Head-to-Head-FI. Battle of Budget IEMs. Results on Sound.
Music is the drug and I got a fix for you. When we’re away from home Hi-Fi most of us rely on Head-Fi ̶ yes, earphones. Here are some highs, mids and lows of the:
Sony WF-1000XM4 ($280), Campfire Audio Orbit ($249), Periodic Audio Magnesium ($99) and House of Marley Smile Jamaica ($20) IEM in ear monitors. (non-sale prices)
Added to this mix are the Periodic Audio Rhodium DAC/AMP and Neon Bluetooth receiver.
Three songs were chosen to asses the sonic signatures; streaming via Qobuz, shared via YouTube.
What to listen for? Refer to Ten Attributes of HiFi Listening here
Song 1 - Joan Baez, Diamonds and Rust (16/44)
· Baez’s smooth acoustic sounds and modulating vocals, with a fresh folk familiarity, allow for softer analog-produced evaluations.
Song 2 - Roger Waters, The Dark Side of the Moon Redux, Breathe (24/96)
· Like it or not, Waters’ feel and sounds are ultra-high res like this recording format; another requirement for analysis paralysis.
Song 3 - Hole, Celebrity Skin, Use Once & Destroy (16/44)
Courtney Love delivers quality alternative hard rock essential for evaluating dynamics. Let’s NOT pick boring demo tracks; rock, metal, and EDM are all essential.
“Music creates Human Connections”
Campfire Audio Orbit
Campfire Audio Orbit
The Orbit is Campfire Audio’s foray into wireless headphones. With wired IEMs ranging from $499 to $3299, it’s easy to think you may taste their sound for only $149 sale price.
My first take on the Orbits was unimpressive, they were thin and tinny; said others too. Many products don’t sound right without burn in; except the Sonys, they did. After ~5 hours of use the Orbits changed. Manually holding and tilting the earbuds faceward dramatically improved the seal and sound. None of the provided tips created a seal for me. Switching to the Moondrop Spring Tips (above, left) and Sony mushrooms tips (above, right) drastically improved their sound. The Sony tips seal and feel better to me with the Orbits. The characteristics described below are with the Sony tips, a little IEM burn in, & EQ off.
Baez’s recording sounded fine; the Orbits suit well to acoustical recordings. With tweaks, the guitar intro could have fooled me from the first listen; are these are the same phones! Joan’s vocals become fabulous. I listened solely to the Orbits for a long session and became accustomed to their sound, listening to the well-produced Smashing Pumpkins album ATUM, A Rock Opera in Three Acts.
Waters’ recording didn’t feel high resolution, the bass was heavy, and verging on boomy.
Unfortunately, the Orbits fell apart with Hole. The drums lack treble which softened their attack. Courtney’s voice is far behind and muffled. The band doesn’t’ feel cohesive as other headphones make them to be. Hard rock is a staple, for me peak performance is required.
Aside from the music, a phone call with the Orbits was just fine. If the Orbits are your only wireless headphone then you should love them solely for the convenience of wire freedom.
Sony WF-1000XM4
Sony WF-1000XM4
The XM4’s active noise canceling, features & headphone app are superb, Sony has a great video here . This silver replacement charging case was found on ebay for only $40, it happens.
In Baez’s recording, everything is perfect; the guitar entry, positioning, and vibrato in Joan’s voice. Listening critically, the highs are ever so slightly behind (lower energy) compared to the Marleys and the guitar intro doesn’t quite feel the same.
In Waters’ recording the bass is strong without boom or saturation. The vocals are clear and crisp, but again the Marley’s do it slightly better!
In Hole’s recording, the guitar comes in perfect and drum slam has mid-range weight. The vocals are positioned right, but slightly rolled off and behind compared to the Marleys; this presentation is not bad because the blending within this song (& genre) is perfect. When it gets heavy, everything comes together without blurring and separation is excellent.
My favorite Sony EQ is clear bass plus 3, one notch up on 6.3 kHz and two on16. These evaluations were with no EQ. In a quiet environment the sound signatures didn’t change with active noise cancelling, or ambient sound engaged.
On occasion, if the IEM isn’t sealed and positioned correctly within the ear, there is a hollow clunking sound inside the IEM while walking or jogging; it’s very obnoxious, but easily remedied.
Periodic Audo Mg (+) USBC Rhodium (Rh) DAC
Periodic Audo Mg (+) USBC Rhodium (Rh) DAC
Periodic Audio’s Element line up consists of four wired IEMs ranging from $99 to $299. With first hand experience, the tin case elevates the unboxing experience and enhances purchase satisfaction. The cable connects to the IEM with a with a lovely proprietary 2.5 mm connector.
Baez’s recording started with ease and presence, the guitar had detail and resolution. Joan’s vocals are forward (high treble) and the song lacks body.
Waters’ recording sounded very high res and detailed, the guitar intro was stunning. Like Baez, the vocals were bright and forward and lacking fullness, body, and missing cohesion.
In Hole’s recording, the vocals are thin, bright, and forward. The drums lack body and don’t blend with the vocals; it’s awful. Periodic Audio states that the sonic signature of the Mg IEM is relatively neutral but with a brighter top end, ideal for blues, jazz, and acoustic/folk.
After critical listening my taste for the Mgs has changed.
House of Marley, Smile Jamaica (+) Rh DAC
House of Marley, Smile Jamaica (+) Rh DAC
We all need them and with wood cups these should be the standard of budget wired phones. They are GREAT! Put them in someone’s stocking, a sock drawer or spare office space.
Baez’s vocals are spot on and balance perfectly with the guitar, creating cohesion and staging. The Marely’s are excellent for acoustic recordings.
Waters immediately feels high resolution. The vocals are stunning, the weight is convincing and in this genre have an edge over the Sony’s which are vocally more laid back.
In Use Once & Destroy, the drums need more mid-range slam, but do blend with nice sounding vocals, unlike the Orbits & Mgs. There is missing weight which the Sony’s deliver; however, it’s a convincing rock performance.
Periodic Audio Rhodium DAC/AMP vs. Apple Adapter
Periodic Audio Rhodium DAC/AMP vs. Apple Adapter
There are hundreds of portable DAC/Amps available, are they working? The standard Apple Lightning to 3.5 mm stereo adapter is not a DAC, or an Amp.
The Marleys remain impressive using the standard Apple adapter compared to the Rhodium USB-C DAC/Amp. But switching back, OH YEAH, you can hear what the Rhodium adds to clarity and detail in boths the highs and lows.
Key point in comparison, it’s not when you remove the Rhodium DAC when you hear the difference, it’s when you add it, then you hear it.
Periodic Audio Neon Bluetooth Adapter
Periodic Audio Neon Bluetooth Adapter
If you add this bluetooth receiver to wired IEMs will you get a true wireless headphone?
If you’ve discovered why the Neon works for you, GREAT, I’m not there yet. There is loss in quality with the Bluetooth receiver over direct wired, as John Darko has been explaining. Bluetooth is lossy.
The Sony’s don’t sound lossy; maybe Sony has an advantage in DSP (I believe) which removes that lossy feeling.
Head-Fi vs. Home Hi-Fi
Head-Fi vs. Home Hi-Fi
How do we know what sound is right? How the artist intended… (that’s a cliche). Here are comparisons to a reference home Hi-Fi system.
In Baez’s recording the vocals sounded brighter and forward. IEMs play this more favourably, notable the Sonys.
In Waters’ recording, the intro, guitar nuances and details are outstanding! Unmatched by any IEM reviewed. The bass delivery can’t be matched by headphones. Cohesion of Right/Left speakers adds depth to vocals and feels high res. Left/Right panning of the organ was wonderful. The stereo revealed a ring and decay of the guitar strings being plucked and fingers removed.
Hole’s recording was excellent and sounds more like a rock club than any of the headphones made it out to be.
It’s important to note that headphones are binary, the left channel doesn’t interact with the right as two speakers interact with each other within the room, along with that psychoacoustic affect.
The verdict, XXX, but when a fix is required, these headphone do the job.
BONUS TRACKS
BONUS TRACKS
After much deliberation on the performance of the Orbits, I needed something else familiar. The Smashing Pumpkins title track “Atum” was used. Two things stand out useful for comparison: the gong crash at the beginning and guitar intro.
Diamonds and Rust was recently introduced to me on vinyl by my neighbor; music is for sharing and discovery. It’s interesting that Judas Priest covered Joan’s title track in their recording, Live in Japan – well worth the listen.
In homage to Judas Priest, the Sony’s SLAY Painkiller, the Sony’s absolutely nail heavy music.
Sony WF-C500 & WF-C700N
Sony WF-C500 & WF-C700N
An honorable mention t to above, the C500s were my first true wireless Sony IEM and intro to the Headphone app. These phones continue to function even through the washing machine. I moved to the 700N active noise cancelling version - at that time the best IEM ever! A unique feature was driving topless and cancelling wind noise which works extremely well. The C500 and 700N are smaller than the XM4 and great for sports, jogging, or wearing under a secondary pair of passive noise cancelling ear muffs; think skeet shooting or industrial ear protection.
At triple the cost, it’s was hard to upgrade to the 1000XM4, but they are worth it. The 700N, while being a great, are light in body & weight compared to the XM4s; the sound feels comparable. The ANC seems to function equivalently on both.
The Sony XM4s are my IEMs of preference
If you listen to music which demand performance and wire freedom, the XM4s are for you.
@Audio.Java is ditching the newer WF1000-XM5 due to sealing issues, and has similar thoughts to me on the Orbits.
Sony XM4 (+) Moondrop Spring Tips are great.
