VSONIC GR07 Impressions & Appreciation Thread - Page 302

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alondite 

Has anybody else had issues with the GR07 "losing" the sound it settles into after burn-in? I've got well over 300 hours of use on mine, but after not listening to them for a few months and them going back to them they were very bloated, congested and excruciatingly harsh up top. I thought it was just because I was coming from the RE0, but after listening to the GR07 for a few hours they leaned out, opened up, and smoothed back out on top. I even A/Bed them with the RE0 again to see if it was just my brain acclimating, but it wasn't. It's like they had to do another (albeit significantly shorter) burn-in again after not being used for awhile. Just wondering if anyone else has had the same experience, because I've never had a pair of headphones do this. 

I think i have the same issue...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alondite 

Has anybody else had issues with the GR07 "losing" the sound it settles into after burn-in? I've got well over 300 hours of use on mine, but after not listening to them for a few months and them going back to them they were very bloated, congested and excruciatingly harsh up top. I thought it was just because I was coming from the RE0, but after listening to the GR07 for a few hours they leaned out, opened up, and smoothed back out on top. I even A/Bed them with the RE0 again to see if it was just my brain acclimating, but it wasn't. It's like they had to do another (albeit significantly shorter) burn-in again after not being used for awhile. Just wondering if anyone else has had the same experience, because I've never had a pair of headphones do this. 

It's not the drivers. You've become so accustomed to the sound of the RE0 that the GR07's warmth now seems excessive. 

The same thing happened to me when I got my Ety HF5. For a few days I thought it was weak and bass-light, but I eventually adjusted. Then, when I got back my GR07 from loaning it out,  it sounded boomy and dark and took a while for them to not sound that way to me anymore. Then it was my HF5's turn to sound weak and thin again.

I also want to add that AB'n would not cancel out the affects of getting used to one sound, as you are more actively comparing the differences, and expect differences.

Ditto on the brain burn-in.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrAdrian 

I also want to add that AB'n would not cancel out the affects of getting used to one sound, as you are more actively comparing the differences, and expect differences.

I probably should have noted that I listened to the RE0 exclusively for about 2 days before I listened to the GR07 again, so there's no way my brain could have stayed tuned into the GR07 sound after that long.

Funny. It takes absolutely no brain burn-in whatsoever for me to fall in love with the ER4S's treble which had just arrived 2 hours ago. GR07's treble is grainy and somewhat painful compared to the ER4S's treble. ER4S is faster in the bass department, and doesn't have nearly as much quantity; however, its quantity is more accurate and more enjoyable to my ears, never encroaching onto the mids.

I feel little to no desire to EQ the ER4S's treble right now. Gave it some help in the 20-80Hz range, but that's pretty much it.

I really enjoyed the GR07 while it lasted; thanks to some of you guys for that! Right now, these Etys are taking that level of enjoyment to another level.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigon_ridge 

Funny. It takes absolutely no brain burn-in whatsoever for me to fall in love with the ER4S's treble which had just arrived 2 hours ago. GR07's treble is grainy and somewhat painful compared to the ER4S's treble. ER4S is faster in the bass department, and doesn't have nearly as much quantity; however, its quantity is more accurate and more enjoyable to my ears, never encroaching onto the mids.

 

I feel little to no desire to EQ the ER4S's treble right now. Gave it some help in the 20-80Hz range, but that's pretty much it.

 

I really enjoyed the GR07 while it lasted; thanks to some of you guys for that! Right now, these Etys are taking that level of enjoyment to another level.

Well, that's not fair at all. First, er4s has some of the best highs in an iem ever. Second, it really depends on what kind of music you're listening to. There is definitely some adaptaion time when jumping from one iem to another after a prolonged use of the former one. It also depends on what music you jump to with the new iem. For instance, I might be listening to the acoustic version of Shake it Out by Florence and the Machine on the gr07 and then grab my er4s and the ety kills it but I might decide to listen to something more dynamic and bassy and play for instance something by the Roots and then the gr07 is the clear winner. It's very genre dependant and personal preference dependant. I just can't say that that the er4s is better just because it has better highs and slightly tighter bass - yeah, I love it for acoustic stuff and rock and metal balads but the gr07 is way more versatile. That's why people should have either something like gr07 that handles everything very well without particularly shining in one part of the spectrum or get something like the er4s but get another iem to cover the music that the analytical nature of the er4s can't portay properly and with the right authority

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigon_ridge 

Funny. It takes absolutely no brain burn-in whatsoever for me to fall in love with the ER4S's treble which had just arrived 2 hours ago. GR07's treble is grainy and somewhat painful compared to the ER4S's treble. ER4S is faster in the bass department, and doesn't have nearly as much quantity; however, its quantity is more accurate and more enjoyable to my ears, never encroaching onto the mids.

 

I feel little to no desire to EQ the ER4S's treble right now. Gave it some help in the 20-80Hz range, but that's pretty much it.

 

I really enjoyed the GR07 while it lasted; thanks to some of you guys for that! Right now, these Etys are taking that level of enjoyment to another level.

I agree that Etymotic treble puts everything else I've heard to shame.

Still, I honestly don't think the ER4's bass can be considered accurate or natural, if it's anything like the HF5. I listened to classical pieces with both the GR07 and HF5, and the HF5 just fell way behind in accurately producing the feel of the recording/venue. Sure they're quick, but how many sounds in real life have that short of a decay? 

These are my honest thoughts about the Ety HF5/3

Quote:

Originally Posted by eke2k6 

 

I agree that Etymotic treble puts everything else I've heard to shame.

 

Still, I honestly don't think the ER4's bass can be considered accurate or natural, if it's anything like the HF5. I listened to classical pieces with both the GR07 and HF5, and the HF5 just fell way behind in accurately producing the feel of the recording/venue. Sure they're quick, but how many sounds in real life have that short of a decay? 

 

These are my honest thoughts about the Ety HF5/3

 

 

 

In terms of decay, I think they're very similar. Nearly identical.

Remember that I EQ'd my GR07 so that it had flat sub-bass-to-mids response? That EQ setting, I felt, made the 07's bass much more accurate and natural sounding. When I EQ up the sub-bass of the ER4S to achieve the same effect, bass sounds more natural and realistic, more accurate... except the ER4S seems to have a quicker punch to it with more bass detail.

Additional note: The ER4S's ability to separate instruments and render a 3D soundspace is quite superior to the GR07. Detail resolution is superior, and not by means of a boosted treble, either. Wow!!

The issue with the GR07's bass actually isn't even the bass, technically. It's the bump in the lower midrange (~500 Hz) that screws with the tonality and makes them sound congested and overly thick at times. Drop it down about 3-4 dB and they literally transform. 

As for the ER4's, well, it's been some time since I've heard them, but I'd say that the RE0 treble is as good, if not better. It's incredibly smooth, soft, and well-extended. The detail is incredible.

Well, I don't want to argue as I've had the er4s a lot longer than the gr07 mk2 and I love th ety but the gr07 has a lot more realistic bass than the er4s. Yeah, the er4s has quicker punch, actually it gives you better impact with drums (especially with shure olives) due to its tight and fast nature but the close to zero decay time is way off to be realistic. One thing in which the gr07 really shines is drums and while I appreciate the slow decay times with quick heavy drums on something like Dragonforce, the gr07 is still the more natural sounding. When you listen to the intro of a rock or metal song that has slower drums the difference becomes pretty obvious.The er4s may seem like it has better bass detail and better impact but it just lacks the bass body to be natural. It's a matter of personal preference but the gr07 is just great in that - its decay is just spot-on. Also, you seem to be confusing detail retreival and clarity. It's not just the boosted treble but the thinner and colder note persentation that gives the impression that the er4s is a lot more detailed. For that matter a gr02 bass edition will also sound to you a lot more detailed than the gr07. In reality nothing sounds that cold and detailed and that's what makes the er4s' presentation unrealistic but that's an issue with most analytical BA iems. But yeah, while something like the gr07 is made for the likes of stage monitoring with a slightly warm but neutral sound presentation the er4s is something that can give you the wow-factor depending on what music you listen to and some people will be a lot more impressed by it even though in reality it's just a completely different beast but not one that is particularly superior to the gr07.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kova4a 

Also, you seem to be confusing detail retreival and clarity. It's not just the boosted treble but the thinner and colder note persentation that gives the impression that the er4s is a lot more detailed. For that matter a gr02 bass edition will also sound to you a lot more detailed than the gr07. In reality nothing sounds that cold and detailed and that's what makes the er4s' presentation unrealistic but that's an issue with most analytical BA iems. But yeah, while something like the gr07 is made for the likes of stage monitoring with a slightly warm but neutral sound presentation the er4s is something that can give you the wow-factor depending on what music you listen to and some people will be a lot more impressed by it even though in reality it's just a completely different beast but not one that is particularly superior to the gr07.

Actually, if anything, the GR07mkII may have slightly more treble over mids, than the ER4S does, overall. In other words, the ER4S is slightly less tilted from mids to highs. You must keep in mind that I didn't listen to the stock GR07; I listen to it EQ'd. With my EQ setting, it's just as analytical and "cold" (I don't like these words) with the same treble quantity as the ER4S, and the ER4S still resolves more details effortlessly. The ER4S's presentation is incredibly realistic and moreso than the GR07, especially in the 3D soundstage, where each instrument has its own space and doesn't smear into other sounds as much, which also creates a clearer image.

What you're hearing as more decay, I think, is actually the GR07's greater bass quantity. However, if you EQ these phones to have the same flat bass response, it becomes clear that their decays are very similar; while ER4S still resolves more bass detail.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alondite 

The issue with the GR07's bass actually isn't even the bass, technically. It's the bump in the lower midrange (~500 Hz) that screws with the tonality and makes them sound congested and overly thick at times. Drop it down about 3-4 dB and they literally transform. 

As for the ER4's, well, it's been some time since I've heard them, but I'd say that the RE0 treble is as good, if not better. It's incredibly smooth, soft, and well-extended. The detail is incredible.

Hmm... I don't recall the GR07 having such a bump in the 500's. 3-4 dB seems slightly drastic.

The RE0, from my recollection, had excellent treble! It must be on part with the ER4S's treble. Their treble extension is very similar, but detail resolution throughout the frequency spectrum still goes to the ER4S. Soundstage also go to the ER4S easily, with its super precise instrument placement.