Atrio M5 or Livewires?

Funk O Meter does makes some comparisons...

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...ight=livewires

1: isolation- No contest. Livewires win. Isolation is one of the atrios week points. Even with them in and the music on low I can hear what people are trying to say to me. I pause my player but don't even have to take them out to have a conversation with them. As well I find myself screwing around with them to get a good seal. I takes quite a bit sometimes and really gets on my nerves. I'm gonna try the Shure olives soon. YMMV Maybe it's just my ears.



2: comfort- Atrios are somewhat comfortable, Livewires are very comfortable provided the molds are done right. Some folks have to send customs back a time or two to get them just right. I didn't. Mine are fine. Again Livewires win hands down.


3: sound quality- Here's where the two paths diverge. The Atrios sound better straight out of the player to me. If you have a somewhat low quality source (ipod with alt. preset coded mp3's and no amp) then you'll find the sound sig of the Atrios more like big phones. Very punchy and smooth with a pretty good crisp high end. Not extremely shinny or hyper detailed but I really don't miss much in the high end. I'd add a little 12k if I had an EQ on the ipod. The midrange is a bit recessed though. Needs a little 2k Overall the sound is very smooth with no possibility of becoming harsh or fatiguing at all.

The Livewires by comparison present a sound sig with more forward midrange and upper mids. Bass is deep and present but not punchy like the Atrios or big cans. High end is extended and detailed but not really shinny or bright. I feel I have to EQ them to get them to sound really good to me, which they do when tweaked. All this is symptomatic of armature driver IEM's and pretty much all of them have similar strengths and weaknesses. It's the whole dynamic vs. armature thing again. For those of us who like punchy shinny headphones then the Atrios are probably gonna win out on sound. They do get on my nerves because of the isolation and build quality though.


If you've never had IEM's then you might be turned off by armature models. Some can't stand them. I like dynamics better but nobody makes a custom for professional use for less than $750. So in that respect I recommend the Atrios. Buy from a place with a return policy that'll let you try them out.

If you've tried armature IEM's and you dig them then the Livewires are my favorite. The custom shells and build quality are great. John and company are even better. They can't be beet for less then almost 3 times the price. Once again they have a money back guarantee.


I take both around with me and wind up going back and forth quite a bit. In certain situations the Livewires win hands down like on stage, for extended wear and places where I want good isolation. However when I have a mediocre source, want to hear people around me or need to take them in and out (when I'm at work) I tend to go for the Atrios.

No doubt comfort and best isolation belong to the Livewires. It's really about cost (the Livewires are $279 plus audiologist fees; the M5s $130 on ebay), since the Livewires are more than double the price of the M5s. If I wanted to spend on customs, I would get the Livewires. But I'm very happy with the extra $200 in my pocket and the M5s.

Update: Funk, you are quick.