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Tone: Warm, Neutral, Analytic

post #1 of 25
10/15/08 at 12:43am
Thread Starter 
Warm, Neutral, Analytic -- which do you prefer and why? Also, name your EIM or headphones that cup the ear which give you that sound.

So I recently bought the RE2's by head-direct. They are supposedly analytic. At first I really didn't like it but now they are really growing on me. I've been kind of busy but I'm 90% sure i'm going to to return them soon. The bass is starting to sound pretty good on me and the sounds were always clear but I think I would still like a more overall sound.

On my next 'phones, I think I'm going to go for a warm sound. I tried Sennheisers, Bose, Audio Technica, and The Dr. dre phones. All were full sized and good (about 150-$300 range); i might just buy full sized headphones.

I would like something that has a good OVERALL sound. Where everything sounds really full and I don't need over powering bass but it needs to be good.

Please emphasize why you like your tone a certain way and tell what kind of music you listen to.

Me: Alternative, Acoustic, Fingerstyle guitar, Flamenco guitar, Classical, Indie, Rock, lil bit electronica.

RE2's just can't pump me up when i'm gonna go for a work out or something. Listening to Paco de Lucia with them is outstanding but I can't listening to flamenco ALL the time.
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post #2 of 25
10/15/08 at 1:31am
earphones tend to fall on one side of the spectrum or another unless you're prepared to pay a ton for top-shelf brands.

Some of the "low end" IEMs also seem to be more well-rounded than some more expensive ones.

I found the ER-4P to be too bright for a lot of music I listen to, but it was positively magic with certain albums. Still, along with the terrible cable, it was a deal breaker.

I'm finding myself wanting ER-6i again. With Shure olives, they had a great sound... just enough bass for me, and not as bright as the 4P.
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post #3 of 25
10/15/08 at 11:28am
I went through phases of all three and there are traits to all three that are very appealing but for the long haul I have seemd to settle in on "warm".

Analytical (Ety): Could never get use to the thin sound...truly sounded like an IEM.

Neutral (Shure): Very, very good but can (being picky here) sound a little honky/nasally and dare I say boring. But don't get me wrong, I love my SE530's.

Warm (Westone): My ears have gotten very use to these. Definitely warm but with exceptional clarity. Very smooth and natural too. Would love a pinch more high end (Westone 3?) but it does everything else so well....
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post #4 of 25
10/15/08 at 12:01pm
I prefer analytical since listening to music is a learning experience for me, but when my ears are fed up I switch to neutral to relax. Warm always feel lacking in a way that lean, but deep, bass doesn't..
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post #5 of 25
10/15/08 at 12:08pm
I can say my Shure Se530 are deffinitely Warm, not neutral.
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post #6 of 25
10/15/08 at 1:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by energie View Post
I can say my Shure Se530 are deffinitely Warm, not neutral.
Yes, you could call them that too. But they are somewhat laid back and some associate that with neutrality. Nothing really jumps out...pretty even-across the board.
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post #7 of 25
10/15/08 at 1:25pm
I've always wanted to hear everything about the music I'm listening to. That's why I decided for my UE TF 10 Pros. Very analytical, bright and clean, though with a punchy bass( that is becoming better and better while I burn it in ) present in the music I need and want it. A very good response in all frequency range.

I like to hear lots of kinds of music, but especially: rock, trance/eletronica, 60's and 70's and classical.
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post #8 of 25
10/15/08 at 1:34pm
Dadozen i wanted to go for the TF10 too....i had Super fi 5 pro before and their sound make my ears hurts, they had too much highs for me. After a music session my ears was keeping "fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiszzsiiiiiiiiiiii" , so i went for the shure and i can listen to music for hours and hours without problem.

Maibe i use a too high volume, dont know but shures are more comfortable.
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post #9 of 25
10/15/08 at 2:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by energie View Post
I can say my Shure Se530 are deffinitely Warm, not neutral.
I'll say SE530 is slightly warm but close to neutral.

I think I prefer to have some detail in my music, but overall I think I can easily accept any tone as long as it is of good quality.
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post #10 of 25
10/15/08 at 2:19pm
I like my headphones and IEM's warm.
To me bass and mids somehow have a great sense of emotion to bring. So if those two departments are good, the headphone is great!
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post #11 of 25
10/15/08 at 2:39pm
I like neutral...

I use my IEMs for recording and monitoring...

is neutral different from analytical?
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post #12 of 25
10/15/08 at 3:07pm
Warm, they must not cause fatigue. Maybe my brain is soft but I cant understand how people listen to overly bright, analytical headphones for hours on end.
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post #13 of 25
10/15/08 at 3:15pm
I prefer a warm sound.

Bight sounding earphones give me a headache ... they make me feel like I'm being harrassed.

I listen mainly to classical/opera and Westone UM2s fit my requirements perfectly.
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post #14 of 25
10/15/08 at 9:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by digivate View Post
I prefer a warm sound.

Bight sounding earphones give me a headache ... they make me feel like I'm being harrassed.

I listen mainly to classical/opera and Westone UM2s fit my requirements perfectly.
Exactly!
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post #15 of 25
10/15/08 at 9:21pm
i lean more towards neutral soundin hps (though i still like the warm and fun soundin hps)... i dont listen to music to analyze songs, i just want to enjoy it... se-420 is best hp ive ever tried... i already orderd one
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