A fellow forummer (walabies) was kind enough to lend me his iM716 - it was sent to me for "podectomy" conversion to have that cumbersome pod removed and replaced with a dedicated resistors pod a la ER-4P.
The comparo was done exclusively driven off my
RWA iMod 5.5G + SuperMicro-IV + 100% ALAC. And to ensure that I am hearing them right, both uses the stock Ety Black Foamies (I prefer stock Ety foamies over anything else)
During this extended period of loan, I have had the opportunity to compare iM716 with my treasured ER-4S. Most of my impressions are done after the podectomy has been completed and that iM716 right now runs on 41 oHm total resistance measured at the plug. My ER-4S has a steady impedance of 99.
When I first received the iM716, I tried the HD and Bass mode respectively. Of course immediately I developed a dislike for bass mode because to an Ety junkie, it's akin to pouring mud into the sound spectrum. But HD mode in the other hand is distinctively Ety House Sound - BUT there's a catch. Unlike the Ety sound that I knew all too well, iM716 offers warmer mids throughout the spectrum. I would describe iM716 mids as "Gradoey". In contrast, this warmth has actually taken off a tiny bit of transparency which ER-4S is revered for. Don't get me wrong, iM716 surpassed most cans that I ever listened to when it comes to transparency, way more transparent than moderately amped Sennheiser HD580, 600 and perhaps on par with HD650. On the other hand, ER-4S transparency is on the top there comparable to BeyerDynamic DT990 (250 oHm) and Audio Technica ATH-W5000. So you get the picture.
On highs, audibly the iM716 fell short (just by a hair or two) to my ER-4S. There's two way to look at this, while I dearly loved my ER-4S for the stellar highs, I am also irritated by the sibilance I get when listening to poorly recorded/mastered CDs - sometimes it's too much, gosh how I hate those recording people for tweaking the treble waay beyond the norm - this example can be found in Interpol's "Our Love To Admire", TEXAS' "Red Book", Garbage's "Bleed Like me", The Jesus & Mary Chain's "Honey's Dead" and a few other. But on good recordings from Diana Krall, KRAFTWERK, Ride, Morrissey, The Clash etc, ER-4S is one hell of very hard can to beat when it comes to highs, personally I think only Beyer DT990 and ATH-W5000 could match ER-4S treble prowess (amped from the same source). Where iM716 fell short on highs, it became a blessing in disguise for the very same sibilant songs stated above - the warmth did a lot to alleviate the piercings. Expectedly the decays will not be as apparent as ER-4S decays.
Bass. After the mod, iM716 stayed true to Ety bass signature - tight and deep. Here I could not authoratively declare which bass response I prefer more - the
warm bottom of iM716 or the tight slick rear end of my ER-4S
:veryevil:. Since both are driven by SuperMicro-IV + 5.5G iMod, bass no longer becomes a problem or lacking in Ety perspective. I wish I could give both a listen through an unamped source but I don't have any other DAP worthy enough to drive both (how I wish my dead Rio Karmas :stoic
. Honestly, I am quite entertained by the bass responses of both, notably iM716 trully excel with Indie, Rock, Hip-Hop (I listened to Dalek) and ER-4S shines with Britpop, Jazz, Electronica, Shoegazer and Synthpop. But surely on both bass goes deep, tight and possessed strong authority.
Notably, ER-4S has better speed overall. This is expected. Speed and PRAT is one of the primary reason I loved ER-4 so much, perhaps only an Electrostatic and ATH-W5000 is faster. iM716 has that speed, just not as fast as ER-4S.
Head staging is dead identical on both. So is the separation prowess. With a good source and amp, these babies will make jaw drops with the knife edged precision in those areas (separation)
And oh, it has to be mentioned that iM716 will take more juice to drive. Compared to ER-4P, the drivability difference is almost like night and day. An iM716 with 41 oHm of resistance will need the same amount of juice to power a 99 oHm ER-4S - interesting yes?
My conclusion:
I am VERY impressed with iM716. Despite the shortcomings stated above (which is nitpicking actually), I will not complain if I were to own an iM716 (modded of course) alone. It has that Ety embodiment that will satisfy any Ety fan seeking warm presentation. Just like an Ety, there's no flabbiness or veil hindering the sound. In fact I find myself enjoying iM716 a lot with my Metal and Industrial tracks. I am seriously considering a purchase of iM716 for myself as the choice IEM for that type of music
And please, remember that this is my impression, take it as you may. One man's honey is another man's poison.
ETYMOTIC ER-4 compared side by side with Altec Lansing iM716
Linear Mode
