[Kukyo]

   
Nope, the driver size is much smaller than the logo. 

Not that much smaller, but it covers enough so it can affect it acoustically. Fadem posted the size comparison between the driver and the aluminium part.
 
@Fadem: Have you considered doing a rehousing? I was thinking of replacing the factory conectors for something more common...

 

[cjs001]

  It got quite late for me; getting home and everything. My phone camera is quite bad (or I couldn't get a good lighting). I can answer questions you may have at another time. Have some pictures to enjoy (or look at in horror if you will).

This is an IM70 with a broken connector, I already have new ones laying behind.

Opening the shell was done using a knife and wedging it in the connector part. It cracked open relatively easy. I didn't go destroying the driver itself, though I can try for those interested.

Overexposed.

Theres a few holes in the body where you can see through and theres the metal faceplate/logo.

More of the driver from the other side.

The filter inside the IEM (white circle) is made of some sort of plastic that resembles sticker paper.

The faceplate/logo is the only metal bit I found. It is not easy to remove, as it is glued to the IEM extremely well (it might even be melted onto the IEM body).

The faceplate/logo is slightly larger than the driver itself in terms of diameter (not depicted).
Edit:

Hm... Thank you and that was interesting. So no actual metal housing in the entire thing then? From what you said and from the picture it doesn't even seem like the logo part is exposed to the interior of the housing. Only the exterior. Can you confirm that? Or was the driver glued on top of the logo finish

 

[cjs001]

 

Not that much smaller, but it covers enough so it can affect it acoustically. Fadem posted the size comparison between the driver and the aluminium part.
 
@Fadem: Have you considered doing a rehousing? I was thinking of replacing the factory conectors for something more common...

That's jumping to conclusion. It will only affect it if the aluminium part is actually exposed to the interior. From the picture it looked like there's more resin under it(looked like resin residue) and the metal part is fused onto a recessed part of the resin during cast. Will wait for Fadem to confirm. Either way, if the logo is indeed the only part, someone needs to ask ATH what they meant by metal-resin hybrids then...

 
 
Thanks for the pictures Fadem!

 

[Kukyo]

  That's jumping to conclusion. It will only affect it if the aluminium part is actually exposed to the interior. From the picture it looked like there's more resin under it(looked like resin residue) and the metal part is fused onto a recessed part of the resin during cast. Will wait for Fadem to confirm. Either way, if the logo is indeed the only part, someone needs to ask ATH what they meant by metal-resin hybrids then...

 
 
Thanks for the pictures Fadem!

 
Mine broke open (which apparently is a pretty common issue...) and i didn't had the resin, and that's where i noticed that it was full aluminium and went and scraped off the paint on top of the logo side (which is why my IM70's have the whole logo in aluminium). It does have full contact to the housing, and it might be the big difference between the IM50 and the IM70.

 

[cjs001]

   
Mine broke open (which apparently is a pretty common issue...) and i didn't had the resin, and that's where i noticed that it was full aluminium and went and scraped off the paint on top of the logo side (which is why my IM70's have the whole logo in aluminium). It does have full contact to the housing, and it might be the big difference between the IM50 and the IM70.

I think you're missing my point entirely.
 
It's one thing to be in full contact to the housing, another to be exposed to the interior of the housing. What I'm interested in knowing is if the logo is like a window, keeping the driver sealed in the housing, separating it from the outside or more like an encrusted piece of metal on the resin... like a plaque cast into a concrete block and does not reach all the way to the other side.
 
If it's the latter which I highly suspect from the images, then I think ATH's claim of a "hybrid" body is misleading since it's purely cosmetic.

 

[cjs001]

lol, finally got about giving my computer a long overdue cleanup and maintenance and a good ol PRAM reboot for good measure, manage to get rid of the plastic bag hobo percussionist hiding somewhere on my laptop 

 Now I can enjoy my music with the ATH-IM70 no prob.
 
Really should keep a habit of doing that once every other month...

 

[ZapX629]

Interesting to see that the IM70 doesn't have any metal in the housing. I wonder why they sound so noticeably different then... 

 

[cjs001]

  Interesting to see that the IM70 doesn't have any metal in the housing. I wonder why they sound so noticeably different then... 

I've never tried the IM50, but I guess only the guys who worked on it in ATH really knows. Tuning perhaps? I mean look at all the OEM brands out there. Still a good pair of earphones. Many thanks to Fadem again for donating his old pair of IM70 for this post mortem examination. 

 

[ZapX629]

  I've never tried the IM50, but I guess only the guys who worked on it in ATH really knows. Tuning perhaps? I mean look at all the OEM brands out there. Still a good pair of earphones. Many thanks to Fadem again for donating his old pair of IM70 for this post mortem examination. 

Yeah, but tuning is usually just a piece of felt somewhere or a vent added or removed. Whatever they did, it improved the imaging and such in the same shell. Not complaining, just curious. By the way, nice to see you got rid of that hobo in your DAC. 

 

 

[cjs001]

 
Yeah, but tuning is usually just a piece of felt somewhere or a vent added or removed. Whatever they did, it improved the imaging and such in the same shell. Not complaining, just curious. By the way, nice to see you got rid of that hobo in your DAC. 

 

I for one am a bit disappointed they try to use that as a marketing pitch though admittedly I didn't buy them for their shells and so does I think many IM70 owners. But hey, I'm no expert with audio systems 

 I just know what sounds I like. And yes, no more plastic bag dragging hobo running around my computer! 

 

 

[ozkan]

IM70 sounds more spacious than IM50, more 3D soundstage. The bass is more controlled and faster with a better decay. Mids are a little recessed compared to IM50 which is good for me. Treble is more forward and sparkly too. Overall IM70 is more detailed than IM50 and I can hear more details in songs with IM70 that I've been missing with IM50.
It really worths the price difference. 

 

 

[cjs001]

  IM70 sounds more spacious than IM50, more 3D soundstage. The bass is more controlled and faster with a better decay. Mids are a little recessed compared to IM50 which is good for me. Treble is more forward and sparkly too. Overall IM70 is more detailed than IM50 and I can hear more details in songs with IM70 that I've been missing with IM50.
It really worths the price difference. 

 

Indeed they're worth the price. I hope these will last me a good while. Especially with the replaceable cables. And I agree with you on all points of your description, except I can only compare it to my Brainwavz R1. More articulate, brighter sounding (just a teensy tiny bit too bright I think) and well controlled all around. Most definitely can benefit from a cable clip though. Even wearing them over ears I can feel the weight of the cable tugging down on the housing.
 
Added bonus is that they are quite sensitive. Reminds me of my old CX-300 II in that respect, except the CX-300 II are still by far the most sensitive headphones I've ever used to the point I've never used it with anything more than 2 bars of volume. Sometimes 3.
 
Can't wait to try them with my Ruizu X02 and see how they perform.

 

[ZapX629]

  IM70 sounds more spacious than IM50, more 3D soundstage. The bass is more controlled and faster with a better decay. Mids are a little recessed compared to IM50 which is good for me. Treble is more forward and sparkly too. Overall IM70 is more detailed than IM50 and I can hear more details in songs with IM70 that I've been missing with IM50.
 

Good to know I wasn't lying to you about them then. 

 I think with the mids being more recessed it gives a little less shoutyness to them. Definitely still a mid forward phone though. It's very well balanced in that respect. You can see from the graphs here that the mids are a bit different and the channels are almost perfectly balanced on the IM70 in comparison.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/698932/audio-technica-im50-im70-discussion-thread/525#post_11033280

 

[Whitigir]

I actually think that it is not a recessed mid, I would address it as a warm mid, which still stands out, but over-all sounds more "Realistic" which helps keeping the sibilant down.  That is why everything is so clean and sparkling in IM70, realistic, and don't pierce out your ear drums

 

[Dinerenblanc]

I have to admit that I wasn't expecting much out of the IM70, but it has by far exceeded my expectations. I've been using it for the past week and I must say that they're quite pleasing to the ears. Maybe it has something to do with my love for that mid-forward Shure house sound since the IM70's mids feel almost if not just as forward. Additionally, I found the IM70 to be just spacious enough for my tastes, but by no means does it sound like a dynamic driver, which produces a sound that I'm not too fond of.