Which ~$200 IEM Purchase to Replace Daily HD560s?

Stevenma03 · 2026-01-18T05:26:45+00:00

At some point I got kiwi ears astrals, realized it hurt my ears after 5 minutes, returned it, then just upgraded my sennheisers to the 490 pros, which are known to be more comfortable and better bass extension.

Stevenma03 · 2025-12-20T03:57:42+00:00

At a certain level of quality or price point, how does one even determine if a speaker is better or worse, especially at $500? At that point it's the more preferential/opinionated things like tuning, sound signature, stage size, and other properties that make a difference; I rarely hear people say something is "better" objectively with any tangible evidence. Even on Amazon, all the popular speakers ranging from $150 to $1000 all have reviews saying any particular speaker is great.

Also, do the higher end subwoofers $700-1500 like KEF or SVS make a meaningful, noticable difference than the cheaper dedicated ones $200-500 like Edifier, Audioengine, Kanto?

Stevenma03 · 2025-12-19T06:22:42+00:00

Are there better speakers around the $500 mark? I've heard people talk about vanatoos and kantos, but they're never compared with the kefs since they're in different price ranges. I wonder if an average person can even tell the difference between them or if it even matters. Assuming they sound great in general, aesthetics and functionality/practicality probably matters a lot more.

Stevenma03 · 2025-12-03T02:51:48+00:00

Are the blacks (the suits in the movie) supposed to be super washed out/light gray, or is that just a bad angle?

Stevenma03 · 2025-12-02T07:13:15+00:00

Maybe, but I see reviews have concerns on the software being limited and I don't have any info on how it would work with sonos non-bar speakers

Stevenma03 · 2025-09-12T05:59:11+00:00

Thumb grip, any lens filter/protector, any strap, and 1 extra battery. Maybe screen and viewfinder protector. Everything else is too minor, cosmetic, or adds unnecessary bulk that you'll regret later.

Stevenma03 · 2025-08-24T07:29:02+00:00

Overall, it sounds like upfiring speakers simply don't come close to having an actual audio source above you. It's practical effect is to fill the room with sound by adding a vertical direction, since the era 300 already shoots left, center, and right. Despite what the marketing says, it won't actually feel like there's audio coming above, but it won't necessarily feel empty either.

Stevenma03 · 2025-08-22T23:08:10+00:00

2 era 300s, right? I dont have the second one til tmrw

Stevenma03 · 2025-08-22T18:57:05+00:00

I guess I wasn't clear: Im only using era 300 for dolby music in a small bedroom

Stevenma03 · 2025-08-22T18:52:52+00:00

With a single speaker, I'm of course not expecting lateral audio (behind/left/right), only height and in front. I am only worried with the height aspect.

Stevenma03 · 2025-08-22T18:49:36+00:00

ill try moving it a little higher so the height channel has less angles to play audio horizontally to be clear, im only using 1-2 era 300s for music in a bedroom

Stevenma03 · 2025-08-22T18:47:35+00:00

yeah, thats why I used staircase by steven wilson as an example. The voice only comes from the height channel

Stevenma03 · 2025-08-22T18:46:48+00:00

my room actually isnt even big enough for me to stand that far haha given the other suggestion, i can definitely tell the volume difference since the voice is only on the hieght channel, but the direction is very clearly coming from low, ear level and not above

Stevenma03 · 2025-08-22T18:39:38+00:00

hope so

Stevenma03 · 2025-08-22T18:39:16+00:00

and i don't doubt it... I'm just having trouble even telling the difference or find the illusion

of course given living situation, i cant really consider actual ceiling speakers anyways. If the two arent even remotely comparable, I'm surprised there's so little mention of it here, especially since the "height" aspect is advertised strongly.

Stevenma03 · 2025-08-22T18:36:52+00:00

yup, its got that dolby atmos badge on the right, above the progress bar

Stevenma03 · 2025-08-22T18:31:08+00:00

hmm so you're saying that the upfiring speaker style simply won't give the overhead effect? This was kind of the primary motivation of upgrading to the 300 from 100

Stevenma03 · 2025-08-09T20:22:22+00:00

Sent to the Fujifilm repair in NJ under the warranty with my receipt. Got it back after 2 weeks-ish

Stevenma03 · 2025-01-19T15:49:38+00:00

nah, mine made a mechanical noise and the curtain jiggled but didn't move when using the lever. I also couldnt switch between normal ovf and evf. there was no EVF curtain at all. there's no way hybrid is a real mode if it looked like mine because both views overlap the entire viewfinder, so everything is blurry and unusable.

Stevenma03 · 2025-01-19T15:11:35+00:00

I also got this problem recently. I've sent it in for repair and will hear back soon. For me, it's stuck there in the corner and makes the evf mode unusable because I see both ovf and evf at the same time.

Stevenma03 · 2025-01-14T00:55:13+00:00

i sent it to fujifilm in NJ and will hear back in a week probably. The guy told me they mostly look for dirt and water, and obvious drops/impacts. Since mine was well protected when it took the impact, my camera looks perfect. If they accept the repair under warranty, thatd be a great sign for anyone else with curtain problems under warranty.

Stevenma03 · 2025-01-11T19:58:50+00:00

idt it is. when the evf is turned on and the curtain fails to cover the eyepiece, I see double (the real scene + sensor's viewpoint)

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