post #1 of 1
12/30/11 at 3:50pm
Thread Starter 

  
Hi,
 
Newbie here, although I've been browsing and reading some reviews for a while.
 
I listen to most of my music on my iPhone.... I know, not very HiFi, but very convenient. Currently using some basic sony earbuds, a Fiio E5 and a Fiio LOD connected to my iPhone 4. I'm very much addicted to bass, enjoy Dubstep, Dance Music with decent bass lines etc. I use the EQu app on iPhone with an aggressive bias towards low frequencies.
 
I love EQu; it's very flexible and doesn't appear to add noticeable distortion / noise. Applying aggressive filters does reduce the overall output (volume) hence the E5; using the LOD this also improves the quality of the audio, even through my cheap Sony buds.
 
I actually quite like the Sony earbuds aswell. Good noise isolation (although cable noise is transmitted very badly), and able to generate some very low freq's. I'm sure they're not good quality, but they drop much lower than any other headphones I've tried (Senn HD500's (quite old), Beats by Dre (tried in a store), Shure E2C (bought and sold on), iPhone buds (terrible)). I'm thinking in ear buds are probably more effective at transmitting bass and sub-bass to your eardrums due to the ear canal air tight seal, although the E2C's had no low end punch in my experience so I figure you still need the right buds.
 
As you can see faithful reproduction, flat frequency responses etc. are not high up my priority list. I do want clarity and good seperation, and generally look for my music to be exciting and energising (I know I'm spouting nonsense but I hope it gives you an idea of what I'm after).
 
I'm ready to upgrade and *think I want either a Fiio E11 or E17 (in Feb), and Future Sonics Atrio MG7s. I plan to use these with the iPhone and EQu.The iPhone will be replaced with a 4S or 5 in the next 6mths or so.
 
I read that the guidelines that come with the MG7's suggest you need to disable all equlisation prior to use; indeed one of the reviews I read said they sounded terrible with equalisation applied. If I wanted to boost sub 40Hz would that be a problem? Given a budget of circa £200 for an amp and headphones are there better choices given my preferences?
 
I have a couple of Fiio questions but will post those in the relevant forum.
 
Thanks for your thoughts

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