Futuresonics Atrio M5 - Page 15

Stupid question. If you wear them over the ear, do you have to switch L to R (in other words, does the L go to the R and vice versa)? They seem shaped that way. Or am I crazy?

My L seem to fit better in my left ear using over ear method. The ear canal is actually directly slightly upwards towards the top of the head. When wearing the M5's dangling the tips are slightly angled down, very slightly, when using them over the ear this reverses so is slightly angled up fitting the ear canal better. Have a look at your pair and tell me if you agree.

On another note, just received my Go Vibe v6 today and have been listening with the M5's amp'd for about 30 minutes. Wow, they sound pretty amazing, the vocals are so, so clear and the separation is amazing (due to amp or due to iems? maybe both?). The big increase in sound quality is most likely due to my player's headphone out amp being totally rubbish.
I just can't get enough of it atm, it just sounds so good, I am pretty happy with my portable set up atm.

PHEW! Lots of replies!

First off, a DAMN YOU to Frostychrist for making me have to listen to Ghost Reveries again. I have so much new music to listen to, and now you made me go back to this! Holy christ I love this album. Unfortunately, listening to it with my PC as a source continues to show just how lousy the DAC in my H120 is in comparison. I'd listened to Ghost Reveries with the H120->Tomahawk->Atrio setup during a couple workouts, and the soundstage was completely flat compared to the ThinkCentre->Tomahawk->Atrio combo I'm listening to now.

Also, yes, the H1xx series is guilty of having a lot of hiss with low impedance IEMs. So frustrating! I can't wait until my builder has finished the Altoid-tin Monica 2 I commissioned (more details on that if/when he completes it)!!! Turn off the bass boost with the Atrios, though! You need to listen with a flat EQ. Bass boost with sound like crap. Future Sonics earphones are designed for improved bass response. Enhancements in the source will sound awful.

Jesus, Ghost Reveries sounds amazing. Damn you Frosty! I've got brand new Devin Townsend, Dimmu Borgir, Porcupine Tree, Blackfield, Threshold, Symphony X, Kamelot, Rush, and Tori Amos to get through, and I'm stuck back on an album from 2005! You suck!

BTW, Pain of Salvation's most recent album, Scarsick (which is a frustrating anti-capitalism tirade that slags the U.S. mercilessly and somewhat deservedly, and with a sad lack of class), sound absolutely AMAZING with the PC setup I detailed above. The soundstaging is phenomenal. I'd been rather disappointed with the material on this album, but listening with the Atrio and a better source has revealed an amazingly well-produced/mixed album. Worth hearing for the soundstaging alone, even if you don't agree with the politics, or at least with how they're presented.

I too have found that comfort, seal, and microphonics issues are all GREATLY improved when wearing the Atrio over the ear. There was a picture posted by mho in this thread (have a look here) that shows the best way to do it. I wore them down, and yeah, I had microphonics issues. Also, the seal was kinda mediocre. Over-the-ear, with the memory wire bent into a hook over the top of my ear, makes for a very comfortable and far more effective listening experience. The seal is better, the tube is positioned better in my ear canal, and the microphonics are GONE. It seems weird since the curve of the earpieces goes in what seems like the wrong direction, but somehow it just works. Much more comfortable.

Lastly, I cannot stress the usefulness of burn-in with these earphones enough. If you read back, I felt the bass was a bit much, and the highs were uncomfortably bright, with the mids being recessed. Burn-in evens everything out and while the highs are still detailed, they aren't bright anymore. It's still disconcerting sometimes to hear sounds from these IEMs that seem like they're OUTSIDE of my head, but that's the beauty of these. Brilliant.

Thanks for the ER4 vs. Atrio comparison, tstarn06. Can't say I'm at all surprised by the results, but it's nice to read actual experiences rather than falling back on my assumptions.

Love it. Extremely pleased with my purchase.

Does anyone know where a small red band can be purchased for the earphones? I would like to replace the blue band on the right earphone so I don't have to look at the tiny lettering to find out which is Left and which is Right. This would make a visual check a lot easier....I would rather not have to take out my crayons to make the colour change.

I, too, am enjoying my M5s - though I am afraid a pair of the Westone 3s is in my future whenever I can afford them!

Holly

Why not just look at the curvature of the earphone? Especially if you're bent the memory wire into a hook for the top of your ear. It's very clear which is which.

I also wouldn't recommend trying to take these apart. They won't remain as sturdy if you pry them apart and superglue them back together. My old pair of EM3s cracked open when I wasn't completely gentle about putting them on my coffee table. I superglued them back together, but the bond just wasn't as strong, and eventually they popped back open again. Eventually I had to send them back to the company, and while they were kind enough to replace them, the EM3 is also a discontinued model, so they might not be as generous with their latest and greatest model. Don't tamper with them!

Thanks again to Warrior05 for his original and accurate review. I would have never known about Future Sonics if you did not write about them.

Another review here:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=239901

Okay when I finished my burn-in process last night. Did not expect it to fill out so quickly. I let them run for maybe a total of 12 hrs. off and on. When I stopped it last night to check and see if anything changed. I could not take them out of my ears. These IEMs are so amazing. The bass was nice and tight and present. the mids filled out and the snap on the snare drums and toms were perfect. the highs are their but not shrill sounding at all. And, sounstage, I cannot believe any IEM has a soundstage this full sounding. Oh I love these things.

I found that over the ear works much better and provides a snugger (is that a word) fit. I thought it would be a pain to get the memory wire in the right position for me ears. No problem know I can just pop these babies in as easily as I put on my glasses. I thought I had a tight seal before but I tried putting the large double flange on my left (using a medium before) and the sound evened out and that is what gave it such a good soundstage. I have to say it again, I love these things. I get a perfect, comfortable fit with the double flanges.

Packgrog, I feel for you I have a crap load of new albums and I have been going back to all my old favorites. If you think Ghost Reveries sounds good. You should check out Mornigrise by Opeth. Amazing. Also, check out Katatonia -The Great Cold Distance if you haven't heard it all ready. It was recorded right after Ghost Reveries and has the same coherent feel to it despite it being two different bands.

Usually once a year I go through all my albums, usually at the end of the year. With these IEM's and thing I should start now.

Nice to find another lover of Opeth, my favorite band. Ghost of Perdition is my #1 favorite song by any band, with The Drapery Falls right behind. Try Closure with the M5's - nice!!! The older "raw" sound of Opeth also comes out quite a bit.

These IEM's do metal justice. From the speed of Grip Inc to the large sound of Dimmu Borgir, I find the M5's coupled with my iPod 5g 80gig and my newly acquired MiniBox-E are awesome.

Metalman I have listened to damnation and the IEM's represt the Acoustics perfectly. And Vocal represention, wonderful, I feel like Iam seeing them in concert again.
I was getting discouraged trying to find a good set of IEM's to sound good with metal. Metal said it, these do metal justice.

Since I don't run into too many people who love metal, give me a short list of the bands you listen to, metal or not. I like to find out what other lovers of metal listen to.

For me: Opeth, Grip Inc, Dimmu Borgir, The Project Hate, Vomitory, Meshuggah, Hollenthon, Exodus, Enslaved, Bloodbath, Dew Scented, Led Zeppelin, Old Mans Child, Crisis, Finntroll, Megadeth, The Tea Party, Thyrfing, Naglfar, Mercyful Fate, Luca Turilli (and Rhapsody), Annihilator, - to name only a few of the 6,000+ songs and 400+ CD's still to rip.

With the style of music I like, finding an IEM that fits the bill has been wonderful!!

I wasn't planning to take them apart. I believe the blue band is just an rubber band/O-ring that can be removed and replaced with another...perhaps I am wrong. I have been wearing them with the cord hanging down so haven't done anything with the memory wire - I didn't think about just looking at the curvature of the earphone itself. I'll have to take a closer look.

Holly

The colored band is solid plastic. Don't think it can be removed/replaced.

As far as Opeth, I really can't listen to Morningrise and Orchid. The metal sections always sounded horribly compressed and distant, like they were recorded in a cardboard box. Then the acoustic guitar would come in and sound AMAZING, making the sound of the rest of the album that much more frustrating. I listen to My Arms, Your Hearse through Ghost Reveries (except for Deliverance, which I mostly don't care for). Blackwater Park is what finally broke my Death Metal Cherry, even if Meshuggah's True Human Design was really my first death metal album. BWP was just the first one I really LOVED. Now, of course, I'm a Meshuggah addict too.

I'm a DJ for Seismic Radio on Thursday nights (I'm doing a show tonight) from 9-11pm (check out my playlists here). Check out my Last.fm profile for a better idea of my collection as a whole. The Kamelot rating is way high due to my initial batch of Last.fm usage being when I'd just gotten The Black Halo and was playing it to death. Heh.

It's worth noting that classical music also sounds incredible with the Atrio. Try Duel of the Fates from the Star Wars Episode I soundtrack. WOW. Seriously, WOW. Chroma Key's Graveyard Mountain Home, the Spirited Away soundtrack, and Porcupine Tree's In Absentia are also some of my favorite "test albums". Amazing.

hey mate, can you tell me about hiss? i have um2 which are snakes to everything especially my nice meizu m6 and cowon d2. do the atrio's hiss much? this is a certain bad point for me... i will not go after an iem that reveals the hardware flaws of the player anymore...cheers