Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphones, Earphones and In-Ear Monitors › Fast, Accurate IEM recommendations for $100
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Fast, Accurate IEM recommendations for $100 - Page 5

post #61 of 69
1/29/12 at 7:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by walden View Post

After getting the HF5 three days ago I've managed to put in enough listening hours to conclude on what I think about them so here goes...

 

Etymotic HF5

 

Bass

 

Initially I used the clear tri-flange tips, and even after getting a deep insertion there was almost no bass and I had to do some crazy EQing just to get enough (more on that later). After an hour or so I realized that the grey tri-flange tips are a bit larger than the clear ones, so I tried them out. After making the switch the bass really bloomed in comparison. The following impressions are after making the switch to the grey tri-flange tips.

 

I still found that I need to use some EQing to get the bass quantity I wanted but much less than before. Luckily the HF5 EQ beautifully, and sound great even after going mad with the equalizer unlike any other headphones.

 

Bass is very articulate, with nice texture and punch. Bass is never muddy, and never intrudes on the mids. Bass guitars sound especially good with lighter music such as rock and jazz. Some might call it dry, but I enjoy it.

 

Above all the HF5 are true to the recording. Bass is often unobtrusive, but very present when recordings command it be that way. The only quarrel I have with the bass is that I lacks "weight" with some metal recordings.

 

Mids/Highs

 

I don't really have a lot to say about mids and highs, other than they are very detailed and also very true to the recording.

 

Initially the treble was a tad harsh and sibilance was untame before getting a good fit, but after switching to the grey tips I didn't have those problems.

 

Other

 

Comfort was originally bad! Like really bad, however I adjusted fairly quickly. I think this was a combination of my ears getting used to such a deep insertion, and getting used to putting them in the right way. Originally I pulled upwards on my ear before sliding them in like the eytmotic video demonstrates. I got a good seal, but putting them on took too long and wasn't very comfortable. After a day or so I learned you have to angle them upwards and slightly towards the back of your head. This may differ for others depending on the shape of your inner ear. Now I can put them on much faster, and they no longer bother my ears as much. I can imagine not getting too uncomfortable wearing them for hours at a time if I had to.

 

Isolation is incredible. Nothing gets louder than a mouse when using the grey tips, and voice isn't audible at all even at low volume levels. For me this is the biggest draw to the Eytmotic line of headphones. They have the ability to take any environment and turn it into one that is ideal for listening.

 

There was small debate about microphonics earlier in this thread, and I'd say it really depends. If you sitting down it is basically non existent, but walking can cause a lot of noise. For some reason when I wore the cable under a sweatshirt that helped. Although the etymotics are no really designed for this, wearing them over the ear also helped a lot.

 

 

I'll edit this post later with more details, photos and perhaps HD 598 comparisons but right now I have a lot of work I need to get done.

 

 

 

 


i dont mean to be pessimistic, but the hf5 cannot compare to the hd598. the hd598 is in another league. i do agree isolation is a great plus with the etys.
 

 

Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

Etymotic Research HF5 Portable In-Ear Earphones (Cobalt)
Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro Earphones Gun Metal Blue with Roadie Case
Sennheiser HD-598
post #62 of 69
1/29/12 at 7:59pm

You should elaborate, bmeat.

Reply
post #63 of 69
1/29/12 at 11:55pm

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by markanini View Post

You should elaborate, bmeat.


the hd598 is has a very flat frequency responce, is very quick, has a huge, immersive soundstage, are easily driven, and sound much more natural (well duh, moving transducer vs balanced armature).

 

they hf5 is also very flat responce, quick and easily driven, but thats about it when compared to the hd598.

 

ive found that headphones have a much better soundstage and placement when you compare say a $50 iem vs a $50 headphone

 

ontop of that the retail price for the hd598 is $250 so right there you shouldnt even compare

 

walden, i will say you probably got the best iem for your money though. hate the fit, thats why i recommended the ue600/700. ontop of that they are tuned to be more "fun". the vocals are very in your face, but the ety is technically better

 


Edited by bmeat - 1/29/12 at 11:58pm
Reply
post #64 of 69
1/31/12 at 1:26am

Etys are inherently flatter, quicker etc. You can't compare them to any full size phone, really. The HD598's don't have >20dB isolation either.


Edited by markanini - 1/31/12 at 1:28am
Reply
post #65 of 69
1/31/12 at 4:25pm
Thread Starter 

I feel I am pretty lucky with the fit of the Etys because despite many problems people have with them I get a good fit pretty easily. In terms of sound alone they are more flat than the HD 598s, faster, and definitely more detailed.

 

After playing with them longer I got an even better fit, and I don't feel the need to eq them at all for a flat response down to the bass.

 

Even though the hf5 may best the 598s on the technical side, bmeat is right that $100 in-ears can't compete with full size mid-fi cans like the 598s, and it's unfair to compare them. The 598s have a slightly more precise placement, as well as significant soundstage depth. The Etys may be faster, but to me the 598s have a much more realistic decay, which make the hf5 sound dry in comparison. Most importantly, for whatever reason (maybe due to the decay?) the Sens have more realistic timbre.

 

For what they are, the hf5 could not be better. They're not as 'fun' but they certainly don't make me miss my full sized cans when I'm out.

Reply
post #66 of 69
1/31/12 at 6:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by walden View Post

I feel I am pretty lucky with the fit of the Etys because despite many problems people have with them I get a good fit pretty easily. In terms of sound alone they are more flat than the HD 598s, faster, and definitely more detailed.

 

After playing with them longer I got an even better fit, and I don't feel the need to eq them at all for a flat response down to the bass.

 

Even though the hf5 may best the 598s on the technical side, bmeat is right that $100 in-ears can't compete with full size mid-fi cans like the 598s, and it's unfair to compare them. The 598s have a slightly more precise placement, as well as significant soundstage depth. The Etys may be faster, but to me the 598s have a much more realistic decay, which make the hf5 sound dry in comparison. Most importantly, for whatever reason (maybe due to the decay?) the Sens have more realistic timbre.

 

For what they are, the hf5 could not be better. They're not as 'fun' but they certainly don't make me miss my full sized cans when I'm out.


this is what i expected. the hd598 are extreme natural sounding cans, thats what ive always said about them. the instruments sound real life, and when you said you wanted something more fun than the hd598, i knew that ety was not the way to go.

 

again, for a ~$150 iem, youve got the "best" one
 

if it makes you feel any better my addiem cannot compete with my k240 let alone my hd598. but i think the addiem is a great iem, thas why i use it sometimes when im out and about and choose it over the ue600. this is a prefrence though. the ue600 were much more colored, midcentric and truthfully much more fun.

 

but i wasnt looking for that i was looking for something very flat and accurate, just like i looked for in a can. so for me addiem>ue600

 

the hf5 crushes both those iems. the hf5 is like a lancet, and probably something i would enjoy but i got my addiem for 25$ and she is great biggrin.gif

 

 

 


Edited by bmeat - 1/31/12 at 8:49pm
Reply
post #67 of 69
1/31/12 at 7:09pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bmeat View Post


this is what i expected. the hd598 are extreme natural sounding cans, thats what ive always said about them. the instruments sound real life, and when you said you wanted something more fun than the hd598, i knew that ety was not the way to go.

 

again, for a ~$100 iem, youve got the best one
 

 

I'm really happy with the Eyts, but in the future I may look for a more 'fun' full-size to compliment the 598s. Maybe the sr60i. Even though they don't have great bass, they're relatively cheap, and can be modded into much better cans.

 

Once again, I'm really happy with the hf5, so thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread, and I can only hope that other headfi-ers find this thread useful in the future.
 

 

Reply
post #68 of 69
2/1/12 at 12:16am

Guys, if you want more soundstage from the HF5 give a 10Ohm impedance adapter a try. Also using a headphone output lower than 2 Ohms is crucial for bass response. I made a write up earlier here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/432891/in-praise-of-etymotic-hf5/135#post_8078364

Reply
post #69 of 69
2/27/12 at 12:40am

 

To be honest I think $1000 custom IEM's sonically outclass $1000 headphones.

 

I find headphones have fairly steep diminishing returns whereas for example a JH11 is like on a different planet haha.

 

Anyway they have different presentation and it's difficult to fairly compare, same with speakers, naturally.  These comments in reference to ER-4 versus Sennheiser HD598.

 

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home

Gear mentioned in this thread:

Etymotic Research HF5 Portable In-Ear Earphones (Cobalt)
Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro Earphones Gun Metal Blue with Roadie Case
Sennheiser HD-598
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphones, Earphones and In-Ear Monitors › Fast, Accurate IEM recommendations for $100