Today, dear readers, I will try out a new column format - first I will discuss a topic related to audio, then I will answer questions. I think this will help kill two birds with one stone - in the end, no one will leave offended. In short, everything will be positive.
Getting used to the sound
After a long (about two weeks) periodic listening to the Panasonic HJE-900, I finally returned to my beloved Ultimate Ears UE11PRO, and discovered a standard thing for people writing reviews of new headphones on forums - yes, these headphones have “no top”. Well, listening to headphones alone for a long time makes you get used to the sound - and the HJE900 has a frankly bright high end. I won’t say that the UE11PRO has a “reference” top - not at all, you can probably find better ones, but I would like to point out a simple thing: it’s not very right to constantly listen to the same headphones, on the one hand. On the other hand, when “switching” from one headphone to another, you need to give your hearing aid some time to adapt - so as not to write the wrong things.
Panasonic HJE-900
Ultimate Ears UE11PRO
Personally, I try to “live” with “pass-through” headphones for a couple of days – as a portable and/or home option, and with something interesting – for about a week. I don’t want to appear in the eyes of readers as someone like an expert on alcoholic beverages, saying that you need to “reset” your taste sensations (as for headphones - auditory), but experience shows that in order to evaluate headphones, you either need to constantly listen to different models - and then your hearing will adapt faster, or walk with headphones for quite a long time.
Headphones with replaceable wire
Hello, Ilya!
I am addressing you as a headphone specialist. There is a problem - earbuds rarely last more than six months with intensive use. As a rule, there is no point in sending for repairs, and you have to choose and buy new ones.
So the question is: what plugs with a replaceable cable do you recommend? This refers to the availability at retail in Moscow, both of the ears themselves and the cables to them. Budget about 2 tr.
Sincerely,
Novel
Roman, for two thousand rubles, and in Moscow, and in stock, and that the plugs are a difficult task, and I couldn’t solve it.
There are several models of on-ear headphones from Sennheiser - here there will be no problems with the availability of wires for replacement.
In your case, I would be mentally prepared to order a more expensive model - something from Shure, Westone or Ultimate Ears, as an option - Sleek Audio SA1/SA6. Here the prices are 100-200 dollars (abroad) for headphones, and 20-30 dollars for a wire.
But given the given budget, I think it’s easier to just throw away the headphones and buy new ones. Alas, this is exactly how it turns out.
Monster Beats Mixr Headphones
Ilya, hello!
I would like to know your opinion. What do you think of the Monster Beats Mixr headphones? What are the alternatives for them? I'm going to listen mainly to electronic music.
Thanks in advance for your answer.
Best regards, Nikita.
Nikita, this model passed me by. Therefore, we have to reason, and I ask you not to accept my judgments as the only correct ones.
You need to be careful when buying Beats headphones - so far, of the models I've listened to, I've only been completely satisfied with the Pro. Plus, there are many fakes.
One way or another, the price of Mixr is from 7 to 15 thousand rubles, I believe, for 7 it’s a fake, for 15 I can say with some confidence that it’s an original. Abroad, the price is $250, by the way.
And given the price positioning of the headphones, I don’t think there will be any revelation in terms of sound quality. I’ll be glad to be wrong, but for 7 (and even more so for 15) thousand rubles, it’s better to look for something else; alternatives are the same Beats Pro (beware of fakes), Sony 7506 (these will cost 7 thousand).
Monster Beats Mixr
Monster Beats Pro
About the Sandisk Sansa Clip player
Dear Ilya Tarakanov.
Everything that was written about this player is exactly so. On my own behalf, I can add that I listened to this player for three days at a friend’s dacha through small speakers without an amplifier. That is, the sound was provided only by the player!
But! The clip held perfectly, but it itself could not stay on the body. The eyelets through which the clip axis passes are too thin. Eyelets must be made of metal.
There was audio interruption when playing files. I believe it was due to the fact that the player was used at full capacity and the speakers were not matched.
It's great as a voice recorder. You turn it on at the beginning of the party, and then edit a sound recording with a number of photos.
I'm going to buy a micro SD. After all, I only have 2 gigs.
It is very convenient to learn foreign languages by downloading audio lessons. After turning on, it plays the file in the place where the player was turned off.
You can listen to lectures on disciplines of interest and receive additional education.
And the presence of a radio is not a superfluous addition to the functions of this wonderful player.
Before this I had an Apacer. Hmmm...
No comments needed, thanks for the detailed review!
Choosing an Android smartphone
“Andrey, so far the best sound I’ve heard on an Android smartphone was the Sony Xperia P. In any case, this is not a panacea - there are much better-sounding players, but the sound is very high quality. And a regular player can easily be replaced"
Which non-Android phone is the best at reproducing sound through headphones? They praised Blackberry to me, is that true?
You might also be interested in the Sennheiser CX680 headphones. They have a short cable of 60cm, which is convenient for all owners of Nokia phones with remote controls. The cable is Kevlar braided, which solves the common problem of headphones failing after a couple of months, and an affordable price. I imagine many Nokia drivers will be interested.
If you don’t take Android, then the palm should be given to the Nokia N8, followed by the iPhone 4/4S.
Sennheiser is almost always a good choice in terms of build quality, but in my opinion you can get something better sounding for the same money.
About ear preparation
Good night, Ilya.
Glad to see the audiophile speaker is back on the air. A general question arose, not so much about headphones, but about speaker systems. Today I spent a significant amount of money and purchased a speaker system for my computer, which I had been choosing for a long time based on reviews. As a result, I like the sound much less than my old cheap 2.1 set. I understand that my ears are not sufficiently trained to properly adjust the tone, bass, and component interactions. To the same extent, they are not prepared for proper equalizer calibration. Where to learn? How to understand where to start and where to end, and, most importantly, what exactly you need to hear in order to understand “this is what I paid money for.” Please tell me a website, video or book where such things can be understood at a primitive user level. I am far from a connoisseur of the subtle nuances of hi-fi sound. Thank you very much.
Anton, don’t fool yourself. Don't like the sound? There is no need to torture yourself, to clear your conscience, listen to familiar tracks for about a week only on the new acoustics, then return to the old one. If it turns out that you are simply accustomed to the old acoustics (see the beginning of the article), then you need to select another system, and not by reviews, but by going shopping in person with a selection of your favorite music.
About better sounding players
Hello, Ilya.
I read your advice about a music Android smartphone (Xeria P). Tell me, what “much better sounding players” did you have in mind? Interested in more widespread ones (there’s not enough money for HIFIMan and the like). Is there a medium (or slightly more expensive) price and very angry? And recently I came across very flattering reviews about a pair of plugs Astrotec AM-90 and VSonic GR02 Bass Edition. They say that for your money (50 USD) the sound is sky-high. What can you say about them? If you haven't encountered it, maybe you might be interested? They rate it too highly.
Thank you in advance for your response!
Best regards, Konstantin
Thanks for the tip on the headphones, I haven’t encountered it, I’ll keep it in mind. Better sounding players - this could be the top-end Cowon (for everyone), maybe Teclast T51 (and in general - many Chinese players, say, Rocoo). By the way, Hifiman has relatively budget models HM601/602 ($200-300).
About the headset for Android
Ilya, hello.
I would like to listen to music on headphones, but also be able to receive and end calls using the remote control. I read that different Android models have different pinouts - any iPhone headsets are suitable for Sony Xperia, but not necessarily for other smartphones.
What is the best sounding headset on the market, what is there in the range of up to 5000r?
Sincerely,
Kapulkin Stanislav
Ilya Tarakanov ()
Rebel
At the beginning of the 19th century, the Yuryuzan-Ivanovsky plant was in the possession of Princess Anna Grigorievna Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya. The granddaughter of one of the founders of the Katavsky factories, Ivan Semenovich Myasnikov, when she got married, she received from her mother, State Councilor Kozitskaya, the Katav-Ivanovsky and Ust-Katavsky factories as a dowry, and in 1815 she also acquired the neighboring Yuryuzan-Ivanovsky plant with the Minsk processing plant that belonged to it factory.
There were 3,121 “male souls” at the Yuryuzan-Ivanovsky and Minsk factories. All these more than three thousand forced people were the complete property of Princess Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya. Discontent accumulated gradually and for a long time, until an explosion occurred.
In the factory office, the son of the caravan clerk Ivan Tarakanov, Ilya, was assigned to the documents. Ilya Ivanovich turned out to be an agile, quick-witted and timid person. He did not remain silent when he realized from the documents that the factory police officer Goferland, a faithful servant of Princess Beloselskaya, was robbing the serfs in the most brazen manner, that the office was paying people much less than what they earned.
An open clash between the police officer and the serf clerk occurred in May 1828. For “insolence,” Goferland severely beat Ilya Tarakanov with rods, then ordered Ilya to be chained to a table in the office and kept him in this condition for three weeks.
The conflict escalated due to the events that unfolded at the plant. On May 8, assistant factory clerk Utushkin sent thirty women to build a sawmill to lift heavy beams from the ground and drag them up. The hastily put together walkways with the beams lying on them collapsed and mutilated several female workers. Goferland was away at the Katav-Ivanovsky plant at that time. The next day he returned to Yuryuzan and beat the clerk Ignatov right on the field in the presence of two hundred peasants who were walking from the field from the chapel with the images. The peasants, surrounding Goferland, asked that their wives “not be used for unnatural work.” Goferland immediately saw a “rebellion” in this, and considered incitement on the part of Tarakanov to be the reason for this. He directly called the office worker a rebel and threatened to punish him severely. The offended Tarakanov submitted a petition to the factory office “For an investigation and for expulsion from the rebels and for placement among honest and useful people.” Upon learning of this, Goferland became indescribably furious.
The conflict between the police chief and the rebellious serf intensified every day. Ilya Ivanovich Tarakanov had long enjoyed the support and sympathy of all the serf artisans of the Yuryuzan-Ivanovsky plant. And this time, without hesitation, he became an intercessor in their “tearful” case about their wives. He continued to defend his honor, for which he was subjected to more and more persecution.
On July 15, 1828, the serf artisans of the Yuryuzan-Ivanovo plant, having collected as much money as they could from the entire community, sent Tarakanov to Perm to the office of the Mining Administration. On behalf of all the peasants, Ilya Ivanovich was bringing a new written complaint. In it, the serfs wrote about the sale of bread from factory stores at double the price of the purchase price, about the annual collection of one ruble twenty kopecks from each tax for the repair of a large highway road, about the fact that they, the peasants, are forced to work on Sundays and holidays. days, and even during the bright week (that is, after Easter). They complained about the office’s excessive demands for rejecting iron, about the insufficient supply of coal for forging iron on heavy hammers, about the cruel punishments they were subjected to for the slightest offense, and about many of their other troubles and misfortunes.
It goes without saying that Ilya Tarakanov went to Perm without permission, without permission from the factory administration...
The conversation with the envoy of the Yuryuzan peasants in Perm was short. By order of the head of the mining plants of the Ural Range, Major General Boguslavsky, officials of the Perm government forced Tarakanov to give a written testimony about everything, and then Tarakanov was arrested, “as having appeared in the presence of the mining government without a written form and a power of attorney.”
In custody, Tarakanov was sent to the Katav-Ivanovsky plant. There he was shackled for allegedly trying to escape.
Yuryuzan peasants - 51 people in number - submitted a petition (without signatures) to the zemstvo court, in which they demanded the release of Tarakanov from arrest. Otherwise, they threatened to go all the way to the Tsar himself and announced that without Tarakanov they would not give any evidence to the arriving investigators. Soon the number of peasants increased. There were shouts that without Tarakanov, the peasants did not trust the investigators to carry out the case. Groups of peasants began to appear on the streets of Yuryuzan.
The Perm authorities ordered a new investigation, and Tarakanov was released from prison and returned home. At this time, without the knowledge of the peasants, the investigators signed the peasant “testimonies.” Having learned about this, the peasants began to demand that Ilya Ivanovich Tarakanov read this testimony out loud.
It turned out that a lot of information was omitted, and Tarakanov was arrested again...
Insurrection
In February 1829, the investigation into the complaint of the serfs of the Yuryuzan plant was completed and sent for a final decision to the Ufa district court. The head of the mining factories of the Ural Range, A. A. Boguslavsky, sent a report to the Minister of Finance E. F. Kankrin on the progress of the investigation, which listed 27 complaints filed by the factory population.
In the summer, the peasants turned to the factory police officer with new demands. But this time there was no positive decision. The patience of the people has come to an end. More than seventy people did not go to work, and the peasant of the Minsk plant, Yegor Sherstnev, openly refused to carry out the orders of the factory clerk. When a non-commissioned officer with three soldiers was sent for him, peasants came running to Sherstnev’s defense, disarmed and tied up the soldiers.
Soon, eight elected representatives from the peasants were sent by this society to Ufa with the order to help out the previously arrested Tarakanov. The rest of the artisans went home without permission.
In Ufa, the elected officials were captured. Three of them were detained in Ufa, and five were sent back to the plant. When the Yuryuzans saw their envoys shackled in leg shackles, they demanded from the factory police officer that those arrested be immediately released. When the punishment of those arrested began, more than five hundred factory workers and peasants arrived at the factory square.
There was a cry: “Come on, tie them up! Beat them!” One of the artisans burst into the circle of factory police officers who were carrying out the execution, grabbed the hand of a police officer who happened to be here, and dragged him into the crowd, which pushed him through with sticks and pushes. The bosses did not like the factory servants.
The assembled factory workers demanded the elimination of clerks and factory servants they disliked, the release of Tarakanov, and the acceptance of a request on behalf of 2,571 people. To the police officer’s attempts to convince those gathered that they were committing a crime, they solemnly responded:
- We went for it. We will give the whip to everyone or to none. They will not cross the whole world, and what is done by the world is sacred...
The uprising engulfed not only the Yuryuzan-Ivanovsk and Minsk factories, but also the villages adjacent to them, threatened to spread to Katav-Ivanovsk and Ust-Katav and assumed such proportions that Berg-Inspector Bulgakov was seriously frightened and requested a military detachment of of 1,500 people. The military governor responded to this request immediately. The commanders of the troops of the Orenburg Cossack, Bashkir and Meshcheryat cantons were ordered to send military teams to the Yuryuzan-Ivanovsky and Minsk factories.
The surrounding forests were filled with the sound of drums and the clatter of hundreds of soldiers' boots.
The uprising was suppressed.
Royal court
The list of charges brought by military investigators against each of the participants in the Yuryuzan uprising was long. Thus, the peasant of the Minsk plant, Yegor Sherstnev, was accused of “forbidding his son to go along the office line to get a plank, disarming the non-commissioned officer and three privates sent after him to the kuren, keeping him under his supervision and demanding for their release from the police officer Kourov a signature that the said military personnel they were not detained in the kuren, and he, the police officer, was not disobeyed. In the demand that he, the police officer Kourov, present the clerk Kostin to the court. In false testimony before the court.
About his punishment by his clerk Utushkin. In an unauthorized absence to Ufa for a meeting with the main troublemaker Tarakanov, who was being held there in custody, inducing other peasants to do the same, collecting 60 rubles from them for the road to Tarakanov when he went to Perm. In a defiant cry and riot against the police officer Puzyrevsky at a time when the peasants stopped the governor Petrov from leaving for Ufa. In the detention of a special sent from the factory police officer Puzyrevsky with the necessary envelope to find out whether it contained a complaint against the peasants, and the intention to gather a peace, to whom the police officer would read the report
Similar lengthy charges were brought by the tsarist court against Osip Bazanov, Ivan Karabanov, Afanasy Stroev and other participants in the uprising.
The sentence is striking in its ferocity even for that cruel era: nineteen people were sentenced to death in a wide variety of options (“executed on the spot by death”, “arquebused”, that is, shot, “deprived of the belly”), most of the participants in the uprising were punished by whipping according to a hundred blows to each and hard labor; finally, the less active were to be punished with whips and sent to Siberia to settle.
However, there was already a precedent when Nicholas I, being a pharisaist and a hypocrite, imposed a resolution on the death penalty for two smugglers: “The guilty should be driven through a thousand people twelve times,” and he also “made a postscript: “Thank God, we have never had the death penalty and I should introduce it.”
Knowing about the “weakness of the sovereign,” the Minister of Internal Affairs proposed that the nine main participants in the unrest be driven through the gauntlet through a thousand people one at a time and sent forever to the prison companies of the New Finland District; the eight less guilty were to pass through a gauntlet of five hundred men and remain in their original place.
The “merciful will” of the monarch was announced: “I agree, but the prisoners should be sent to Bobruisk.”
The name of Ilya Tarakanov was not included in the verdict. His fate, as “the main criminal and instigator, was decided separately. The decision of the military court commission only said: “The factory servant Tarakanov, both for his past and present actions, letters and various papers written by his hand, should be forwarded to the second department of the Perm Mining Administration.”
The further fate of Ilya Ivanovich remains unknown, although it is not difficult to guess: in all likelihood, he ended his life in the dungeons of the Perm Mining Chancellery.
Leonid SURIN, honorary citizen of Yuryuzani
Greetings, Habrapeople! This week we will have an important event - the presentation of the new Meizu MX2 smartphone, and while there is still a little more than a day left before the announcement, we bring to your attention fresh material. We decided to compare the sound quality in current smartphones from different manufacturers to understand what level the Meizu MX stands in this group. They turned to Ilya Tarakanov for help, met with him, found a couple of devices along the way and let him listen to each of the smartphones. Naturally, everything you read below is the subjective opinion of one person who listens to music a lot and often on various devices.
Ilya Tarakanov, editor of the “Audio” section on the website mobile-review.com, forum moderator player.ru.
Test conditions:
- Cafe "Festival" in GUM, minimum level of external noise, weekday, 16 hours
- Ultimate Ears UE 11 PRO headphones, retail price $1,150, made from an ear mold
- Test selection Prime Test CD1 of 45 excerpts of famous musical compositions
Test devices, file formats and software players:
- Apple iPhone 4, firmware 6.0.1, files in WAV format, standard player
- HTC One X, firmware 2.17.401.2, FLAC files, Poweramp player
- Meizu MX 4-core, firmware 1.1.3, files in FLAC format, Poweamp player
- Nokia Lumia 920, firmware 1.0.202041.3, files in WMA format, standard player
- Samsung Galaxy S III, firmware XXDLID, files in FLAC format, Poweamp player
First, let's look at each device separately, briefly describing its sound signature. Then, in a special table, we evaluate the devices according to various parameters and calculate the total ratings.
Abbreviations used:
LF– low frequencies
midrange– mid frequencies
HF- high frequencies
DD– dynamic range
The sound is sharp, with an emphasis on the high-frequency range. The bass is high quality and practically not buzzing. The mids are harsh, but in terms of volume they correspond to the low frequency range. Detail and attack are at an average level, stereo panorama is slightly wider than your head, with clearly defined instruments. Comfortable listening volume is achieved at half the scale; amplifier noise is not audible when listening and connecting headphones.
The sound has an emphasis on the low-frequency range, while the bass is collected and not oppressive, there is practically no hum. The midrange is slightly harsh, but very legible. The highs are transparent, but they are drowned out by the mids. Due to this, the detail is average, but there is a good attack and damage control. Stereo panorama - wider than your head. The amplifier noise is audible in quiet areas of the recordings; a comfortable listening volume is achieved at 3/4 of the scale.
The sound has an emphasis on the low frequency range, the level of low frequencies is so high that they buzz - and you want to muffle them slightly. Mids are reproduced normally, highs are quite transparent, the stereo panorama is slightly wider than the head. Attack and damage control are above average, detail is good. A comfortable volume level is achieved at 2/3 of the scale. Amplifier noise can be heard when headphones are connected and in quiet recording areas.
The sound is bright, detailed, with an emphasis on the mid-high frequency range. The bass is high quality, without hum. The stereo panorama is wide, slightly extends beyond the head, and there is a slight depth. Detail and attack are good, damage control is normal. The amplifier noise is not audible; a comfortable volume is achieved at half the scale.
The sound has an emphasis on the low-frequency range, the sound is booming, while the midrange is suppressed (although it sounds very natural). The high frequencies are opaque, there are not enough of them. The detail is at an average level, the attack is good (in the mid and high frequencies), the DD is small. The stereo panorama extends slightly beyond the head. A slight noise from the amplifier is heard; a comfortable listening volume is achieved at half the scale.
Pivot table
The table below shows subjective assessments based on the results of listening to smartphones. The minimum score is 0, the maximum is 5. “Five” in this test approximately corresponds to the level of top players such as Hifiman HM-801 or iBasso DX-100. Nine criteria were selected, the maximum number of points that any device could score was 45.
Thus, if we formally distribute places, the Nokia Lumia 920 is in first place, the Meizu MX 4-core is in second, the HTC One X is in third, the Samsung Galaxy S3 I9300 is in fourth, and the Apple iPhone 4 is in fifth.
However, as you can see, the difference between the Apple iPhone 4 and Meizu MX 4-core is only 2 points - which is only 4.4% of the maximum (45 points). The minimum can be taken at the level of 18 points, since not a single device received less than a two, but even then the difference will be only 7.4%.
The Nokia smartphone compares favorably with other devices presented in the test. Let's leave out the convenience of its use, but we cannot fail to note the high quality of music playback. The remaining devices reproduce music in approximately the same way; they all have both strengths and weaknesses.
DISCLAIMER // The author of the text warns that the test results and conclusions based on subjective assessments of sound do not claim to be 100% true. There are many methods for assessing the sound quality of various devices; only one of them is presented to the reader’s attention, and his right is to agree or disagree with it, either in whole or in part.
Sleek Audio SA6 Headphone Review
Equipment
* Sleek Audio SA6 headphones
* The wire
* Three pairs of two-leaf silicone tips of different sizes
* Tool for cleaning attachments
* Replaceable acoustic modules for correction of low-frequency and high-frequency ranges
* Device for replacing acoustic modules
* Case
* User guide
Sleek Audio is a newcomer to the in-ear headphone market, with their first model, the SA6, launched in 2007. The manufacturer uses a modular design as an enticement. You can replace not only the tips, but also the wire, as well as acoustic modules, thereby changing the sound in the desired direction. Thus, at a frequency of 20 Hz, the manufacturer promises discrete variability of sound pressure in the range of 12 dB. This is a very bold statement, and I will definitely check it out. However, let's start with the characteristics.
Stated characteristics
*Included cable: 52 inches (132 cm)
* Impedance: 50 ohms
*DC Resistance: 24 ohms
* Emitter type: balanced armature with ultra-wide frequency range, support for replaceable acoustic modules
* Sensitivity: 110 dB per mW
Equipment
The headphones are supplied in an oblong cardboard box in the shape of a parallelepiped. Inside contains all the accessories listed at the beginning of the article.
Let's start with the wire. The plug is straight, the insulation thickness is small, the color is black. The plugs for connecting to the headphones are round in shape, this allows the SA6 to be used for both behind-the-ear (wire up) and traditional (wire down) wearing. Replacement wires can be purchased, and the company promises to release a wide range of cables in 2010, both in color and length. Judging by user reviews, the wire is not very durable.
The tips are double-lobe, on the one hand, this allows you to securely fix the earphone in the ear, on the other hand, Phonak managed to achieve this with single-lobe tips. The author of the review, after wearing the SA6 for half an hour, began to rub the ear canal with its second lobe. Of course, you can simply cut it off, but it would be better if the company took a little more care of potential and actual customers.
The case is hard and not very comfortable; you can’t just put the headphones in it - you need to place them in a special holder and wind the wire onto a reel. If I were Sleek Audio, I would make it possible to remove the mount, since most users would prefer the usual stuffing of headphones into their pocket rather than the ritual of winding a wire around a reel.
The instructions in English are required to be read for the reason that the headphones, due to their design, have no analogues, and careless handling of the complete modules can lead to damage to the equipment.
Design
As already mentioned, the SA6 headphones differ from the products of competing companies in their modular design. In addition to the absolutely standard replaceable tips and the ability to replace the wire found on the market, you can adjust the sound of the headphones at low and high frequencies.
By default, the headphones have modules installed for the most even (according to the company) tonal balance; the kit also includes 2 pairs of modules for increasing and decreasing the output at low frequencies, as well as 3 pairs of modules for adjusting the high-frequency range - the “brightest” option is included in box in a separate bag with an explanatory note. The mid-frequency range is not adjustable. Changing LF modules occurs without the use of additional tools; it is recommended to change HF modules using the supplied tool. However, after several replacements of the high-pass filters it is easy to change them manually - the mating part on the earphone becomes loose.
The headphone body is triangular in shape and has a metal pad on it for greater durability. Both headphones look exactly the same, with L/R markings on the wire.
The functionality of the modular design was tested. For this purpose, audiograms were taken for headphones, in which various combinations of three low-frequency and four high-frequency modules were installed. The vertical axis represents the volume at which the frequency is heard, which is plotted along the horizontal axis. The lower the volume, the better one can hear a particular frequency.
Audiogram with “Bass =” and “Treble =” modules installed
(IMG:http://www.mobile-review.com/mp3/review/image/other/sleek-sa6/equal.jpg)
Audiogram with “Bass -” and “Treble =” modules installed
(IMG:http://www.mobile-review.com/mp3/review/image/other/sleek-sa6/bass-minus.jpg)
Audiogram with “Bass +” and “Treble =” modules installed
(IMG:http://www.mobile-review.com/mp3/review/image/other/sleek-sa6/bass-plus.jpg)
Audiogram with “Bass =” and “Treble -” modules installed
(IMG:http://www.mobile-review.com/mp3/review/image/other/sleek-sa6/treble-minus.jpg)
Audiogram with “Bass =” and “Treble +” modules installed
(IMG:http://www.mobile-review.com/mp3/review/image/other/sleek-sa6/treble-plus.jpg)
Audiogram with “Bass =” and “Treble ++” modules installed
(IMG:http://www.mobile-review.com/mp3/review/image/other/sleek-sa6/treble-plusplus.jpg)
Thus, the low-frequency range is adjusted up to approximately 500 Hz, then up to 5 kHz - the “dead zone”, then the high-frequency range is adjusted. Depending on the frequency, the adjustment occurs by 5-10 dB in the low-frequency range and by 15-20 dB in the high-frequency range. Taking into account the inaccuracy of measurements, we can state an approximate coincidence with the figure declared by the manufacturer of 12 dB for 20 Hz.
In addition, it is obvious that with the modules installed by default, the tonal balance at the high frequencies is not optimal. In any case, it’s worth trying all the modules to find the optimal sound.
Sound insulation is slightly worse than Phonak, this is a consequence of the modular design. However, it is quite sufficient for the street and metro. It is important to remember that the level of noise insulation varies for different low-frequency correction modules.
Sound
For testing, we used the “bass =” and “treble +” modules, since, despite the apparent flatness of the frequency response when using the “treble ++” module, the sound was excessively bright. However, headphones with the “treble +” module, on the contrary, lacked sound purity. This is due to too large a step when adjusting the HF range.
I should immediately note that with the selected combination of modules, the sound of the headphones is somewhat reminiscent of the sound of the Phonak PFE 111 with black filters. However, the sound is no longer so aggressive; it has some softness, which allows you to cope with both light and heavy musical genres.
However, the low-frequency register clearly lacks speed, for example, fast drum hits are somewhat blurry. In this sense, multi-driver headphones with a separate low-frequency emitter (for example, Ultimate Ears triple.fi) are preferable.
The vocals of the SA6 are well done; the feeling of lightness inherent in the same Phonaks is absent here. Sibilants are rare. High frequencies are played almost flawlessly.
The stereo panorama has the shape of an ellipse, it is not very wide, and the instruments are evenly spaced across the imaginary stage.
conclusions
As you can see, despite the declared broadband of the emitter, a miracle still did not happen. Although the SA6 definitely sounds better than the Etymotic ER6i, they didn't manage to jump above their heads. With the correct selection of modules for frequency response correction, it is possible to achieve acceptable sound; it will not be over-emotional; rather, it can be called bland. There is a certain beauty in this sound, but not everyone will appreciate it.
Modular design is a great idea, but it hasn't been brought to fruition. The adjustment step is too large. Perhaps this is necessary so that the buyer can feel the difference between the two attachments. Great, then you can include attachments in the kit for rough sound adjustments (what comes with headphones now is quite suitable) and a few more for finer correction. In addition, the design is not the most reliable.
Sleek Audio SA6 headphones sell for 8.5 thousand rubles in Russia and for about $200 at Western auctions. It seems to me that these headphones are somewhat overrated; there is no point in overpaying for a modular design. However, if among the competitors (Phonak, Etymotic, Ortofon, Klipsch) there is nothing suitable in terms of sound, please yourself and buy this construction set. Don’t forget about the not-so-successful kit and little flexibility in adjusting the frequency response; you won’t be able to fashion a multi-driver “armature” out of them even if you want to.
The editors would like to thank the Mycroft.su store for providing the Sleek Audio SA6 headphones for testing.
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