I've had the LE 631 [Quadbeats 3 Tuned by AKG] for over six months now, so I'll comment based on the long run --
-my over the ear phones are the Sennheiser HD600, so that is the sound I prefer going on 30 years since the HD560. -my other "keeper" in ear phones are the HiFiMan Re400, which I got on sale for $50 last December from B&H Photo.
I have now bought six pairs of these. One pair for the car, one for the computer, one for the bedroom, and three as gifts. I paid between $14 and $16 per pair at aliexpress. I suppose this is also a review of AliExpress, which I have found takes 3-4 weeks to arrive to Southern California from China, but they always arrive without fail.
I also tried and returned a few budget in ear phones, most notably the Sony XBA-H1 which I bought as an out of box for $50, kept for a week and then returned. It's been a while but if I recall correctly I found them a little muddy sounding. Also bought the Vsonic VSD3, and gave it to my daughter who likes a bass heavy sound.
I like these le631 very much. I use them out of my MacBook Pro, and my iPhone. I have played with the EQ in Spotify on the MBPro, and the internet graphic equalizer on the iPhone, and ultimately listen to them with no equalization at all. When I did use the eq, it was to raise the energy at 1k Hz, and lower it a tad at 3-4k Hz
I mostly like that the excellent bass provides the necessary foundation for a balanced sound, whereas I find that lacking in the HifiMan RE400. I no longer use the Hifiman except when watching movies out of my MacBook pro, because except for lacking in bass [to my ears, using their supplied tips], they are exceptional earphones for upper bass through lower treble, with good soundstage and ultra clear midrange. I know there is research going on about how "balanced" sound measures different when delivered inside the ear canal than in open air, so although hifiman re 400 measure very well, in the ear they simply lack the bass energy to be balanced IN THE EAR.
People talk about tip rolling. Before I returned the Sony XBA-1, I tried out most of the 16 or so tips they included, and different tips really make a large difference in delivered sound, but honestly I don't have time for that. If the manufacturer can't figure out how to include tips that make their phone sound its best, then I have no time for those earphones. It's funny I bought a tube cd player about 15 years ago and rolled about 10 different tubes through that before settling on genuine Amperex Bugle Boys.
Bottom line, I find nothing to fault in these AKG tuned Quadbeat 3s. At the price of around $15 delivered to my US mailbox, it's almost like they're free. And either the treble has toned down after using a few hours, or my perception has changed so that I don't notice what I noticed with the first pair, which was their were a little tizzy. I find it astonishing that such good sound can be had for next to nothing.
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I borrowed my friend speakerphone's [@speakerphone] LG QuadBeat 3 for this micro-review. Thanks to him for the loan. You can check out his measurements [two separate units] of the QB3 on his personal blog: [A] //clarityfidelity.blogspot.kr/2015/05/lg-quadbeat-3-sample-measurement.html [B] //clarityfidelity.blogspot.kr/2015/06/lg-quadbeat-3-sample-b-measurement.html
I've always been intrigued by the LG QuadBeat series of in-ears. They're meant to be bundled with their smartphones --- afterthoughts that many assume can be thrown into the trash. However, the Quadbeat series has garnered consistent praise for being excellent sounding and relatively accurate despite their flea market price.
Packaging on these is no surprise: paper cardboard and cheap-feeling ear tips. However, the build on them, albeit of plastic, feels pretty good. The cloth-sheathed cable seems fine in thickness and strength. Good stuff.
Comfort is very good. They're shallow-fitting and and have angled ports, which means my ears are happy campers. The plastic contributes to a light weight in the ears.
At first listen, I was impressed indeed - they were most definitely living up to their reputation for excellent sound quality - and the LG QuadBeat 3 was making my music sing, whether it be bass, midrange, or treble. As per my usual standard operating procedure for products