Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

The Maximo iM-490S iMetal earphones are acoustically engineered and tuned to provide optimal audio quality for your MP3 player. Featuring high fidelity 9mm neodymium drivers and a gold plated 3.5mm stereo plug these earphones produce powerful sound while providing a comfortable listening experience. Are the Maximo iM-490S iMetal earphones right for you? Read on to find out if these earphones are the last pair you will ever buy thanks to the standard lifetime warranty.

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Maximo Products, who makes their home in Vancouver, Washington and has been developing and marketing consumer-electronic products and accessories for many years, has introduced the iM-490S isolation earphones. The earphones, released just in time for the holidays are supposed to rival what is offered by “high end” earphone manufacturers. On paper, the iM-490S competes with headsets like the V-Moda Vibe quite closely. At its core, the iM-490S has an all-metal light-weight body design with neodymium drivers for maximum frequency response. All of this for under $50!
Article Title: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review
Article URL: http://legitreviews.com/article/599/1/
Pricing: $42 plus shipping
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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Did you test these headsets in video games?
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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I wouldn't exactly use earbuds for gaming but that's just me
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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Why's that?
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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top wrote:Did you test these headsets in video games?
We used them with both our laptop and PC for normal music listening and very briefly in a round of Quake4. When playing video games, I prefer to hear all the ambient sounds with my surround sound setup, but we got a pretty good feel for how these things worked with a computer.

I'm not sure these would be the headsets I would recommend to you for playing PC games though. The drivers are quality, no doubt, but they really excel in reproducing music. IMHO, if you want something for the PC, get something with a good driver that has a mic built in.
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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I need a new pair of inexpensive headsets, and if these deliver then I would like to get these. The reason why I asked if they are good for games is because of not necessarily how well they would sound in them, but how well you can hear all the sounds or if all the sounds can be captured, like hearing other player's footstep's, far away battles, etc.

Right now I'm using a year and a half old $20 sony ear-wrap headsets and they are falling apart, for one reason the headset caps kept falling off, yada yada, and I can hear footsteps and stuff... I do listen to a lot of music and I'm real picky about the quality of the sound and I'm also a basshed!

A reason for the question is also because Best Buy nor Fry's don't carry it. I will have to get it online! :(
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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top wrote:Right now I'm using a year and a half old $20 sony ear-wrap headsets and they are falling apart, for one reason the headset caps kept falling off, yada yada, and I can hear footsteps and stuff... I do listen to a lot of music and I'm real picky about the quality of the sound and I'm also a basshed!
Gotcha!

I think these would be good for you then. They do a really good job of noise isolation so that you can hear those footsteps! And if you are picky about your music and like bass, these headsets wont let you down, imo.
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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Sounds good! Thanks for your help! I'll be getting these now.
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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top wrote:Sounds good! Thanks for your help! I'll be getting these now.
pricing link: http://legitreviews.pgpartner.com/searc ... ch=iM-490S
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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Hey Apoptosis, I was curious if you have ever tested the Shure E5c isolated earphones that retail about half a grand and was wondering what you thought of them(I got a pair of my own, but they are broken, fixing on replacement).
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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Just bought myself a new unused pair of these on eBay $30.50 shipped. I haven't found any places I know of that sells these so I'm not sure if that was a good deal or not but it's a lot cheaper than what those Shure E2c's are going for. I'm not much of an audiophile so I probably wouldn't notice a huge difference.

All I need now is to save up for a good sound card (Auzen Prelude looks nice) and I'll have a sweet sound setup.
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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Well, I think you made a good choice. I was listening to these over the weekend and while they aren't as comfortable as my V-Moda's they do a really good job at sound reproduction. For $30, I think you are getting a quality headset.
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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I was pretty disappointed with these earphones. Maybe my expectations were too high, but for 10 bucks less the Sony MDR-Q22 Headphone earlobe set sound much, much better (And have more bass). Plus they are less painful to wear. The iM-490s didn't have clear sound and the bass was weak. And the first thing I tested these earphones on was with music. Sorry I had to say that, but hands down the MDR-Q22 is better and even cheaper!
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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At $30, you shouldn't have really been expecting too much from these headphones, especially when comparing them to high end IEMs like the Shure E2c. There only $30...I mean come on, at that price, all headphones are going to sound different to different listeners and none REALLY reproduce sound well. If you don't want to spring for a decent pair of headphones, find a pair that you like the sound of and stick with those. And I'm sorry, but I find it hard to believe that you went from Shures to Sonys and still think the Sonys sound good.

Most headphone reviews are fairly subjective (unless highend, expensive audio equipment is used) but for the most part I think the Puppy does a damn fine job with them.
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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I don't see how I wasn't clear enough.

First of all, I never mentioned the Shure E2c headphones. The Shure model I was mentioning in a previous post to Apoptosis was the E5c and even then I was just asking him if he ever reviewed that particular model. I wasn't comparing it to these iM-490S. Doing so would be down right nutty.

For around 20-24 dollars retail or online the Sony MDR-Q22 is your basic headphones that wrap around your ears which don't go inside the ears. That's how they are cheaper and that's how they're more comfortable.

The sound of the iM-490s was like music playing through a cheap distant microphone. That's what I meant by the sound wasn't clear. Plus the bass was flat. There was no feeling of actual kicking speaker for bass. With that said, a lot of headphones are going to be better. But the Sony's in particular just sound the best for it's price range.

Last, I don't even know how you came up with the discussion of Sony's are better than Shure's. Maybe you didn't understand that I was in search for a CHEAP good quality headphones because the last cheap pair I had were tearing up with age. Not to mention my last pair was also the MDR-Q22 headphones.

If you don't believe me, then buy a pair of the Sony's yourself. They sell them @ bestbuy.
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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I didn't mean to offend, just a simple misunderstanding. You mentioned liking the Sony earwraps for their bass and quality of sound:
top wrote:Right now I'm using a year and a half old $20 sony ear-wrap headsets and they are falling apart, for one reason the headset caps kept falling off, yada yada, and I can hear footsteps and stuff... I do listen to a lot of music and I'm real picky about the quality of the sound and I'm also a basshed!
Also you mentioned that you had a pair of Shures, which the Sonys won't compare to:
top wrote:Hey Apoptosis, I was curious if you have ever tested the Shure E5c isolated earphones that retail about half a grand and was wondering what you thought of them(I got a pair of my own, but they are broken, fixing on replacement).
I wasn't looking to slam you (not with our mods *looks around for dicecca* :mrgreen: ) but I still stand by what I said. If you are looking for a pair of headphones in the $20-$40 range, stick with a pair that you know you like because, in that price range, the sound is very subjective. If you can, and you aren't picky about looks, grab a pair of Grado SR-60 for $70. Best $70 I've ever spent in my life...anyway, good luck finding a pair you enjoy!
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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Alathald wrote:I wasn't looking to slam you (not with our mods *looks around for dicecca* :mrgreen: ) but I still stand by what I said. If you are looking for a pair of headphones in the $20-$40 range, stick with a pair that you know you like because, in that price range, the sound is very subjective. If you can, and you aren't picky about looks, grab a pair of Grado SR-60 for $70. Best $70 I've ever spent in my life...anyway, good luck finding a pair you enjoy!
That's fine. I was hoping to better explain myself about the iM-490S as well. If you want to hear all the instruments playing in your music, then I would look for an alternative. But I did buy these Maximo's because I thought they were gonna top my Sony's since after all, these headphones did get the value award from this website.

Subjective would be to the point of how people like to hear their music(i.e. Having a studio sounding clearness or the slight concert reverb or to the smaller extent, the bass level).

And it doesn't stop at the price range either. Even some of the the cheapest headphones could easily compete with Creative's most expensive ones. I guess the quality of sound will never become a standard similar to video quality. For instance, how come DVD Audio isn't replacing CD's?

Thanks for your recommendation!
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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top wrote:That's fine. I was hoping to better explain myself about the iM-490S as well. If you want to hear all the instruments playing in your music, then I would look for an alternative. But I did buy these Maximo's because I thought they were gonna top my Sony's since after all, these headphones did get the value award from this website.

Subjective would be to the point of how people like to hear their music(i.e. Having a studio sounding clearness or the slight concert reverb or to the smaller extent, the bass level).

And it doesn't stop at the price range either. Even some of the the cheapest headphones could easily compete with Creative's most expensive ones. I guess the quality of sound will never become a standard similar to video quality. For instance, how come DVD Audio isn't replacing CD's?

Thanks for your recommendation!
I agree with your point of subjectivity when evaluating such things as "comfort", "clarity", "warmth", "brightness", etc. We try to point out these differences in our reviews and highlight overt strengths and weaknesses of the various headsets and headphones we use. For the Maximo, the biggest thing was that there was a product which on paper rivals its more expensive competitors. We concluded that while the performance (comfort, clarity, etc.) did not equal that of the V-Moda Vibe's, but it's a great choice for those looking for an earphone with a great style, features, and sound quality -- what is typically expected from the "boutique" brands (Etymotic, Shure, Sony, V-Moda, etc) -- but at less than half their price.

I haven't listened to the Shure or the Sony sets that you mention in your post, but we obviously differ in our experiences with the iM-490S over a long listening period. What is not mentioned in the article (or any headphone article that we have done) is that we usually use the products for at least a week before writing our reviews. This does a couple of things; first, we are able to truely get a "feel" for the headset - which sized earbud is best, the best way to sit in or on the ear, etc. Also, many of these drivers need to "loosen" up to produce their best sound. Lastly, taking our time to do the reviews gives us a chance to use the set in a bunch of different environments - on the road, during workouts, etc.

Many times, we just don't have time to put all of these little details in all of our reviews, but that's why the forums are so great (//insert shameless plug//).

It's great to hear your experiences though with the product and I look forward to seeing your comments on the Maximo iP-HS1 and iP-HS2 review that we are releasing in the next few days. ;)
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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top wrote:That's fine. I was hoping to better explain myself about the iM-490S as well. If you want to hear all the instruments playing in your music, then I would look for an alternative. But I did buy these Maximo's because I thought they were gonna top my Sony's since after all, these headphones did get the value award from this website.

Subjective would be to the point of how people like to hear their music(i.e. Having a studio sounding clearness or the slight concert reverb or to the smaller extent, the bass level).

And it doesn't stop at the price range either. Even some of the the cheapest headphones could easily compete with Creative's most expensive ones. I guess the quality of sound will never become a standard similar to video quality. For instance, how come DVD Audio isn't replacing CD's?

Thanks for your recommendation!
No problem, http://www.headphone.com/ has some really good headphone reviews, from the cheap to the $1000 range, they have that REALLY pricey equipment to test just how flat the music coming from the headphones is. When buying cheaper headphones it's always a good idea to have a EQ to adjust the sound to your liking.

And you are absolutely right on more expensive headphones sometimes not being as good as cheaper ones. that can be because of a different form factor (ie IEM v. normal cans) or just the name brand adding to the price. Tis a good reason to shop around.

Glad to have your opinions and comparisons (always a good thing), just try to not confuse me next time, which can be hard to do 8-[ !
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Re: Maximo iM-490S iMetal Earphones Review

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top wrote:I was pretty disappointed with these earphones. The iM-490s didn't have clear sound and the bass was weak.
top, first let me ID myself as a rep from Maximo. I'm wondering if you've had any further luck with these? I also wanted to offer a couple suggestions:

1. As a user of high-end Shures, you're probably pretty familiar with the need to get a good fit / seal / placement. Otherwise,the bass just won't be there. It's much the same with these. Also, our eartips tend to run a little toward the small side. For several weeks, I thought I was fine with using the Mediums (which are what come pre-installed). Then one fine day I tried the Larges, and found that the increase in seal lead to consistently better bass and clarity. Some other users we've heard from are having good luck with other brands of eartips. The key is to experiment. They're not necessarily as plug-and-play as expected, perhaps. But experimenting should be part of the fun with audio ("How much difference can I hear between 128 fixed and 256 vbr encoding, mp3 vs wma, etc").

2. I believe your Shures are balanced armatures. Which means that they'll sound the same from the day they left the assembly line, to the day they die. Dynamic drivers, otoh, need a little burn-in. Exactly how long, is the subject of much debate. But several hours of playing moderately loud music or pink noise (you don't have to wear them at the time, of course) will help to loosen them up.

While it's pretty open to interpretation what constitutes a proper "basshead" earphone, these should definitely not be shy of lows. And they should respond well to EQ, if you want to give them a little extra bump. Personally, I tend to think they're a little bass heavy for my taste, so I like to cut a few dB below 100Hz, and boost a few dB above 12K. (Or on a non-custom EQ device like a stock iPod, using "treble boost" is a reasonable approximation.)
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