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should I replace my ex51's?

post #1 of 16
3/5/05 at 2:27am
Thread Starter 
Purchased my sony hd3 last week and bought the ex51's along with it (think I threw out the orig buds they sounded so bad) now I'm curious if I should keep these or try some more advanced plugs like the ec3's or er6's.

What I want is good strong bass (like in the ex's) and good mids and highs (which seems to be lacking in the ex's).

Do any of the midranged priced plugs offer what I'm looking for?
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post #2 of 16
3/5/05 at 3:17am
none of them have the amount of bass of the ex51. for bass, shure >> ety, and e2c > e3c.

I'd say the e2c is your best bet. Well, that or the sharp md33's.
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post #3 of 16
3/5/05 at 9:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by combustion
Purchased my sony hd3 last week and bought the ex51's along with it (think I threw out the orig buds they sounded so bad) now I'm curious if I should keep these or try some more advanced plugs like the ec3's or er6's.

What I want is good strong bass (like in the ex's) and good mids and highs (which seems to be lacking in the ex's).

Do any of the midranged priced plugs offer what I'm looking for?
Well, I had the EX71 for several years (hear they're identical to the EX51 in sound), also had the EX51, but that was quite some time ago , cant really remember if they're identical now .

Anyway, moving up to the Shure E3 I had mixed feelings. I noticed a major clarity improvement, but a major lack of bass and annoying emphasis on the mids. This is mostly because the "EX51"s have a flabby overpowering bass, zero mids and shrill highs, but if you're a bass head, you'll be disappointed with anything more audiophile oriented.

Personally, it took me over a month to get used to the sound signature of the Shures, and I equalized heavily at the start. I also had to update my source (really opened up the soundstage). Now I absolutely adore them and cant stand the "EX71"s - I also had a chance to get the E5 cheap, (that are a nice improvemet btw) but my E3 (that my dad uses now) remain one of my favorite pairs.
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post #4 of 16
3/5/05 at 11:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jmmmmm
Well, that or the sharp md33's.
that's true, the sharp md33 sound much better than the ex51, without sacrificing too much bass.
the bass is more controlled on the md33 but seems to go deeper. the highs and mids are also much clearer on the sharp. costing about the same as the ex71, the sharp is the much better phone IMO.
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post #5 of 16
3/5/05 at 11:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by oluv
that's true, the sharp md33 sound much better than the ex51, without sacrificing too much bass.
the bass is more controlled on the md33 but seems to go deeper. the highs and mids are also much clearer on the sharp. costing about the same as the ex71, the sharp is the much better phone IMO.
I agree the sharps are much much better than the 71s, also consider the new panasonic RPHJE50 they are amazing , i have had them for a week and they sound stunning , no overstated bass ,great detail and comfy!
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post #6 of 16
3/5/05 at 2:15pm
I'm a basshead, and the only things that I don't like about the MD33 is the bass and microphonics.
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post #7 of 16
3/5/05 at 5:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hackeron
..snip
Anyway, moving up to the Shure E3 I had mixed feelings. ..snip
Agreed. Moving from the EX51 to the E3, you notice the reduced bass. Moving to an E2 would be much easier if you don't have a bass boost or some kind of equalization. I usually use the E3 with one of the EQ settings on my iRiver (Jazz, Classical, or User) which boosts both ends of the spectrum. The E3's have good midrange and appear to take the EQ well.
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post #8 of 16
3/5/05 at 9:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by phyrefly
I'm a basshead, and the only things that I don't like about the MD33 is the bass and microphonics.
what's wrong with the md33 bass? which one do you prefer then?
porta-pro bass?
well i can give you a track, with a bass-sweep if you put this on and turn a little louder with the porta pro, you will hear very strange distortions through the whole frequency-spectrum. the portapros don't manage to play this.
the sharp play the same track without any problems and the sweep goes really deep!

about microphonics: you will have it with most canalphones. but what i do is put the wires over the ear first before i put them into my ears, this reduces the microphonics quite a lot.
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post #9 of 16
3/5/05 at 9:16pm
Thread Starter 
My hd3 does have an eq plus treb and bass settings, what about the er6's? how well do they sound with bass boost?
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post #10 of 16
3/5/05 at 9:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by combustion
My hd3 does have an eq plus treb and bass settings, what about the er6's? how well do they sound with bass boost?
if you want bass, the etys are not your answer. If someone disagrees with that, please say so. the er6i's have more bass than the er6's though, so if youre going to get ety's get the i's.
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post #11 of 16
3/6/05 at 12:15am
Thread Starter 
so I guess I've narrowed it down to the sharps or the panasonics, anyone know the best place to purchase the sharps? Ive seen quite a few places selling the pani's for cheap.
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post #12 of 16
3/6/05 at 12:50am
Upgrading from the EX's to the Sharps seems to me to be a bit silly. You're not really gonna get noticably better sound quality - more just better balance. Is this really worth another ~$45?

Although the EX's aren't perfect, if you already bought them, I would just stick with them until you're ready to make a MAJOR upgrade. I really fear that if you spend $45 for such a minor upgrade you won't be satisfied.
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post #13 of 16
3/6/05 at 1:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by oluv
what's wrong with the md33 bass? which one do you prefer then?
porta-pro bass?
well i can give you a track, with a bass-sweep if you put this on and turn a little louder with the porta pro, you will hear very strange distortions through the whole frequency-spectrum. the portapros don't manage to play this.
the sharp play the same track without any problems and the sweep goes really deep!

about microphonics: you will have it with most canalphones. but what i do is put the wires over the ear first before i put them into my ears, this reduces the microphonics quite a lot.
It's too tight (and accurate I guess). I like the more fun and boomy bass of the PP. None of my music tracks include that kind of a "bass-sweep", so it doesn't concern me at all. Even if some tracks did, I'd rather have the "fun factor" of the PP than eliminate a few secs of distortions.

I have tried the "shure over-the-ear" method, but I find a plastic paperclip (clips onto my shirt) to be much more effective and practical.

I bought the Sharps from audiocubes.com. Smooth transaction, excellent communication. Highly recommended (plus, they're cheaper than bluetin I think)
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post #14 of 16
3/6/05 at 3:06am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by hackeron
Well, I had the EX71 for several years (hear they're identical to the EX51 in sound), also had the EX51, but that was quite some time ago , cant really remember if they're identical now .

Anyway, moving up to the Shure E3 I had mixed feelings. I noticed a major clarity improvement, but a major lack of bass and annoying emphasis on the mids. This is mostly because the "EX51"s have a flabby overpowering bass, zero mids and shrill highs, but if you're a bass head, you'll be disappointed with anything more audiophile oriented.

Personally, it took me over a month to get used to the sound signature of the Shures, and I equalized heavily at the start. I also had to update my source (really opened up the soundstage). Now I absolutely adore them and cant stand the "EX71"s - I also had a chance to get the E5 cheap, (that are a nice improvemet btw) but my E3 (that my dad uses now) remain one of my favorite pairs.
Good point, even though I could return my ex's since I bought them at my local best buy.. now I'm wondering if I should go ahead and get the er6i's since I eventualy wanna get an amp (possibly a super mini moy) maybe the combo will have enough bass for my needs.
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post #15 of 16
3/6/05 at 8:32am
If you like the EX51s and want to upgrade i'd recommend Etys. I had Shure E3s and found the rolled off highs didn't agree with me, returned them, and got EX71s that i'm quite happy with. I'll upgrade to the Ety 6i's once I get around to it.
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