[MusicalChillies]

Hi all,
My first post I think soo go easy.
I was given an Ipod Touch for Christmas which was excellent, nifty bit of kit but yip the same old wonky rubbish headphones. Soo I thought lets delve into the IEM market and see what sound I can achieve out of the "touch".
I am a bit of an audiophile, PC wise anyways after I had to get rid of my seperates system.
After days and days of research/reviews etc I settled on the Denon C731`s.
I have had these for approx 2 months, I have to admit they have improved somewhat since then. I also read that the line out of the touch or any ipod produced a better and neutral output than the headphone socket, soo I looked into amps. Now I have money but don`t have money if you know what I mean soo after reading a review of the Fii0 e5 I purchased that too (quality to price ratio).
In the interim I purchased some seinheiser c300`s, good reviews but the Denon`s knocks the socks off them for clarity and detail.

Why my post huh?
The Denons`s are good, bass superb, mids not bad but getting tired of the sibilance, schh stttt and favour certain genres and not others.
I purchased some comply tips (more research) which I thought would make them sound better but, could I get a seal? NO.
I use 1 large stock tip and 1 medium stock tip to get an easy seal on the Denon`s (weird ears eh?)

Now I am striving to find a sound which will make me sit and go "ahh that`s what I was after" I came across RAVE reviews of the Future Sonics - Atrios m whatever colour you want.

Answer 1. Bottom line yes the Atrio`s wipe the floor with the Denon`s, C700/C731
Answer 2. They are good but do not match the defintion or clarity of the Denon`s.
Answer 3. They are a combination of the two
Answer 4?

Sorry for the long post but I don`t and pretty much can`t throw money at something that is non returnable.

Thankyou if you can help me.

Regards,
Stu

 

[ethan961]

I've never heard the denons so I can't speak for them, but I think my atrios are fantastic. A little less detail than the Phonak PFE, but lot of excellent bass, smooth forward mids, and smooth (no harshness or sibilance) treble. I use mine with an E5 and the amp adds some fullness to the sound. There is no need to use the bass boost feature on the amp.

 

[MusicalChillies]

Ethan, thanks for your reply m8.
EXACTLY what I after, shame you haven`t heard the Denons though.
How clear and defined are these?
Sounds to me these could be the thing. Glad there is no sibilance but does that reduce the clarity?

 

[eshepler]

If you have a hard time getting a seal, the Atrios might not be your best bet. I had a dickens of a time figuring out how to get them to seal right, turns out using the double flanges you only insert them slightly into the ear canal, as opposed to say the X10 where you push it in pretty far.

Anyways, the main reason to buy the m5's is if you want ultimate bass. But it sounds to me like you're looking for something with stronger mids and highs. So far I have found no sibilance with the M5, but the mids and highs do leave a little to be desired.

Edit:

The bass is quite clear and strong imho. Maybe not as punchy and quick as some other high end iems, but definitely strong and deep. I love it, being a bass head myself. Right now I just EQ' the mids and highs to where I want em. (though not as easy to do on my ipod touch).

 

[jleewach]

atrio > denon 751's by a pretty fair margin. I enjoyed my 751's at first, but the more I listened to them, the more I noticed how flawed & weird the sound was. Even after burn in, the mids were FAR too recessed & the highs were quite shrill & painful. They were really quite awful. The atrios arent as detailed as the Denon's, but they produce phenominal bass, and are much more comfortable & natural to listen to, also more enjoyable. I just traded my denons in for a second pair of atrios. Good Luck.

 

[MusicalChillies]

Thanks guys!!!!

eshepler, I am just after a nice sound without the sibilance.
I am eclectic, The prodigy to Mozart`s Requiem but yes bass is important (regardless of genre bass is present and HAS to be there)
You are right, the touch or pretty much any ipod? has to be left flat or nothing at all.

cheers bud.


jleewach....
Soo glad you have heard the Denon`s. I`m new to this but my ears are not if you know what I mean.
Firstly, Am I right in saying the Denon`s are a decent pair of IEMS`s compared to stock?
Secondly, you have just convinced me.

Thanks both of you, I will tickle you over amps next

Regards,
Stu

 

[jleewach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sinth /img/forum/go_quote.gif jleewach.... Soo glad you have heard the Denon`s. I`m new to this but my ears are not if you know what I mean. Firstly, Am I right in saying the Denon`s are a decent pair of IEMS`s compared to stock?

Oh, they're definitely better than stock in all aspects. I just think there are better options for the price. Like I said, they impressed me when I first listened, but that was with the expectation that they'd improve after burn-in, and while they improved somewhat, it wasnt enough for me to get over the severely recessed mids & hollowness to the sound. They're not the worst I've heard, they just sound extremely weird & almost painful. Not really enjoyable at all. The atrio's were much more of a joy to listen to personally. I just wish they werent so plastick-y. That's a minor gripe though.

 

[MusicalChillies]

If dodgy looking plasticy makes my musical enjoyment better, then that is a small price to pay imo.
thanks for your help m8.

 

[blacknile]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jleewach /img/forum/go_quote.gif atrio > denon 751's by a pretty fair margin. I enjoyed my 751's at first, but the more I listened to them, the more I noticed how flawed & weird the sound was. Even after burn in, the mids were FAR too recessed & the highs were quite shrill & painful.

Dude, this has to be the best description of the Denons I've read anywhere, anytime. I thought EXACTLY the same thing about them. This should be framed and made sticky, in order to help people not the make our mistakes

Kudos

 

[ethan961]

I find the atrios to be quite detailed, but they are more 'fun' and relaxed sounding. They let you enjoy the music, and they don't get in the way.
I will note this, I use the treble booster EQ on my first gen itouch to give it a more balanced sound. The EQing lifts the mids and the highs a lot, you would never be able to tell that they sounded recessed before you applied the EQ. However, I noticed that they don't need the EQing near as much on by sister's second gen touch. They are not the most sonically 'perfect' phones, but I love them because they are fun and really enjoyable to listen to. Sometimes razor sharp detail and perfection can take the fun out of music, at least in my experience. I would say the Phonaks were better in SQ, but they don't come near close to the Atrios when it comes to enjoyment or just overall experience. The atrios also have an excellent cord, if that makes a difference for you.

 

[MusicalChillies]

Thanks for your input Ethan!