Hi, I would like to add a new IEM to my Sennheiser IE8, actually want to ad a balanced armatre IEM. Since how some of you wrote that the IE8s have laid back highs and the bass is very strong, I wanted to try out some IEMs that have more emphasis on highs...

However my actual question is whether the Ck10 or the e-Q7 benefit from amping. Recently I bought a D10, which I want to use with IEMs. I tried my Senns with the D10 and it sounds very very good, but they sound relly good without amping too. There is not much difference.

I was just interested, because I consider one of those to be my next IEM.

Quote:



Come on James, what a cheap shot! Im interested about this treble smoothness ranking because I am also interested in E-Q7, CK10 and IE8 (and have been by FX500 in the past), and VBs and HJE900 would provide useful points of reference for me (and also others that own VB but have been disappointed by their harshness).
I think this should be interesting not only for me but for many people that suspect their treble sensitivity could lead to disappointing purchases

Quote:



Quote:



Ok, I admit it. But it was out of pure self-defense, LOL!

I didn't get what you wanted, to begin with ... in my understanding smoothness is a quality attribute, roughly the opposite of harshness. And while treble energy may be a contributing factor to fatigue, there are also others, e.g. harshness. Harsh and unrefined treble can be very fatiguing to my ears, even if it's not energetic.

To give you a perspective, I'd rank the CK10 higher than the e-Q7 in smoothness, but find it's forward and energetic treble more fatiguing than the e-Q7's. So what should this ranking really be about?

Hmm, that's interesting, let me remind you that i havent listened to a lot of IEMs and the only "harsh" ones i've heard so far are the hippo VB, so i already suspected i was asking something that might not make sense.
Actually "fatiguing" would seem to be quite a subjective attribute and varying too much among individuals, "absolute treble quantity/energy" probably wouldnt not mean much independently of "harshness/smoothness" and the rest of the sonic range presentation, and a ranking in terms of "treble forwardness" compared to the rest of the spectrum but independently of the treble quality wouldnt be of much help either.... Not too mention quite a lot of useless A/Bing work for you so..... Nevermind! And thanks for trying!

OK, to all CK10 owners, soon to be owners, and those considering ownership:

Here are my thoughts on the CK10 tips, which make the CK10, for me, possibly my best IEM.


EDIT: I said "possibly the best" because I want more time to compare with the IE8 and Copper (which is burning in) before I crown them the best. And of course the CK90Pro when it gets to me in a week or so. And my continuing thoughts of getting the e-Q7.

You know, I have the Monster tips here, and forgot to try them, just for kicks. THanks.

Quote:



Source - Cowon D2 / Nokia N97
tested with or without amp (RSA SR71A Black Bird)

Quote:



I should have a pair of CK10 waiting for me when I get home, but I have spent the last day and a half listening to the e-Q7 and, preliminarily, they are quite good. They seem very well balanced (unlike their owner) and very easy to like. So far, the only question I have is on their ability to play VERY loud and when reproducing complex, percussive sounds, but this may change with time and experience with them.

Kevin

Quote:



QFT

^ As much as I agree with everybody who likes the Ortofons, I'm kindly asking you folks,
if you recommend the e-Q7 to fellow head-fiers, please do also point out potential fit problems!
I've adapted the Fit-section in post #1 to illustrate this issue. Thanks for your understanding!

Excellent suggestion. There are so many caveats with all these phones (mods, tip choices, etc.) it is getting very hard to keep track, esp for anyone new entering the scene. I think this thread really points the tip/fit/preference issues out more than any I've seen on HF.

Hello All!

I got a chance to try out the Ortofons, they do sound descent but not good enough for me to trade my CK100's for.

I found there to be a higher frequency peak in the treble range at approximately 5khz. Also the treble is rolled off when compared to the CK100, I prefer the CK100's which have greater treble extension and also don't suffer from this peak.

As for the mids, its nice and enjoyable, can't recall more than this right now because I didn't listen to them for long. I did like the bass, both the CK100 and the e-Q7 have deep bass but the e-Q7 has much greater presence. This might be attributed to my source though which is a Cowon X5 and is known to suffer from bass roll-off with low ohm headphones.

I also found the Ortofons to fit without issues but I do have big ear canals, I can stick large objects in there!
Kidding!

Overall I still prefer the CK100 due to the frequency spike with the Ortofons, I was going to change over to the Ortofons but that prevented me from switching over.

I still haven't found a satisfying set of IEMs, maybe time to move on to customs? Fitears maybe?

Quote:



e-Q7s do have a peak from about 5-6 kHz but personally, I do not find it bothersome. I guess it depends on how loud you listen and what types of music you listen to. I usually prefer low volumes and do not listen much to aggressive music, so I find that the peak actually gives the Ortofons more energy and make the sound more lively than on any other IEM I've tried so far. Now, I've read numerous times that CK100 is not neutral either and has even more peaks than e-Q7, so to each their own I guess.

Quote:



Same here - still think the CK100 is better after I got e-Q7... the difference is I actually bought the e-Q7 Hope it gets better to compliment my collection. I am not used to selling IEMs anyways... My UE18 Pro will be my first pair of customs (if my SE530 reshell doesn't count), will let you know whether they are better than CK100. I certainly hope so... If not I will have to rethink about ordering the JH-16's.

Quote:



CK100 is certainly colored, but the peak of Ortofon e-Q7 in the mids makes it sound a bit coarse at times, very much like the SE530's mids but to a smaller extent. Depending on taste, I know many would like it and would call it "natural". For me the mids in terms of vocal are way too loud and coarse to my liking. To me the sound in the vocal is sometimes too bright and lacks "wetness". That peak, however, has contributed to the clearness of sound of many instruments in that range, e.g. guitar, upper bass, and hence its instrument positioning and separation is unbeatable.

The bass of e-Q7 is tight and certainly has more impact than CK100's bass (both are deep though), and instrument separation and horizontal soundstage on the e-Q7 is the best I have heard so far, even better than TF10 Pro.