The Mind of Game.com has moved! Well, actually, I wouldn’t call it so much of a move. It’s more like demolishing your house and building a bigger, better house in its place. Same address, new look.

Anyway, if you’ve somehow managed to find this webpage with its default wordpress-given url, point your browser to The Mind of Game (http://www.themindofgame.com)

I hope to see you there!

Their fanboys on the other hand? They are among the most illogical, irrational, arrogant and all around idiotic group of people I have ever come across. In the past five years of going to various forums and just being in tune with the internet in general as it relates to gaming, I’ve come across just about every type of fanboy you can think of. Microsoft fanboys, Nintendo fanboys, Apple fanboys, even Sega fanboys and none of them, without exception, can compare to Sony fanboys in terms of sheer annoyance.

In my experience, I’ve noticed that nothing is ever good enough for them. There have been many reported cases of Sony fanboys getting up in arms with various gaming websites and media outlets because the score they gave one of the exclusive titles on their platform was “too low”. Gametrailers was recently hit with allegations that the 9.3 score that they gave Uncharted 2 was far below what the game actually deserved in the eyes of many Sony fanboys. Seriously?

What these fanboys need to understand that they currently do not is that reviews and the scores attached to those reviews are entirely subjective. Yes, I understand full well that reviewers are supposed to approach games as objectively as possible but, at their core, reviews are inherently subjective constructs that will inevitably be influenced by the writer’s personal beliefs and values. Fun, value and quality in general are subjective concepts that are used to form the basis of what score a game will receive.

Now that I’ve established that, it’s important to realize that because reviews are inherently subjective, opinions on what score a particular game deserves will differ from person to person. Obviously, there is no one score that Uncharted 2 “deserves” above any other and what you believe it deserves is only in your opinion. You have to realize that, while you may believe a game deserves a 9.5 or a 10, your opinion is not meant to be universally accepted. The problem is Sony fanboys (and to a lesser extent, fanboys in general) don’t realize that. It’s perfectly fine to disagree with reviews; it is not fine to attack the reviewer or reviewers because of said disagreement. Not only are you committing a logical fallacy but you’re demonstrating remarkable immaturity.

Another problem they have is with the prospect of their beloved games going multiplatform. While there have been a number of games throughout the generation that Sony fanboys have been rather vocal about when it was announced that they would be making their way to the Xbox 360 (Devil May Cry 4, Tekken 6, etc.) , these all pale in comparison to one game and that game is, as you’ve likely guessed, Final Fantasy XIII. The very day the game was announced for the Xbox 360 at E3 2008, petitions sprang up across the net, created by bitter Final Fantasy fans who were positively enraged that the Xbox 360 would be receiving a port of the game.

I wish I was kidding.

The following is a direct, unedited quote from the most prolific of the petitions I found online.

“We, PS3 owners, are very angered at the fact that Microsoft stole one our most awaited exclusive. We are angered that the game Final Fantasy 13 goes multi-platform and immediatly demand to Square Enix that they change their decision and make the game an exclusive PS3 title.

There is no point for Final Fantasy 13 to be on the Xbox 360. Final Fantasy 13 should only be on the PS3. End of story!”

My reaction to these petitions

And trust me, it gets worse but I’m not going to print those here. If you want to see those petitions, here, let me Google that for you.

Now I could understand their frustrations if the game was cancelled on the PS3 and moved over to the Xbox 360 exclusively but throwing a tantrum because Square has decided to port the game to another console? That is utterly ridiculous. What’s worse is that this petition accrued thousands of signatures. Clearly, the creator of the petition was far from alone in his or her line of thinking.

But what could bring about these kinds of thoughts in regards to games that were previously exclusive being released for the Xbox 360 as well? Well, I have a theory about that. I’ve noticed a number of attributes that Sony fanboys typically possess over the years but the one thing that stands out above all others is their unreasonable sense of entitlement. They believe that every game on their platform, no matter which company may have developed it and published on their platform is theirs and theirs alone. They look down upon fans of other consoles for not possessing these games and when those fans do get the chance to play those games, Sony Fanboys can’t take it.

Their sense of entitlement also contributes to their constant contention with reviews that disagree with their preconceived notions about games that they haven’t even played yet and would thus be ill-equipped to give an honest opinion on the game in question in the first place. They believe that the games that they have been following so long (but haven’t played) deserve incredibly high scores purely because they exist on whatever PlayStation console they may be supporting at that particular moment.

I know that a number of you must be thinking at this point “Well, everything you said can be applied to any fanboy group right?” and to that I say, yes but not to the same degree it can be said about Sony fanboys. I am not saying that Nintendo fanboys and Microsoft fanboys aren’t equally illogical at different times but in terms of sheer volume, Sony fanboys have them all beat by a country mile. I’d wager that it can be largely attributed to the fact that, last generation, the PlayStation 2 was the most prolific console of them all by quite a large margin.

So, what prompted me to write this editorial/rant now and why have I been waiting so long to do so? Honestly, as much as Sony Fanboys have annoyed me, I’ve hardly viewed this being worthy of writing at length about. Over time, I’ve been watching Sony Fanboys and the evidence to support my claims has been mounting against them and this has turned into a case of the straw that broke the camel’s back. The final straw was a combination of seeing some fanboys complaining about GameSpot’s 9.0 review score for God of War III and this crap.

Now the God of War III thing? I’m willing to let that slide. Fanboys constantly get their panties in a bunch over review scores but seriously? Booing because you have the chance to win a Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 bundle (as opposed to a PS3 and a copy of the game)? For free? That’s utter nonsense and is emblematic of nearly everything I’ve said.

I wish I could say I’ve covered everything in this editorial but this is just the tip of the iceberg and believe me; it just gets worse from here. When Square announced that they cut “a full game’s worth of content” from Final Fantasy XIII, of course, Sony fanboys immediately blamed the Xbox 360 for this. I’ve even seen Sony fanboys say that their favorite franchises have been “dumbed down” across both systems for the sake of the “Xbox audience” when they were ported. What’s sad about this is that these things aren’t uncommon occurrences either.

To wrap this up, allow me to say that I have no problem with Sony fans. See the word I used there? Fans. Some people believe that there is no difference between a fan and a fanboy and that’s not true at all. A fan of something is logical, accepting of flaws in the things they enjoy and keep an open mind to opinions that they may not agree with but will nevertheless respect. A fanboy is incapable of these things. So, Sony fans should not be offended by anything I’ve said because, odds are, none of it applies to you. Unfortunately, if you are offended by this then you’re likely one of the fanboys I’ve been talking about.

I’m pretty sure that a number of Sony fanboys are going to see this and are understandably going to be frustrated. Well, if you think I’m wrong and have a dissenting opinion you’d like to share, feel free to leave a comment. Although I have total dominion over this site and all comments that come in, I won’t reject a comment purely because I disagree with it. If you think I’m wrong and give me a good argument as to why you believe I’m wrong, I’ll probably approve the comment. If all you want to do is call me an idiot then you might as well not waste your time. But then again, maybe I will. If all you do is call me an idiot and leave, you’ll just be proving how right I am.

Introduction

Altec Lansing has a long history of making a wide range of audio equipment and has built something of a reputation for themselves as a manufacturer. In the audiophile community, particularly with the IEM subsection, they’re relatively unknown and unnoticed. Their “upgrader” line of IEMs seek to change that, offering people a number of options when looking to upgrade from the cheap stock earbuds that shipped with whatever MP3 player they may be carrying.

The Backbeat Pros are among their top-tier offerings, offering single balanced armature speakers as opposed to the traditional dynamic drivers and pledging to offer “reference quality” sonic reproduction of your favorite music. Do the Altec Lansing Backbeat Pros live up to that highly ambitious claim or do they come up short? Read on to find out.

Technical Specifications

Driver: Single Balanced Armature
Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
Impedance: 29 Ω
Sensitivity: 105 dB SPL/mW @ 1 kHz
Cable Length: 46″ 1.2m
Isolation: 26 dB

Packaging and Accessories

The packaging is quite average for a pair of IEMs in this price range. It doesn’t lack in any one area but doesn’t scream out at you either. The only thing that disappoints me is the accessory package. In the box alongside the IEMs themselves are four pairs of silicone ear tips in small, medium and large sizes and a pair of small bi-flanges and a soft clamshell carrying case embossed with the Altec Lansing logo. That’s it. This might be acceptable at the price range if there weren’t IEMs like the M9s on the market which come with many more accessories for a lower price.

Build Quality

The housings are made entirely of plastic and have a slightly rubberized or soft touch finish. They don’t feel brittle or weak in the least, quite the contrary, despite their plastic build, they actually feel quite durable. The cable boasts a soft and rubbery translucent coating over silver, braided wiring. This cable design immediately draws some comparison to the M9P IEMs which have a similar design. Honestly, the M9P’s cable actually feels sturdier and is less microphonic to my ears. The angled L-plug seems to be very sturdy and is properly relieved. The only real areas of concern are the strain reliefs on the cable entry into the housings, which are very short but even then, they don’t seem as though they’d be a very big problem in the long term.

Ultimately, the prime judge of confidence in the durability of a pair of IEMs for me is whether or not I’d feel comfortable carrying these around without a pocket without a case to protect them and honestly, I wouldn’t feel too worried about doing just that. The cables are soft and pliable while still feeling quite durable and the housings feel as though they could take a good amount of everyday abuse over a long period of time.

Comfort and Fit

Using the smallest single flange ear tips, I was able to achieve a comfortable seal. These are ported at the rear but isolation didn’t seem to suffer and in fact isolate better than my RE0s and M9Ps. The housings are very light and are very comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Altec Lansing’s single flange silicone ear tips differ from the norm in that they’re slightly tapered towards the back, where the ear tips fasten on the nozzle and likely as a result; these are among the most solid sealing and isolating IEMs I’ve used.

Sound Quality

What immediately strikes me about these IEMs is their forward mids. The midrange is thoroughly dominant and is the best frequency range in terms of clarity and overall quality. Vocals and stringed instruments come through loud and clear but with a hint of artificiality. The low end is very punchy and reasonably fast but is also rather boomy. Sub-bass extension is somewhat lacking, and they start to roll off past 100 Hz but there’s a strange peak at about 40 Hz. I stated in my review that the low end wasn’t very pronounced and my opinion hasn’t changed in that regard but I have noticed how smooth it is and that it is lacking in terms of detail. Highs are well detailed and crisp without being fatiguing but treble extension leaves a bit to be desired, as these roll off pretty quickly after 14 kHz or so.

The soundstage and imaging are decent all around. While the soundstage sounds pretty narrow and a little bit congested, the end result is an intimate listening experience. The narrow soundstage does cut down on the ability to detect where different instruments are positioned within the pseudo-studio in your head so imaging suffers overall but not so much so that it significantly impairs the experience.

Across the frequency spectrum, I couldn’t help but notice that they sound quite soft and veiled despite their forward mids and slightly aggressive presentation. These are pretty forward sounding IEMs but as in your face as they seem to be they don’t seem like they’re trying to get your attention. Instead, they’re merely staring at you. You can’t help but notice that they’re so up front but they aren’t slapping you in the face. Clinical is how I described them in my initial impressions and that hasn’t changed. Overall, the sound signature is somewhat cold and fairly revealing but they’re not what I’d call analytical. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just different. While there are a few flaws in the sonic presentation, there isn’t anything these do horribly wrong.

Conclusion

These are middle-of the road IEMs to my ears. Sound quality is above average for the price as these do a decent job at resolving detailed source material. These aren’t the most dynamic or exciting IEMs on the market and are rather cold and clinical sounding on the sound spectrum. Currently, these can be found for around $30 – $40 at many online retailers such as Amazon and eBay. At that price, these aren’t a bad choice. Personally, I’d rather listen to my MEElectronics M9P IEMs over these because they boast a very “fun” sounding sound signature while boasting enough detail throughout the sonic spectrum to satisfy my inner detail freak. For those of you who are looking for a bass light and mid-centric pair of IEMs, these are a great choice for the price. While they don’t quite live up to Altec Lansing’s claim of providing “reference quality” sound but what they do; they do pretty well for the price.

When does a game become more than just a game? When can a game invoke the same emotional response from a player that cinema can from viewers or a piece of music can from its listeners? In this humble reviewer’s opinion, it takes a great deal of effort to create a truly transcendent experience in a game that plays with your emotions and keeps you hooked from the moment you power the game on until you’ve reached its conclusion. Mass Effect 2 is one of those games. It combines some of the best third person shooting and RPG mechanics with a fantastically dark narrative, a remarkable cast of characters, sharp writing, well-directed cutscenes and an epic soundtrack to create an experience that is more than just a game. It’s an amazing cinematic event, and one that’s among the best of its kind.

Click here to be taken to the full screenshot gallery

To get the most enjoyment out of Mass Effect 2, one has to have finished Mass Effect 1 at least once and imported their character from there into Mass Effect 2. Doing this grants you several benefits in the form of a higher starting level, depending on the level you attained in Mass Effect 1, starting credits, minerals and Paragon and Renegade points. In addition to the immediate benefits gained, all of the choices you made in Mass Effect 1 carry over into the sequel which will result in different side missions, NPCs and conversation options appearing in different situations.

Some of the largest changes to Mass Effect 2 come in the form of the revamped combat system. The combat system in Mass Effect 2 is far more streamlined. The “ability wheel” interface from the original returns in improved form with the new biotic and tech abilities as well as old favorites being more integrated with the combat this time around with the addition of hotkeys. By mapping specific abilities to buttons on the controller, it’s easier to coordinate attacks to best thwart your opponents.

The new “Shockwave” ability is incredibly fun and often hilarious to use

Bioware stated that they wanted Mass Effect 2 to be more entertaining for the shooter crowd than Mass Effect 1 and in large part, they’ve succeeded. Weapons feel much more satisfying to wield in combat because they feel as though they pack more of a punch.  Whereas in the original Mass Effect, weapons had unlimited ammunition and were only limited as to how many rounds they could fire in any stretch of time by how long it took them to overheat, in Mass Effect 2, this has received a massive overhaul. Weapons no longer overheat but the tradeoff is that they now use “thermal clips” which, as you’ve likely guessed, are essentially the same as ammo you’ll find in typical shooters. Given that your ammo is limited, you have to be careful about how you attack your enemies. Utilizing your special abilities as well as those of your squad mates to whittle down your opponents’ health before taking them down with well-placed shots is a much more viable strategy than simply running in, guns blazing.

One significant addition to the Mass Effect 2 armory is heavy weaponry. These weapons can pack a devastating punch and have their own ammunition. Using an assault rifle or shotgun is certainly very entertaining, but there’s something special about obliterating a squadron of Geth troops with a single massive shot from one of the more exciting heavy weapons in your arsenal. The ammo for these weapons is often hard to come by so, as expected, they’re best saved for larger opponents and confrontations.

Like these…

Combat feels smoother all around, thanks to greatly improved cover mechanics. Instead of pushing the left thumbstick toward a wall to take cover behind it, all you have to do is press the A button, much like Gears of War so transitioning from cover to cover feels much more fluid this time around. Of course, it’s not perfect. You can’t do any sort of rolls or tumbles to get to cover that may be a bit out of your reach and there have been some times when Shepard misinterpreted my command to “take cover” as “take cover and then vault over said cover into enemy fire”, which usually resulted in premature death.

Taking down squadrons of enemies has never felt better because, in addition to being far better at avoiding bullets and firing back a few of their own this time, your enemies react appropriately to being shot. Shoot them in the leg and their mobility will be undermined, hit them with a sudden burst of SMG fire and they may stagger backward. Shoot an organic enemy with incendiary rounds and they’ll flail around trying to put the fire out as their health slowly deteriorates or shoot a humanoid mech in the knee and that leg might be blown away entirely, causing them to fall to the ground and crawl toward you, still intent on taking you down at all costs.  Because of all of these changes and refinements, combat in this game is immensely satisfying and rewarding.

Above all when looking at Mass Effect 2 is how much it has changed in comparison to its predecessor. Many things have been revamped or removed from the game completely. First and foremost, Commander Shepard’s six wheeled tank from the first game, the Mako and its accompanying driving sections have been removed completely. The inventory system, which was largely viewed as clunky and tedious to organize in Mass Effect 1? Gone. In its place is a relatively intuitive weapon loadout system that appears before every mission. Commander Shepard now has one suit of armor that can be augmented with different upgrades that suit varying styles of play.

With such radical changes in place, it’s easy to assume that Bioware has “dumbed down” Mass Effect 2 but that’s not the case. What Mass Effect 2 does is streamline nearly everything. You no longer have to worry about whether or not your decryption skill is high enough to allow you to open a locked chest or deal with a lot of inventory micromanagement such as choosing which items to keep and which to convert into omni-gel or sell to free valuable inventory space which commonly broke up the pacing of the first game.

The narrative in Mass Effect 2 is far darker and much more bleak than that of the first game. From the start, you know that this is a mission that you and your team may not survive. Shepard is immediately thrust into a galaxy-wide conflict against the menacing and insect-like Collectors, who are abducting entire human colonies for reasons unknown. In order to combat this looming threat to humanity, you are tasked with building a team of operatives with varying specialties that will assist you in eliminating the threat, once and for all.

Bioware has long been known for its storytelling abilities and in-depth and realistic character development and Mass Effect 2 is no exception. Writing is witty, engaging, funny, poignant and gut-wrenching at different points and consistently sharp throughout. This may be surprising to some given that many believe that the narrative takes a backseat in Mass Effect 2 in favor of highlighting relationships between Shepard and the Normandy crew. Because of this, it is commonly thought that Mass Effect 2’s story is weaker than that of Mass Effect 1. With that opinion, I strongly disagree. In Mass Effect 2, the characters themselves are the story and your interaction with them controls how the narrative is told and develops. This brings to the game an almost unparalleled level of interaction in shaping the narrative.

The Collectors

Mass Effect 2 makes you look forward to talking with the Normandy crew, which is perhaps the deepest and most genuinely interesting group of characters ever assembled in a videogame. Many games, such as the Gears of War series feature a cast of one-dimensional characters that do very little to make you care for them. In Mass Effect 2, there is no shortage of amazing characters who are all remarkably different from one another. From the brooding and contemplative Thane (my favorite character), to ever logical and constantly amusing Mordin (another of my favorite characters), interesting conversations are always just around the corner because the characters have so much…character.

Bioware takes the character interaction and development to another level with the “Loyalty Missions” that exist for each of your squad mates. As you recruit each character, there is always something on their mind that preoccupies them that they will eventually express to you, if you take the time to ask. Each of these missions delves into each character’s respective past and adds layers of depth and complexity to their already incredibly well developed personas and gives you even more reason to care about them.

Character models are a definite improvement over the original

The much lauded dialogue system from the first game returns in improved form. Once again, there is no black or white in Mass Effect 2’s Paragon/Renegade morality system, merely shades of gray. One of the improvements made is the introduction of the interrupt system, which allows Shepard to interrupt a character during a conversation or at a particularly heated moment of a cutscene by performing a Paragon or Renegade action. The choices you’ll make in Mass Effect 2 seem smaller in comparison to those in the original but they’re rarely lacking in terms of impact and you can truly feel as though particularly big choices will have a significant effect on the narrative in the inevitable sequel.

The audio/visual presentation has received a substantial upgrade from Mass Effect 1 as well. Character models, which were already quite good in the original, have received a few noticeable improvements but the biggest change is in the environments. Most of the set pieces created for Mass Effect were certainly good but those on display in Mass Effect 2 are phenomenal and boast a great deal of refinement over the original. Environs are varied, alive and a joy to explore, much more so than those in the original, since the cookie-cutter and sparsely populated worlds that existed for side missions are gone. Once again, Bioware impresses with their commitment to creating an aurally engaging experience by developing a fantastic audio presentation. The soundtrack deviates a bit from the 80’s sci-fi esque style of the previous game and takes on a darker, orchestral theme, which suits the similarly dark narrative. Voice acting is, once again, superb and is undoubtedly some of the best voice work ever seen in a game.

Futuristic science fiction titles are a dime a dozen these days but the universe Bioware has created here is nothing short of remarkable. There is an almost palpable atmosphere within each of the game’s many locales that makes them feel unique and believable. Even actions as mundane as walking around become interesting in Mass Effect 2.  Whether you’re walking past a Salarian game salesman talking about the latest role playing games, listening in on a Krogan serenading his lost love or walking through the front door of the Afterlife club into the pseudo atrium, hearing the muffled music pulsating around you and then walking into the club itself, the music no longer muffled and now rippling through you as you look around at a nightclub that’s been modeled to appear to be the bowels of Hell, Mass Effect 2 has a penchant for adding personality to the mundane. There really is no other game out there that oozes personality as much as Mass Effect 2 and handles it with such style and grace. Nothing ever feels forced and everything is always incredibly natural.

Environments are pretty darn impressive as well

Of course, there is no such thing as a perfect game and Mass Effect 2 is no exception. First off, you’ll have to fly around the star systems in the Galaxy Map aboard the Normandy and scan planets for valuable minerals you’ll need to research the many crucial upgrades for your weaponry, armor, biotic and tech abilities and the Normandy itself. This scanning process involves slowly dragging a targeting reticule over the surface of planets searching for mineral spikes and launching probes to recover the minerals. This is as exciting as it sounds. The bright side of this is, on some planets, you can uncover anomalies which lead to new side missions but this doesn’t stop it from being tedious in the first place. You have to do this constantly for relatively long periods of time in order acquire enough resources to purchase the upgrades you need. At first, this feels like a decent occasional break from the action packed combat and story missions but it quickly spirals into monotony.

During my nearly 40 hour run, I ran into a couple of glitches and bugs. The first glitch I encountered was somehow getting trapped in the level’s geometry and being unable to free myself. This prompted me to load my last saved game which was very annoying when it occurred. The AI, while a massive improvement over the original Mass Effect still has a few moments that make them seem like they’re severely lacking in the “intelligence” department. For instance, enemies sometimes don’t react to grenades thrown in their direction and there have been a number of times in which I’ve seen soldiers jump over barriers and stand there staring stupidly at me until I implanted a few bullets between their eyes. Another glitch occurred very rarely but involved the audio suddenly becoming heavily distorted and cutting out altogether for a few seconds during combat scenarios. Thankfully, all of these glitches combined only happened a small handful of times and weren’t enough to really detract from the overall experience, which is a far cry from what some players experienced in the first Mass Effect.

Mass Effect 2 is more than just a game. The level of emotional involvement is above and beyond that of any other game I’ve played to date and I would venture as far as to say that I’ve never played another game as engaging as this. Mass Effect 2 is an epic rollercoaster ride that grabs you tight and doesn’t let you go until the 30 – 40 hour campaign is over. The universe is so well imagined and the campaign so entertaining that you’ll want to come back for repeat playthroughs multiple times over. The few problems this game has are so trivial in light of everything that Mass Effect 2 does so well that they’re easily overlooked. In short, this is an experience that should not be missed by any Xbox 360 owner. This truly is one of the best games ever released on the Xbox 360 and is, I daresay, one of the best games of all time.

Introduction

Shortly after I received my RE0s, I happened to be browsing eBay for a new pair of Bass-Freq earbuds because as much as I liked my RE0s, I wanted to replace my outgoing Bass-Freq earbuds because I liked their bass response when listening to certain music. During that time, I came across an auction for a pair of V-Moda Vibe IEMs for $30 (open-box) and I jokingly asked my father if he’d like to split the price with me. To my surprise, he said yes and I went ahead and ordered them. Having prior experience with V-Moda’s products, I was curious to see how the big brothers to the inexpensive Bass-Freq earbuds sounded in comparison.

Technical Specifications

Driver: 9mm dynamic driver
Frequency Response: 12 Hz – 22 kHz
Impedance: 16 Ohms
Sensitivity: 92 dB (at 1kHz 1mW)
Cable Length: N/A

Packaging/Accessories

As I stated before, these arrived in open box form without an actual box to contain them so I can’t judge the overall quality of the packaging for myself but I’ve heard it is fairly good and from what I’ve seen, it’s pretty attractive.

All of the accessories included with the boxed versions of the V-Moda Vibes were included in the auction as well. The list of included accessories is pretty standard, which includes six pairs of single flange silicone fittings in both clear and black, the Modawrap cable wrapper accessory I mentioned in my Bass-Freq review and a small black leather pouch to carry the IEMs around in. In short, the accessory pack is good, but not spectacular.

Design and Build Quality

If there’s one thing the Vibes get right, it’s their highly attractive and classy design. V-Moda is a very style-conscious brand and the original Vibes are perhaps the best looking IEMs they’ve produced and have this sort of hipster/fashonista vibe (pun unintended) about them. The housings are polished aluminum and very attractive. They are described as “semi-open” and in my experience, aren’t very good at attenuating exterior noise.

The cable is a fabric cloth knit style used on plenty of other IEMs and is marketed as “tangle-free” but that isn’t entirely true. Cable noise is decently controlled when worn straight down and extremely low when worn over the ear. The cable is decently relieved at the 3.5mm plug but at the point of entry into the housings, strain reliefs are non-existent, leading to some concerns about long-term durability.

Overall, the lightweight aluminum housings and the fabric covered cable feel durable enough to take a fair amount of abuse but the lack of proper strain reliefs on the cable entry points on the housings is a cause for some concern.

Comfort/Fit: Using the clear small fittings, I was able to create a solid and comfortable seal. The housings are lightweight and while wearing them, I hardly notice they’re in my ears at all, whether I’m wearing them over the ear or straight down.

Sound Quality

Burn-in: These IEMs were given 50+ hours of burn-in prior to review and settled into their final sound signature after about 10 hours.

Low End: The most prominent frequency range. Bass is boomy and warm but lacking in detail and control. Bass begins to rumble at about 20Hz, denoting good sub-bass extension but the somewhat muddy midbass is sometimes too overpowering for the sub-bass range to be distinguished and enjoyed.

Midrange: Smooth and recessed. Vocals come through loud and clear but clarity is lacking and the bass can creep up on the lower mids, making them sound somewhat muffled.

Highs/Treble: Good clarity and sparkle but rolls off pretty quickly in the upper treble region. Highs are much tamer sounding than most IEMs in my experience and far less prone to sibilance which is a good thing for people who are sensitive to that sort of thing.

Soundstage: Very wide, deep and airy for an IEM. The semi-open design of the Vibes certainly helps in that regard and is very pleasing overall.

Overall Sound Signature: The Vibes are very laid back and muffled IEMs to my ears, despite their prominent bass. Sound is full but it lacks richness. These sound very warm and somewhat dark due to their low end emphasis and tame treble. Clarity is decent and the airiness and width of their soundstage adds to their appeal.

Surprisingly, despite their low impedance rating of 16 ohms, these benefit quite a bit from amping. Particularly, the bass, which is usually muddy and uncontrolled, tightens considerably. The midrange comes forward ever so slightly and clarity increases. I’d highly recommend using them with a decent amp.

Conclusion

These certainly aren’t the best IEMs I’ve ever heard but they are indeed an improvement over their cheaper siblings. For the price I paid, I’m satisfied with them but it’s worth noting that the price I was able to get them for is far below the price these typically retail for. For the recommended retail price of $60, these are more difficult to recommend, especially when you consider that these need to be paired with an amp to shine. $60 is a very tricky price point for the Vibes, as one can easily pick up the Backbeat Pros (which I can attest to personally), Maximo iM-590 or Thinksound Rains which are all sonically superior. Overall, I can only recommend these to people who enjoy deep bass and say that those who desire more neutral sound should steer clear of these. They’re decent, but even for those who are looking for bass cannons, there are better choices.

Headphone amps are pretty much standard equipment in the setups of audiophiles everywhere. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of research on headphone amps and come across a number of different amps in all shapes and sizes but the one type of amp that piqued my interest was the “CMoy” amp. This type of amp, designed years ago by Chu Moy is an unconventional but powerful amp design that can be made by anyone with the right parts and a soldering iron. Well, I don’t consider myself one of the handiest of guys with a soldering iron at the moment so, instead of taking a chance and trying to build one myself, I decided to buy one that had been pre-made from a company called JDS Labs. After a few hours of listening, I’m impressed.

My previous experience with headphone amps is definitely limited, as the only ones I’ve ever owned are the Fiio E5 and E1 portable amps. I decided to get these after buying my RE0s because of their relatively high impedance and thinking that they would need a bit more power than my iPod Touch could provide on its own. The Fiio amps are good for what they are but they really don’t pack a big enough punch to add that special something to most of my headphones. So, I decided to pick up a more powerful amp that I could use to power the headphones I currently have and those I add to my collection in the future.  A CMoy amp was a natural choice because they are plenty powerful, offer great sound quality and are inexpensive.  As long as you get a good one that is.

And let me tell you, the JDS Labs CMoy BB is definitely good.

It would be good enough if it merely amplified the signal going to my headphones enough to unleash their full sonic potential but the one thing that makes this CMoy stand out from the average homemade CMoy amp you can find on eBay for varying amounts is in its very name. I am of course talking about the bass boost feature.

As you can see in the picture above, there’s an internal toggle switch that boosts the low end considerably. The Fiio E5 had a similar feature but it was nowhere near as impactful or enjoyable as the boost generated by this amp. Toggled off, the frequency response is quite flat and neutral; coloring the sound no more than any other amp I’ve used but with the bass boost feature on, the bass comes alive. This feature turns my normally neutral RE0s into bass monsters. The RE0s already had good bass detail so the result of this amplification merely allowed that aspect of the RE0’s performance stand out. As much as I enjoyed my RE0s before, I enjoy them even more now with the increased bass response which benefits my tastes in music.

Honestly, the bass boost feature is almost worth the price of admission by itself. For people who desire more transparent sound, as I said before, without the bass boost feature toggled on, the frequency response is flat which is good if you have headphones that already have enough bass for your tastes. Seeing as I love my bass and the RE0s are relatively light in that regard (but not too much so that it sounds imbalanced), this was a natural choice for me. The geek factor of owning a headphone amp that’s enclosed in an Altoids tin is a nice bonus too.

Overall, despite my limited experience with headphone amplifiers, I can tell that this one is pretty good. I don’t expect that this can compete with the likes of more expensive amplifiers that can cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars (!) but for the price (about $70 including shipping); the performance is excellent so far and I’m sure that this competes well above its price range. I’ve heard that many headphone amplifiers (as well as this one) need a few dozen hours of burn in before they sound their best but even now, I’m definitely impressed. This is an easy recommendation for people on a budget who need a little more juice to power their high impedance headphones and/or would like to add a bit more “oomph” to the low end.

Since I got my RE0s and I started going to Head-Fi, I’ve been…experimenting with a number of different headphones/earphones and listening to the various sound signatures these devices create. In the short time since I received my RE0s, I’ve heard (of course) the RE0s the V-Moda Vibes, MEElectronics M9Ps, Koss KSC75s (with some light modifications) and one of the only things I haven’t yet heard is an IEM with a balanced armature speaker. Well, a few nights ago, I happened to be browsing eBay for some reason and in that time, I came across the Altec Lansing Backbeat Pro IEMs.

The auction I happened upon was open-box and on sale for about $16. I did some research on them and saw that the MSRP was about $100 but they were retailing at most online retailers I saw for about $30. Apparently, Altec Lansing has a number of IEMs on the market and many of them are simply rebranded versions of IEMs from Ultimate Ears with the Backbeat Pros being Altec Lansing’s version of the Super.fi 4 IEMs from Ultimate Ears. After doing a little more research into the sound quality, I said “what the heck” and ordered them. Shipping was strangely fast for USPS and I received them early Saturday and went about putting them through their paces after watching a movie (The Hurt Locker, great film by the way).

First off, I was immediately slapped in the face by the midrange presentation. The midrange is the dominant frequency range on these IEMs by quite a bit and is very forward and aggressive. Because of this, it’s also somewhat fatiguing. I did notice a tiny bit of harshness when listening to some busy tracks. High end and treble is in many ways, similar to the midrange in that it too is quite aggressive. Treble is sharp and sparkly and pretty much devoid of harshness but it’s also somewhat edgy and fatiguing. The low end on the other hand is somewhat recessed and lacking in comparison. Bass is there and makes its presence known when it needs to but it lacks in quantity in sub-bass levels and there’s a prominent midbass hump. Texture and definition are also lacking in regards to the low end.

Upon taking them out of the box, I wasn’t wowed by the clarity of these IEMs because they sounded somewhat veiled to my ears, despite the aggressiveness of the midrange. After a few hours of listening to them with various types of music, the veil seems to have been lifted. In comparison to the RE0s, my benchmark in terms of overall sound quality and clarity, the Backbeat Pros can’t compete but they are still very clear to my ears. Soundstaging is less impressive, as it is pretty narrow but separation is good. The result of this somewhat narrow soundstage is a very intimate listening experience.

Overall, the sound signature is pretty good, if surprisingly aggressive. While the low end doesn’t impress, the quality of the mids and highs goes a long way towards making up for it. I will say that the Backbeat Pros sound a tad artificial and, in a word, clinical in comparison to my other IEMs. This may just be one of the cons of the balanced armature design and it’s not something that I consider a big turn off.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least partially impressed by the Backbeat Pros. Fit and comfort are surprisingly great and I can hardly feel the IEMs in my ears when using the standard single flange eartips. Sonic performance is good considering the current retail price, which typically hovers around $30 but honestly, I’m having more fun with my M9Ps than I am with the Backbeat Pros. In my current collection, these are in a strange position. When I’m in the mood for fun, I’m going to reach for my M9Ps and when I want to feed my inner detail freak, I’m grabbing my RE0s. These are difficult to recommend in that regard. Are they good? Certainly. But at either end of the spectrum, there are better choices. I will say that these are probably going to be better than the M9Ps for some genres due to their emphasis on the mids as opposed to the low end so my advice is to give them a trial run and see how they work for you. Who knows? You may like what you hear.

Introduction

The M9P IEMs hail from a small California-based company by the name of MEElectronics. They produce a wide range of IEMs that cater to different users with various sound signatures. The M9 and M9P IEMs are among the most inexpensive products available and are currently selling for $20 and $23 respectively. I decided to buy the M9P IEMs because they not only function as earphones but will also have use as a headset for my cell phone and iPod Touch. After breaking them in and listening to them with a variety of music in my collection, these are my favorite IEMs in the sub $30 price range. So without further delay, read on for my thoughts on the MEElectronics M9P IEMs.

Technical Specifications

Driver: 9mm dynamic driver
Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20KHz
Impedance: 16 Ohm
Sensitivity: 95dB/mW
Cable Length: 1.2m/4ft.

Packaging/Accessories: The M9Ps come packaged in an attractive transparent box and include a bevy of accessories including a hard zippered case, a cable wrapper, four sets of silicone eartips which includes a set of biflanges, a shirt clip and an airline adapter. Considering that the M9Ps only cost about $23, MEElectronics has included a highly impressive accessory package that puts many other inexpensive IEMs to shame.

Design and Build Quality: The M9Ps feature lightweight aluminum housings which feel durable and are ported at the rear to allow for more air flow. This helps with the low end response and the soundstage but cuts down the isolation.

The cable is perhaps the best I’ve seen on any IEM. It’s lined with what appears to be delicate braided silver wiring inside and coated with a transparent plastic coating that both looks very attractive and makes it feel very durable. The cable is properly relieved at both ends which inspires confidence in terms of long term durability. Because of the great cable design, microphonics are negligible when worn straight down and practically non-existent when worn over-the-ear.

All in all, these are very attractive and durable IEMs that should be able to stand up to pretty heavy usage and last quite a long time.

Comfort and Fit: MEElectronics includes three pairs of single flange silicone eartips as well as a pair of bi-flanges for deeper insertion and better isolation. I have small ear canals so I opted for the smallest single flange tips and managed to get a good seal. The included silicone eartips are fairly soft and made the M9Ps very comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

One thing that was a constant point of contention with the M9s is the seal itself. Now it’s common knowledge that IEMs require a good seal in order to sound their best but the M9Ps take that concept to another level. Simply put, I’ve never come across an IEM that was as finicky about the seal as the M9P. If the seal wasn’t absolutely perfect, the resultant sound was imbalanced, shallow or just plain bad. That said, using the M9Ps while on the move isn’t the best idea because of their need for a perfect seal.

Sound Quality

Usage/Burn-in: These IEMs have been given 50+ hours of burn-in prior to review but settled into their final sound signature after about 10 – 15 hours.

Low End: The most dominant frequency range on the M9Ps is also the best detailed. Prior to burn in, the bass was somewhat muddy but now, it has tightened up and boasts surprising refinement. Bass is still a bit boomy but not too much so. Extension is pretty good as well, reaching down into the sub bass levels before rolling off.

Midrange: Definitely recessed in comparison to the other two frequencies (especially the bass) but not so much so that it is overly detrimental to the overall sound signature. They’re smooth and don’t stand out too prominently, which may disappoint fans of Rock and Alternative music. The low end can creep up on bassier tracks which does make the midrange sound a bit washed out in comparison but overall, I think they are decently detailed.

Highs/Treble: Nice extension, detail and clarity. There’s a bit of harshness in the upper treble region but overall, highs are pleasant sounding and have a nice sparkle.

Soundstage: Wide and airy. Imaging isn’t too great but instrument separation is surprisingly good.

Sound Signature: Dark, warm, thumpy and very fun. Very bass forward and somewhat aggressive but rarely fatiguing. I love the sound signature of these when listening to Hip-Hop, Jazz and R&B. I think the low end is a bit too overpowering to be used with much Rock and Alternative music and the highs are a bit too harsh to be used with Classical but overall, these are very versatile and will work with a large number of genres that I haven’t mentioned. This is definitely the best and most entertaining sound signature I’ve heard for the price.

Microphone Quality: Very good considering the price. Voices come through clean and clear and the microphone does a decent job of filtering out ambient noise but can get overwhelmed in noisy environments. It works well for making phone calls as well as Skype calls on the iPod Touch.

Conclusion

As a whole, I’m very impressed with the M9P IEMs. They are well designed, perform above their price range and are, above all, inexpensive. $23 is a very small price to pay for a great pair of IEMs and considering that price, I can’t find much fault with them. While the bass may be a bit too deep for some listeners and there can be some harshness in the treble region, there isn’t much these do wrong. If you’re looking for a fun pair of IEMs that will work as a headset for your iPhone or other cell phone, sound good and won’t put a strain on your wallet, look no further. These things are practically a steal.

Early last week as I was browsing the forums at Head-Fi, I was alerted to a discount special by MEElectronics, a small California-based manufacturer of various gadgets such as DAPs and IEMs. Having read a few reviews on their more popular IEMs, the $40 M6 and the M9, which apparently uses the same dynamic driver and retails for about $20, I looked over their product lineup and settled on the slightly more expensive M9P, which comes with a built-in inline microphone which I figured I could use for making Skype calls with my iPod Touch. Yesterday (after a few shipping gaffes by USPS), I received my M9Ps and immediately gave them a listen straight out of the box.

When listening to these for the first time, you can’t help but notice the bass-centric presentation of the M9P because it practically reaches out and smacks you with it. The sound signature is dark, warm and dominated by the low end. The deep, punchy and decently textured bass is easily the biggest strength and biggest weakness of the M9Ps. On one hand the increased bass response is great for Hip-Hop and Rap as well as Techno, some Jazz and Electronica. On the other hand, the bass may be too boomy and “flabby” to some listeners. I’ve found that it does bleed  into the midrange a bit and as a result, the mids are slightly recessed. To my surprise, the treble has a decent amount of sparkle and is pretty well extended, which rounds out the sound signature nicely.

One thing that’s missing from the experience is clarity in the sound signature. These are not the most detail-oriented IEMs out there and due to that pronounced low end, there’s a lot to be desired in terms of transparency. Accuracy lovers probably aren’t going to be pleased with these overall. Then again, it’s highly unlikely that detail freaks would be looking at a $20 pair of IEMs to suit their needs.

What’s really surprising about the M9Ps is their airiness and the depth and width of their soundstage. Instrument separation is excellent for the price and imaging is fairly decent as well. I’d even go as far as to say that the soundstage is wider than that of my RE0s which, for a $20 pair of IEMs, is pretty impressive.

As I said before, the M9P IEMs feature a built-in inline microphone which is designed to work with current generation iPhones and second and third generation iPod Touch devices as well as other media devices that accept microphone input through their 3.5mm jack. I’ve tested the inline mic of the M9P on my second generation iPod Touch and it works pretty well. It’s very clear and picks up voices very well while doing a decent enough job of filtering out ambient noise. I would’ve liked to see some volume/playback controls but considering the low price, I think that’s asking a tad too much.

You may have noticed how often I mention that these IEMs are only $20, almost to the point of total redundancy. Well, that was intentional. Try as I might to find something to criticize, that’s all for naught the instant I remember that I paid $23 (including shipping) for these.

All things considered, I’m very impressed with the out-of-the-box performance of the M9P IEMs. They are well extended at both ends of the sound spectrum (particularly in the low end) and work well with a wide array of music. Overall, the sound signature is definitely on the dark end of the spectrum which will definitely appeal to fans of most modern music. Because of their lack of neutrality and transparency, these are definitely not for accuracy freaks or those interested in neutral tonal balance from their IEMs. These definitely aren’t going to replace my RE0s as my primary IEMs but they make competent backups when I want to listen to something with a little more kick in the low end.

For the price, these are definitely worth checking out. They make great gifts for folks still using stock iBuds, serve as nice backup IEMs and even function as a nice headphone/microphone combo for folks with iPhones and second gen iPod Touches. All in all, I think the MEElectronics M9P IEMs are a great product and I’m very interested in seeing where MEElectronics goes from here.

When I received my Sennheiser HD280 Pro headphones back in June of 2008 and started to listen to them, I was immediately impressed with the overall sound signature. These were my first “good” headphones and easily blew everything else I’d ever owned out of the water.

But…something was missing. Something I deem very important to my listening experience. That something was bass. Considering I listen to a great deal of Hip-Hop music, this was admittedly a very glaring omission from the Sennheiser HD280 Pros. Everything else about these headphones was great to my ears but without a well pronounced low end, the sound signature was lacking. I was able to boost the bass artificially by using a number of bass boosting EQ settings in many of my music playing devices. While this technique worked in the short term, I began turning to other sources to get my bass fix, such as my Bass-Freq earbuds, which, as I’ve already reported, were lacking in other areas and couldn’t compare to the overall sound quality of the Sennheisers.

Recently, while doing some research, I came across the Blu-Tack mod which was apparently an easy way to add some body to the HD280 Pro’s bass. I found a couple of tutorials on how to do it which involves opening the ear cups of the headphones and spreading the tack about liberally. Since I already have experience opening the headphones to replace a broken cable (don’t ask), opening them up again was a pretty easy task. So, I bought some Blu-Tack from Amazon and got to work when it arrived.

The mod itself is incredibly simple to perform and is easily reversed if the end result is a bit too heavy on the bass for your liking and I’m going to show you how it’s done below.

Tutorial

The first thing you’ll need to do is remove the ear cushions from the ear cups, which is easily done by pulling the edges of the cushions themselves away from the earcups. They should loosen and come right off with relative ease.

Second, you’ll need to unscrew two screws on the earcups themselves using a small screwdriver as you’ll see below.

Now, just remove the earcup and you’ll see this (in the case of the left earcup where the cable connects to the headphones).

Be careful when you’re removing the earcup though! There are some very thin wires connecting the driver to its housing which can be easily broken if you pull the covering off too fast.

Now that you’ve got the covering off, it’s time to prepare your Blu-Tack (if you haven’t already).

I used about 75 g in total, so about 35 g per side, give or take. How much tack you use here is entirely up to you. The more tack you use, the more bass you get so that’s a judgment call you’ll have to make in regards to your personal preference.

Once you’ve decided on how much you’d like to use, you’ll want to roll it into a ball as I did above and then breaking it into a few pieces and spread it throughout the earcup until it’s completely covered, like you’ll see below.

Here’s another picture just for the heck of it.

Now just put everything back together and repeat for the second earcup and you’re done! Now is the time to listen to your HD280 Pros and decide if you like the end result of this mod. Like I said above, the mod is easily reversible if you don’t like the increased punchiness and easily augmented to adjust the bass response to your liking.

Results

With the tack mod, the bass gets that extra kick it needs to really shine and adds a significant amount of body and warmth to the sound. I wouldn’t say this is a night and day difference but the bass is considerably punchier to my ears without sacrificing mid and high end clarity. I’d definitely say this is an improvement over the stock design purely because, well, I like my bass and any improvement therein is definitely a plus in my book.

All said and done, I’m glad I did this mod. This is a very quick, cheap and easy way to improve the performance of my old standbys and for HD280 Pro owners, this is a no-brainer for those of you out there who seek stronger low end response from your headphones.