Please recommend replacement for SoundMagic PL50

[indialogue]

Hi, I've lost my well-loved PL50s. Think I might have left them inside a flight, lucky for the stiff who sat on my seat next. Anyways, its time to find a replacement and would love suggestions on what to consider.

On sound: I really liked the balanced armature sound of the PL50 and would ideally want the replacement IEM to mirror (or even better that). However, I'm also open to other suggestions but am not interested in bass-heavy or treble-heavy earphones as a lot of what I listen to is suited to earphones that excel at mids.

On budget: Budget would be around 6-7K tops (which means that it has to include shipping - but lets assume for simplicity, no duty). I would much prefer going with an Indian vendor but am not willing to pay silly markups for that

On source: phones will be driven by either a iPod Nano v1 or Classic iPod v4. I am also planning to add a Clip+ to the mix, but that will be sometime in the future (but would appreciate recommendations that factor that in). Sadly no amplification as the Fiio E5 that came with my PL50 bundle also went away with it.

On current ideas: Some ideas that I'm flirting with are:

• Phonak PFE 112
• Fischer Audio SBA-03
• Brainzwavz B2 (if they were available)
• HiFiMan RE262

Thanks and look forward to receiving your help!

 

[esanthosh]

I've not heard the SBA-03, so Head-fi reviews are the way to go.

PFE112 is out of your budget as Phonak had suddenly increased their prices to $180 or so after releasing PFE232 at $600. But otherwise, PFE remains one of my favorite IEMs.

If B2 sounds the same as DBA-02, then Brainwavz B2 is also out as it is in your face aggressive with treble presentation. Instead of B2, you could look at Etymotic HF2/3/5, which are pretty good with mid range detail, clarity, but also a bit sparkly with treble. They do not do sound stage well and require deeper insertion (as I mentioned somewhere else - to where no tip has gone before), but they are analytical and enjoyable.

RE262 is the only one that fits your needs and budget. You may not require an amp, but battery will be drained out quickly at twice the speed. A good amp would be necessary to bring out the full strengths of RE262 even if it is just the last mile of refinement and improvement. But you do need an amp to preserve the battery of the player.

MEE A151 is seriously mid focused, but only on the lower mids. I'd say it's a side-grade from PL50 than an upgrade.

Fischer Tandem, being a dynamic does not fit the bill. But for sound signature and budget requirements, it could fit the bill ($130 and around). Mine has gone for RMA, but what little I could hear with 1.5 sides, it was pretty nice. Mids were not up front, but good in a non-fatiguing way. Unlike RE262, bass and treble do not play back fiddle to the mid range. But, I'd like to confirm these impressions with a fully channel balanced piece.

 

[abhi_jollyguy]

I second to esanthosh, RE262 and Tandem is your best bet, but as u said "which excels at mids" so I will put it this way:

RE262>Tandem.

 

[indialogue]

Thanks very much for the suggestions esanthosh and abhi. Do you know if RE262 and Tandem are available in India - I notice that Lynx has the former (would you recommend buying from them?). I would prefer buying them locally and avoiding the worry of post and customs issues, if there isnt too much of a premium being charged here

 

[kartick]

Thanks very much for the suggestions esanthosh and abhi. Do you know if RE262 and Tandem are available in India - I notice that Lynx has the former (would you recommend buying from them?). I would prefer buying them locally and avoiding the worry of post and customs issues, if there isnt too much of a premium being charged here

Hi,

I have had the worse time of my life dealing with lynx. I'd rather recommend you to go and pick it up from the lynx store in Chandigarh rather than ordering from them.

Why don't you also consider the HM RE0? From what I have read in a lot of the reviews is that they are more neutral in their sound signature than the RE 262. RE 262 are a little bass heavy than the RE 0. I'd suggest you compare these 2.

Let us know what you finalise on.

 

[soulforged]

You could also consider Klipsch S4, I really liked their sound when I heard them...

 

[indialogue]

Wow, this is a late post but thought I would update it nonetheless. For all my fretting about the loss of the SoundMagic PL50s, they turned up safe and sound. Talk about skipping a heartbeat! I was still planning to go ahead with the sale of the RE262 but didn't feel comfortable with going ahead with Lynx (feeling relieved after hearing that they have now shut down audio equipment sales)

So the search continued. I had finally zeroed in on two earphones after weeks of research - the Ortofon EQ-5 and Aurisonics ASG-1.2, both of which were available on Head-fi sales/trade section for slightly less than USD 200 shipped to India + Paypal fees.

However, just yesterday, I walked into a Sony shop on a lark, to check if they had any of the XBA series IEMs in (because I love the balanced armature sound) and what do you know - they did. The XBA-1 for 4K and XBA-3 for 8K. The latter to me was a shock considering that it was supposed to be selling in the US for 200 bucks upwards. A quick search online (thank God for smartphones) saw that it was available for 6.5K! At that price (and given the good reviews on Head-fi), it was a no-brainer.

Well, I'm waiting for Aramex to wing the parcel containing the XBA-3 to my home. Can't wait to hear how they sound

 

[iaudio]

indialogue, Congrats! where did you order xba 3 for 6.5k?

 

[indialogue]

indialogue, Congrats! where did you order xba 3 for 6.5k?

From naaptol.com. It was the cheapest available online