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Review & Appreciation: Spiral Ear SE 5-way Reference - A new level of resolution? (Review posted... - Page 44

post #646 of 843
3/20/13 at 11:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AstralStorm View Post

SE-5 loses out a lot on portability (it's not pocketable) and looks. (uhm, huge cyborg hearing aid)

Wow, You must have a gigantic set of ears tongue.gif . My SE5 is not that huge.... Not pocketable, really, are you serious?! amazes me...
They fit inside my pocket no problem. The only concern I have is that they will get dirty when I put them naked inside my pocket without any casing; since they are kind of sticky, being a silicone..

And for looks.. For me it doesn't matter, when you wear it, you couldn't see them anyway. And, c'mon it's not really that bad either.
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post #647 of 843
3/20/13 at 11:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alias Gu View Post

The highlighted words really surprised me.
I read Joe's similar sounding part, describing 5 ways sound like To Go! 334, which i own.
Personally, i think 334 really focus from midrange to bass. Hardly can believe a darker-tone CIEM isn't good at midrange.
Since it's Mython's first impression, i will follow up your later comparisons.

I suspect he's having a problem with getting the SE5 fitted into his ears, as I had this problem too earlier since they are very 'sticky' at first, and later on they would insert much more easily (somehow they got lubricated naturally? ) and thus I have better fit and seal, and it dramatically improves the sound of SE5, well that's from my own experience.
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post #648 of 843
3/21/13 at 12:39am

They fit inside a pocket..., but do so uncomfortably and I'm always afraid I'll damage the ear canal part. And I'm actually talking about shirt pocket - my pants pockets are loaded with other stuff. It does not have any flat angle - the smallest "diameter" is 3.5 cm. They do stick out of my ears some, compounding the "cyborg earpiece" look.

 

Eh, I get as good fit as they come now (and if someone tells me again to get a refit I'll just stare at them blankly; these have been refit once, have seen a lot of use and it's enough) and I can agree with most of Mython's statements.

Low highs/upper midrange does sound a bit dry due to I suppose harmonic distortion or slight BA ringing - it is also cut a lot.

Actual midrange and lower midrange are nice and fast, perhaps even slightly too fast when compared to the bass.

The shelves combined with bass boost make the soundstage narrow and close - think a small highly dampened club. The decay in highs is great, that's why cymbals are rendered nicely, but they do not sound loud enough sometimes as they should and can get drowned out by other instruments when they shouldn't - due to highs cuts.

 

I can't say about being more detailed, as I haven't heard the UM Miracles.


Edited by AstralStorm - 3/21/13 at 12:43am
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post #649 of 843
3/21/13 at 3:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alias Gu View Post

 

The highlighted words really surprised me.

I read Joe's similar sounding part, describing 5 ways sound like To Go! 334, which i own.

Personally, i think 334 really focus from midrange to bass. Hardly can believe a darker-tone CIEM isn't good at midrange.

Since it's Mython's first impression, i will follow up your later comparisons.

 

I still feel the same way about my intial impressions of the SE-5.

 

 

.


Edited by Mython - 3/21/13 at 3:31am
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post #650 of 843
3/21/13 at 3:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mython View Post

 

I still feel the same way about my intial impressions of the SE-5.

 

 

.

The good news for me is i just ordered UM Miracles.

The bad news for me is i am willing to get a SE5-ways.

 

And i will be very glad there will be other people, who own both Miracle and SE5ways at the same time, can stand out and confirm Mython's points. Anyone can help me?

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post #651 of 843
3/21/13 at 3:58am

It seems the SE-5 sounds very different to each owner. I think this might, perhaps, be because of the complexity of the design, and the number of crossover points and sound tubes. Maybe there are minute differences in phase alignment between each customer's set of SE-5s, I don't know.

 

For the record, I have been using the SE-5s with iBasso's DX100.

 

I can say that the SE-5 is made to a high standard, with incredibly skilled craftsmanship, and that Grzegorz is one of the most upstanding people I have ever done business with.

 

 

.


Edited by Mython - 3/21/13 at 4:01am
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post #652 of 843
3/21/13 at 9:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mython View Post

It seems the SE-5 sounds very different to each owner. I think this might, perhaps, be because of the complexity of the design, and the number of crossover points and sound tubes. Maybe there are minute differences in phase alignment between each customer's set of SE-5s, I don't know.

 

For the record, I have been using the SE-5s with iBasso's DX100.

 

I can say that the SE-5 is made to a high standard, with incredibly skilled craftsmanship, and that Grzegorz is one of the most upstanding people I have ever done business with.

 

 

.

 

Agree

Another possibility is DX100 might not be a good partener with SE5ways

Try more, we might get more referenced answers.


Edited by Alias Gu - 3/21/13 at 9:12am
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post #653 of 843
3/21/13 at 11:36am

Putting SE5 in your pocket is a really really bad idea. Silicon is a soft material unlike acrylic. I suggest you always have the SE pouch with you or a small hard case with a silica gel inside to control the humidity, especially in Indonesia where humidity is just over the top crazy.. The SE5 will sound different when it is completely dry or humid.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ace8888 View Post


Wow, You must have a gigantic set of ears tongue.gif . My SE5 is not that huge.... Not pocketable, really, are you serious?! amazes me...
They fit inside my pocket no problem. The only concern I have is that they will get dirty when I put them naked inside my pocket without any casing; since they are kind of sticky, being a silicone..

And for looks.. For me it doesn't matter, when you wear it, you couldn't see them anyway. And, c'mon it's not really that bad either.
Reply
post #654 of 843
3/21/13 at 2:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alias Gu View Post

 

Agree

Another possibility is DX100 might not be a good partener with SE5ways

Try more, we might get more referenced answers.

IMO DX100 is one of the best portable source for SE5. Actually SE5 will delivery whatever you have in the source, so the better source you have, the better sound you get.

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post #655 of 843
3/21/13 at 2:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jazzyfi View Post
 

 

Of course it's a bad idea. However any case large enough to contain them is not pocketable. The silicone is relatively resilient to pressure, even prolonged - it returns to the usual shape quickly.

 

That's apparently how I messed up my SE-5 with extra ringing and why it went away after a prolonged jury-rigged dehumidified storage. (In this case, sweat and elements exposure, not any dirt or other damage - just humidity.)

However, I found that unless exposed for prolonged time to high humidity, they keep their qualities fine. It's another slight mark against them - that they can become less consistent.


Edited by AstralStorm - 3/21/13 at 3:00pm
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post #656 of 843
3/21/13 at 3:14pm
The smallest otter case fit in my coat/jacket just fine.
I'm willing to compromise a little bit less durability for comfort. Acrylic is just not as comfortable as silicon. My previous ES3X got really uncomfortable when I'm using it on stage too long with sweat running down my head.
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post #657 of 843
3/21/13 at 4:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tupac0306 View Post

IMO DX100 is one of the best portable source for SE5. Actually SE5 will delivery whatever you have in the source, so the better source you have, the better sound you get.

What case is everyone using?

I'm just using the Otter Box that came with the SE5 but it's rather bulky.

Was wondering what good alternatives there are...

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post #658 of 843
3/21/13 at 7:06pm
 Quote:
Originally Posted by Bucket View Post

What case is everyone using?

I'm just using the Otter Box that came with the SE5 but it's rather bulky.

Was wondering what good alternatives there are...

 

UE Small Carrying Case is one possible option:

 

http://ultimateears.logitech.com/en-us/ue/custom-in-ear-monitors/accessories

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post #659 of 843
3/21/13 at 9:04pm

The UM small carrying case is barely large enough for my Miracles so I do not think it will work with SE5. On the subject of keeping them dry, I found a small, cheap and convenient air dryer at my audiologist for 8 USD:

 

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post #660 of 843
3/22/13 at 2:55am

The SE5 is not that big. Saying that it is really big is exaggeration.

 

I keep my SE5 inside this drying cup:

 

 

  

 

Total size is smaller than a plastic glass, fit in my jacket without any problem.

 

I just ordered the UM Miracle. I got really curious how UM Miracle will perform compared to the SE5. 

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Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphones, Earphones and In-Ear Monitors › Review & Appreciation: Spiral Ear SE 5-way Reference - A new level of resolution? (Review posted 5/15/12)