no mistake you are dealing with a premium product, and as a matter of fact the packaging proudly carries an acknowledgment of 2013 International CES Innovations Award. Both FLIP and MICRO have it. Taken out of the box, FLIP looks a little bigger than a can of soda, about 6 1/4" in length and 2 1/2" in diameter. Weighting at 12.5 oz (354g) is not exactly feather light, which is actually a good sign of decent drivers used inside. But overall its very compact, easy to handle with one hand, and also comes with a very neat neoprene zip top traveling pouch. In addition, you also get AC adapter. OK, let me get this out of the way - yes, unfortunately FLIP has to be charged from AC adapter rather than typical micro-usb cable. This is probably the only negative comment you are going to hear from me about this speaker. Once charged up, you get up to 5 hours of playback time, as long as you don't blast it at full max volume.
FLIP is designed to stand upright or to be placed horizontally. For upright position, the end of the speaker without control buttons has a rubber non-slip ring. Due to the design with angled ends, upright position is feasible but will require a flat surface and in general easier to knock the speaker down. Horizontal position makes more sense, and to prevent it from rolling JBL designed two little rubber feet and a small rubber kickstand-stopper. I also found horizontal position better for sound with speakers firing up at an angle. The other side of the speaker has a power button which also used for Bluetooth pairing, Volume up/down control, and Call button. In addition to pairing up as an external speaker, FLIP also works as a speakerphone and I found it to handle calls very good with a crystal clear audio. In the back you have AC adapter plug and AUX Input for the occasions if you want to connect FLIP with 3.5mm audio cable to your source.
Now, here comes the fun part - audio quality. FLIP packs two 40mm drivers with a built in bass port, and let me tell you - it delivers one of the cleanest sound I heard from a portable wireless speaker! Doesn't matter if you have your volume all the way down or cranked up to the max, you will hear undistorted detailed performance with an amazing clarity. Its a relatively balanced sound with emphasis on midrange and treble, while bass adds a nice quality punch. Of course, you have to be realistic that such a small speaker can't deliver significant "quantity" of bass, but the quality is definitely there, balanced very nicely with mids and treble. The sound gets very loud and fills up the room, and can work great outdoors as well. I was honestly amazed by the clarity of the sound. Most of the speakers I reviewed in the past just focus on wireless aspect of delivering the sound and maybe tuning their speakers for extra bass which distorts at higher volumes and overpowers mids and highs. Here you can see that JBL engineers really paid attention to the sound quality, and still were able to deliver it up to 50ft away from your source. Nowhere does it say which BT ver they used, but it really doesn't matter because sound is delivered uncompressed and uncompromised.
Now, back to my original mentioning of FLIP vs BOOM. You have two great companies that have deep roots in audio engineering and technology, so both deliver an outstanding sounding product. But in terms of the final sound quality, I have to give FLIP an edge over BOOM because I felt the sound was more consistent over the whole volume range and was more clear and detailed. The bass sounded very similar in both speakers. Where BOOM has an advantage is longer battery life and micro-usb charging port. BUT, it also cost $100 more. So you really have to think about if if that worth extra $100 for you. Or perhaps, you might want to look into JBL CHARGE which is $150, has enhanced bass response, micro-usb charging, long battery life, and ability to be used as external battery to charge other devices, although it's a little bigger than FLIP.
Here are the pictures of FLIP.
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Next, I'm going to look at MICRO. This little guy is simply outstanding! With a hockey pock dimensions of 3.5" in diameter and 1.5" in thickness and weighting only 4.8 oz (134g) - it doesn't get any more portable than that. It's small enough to go into your pocket or being clipped to your backpack. With a same 40mm driver and a bass port - the sound is as clear and detailed as I found it with FLIP, except in this case you have a single driver instead of two which also results in MICRO being not as loud at the max. Also, this is audio only speaker, not speakerphone connection. It has a very impressive Bluetooth range, tested up to 50ft in open space. But to distinguish it further from FLIP, it comes with a few tricks of its own.
First of all, you get your wish with micro-usb charging port that will provide you up to 5 hours of wireless performance (based on moderate volume level). Next, you get analog wheel volume control. Some people might think, what is a big deal? Most of the wireless speakers have digital volume control and as soon as you turn them on volume goes to default high level with a few loud beeps to indicate pairing. In this case, volume will be as high as you set it to be, so there is no loud pair up beeps. Those who have little kids in the house and want to enjoy listening to your wireless speakers after kids go to bed - you will know what I'm talking about and will really appreciate that feature. But we are not done yet. If you want to use your MICRO wired, it has a built in cable with 3.5mm plug neatly wrapped and stored inside of the module. That is fantastic if you are listening to a device which doesn't have bluetooth or if you don't want to go through a hassle of pairing it up. Last but not least, there is a mystery 3.5mm port on the MICRO. Since you already have built-in cable, this is definitely not AUX in port. I actually had to read instructions to figure out what it's for - to daisy chain more MICRO or other speakers to MICRO. Now, this is simply brilliant because it turns MICRO into wireless transmitter!!! This way you can turn ANY speaker into wireless speaker just by plugging it into MICRO daisy chain port.
Overall, I was VERY impressed with sound quality and design of both FLIP and MICRO. In my opinion, MICRO is perfect in every aspect, while FLIP has only one negative of AC adapter. Also, one might argue about 5hr battery life where some of the other speakers might deliver more. But the Sound Quality and wireless performance of both makes up for any shortcomings. Just think about it, would you rather take 10-12hr of mediocre distorted sound or 5hr of eye candy design with crystal clear sound with a nice bass punch? Also, both of the products are priced very reasonably. Definitely gets my high recommendation!
Here are the pictures of MICRO.

this post is good
I also have a jbl speaker and found this post was so good. love jbl

Review of Sennheiser MM 30G in-ear headphones with Android controls w/lots of pics!!!

removed.

That's a bit narrow-minded of Sennheiser. Any Android phone that supports inline controls/mic will be able to utilize the buttons in this earphone.
I'm surprised there aren't more Android-compatible earphones/headphones around these days.

vantt1 said:
That's a bit narrow-minded of Sennheiser. Any Android phone that supports inline controls/mic will be able to utilize the buttons in this earphone.
I'm surprised there aren't more Android-compatible earphones/headphones around these days.
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I think its more of a marketing move. They recognized Galaxy being the most popular Android "brand" and Samsung sells more phones than probably every other android smartphone manufacturer combined. Multi-function button w/mic will work on any phone, including iPhone, but volume controls are specific to Galaxy and most likely HTC, LG, and Sony. Maybe even BB. I tested these with my officemates Moto X and volume didn't work.

Wonderful review thank you so much very detailed just wondering have you try'd the J 5's for Android. How do these compare to the xiaomi?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

philseven said:
Wonderful review thank you so much very detailed just wondering have you try'd the J 5's for Android. How do these compare to the xiaomi?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
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Do you mean J5M (JLab Audio) with in-line remote/mic? That one only has multi-function button and mic, so should work with any android or apple phone. Regarding sound quality, I never tested jlabs buds, but wouldn't expect too high of a performance based on some of the reviews I came across. Also, some negative reports about build quality? I might contact them for review samples. Regarding Pistons vs MM 30G, in terms of controls the are the same. Senns will have an advantage with vertically positioned mic and some might prefer volume and control buttons on the same side vs Pistons keeping it on the opposite side. Also, Senns will have an advantage with warranty. In terms of sound quality, Pistons win hands down. I tested Pistons against original CX300, and you get more details across entire frequency range, cleaner sub-bass, and wider soundstage. When it comes to sound quality, $25 Xiaomi Pistons are on par with some $100 single dynamic driver headpones (just need a good seal where I actually had to use eartips from another headset to make it work for me).

Thanks for your reply and help going with the xiaomi also have you try'd T-400 Isolation earphone tips they work superb.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

philseven said:
Thanks for your reply and help going with the xiaomi also have you try'd T-400 Isolation earphone tips they work superb.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
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No, haven't tried Comply's, but I would have imagine a bigger diameter T500 would be a better fit? But glad those work. I do appreciate added value of Comply foam tips, but I get a bit frustrated with them since I often get interrupted when listening to music and then you have to wait for a foam to settle in. With silicone tips it's in and out

Compatibility with Nexus 4 ?
Hello,
Thank you for this very precise review of MM 30G.
I would like to know if the volume buttons on the remote are compatible with the Nexus 4 (LG).
Can anybody test it or does anybody know the answer?
Thanks

Thanks for the review!

monson987 said:
Thanks for the review!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would check out my latest review of Sennheiser Momentum in-ear with Android controls (just follow my review links in the signature). That one is 1000% better in sound quality and design

I'm planning to buy on of this. Any notes about the noise cancellation?
Sent from my SM-G900F

It's a passive noise cancellation, nothing too spectacular. Personally, I would go for Senns Momentun in-ear model they just released. I reviewed it here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/accessories/review-sennheiser-momentum-ear-t2887971

The volume controls don't work on Moto X (2013) :crying:

vectron said:
This is a Review of Sennheiser MM 30G in-ear headphones with Android controls. http://en-us.sennheiser.com/mm-30g
I have been talking about Sennheiser MM 30G headphones since their introduction at CES a few months ago. Now, I finally received my review sample and able to test it out. The "G" in 30G stands for "Galaxy" thus being designed for Samsung Galaxy S3/S4/S5/N2/N3, but I have a feeling these will be able to support other Android phones as well. All the headphones with in-line remote I tested in the past had multi-function button able to operate without problems on my Note 2 or other android phones/tablets. The issue was usually with a volume control where iPhone specific remotes are not compatible with Android phones. Sennheiser decided to solve this problem with introduction of MM 30G. Let's take a closer look at what I found.
MM 30G arrived in a nice little package with a clear display showing headphones and a compact in-line remote. It also listed a lot of information about features, accessories, and detailed controls. Again, the word "Galaxy" is blasted everywhere, but these are just typical Android controls, so don't get discouraged. I have a feeling these might work with Sony, LG, and HTC, but need to verify that (with Moto X volume control didn't work). The only included accessories were 3 sets of silicone eartips. After taking headphones out of the box, you can't help but notice how super lightweight these are. And if you take a closer look, you will see that MM 30G looks almost identical to a classic version of another very popular Sennheiser in-ear model, CX300. The design of headphones is very compact and fits comfortably inside of your ear to the point where you can fall asleep wearing these without even noticing it. I actually wouldn't blame anybody falling asleep wearing MM 30G considering high level of passive noise isolation with a right eartip size selection. The headphone cable appear to be tangle free and has a nice rubberized texture. 3.5mm connector is gold plated and angled with a good strain relief. The same with headphones itself, they have a decent strain relief, and I also think y-splitter connector looks really cool with it's own small strain relief.
But the star of these headphones is the in-line remote with a mic. It's very compact, with dimensions of about 1" in length and 1/3" in width. Typically I would find such a small in-line remote to be a problem since it would be hard to push the buttons, but not in this case. Here, Sennheiser cleverly designed volume +/- to be slightly edge angled so you can distinguish between all 3 buttons just by feeling it. Still, for those with a sausage fingers it might not be as easy. I was very pleased to see a volume adjustment response by pushing volume buttons up/down - it worked perfectly on my Note 2. Also, I tested the middle multifunction button to work flawlessly with my Note 2, Play/Pause/Call with a single push, double-click to skip a track, and long press to start Google NOW. Call quality was exceptionally good due to a very clever microphone placement. Typically all in-line remotes have mic placed on the back where it could be rubbing against your cloth or pointing the opposite way, etc. In this case, Senns placed the mic pointing straight up to your face at the top edge of the remote, and the mic itself has a generous opening covered with a metal mesh. Also, the remote itself was placed in a perfect position along the wire, not too low for a mic to pick up noise and not too high for a user to be able reach in-line controls easily.
Of course, how can you talk about Sennheiser headphones without mentioning about sound quality. Though these are not designed to be audiophile headphones, they actually offer a very nice warm v-shaped sound. Mids are recessed in a typical v-shape fashion, but bass is enhanced down to sub-low level. As a matter of fact, Sennheiser noted that in their spec where instead of typical 20-20kHz frequency response they specified it as 17-20kHz to show lower end extension. Though recessed, mids and upper mids were still clear and detailed enough to enjoy vocals. Highs had a nice sparkle to it, clear without being too bright, no sibilance, easy on your ears for extended listening period. Soundstage is below the average which is typical for these type of headphones. Also, there was no microphonics effect from cables rubbing against your cloth. Since I did mention about resembles with CX300, I actually compared a sound to a pair of those and found MM 30G to sound more detailed and brighter.
Overall, I was very pleased to see a recognized brand name company to release an official alternative to bundled Samsung headphones. MM 30G tested to deliver seamless integration of their in-line remote control with my Note 2. The build quality was good, and you get a peace of mind with 2 year warranty. Though sound quality is not audiophile caliber, it's actually pretty good for $59 price tag.
Here are the pictures.
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Great review. I am using SoundMagic E10S which has clever switch to work with both Android and iOS devices. Sadly it doesn't have great remote like MM 30G.

drchohan said:
Great review. I am using SoundMagic E10S which has clever switch to work with both Android and iOS devices. Sadly it doesn't have great remote like MM 30G.
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great review !

Review of MOE SS01 twin-driver in-ear headphones w/lots of pics!!!

This is a review of MOE SS01 twin-driver in-ear headphones. http://penonaudio.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=167 (manufacturer website: http://www.52erji.com/xiaomengerji)
A lot of people probably never heard of MOE before, but as it turns out you might be familiar with their sound already. It's because they were original manufacturer of dynamic drivers for a number of headphones from JVC, Sony, Audio-Technica, and others - http://www.52erji.com/category/product2. Finally, they spread their wings and took off with a new product, MOE SS01, which I just received from www.penonaudio.com and would like to share with you about. As I continue my journey to discover more high quality budget in-ear headphones from lesser known Asian brands, sometime I get overwhelmed with all the available choices, especially when you start reading about it on Head-Fi. That's why I do appreciate guidance with recommendations from penonaudio, and it also gives me a piece of mind that I'm getting genuine product since there are so many fake ones out there. So, let's take a closer look at what I found.
When you look at the box MOE SS01 arrived in, you notice right away these are not your traditional looking in-ear headphones. A clever display on the front of the box demonstrates an arrangement of dual-cylinder design surrounded by "S" letter. Along with a detailed specification in English and a list of accessories, that was a very nice compact presentation of the product. But the big surprise is when you take it out of the box and take a closer look at the actual design. Am I looking at headphones or a piece from my kids LEGO set? Will these even fit in my ears? That was the initial thought that went through my mind, and without hesitation the first thing I did was to put it in my ears for a quick test. These fit like a glove!!! The clever ergonomics with angled nozzle of the perfect length and rounded corners made it very comfortable to insert these dual-cylinder shells in my ears. These have 2 separate chambers, one for low frequency driver and the other one for mids/treble driver. A design detail of red plastic "S" snaked around/between these cylinders adds to a very unique visual effect. Not too often I rave about the cool looks of the headphones since I always put a value of sound quality as the most important factor. In this case - the design and the sound both share a spotlight. Coming out from the lower cylinder, these feature a narrow flat flexible cable with a decent build quality. I typically comment about lack of strain relief, but for some reason in this design it just works and feels secure enough. A separate flat cable from each earpiece goes down through a chin slider to y-splitter cylinder marked with "SS" and continues flat all the way down to a straight gold plated 3.5mm connector. The wire selection of the cable is OFC with a typical 1.2m length.
Among included accessories you get 3 pairs (S/M/L) of soft silicone wide bore (opening) eartips, a shirt clip, and a velor draw string storage pouch. For my personal taste I didn't find these eartips useful since I needed a better seal, so I ended up with original AT small bore tips. Keep in mind, the sound quality of these headphones is VERY eartip dependent where without a good seal you are not going to get much bass. I also have to mention that nozzle had a cloth filter, very similar looking to RE400 stick-on filters (need to confirm if it's the same in size, just looks relatively close). Each earpiece has a stamped L/R letter on the plastic red S piece which is not easy to see. But the unique shape with an angled nozzle and a slight front facing tab makes it very easy to distinguish which one is Left and Right without even looking at these. Also, I found that symmetrical placement of the nozzle between two cylinders actually allows use of these headphones with wire up behind your ears where chin-slider comes very handy to secure the fitment. As a matter of fact, I found wire down and wire up fitment to yield the same level of sound quality and almost an identical seal.
Now let's get down to a sound test. Straight out of the box at first the sound was a little too bright for my taste and bass was missing until I played around with different eartips settling on AT narrow opening one. I figured to give it a few hours of burn in with a pink noise loop to have a better assessment of the sound signature. It didn't take too long to realize these are bright mid-centric headphones with a rather surprising layered bass. I have tested analytical and mid-centric headphones before, and usually they either have hardly any bass or low bass quantity with a main focus on quality. Here, due to a physical separation of low frequency driver and mid/treble driver, MOE was able to create a very unique sound signature where you can literally hear two layers of the sound coexisting together in a perfect harmony. Bass comes with a punch of a fast attack, courtesy of a mid-bass hump, and a warm sub-bass layer right behind it, all very well controlled without bleeding into mids. On the other hand, mids are bright, detailed, and upfront, and treble is crisp and extended. This sound signature does give vocals a bit of a cold feeling, and at first sounded a little bit harsh. But after a few more hours of playing, I noticed an improvement where the peaking started to settle down. The sound is still bright, but a lot more smoother, full, and ear-friendly. I was especially pleased with how natural all the tones sound, either if it's vocals or acoustic instruments. The soundstage is definitely wider than average, great stereo separation. Thanks to a flat cable and it's attachment to the shell, I didn't experience any microphonics. Furthermore, because of high sensitivity and low impedance, these headphones are VERY efficient where you actually need to keep the volume a few click down from your usual setting. It paired up well with my Note 2 as well as FiiO X5.
Overall, I REALLY enjoyed these twin driver headphones and currently can't get enough of it. With some headphones I have to think hard if they offer anything unique or just an overlap with a similar slightly enhanced sound characteristic. With MOE-SS01 this was an easy decision because they offer a very unique mid-centric bright sound with a bass which is great in quality and quantity without being overpowering (not a basshead level). With this kind of bass and treble details you typically have to pay a price of recessed mids, but in the case of SS01 - you also get mids in your face!!! These are definitely worth checking out because they sound great, they look unique, and have a great value being currently on sale from penonaudio for $59.
Here are the pictures.
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Someone just asked me if these could be purchased from eBay and which seller to trust. It's always a tough question because there are so many fake headphones on ebay. But for those who are interested, penonaudio actually has ebay store (under "bigbargainonline") and I just saw these MOE SS01 in there as well: http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOE-SS01-Tw...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item43c1afb6d6

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vectron said:
Someone just asked me if these could be purchased from eBay and which seller to trust. It's always a tough question because there are so many fake headphones on ebay. But for those who are interested, penonaudio actually has ebay store (under "bigbargainonline") and I just saw these MOE SS01 in there as well: http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOE-SS01-Tw...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item43c1afb6d6
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You can also get it from this seller from aliexpress at the same price.
http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/6396704439.html?orderId=64996927930152
Bought mine here. Also got the VSonic GRO7 from her. Quite reliable.

Review of TTPOD T1E dual dynamic in-ear headphones w/lots of pics!!!

This is a review of TTPOD T1E dual dynamic driver in-ear headphones. http://penonaudio.com/TTPOD-T1E-Bass
Here you go, another in-ear headphone gem for under $50! Though I was a bit skeptical approaching it, T1E turned out to be another giant killer where this dual dynamic headphone set delivered a sound quality on par with others that cost at least twice or more. When you factor in a unique design, amount of accessories, and quality of packaging, it makes you scratch your head with a question: "weren't they suppose to cut some corners in order to keep the price down?" Well, apparently TTPOD guys figured out how to make their product look like a million bucks while still being priced under $50. Here is what I found.
Starting with a package, it arrived in high quality all black box with golden print on top of it. On the back, it has a detailed specification listing, also in gold print, though a light background made it a bit hard to read. With a box cover removed, you have a semi transparent frosted insert with headphones stored underneath. Included with headphones you will find 3 sets of S/M/L eartips, one with a narrow bore, one with a wider bore, and one custom hybrid with a wide bore. While a lot of headphone manufacturers use commonly available eartip sets, I was quite impressed to find a set of hybrid eartips like I never seen before. You also get a shirt clip and a nice draw-string pouch.
The headphones itself have a shape of a molded dual chamber shell, and the transparent color I choose for my set (it actually comes in a number of different colors) revealed both of the drivers as well as wiring and all the internal connections. Though it might look a bit uncomfortable to put T1E in your ear, it actually has a very nice fitment. Starting with a straight gold plated slim 3.5mm connector with a short but reliable strain relief, it follows with a quality OFC cable which according to TTPOD is actually silver-plated. Moving up to y-splitter which matches the cylindrical shape and finish of the connector, you have a built-in chin slider (cable cinch) which slides right into the y-splitter capsule. A very neat design idea where together it looks like one solid piece. Moving up to earpiece shells, there is also a short and sturdy strain relief labeled with L/R and a raised dot on the R side to ID it by touch. Headphones itself are very lightweight and have rounded edges which makes a fitment very comfortable. Having a selection of correct eartips will greatly assist in keeping these in, and you can also wear them wire down or wire up where a soft cable shielding goes smoothly over your ear and chin slider keeps the cable tucked in.
Now comes the fun part - how do these sound? To start off, due to its excellent bass performance these have L-shaped (balanced with an enhanced low end) sound signature, very smooth, warm, and melodic. Starting with a bass, which is a star in here, you get a deep sub-bass with a sizzling texture and a fast aggressive mid-bass punch. Bass does spills a bit into lower mids, but has a very nice separation from upper mids. I was actually surprised expecting the bass to overpower the rest of the spectrum, but found this dual dynamic design keeping its upper mids clear and well separated. These are smooth and warm; they do lack some details since they are not as bright, but I don't consider it as a shortfall. Treble is clear, though not as extended which could be just a perception due to upper mids/treble being warm. This signature makes sound non-fatigue and great for extended listening period. Don't make my reference about smooth and warm discourage you since the upper mids have a great delivery of vocals with a lot of clarity. With a right set of eartips to create a perfect seal, I found T1E to provide a very good sound isolation. Also, soundstage was definitely above the average in width/depth. Furthermore, I didn't sense any microphonics effect from a cable wearing these wired down or up. Overall, the sound was quite forgiving even with lower quality music, thanks to its warm signature.
Since I have reviewed in the past a number of other giant killer headphones, I thought to write a quick comparison with a few other headphones in this "budget" category. With T1E vs KC06A, KC06 sub-bass is not as deep, but mid-bass has a similar impact; mids are brighter where upper mids a bit more recessed and more detailed, but feels a bit harsher in comparison; treble has a bit more extension due to brightness; soundstage is not as deep. With T1E vs VSD3S, VSD3S sub-bass is similar but mid-bass is not as aggressive; upper mids are more detailed, brighter and harsher; treble has more extension; soundstage is similar. With T1E vs B3 Pro I, B3 sub-bass has a similar quality but scaled down quantity, and similar fast punch, but less quantity with lows having less overall "weight"; B3 has a much better separation and layering; upper mids are more detailed and clear, no harshness at all; treble more extended and crispier; soundstage is the best of them all; and it requires a little more power to drive, about 15 more volume clicks in comparison to other headphones.
Overall, T1E is one sexy pair of in-ear headphones that doesn't just look good, but also sounds good. Without a doubt, bass is a star of their sound, and some might even find their performance borderline basshead, especially if you switch to narrow bore eartips which exaggerate low frequency by filtering down highs. But one important thing to note, with bass-enhanced headphones you often lose a quality of upper mids which results in veiled and recessed vocals. Here, upper mids/treble might not be as bright, but its very clear and perfectly balanced with low frequencies. Definitely a great pair of headphones to consider!
Here are the pictures.
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Nice looking. I hear that dual dynamic driver IEMs sounds much better with amplifier, can you confirm that? Is there seen any crossover or it just design in that way? Can't see from picture.
I saw that tips before, I believe name of that tips was "whirlwind" (or turboeartips), here the link http://www.aliexpress.com/item/excl...eartips-sleeve-ear-pad-earbud/1689797619.html
I like how you take a picture, I think it will be nicer if you further in the future make some how visual comparison, maybe in graph with frequency response, even if it won't be exact and accurate FR. FR drawn by memory and imagination I think it will be great or fun

Shezoid said:
Nice looking. I hear that dual dynamic driver IEMs sounds much better with amplifier, can you confirm that? Is there seen any crossover or it just design in that way? Can't see from picture.
I saw that tips before, I believe name of that tips was "whirlwind" (or turboeartips), here the link http://www.aliexpress.com/item/excl...eartips-sleeve-ear-pad-earbud/1689797619.html
I like how you take a picture, I think it will be nicer if you further in the future make some how visual comparison, maybe in graph with frequency response, even if it won't be exact and accurate FR. FR drawn by memory and imagination I think it will be great or fun
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Sorry, don't have setup to capture FR curve. Tyle at InnerFidelity does it with all his reviews Also, guys at Goldenears do that with their reviews. Actually, these T1E or another IM50 dual dynamics doesn't need any amping. They sound great as is. BUT, Havi B3 Pro I - another dual dynamic gem, needs amping. B3 is among my favorite IEMs. Will have to write a review soon as well

Hey vectron, how's this comparing to xiaomi pistons 2? HI's, MID's, LOW's, Clarity?How's the bass against pistons? Is this IEM mainly aimed for hiphop or classical? Thanks!

leprophotography said:
Hey vectron, how's this comparing to xiaomi pistons 2? HI's, MID's, LOW's, Clarity?How's the bass against pistons? Is this IEM mainly aimed for hiphop or classical? Thanks!
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Though Pistons have a "bigger" bass, T1E beats it in clarify/details, and more accurate across mids and treble. Pistons is v-shaped with recessed mids, this one is better. Pistons advantage is in-line remote for android controls. Btw, you can also find T1E on dx.com for around $36 bucks shipped now

vectron said:
Though Pistons have a "bigger" bass, T1E beats it in clarify/details, and more accurate across mids and treble. Pistons is v-shaped with recessed mids, this one is better. Pistons advantage is in-line remote for android controls. Btw, you can also find T1E on dx.com for around $36 bucks shipped now
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Sweet, Thanks for the quick comparison. Just ordered 1 from dx for $35.39.

Sound leakage
Hi,
How are the T1E with sound leakage? I usually listen at above average volumes at work and therefore would not like to disturb my colleagues
Thanks

Tr1ppy said:
Hi,
How are the T1E with sound leakage? I usually listen at above average volumes at work and therefore would not like to disturb my colleagues
Thanks
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These have a unique shape and a shallow fitment, so it will vary. With a right set of eartips you can get a decent isolation seal, but nothing is 100%.

You can get T1E now from dx.com (their dxsoul.com site) for an insane deal of under $35 shipped free to US with a delivery of 4-7 days: http://www.dxsoul.com/product/ttpod...one-transparent-silver-901335002#.VDVRRRa5Q09

vectron said:
This is a review of TTPOD T1E dual dynamic driver in-ear headphones.
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Great post! Makes me very excited to get my pair in a few weeks. I was able to order one for $30 Shipped, on a group buy.
Your description sounds JUST as I hope they will sound.
..

Review of AuGlamour AG-R1 in-ear headphones w/lots of pics!!!

This is a Review of AuGlamour AG-R1 in-ear headphones. http://penonaudio.com/AuGlamour-AG-R1
Lately I covered a lot of great budget in-ear headphones and hopefully was able to convince you that you don't have to spend a fortune in search for a good quality IEMs. But as you start moving down in pricing, especially below $50 mark, you will start noticing that every manufacturer has to cut some corners. When you get down to $25 level, it will not be as easy to find something that sounds great, looks great, and has a great build quality. Some looks could be deceiving underneath of cheap plastic shell. In case of AG-R1, a newcomer from AuGlamour, they were able to get very close to satisfying all these requirements. Here is what I found.
The packaging AG-R1 arrived in was very impressive considering $25 price tag. I feel like every new budget headphone release is trying to outdo their competition by raising a bar higher to make their product standout. Here you have a black hard carton box with a logo across entire top cover and a ribbon with a bear sticker (?) in the back. Once you remove the top cover, you see a ribbon going around the bottom part of the box, holding down headphones inside of the foam cutout insert. After removing this ribbon and taking everything out, beside headphones itself I found a nice soft draw-string storage pouch, a pair of earhooks for over-ear fitment, S/M/L pairs of hybrid eartips with a medium bore opening, and another pair of red foam eartips. For its price, this was not a bad selection of accessories.
The biggest surprise is when you get these in your hands and feel their weight - you will quickly appreciate their all metal quality shell. With a round flat design resembling a scaled down shape of CKR9 IEMs, these have a very high build quality. Also, the shape is comfortable enough to put your head on a pillow without them pocking you. The fitment is similar to Ostrys, but it's smaller and more comfortable; there is an air port at the bottom of the nozzle, and the back has a cool round logo. Cable is twisted and comes out from the side, supported by a decent strain relief. Due to a twisted/braided nature of the cable there is no cable cinch which could come handy during over the ear fitment since I personally don't like earhooks, but you can also use it to your advantage by twisting both of the earpiece cables to bring them closer together. Still, I preferred wired down fitment. Y-splitter is a small metal capsule without much of strain relief, but braided nature of the cable prevents it from sharp angle bending. 3.5mm straight gold plated plug has a very slim housing and also a good strain relief. Overall, cable microphonics wasn't bad at all, and with a good eartip seal you can get an above average isolation, but not enough for a total isolation during subway/bus commute.
Now, the sound quality. AuGlamour describes these headphones as "mainly for vocals", and they are absolutely correct. AG-R1 has a very clear and detailed mid-centric sound signature, but unlike most of the other IEMs in this category you also get a taste of bass. Starting with low frequencies, unfortunately you won't get as much sub-bass extension and the focus is more on a mid-bass with a faster attack. It works great for the rhythm of the music but makes it sound a bit thinner without sub-bass support. Mid-bass is well controlled without spilling into lower mids, but after 20-30hrs of burn in peaked a bit causing a mild hollow thumping effect. Nevertheless, I still found it balanced rather well with mid range - the star of AG-R1. Mids are clear and detailed without getting peaky or harsh. They definitely have a good balance between brightness and smoothness to make vocals shine, but at the same time sound a bit thinner and colder due to a leaner lower mids. Treble is clear and crisp, doesn't extend too far, but just enough to appreciate details without causing fatigue during extended listening. Staging is definitely above average with a decent width and depth; great stereo separation!
For a quick comparison, I put AG-R1 against a few of my other IEMs and found the following. My recently reviewed EP100 have more sub-bass, with mids pushed more back, and staging a bit narrower. VSD3 have more sub-bass, with mids being smoother and thicker and at the same time more recessed, and overall sound being a bit less detailed. KC06A also has a bit more sub-bass, but mids are grainy and splashy in comparison, while staging is more narrow and shallow. With T1E you get more sub-bass, and mids are way more recessed and less detailed. Furthermore, AG-R1 was very easy to drive out of any source, and I actually found it to be not as picky about source quality.
Another thing I would like to add, for an additional $4.90, Penonaudio offers a set of 5 eartips, including double flange and new hybrid "turbine" wide bore tips. I guess as part of cutting some corners you don't get as many stock tips, and if you don't have spares - you can buy these. Also for those who want a better protection for your headphones, beside an included draw string pouch, Penon has a new aluminum cases (http://penonaudio.com/Earphone-Aluminum-Box) for about $10 plus change. Those are very sturdy with a tight seal, great for traveling.
Overall, I really enjoyed AG-R1 and found not only their sound sig to be refreshing but also really liked their build quality and look/fitment. Perhaps if you are craving more bass or more rumbling extension down to sub-bass layer, these will not satisfy your appetite and will sound a bit too thin for your taste. But that's the whole beauty of these IEMs - being more mid-centric with a clear and detailed mids to deliver great vocal performance and a great non-fatigue sound adequate for an extended listening. But don't worry, these can still handle all your Top40 hits and will be able to keep up with a pumping rhythm. For $25 it's a great value.
Here are the pictures.
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Extra eartips
Hard Case

Thank you so much for this review, you just made my choice so much easier!
Are you still satisfied with these? Would you say it would be a good set for working out / gym?
Thanks

For the price they are pretty good. Some people like extra bass/beat for the gym to pump them up, these are more for music/vocals, but the bass and the beat are there, just not as pronounced.

Anyone still here? I just wanna buy it tomorrow, i usually listening to mainstream music in spotify and some pop covers in youtube, will this IEM suit my needs?
And hows it compare with Xiaomi Mi IV Hybrid?
Thanks btw

tigantabrother said:
Anyone still here? I just wanna buy it tomorrow, i usually listening to mainstream music in spotify and some pop covers in youtube, will this IEM suit my needs?
And hows it compare with Xiaomi Mi IV Hybrid?
Thanks btw
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I would go with hybrids. I no longer review budget iems, but in general hybrids will have a separate dynamic driver for bass and BA drivers for mids/highs. AG-R1 is more mid-centric, good for vocals as well as rock music. Mainstream tunes need some good bass impact, not basshead, but just good low-end extension. In my opinion, hybrid will suite your music style better.

vectron said:
I would go with hybrids. I no longer review budget iems, but in general hybrids will have a separate dynamic driver for bass and BA drivers for mids/highs. AG-R1 is more mid-centric, good for vocals as well as rock music. Mainstream tunes need some good bass impact, not basshead, but just good low-end extension. In my opinion, hybrid will suite your music style better.
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Woww, very fast reply. Thanks for your opinion, thats help me alot