[razor5cl]

I'm going to get them from Accessory Jack. I just have to return a faulty item I bought and I'm going to use some of the money from that to get these.

 

[surge]

finally got got to demo the im50 and im70...
 
tried the im50 first followed by the im70...how good are they? at least good enough for me to get a pair if im70 after testing.
 
as shared by many, the bass quantity of the 50 is definitely more. in speaker terms, the 50 bass sounded like a ported 8 inch driver in a tall cabinet, whereas the 70 sounded like a 10-12inch driver. the bass of the 70 isnt as pronounced as the 50 but seems to exhibit better control. both were able to deliver the bass while letting the mids and highs float along than drowning them. vocals are great. no sibilance too.
 
for the 70, i tried the filter removal mod but don find any difference(at least not great enough to be hear distinctively). 
 
and compared to the athm50, the bass does hit much lower right to the heart. dont expect exceptional detail retrieval or separation too. details are there, but not as good even when compared to my 5 yr old UE tf10. 
 
only issue now is the fitting. i have big ears and can put on the UM mentor without any issue. but for the im70, somehow it feels insecure. i have a tendency to tuck the wires just to check if they are secure cos they don feel that way when sitting in the ear.
 
also, it seems to be design to sit further away from the canal w its long sound tube, i tried pushing them further in to get a better seal. although, i do get a better seal, the pains comes in pretty quickly as the housing pressed on the ears. 
 
verdict: for this kind of money, there is no complain and i like them. although my heir 5.0 is still better in many areas(except sibilance, which i am very sensitive too, cos even UM memtor and JH16 sounded sibilant to me...similar to the heir 5.0), it is iem like this at this price that makes buying a iem 5 times its price seems illogical and a waste of money. 

 

[ozkan]

Glad you liked them.

 
At first it can be a bit uncomfortable. After a short period of time the comfort issue is going to be almost nonexistent as you will probably find the best position in your ears. This is what I experienced. About the filter mod, it is barely noticeable if you use the stock tips. With some soft and wired bore tips the differences are more pronounced.
 
How about the subbass, is it better on IM70s?

 

[surge]

  Glad you liked them.

 
At first it can be a bit uncomfortable. After a short period of time the comfort issue is going to be almost nonexistent as you will probably find the best position in your ears. This is what I experienced. About the filter mod, it is barely noticeable if you use the stock tips. With some soft and wired bore tips the differences are more pronounced.
 
How about the subbass, is it better on IM70s?

only got to compare them with the m50 as it was in office. dynamic range on the im70 is definitely much greater and when bass kicks in, it REALLy kicks in. unlike m50 which thuds in the head, the im70 is capable of hitting right to the heart, the kind of bass that one can feel than hear.
 
just to add, for those who wonder about burn ins...it is not in the phsychological....i did A/B test between my new im70 and the demo, the demo clearly had a faster and punchier bass and smoother highs...have left my im70 for burn in..about 15 hours now and when i put them on again minutes ago, the bass is getting better, in terms of details....really for this money its a steal!!!
 
used to have the jvc dual dynamic driver atx90, sold them cos the bass can drown the mids at times, but not for im70...so far it has been very enjoyable.
 
also tried the im04, while it has better separation and greater details, at that price, the choice is plentiful and there are many iems w similar price. 

 

[twister6]

Originally Posted by surge /img/forum/go_quote.gif

....
 
also tried the im04, while it has better separation and greater details, at that price, the choice is plentiful and there are many iems w similar price. 

 
Did you have a chance to listen to IM02?  I really have my mind set on that one, but can't figure out from all the reviews about it's bass quantity.  Would have been interesting to find out how this dual driver compares to dual driver models IM50/70.

 

[ozkan]

   
Did you have a chance to listen to IM02?  I really have my mind set on that one, but can't figure out from all the reviews about it's bass quantity.  Would have been interesting to find out how this dual driver compares to dual driver models IM50/70.

 
I did listen to IM02. I think the bass and also the sound signature are quite comparable. The bass amount is almost same on both IM02/IM50 while IM02 seems a little bit faster but not too much. Vocals are very similar too. They are both mid forward sounding IEMs after all. I couldn't see any reason to upgrade to IM02 after I listened to them. Hope that helps.

 

[twister6]

   
I did listen to IM02. I think the bass and also the sound signature are quite comparable. The bass amount is almost same on both IM02/IM50 while IM02 seems a little bit faster but not too much. Vocals are very similar too. They are both mid forward sounding IEMs after all. I couldn't see any reason to upgrade to IM02 after I listened to them. Hope that helps.

 
Thank you for this comparison!  I'm a bit puzzled how a company can make one of  their $50 headphones sound as good as their more expensive flagship $200 version.  Kind of funny that IM50 will not be offered in US; maybe they are thinking rich americans will pay 4x as much for the same in IM02 package? j/k   I will be getting IM02 for sure because I only have single BA driver (UE600) and quad BA drivers (UE900 and W40) in my listening collection, and I'm really curious how dual driver will sound in comparison.  I have tested CKX7 and CKX9 in the past, wasn't impressed by CKX7 at all, but CKX9 (though v-shaped fun sound) had a great bass.  From everything I have heard mentioned about new IM line, IM02 might be a sweet spot for my taste.

 

[surge]

didnt try the im02 as i only had abt 20mins( which i bought im70... yes they were that attractive and still enjoying them very much, will be doing a heir 5.0 vs im70 match this weekend..for the fun of it). 
 
would try the im02 this Friday. as for price, dynamic drivers are cheaper to produce than the armature drivers(of cos apple-to-apple comparison, there are very expensive dynamic drivers too). i got the im70 as have always found sound of dynamic drivers more cohesive and live like. armature drivers can produce better details separation etc but its like different sounds coming from different mouth. whereas dynamic drivers are like all the freq. coming from the same mouth. better if it is a single full range driver(by far the best speaker i listened to is a full range field coiled 12inch feastrex) the sound is integrated,there is no interest to pick out the highs, mid lows etc unlike separate drivers. The same i felt about dynamic drivers.
 
so far IM70 has not dissappoint. btw the highs are a bit recess compared to the mids and lows, which helps expand the soundstage a few steps back. not a bad thing, if not the sound would be to forward. 
 
my wife was quick to correctly guess the price of the im70(to be sub USD100...the give away,,,she said the cable looks cheap. 

 
considering the rest of fancy cables on the other phones...the im70 cables look more like wires than cables...no complaint....just an observation by my wife.

 

[tomscy2000]

The cables on the entire IM series are identical. Audio-Technica offer an upgrade cable made from 6N OFC, but that's it.

 

[twister6]

Perhaps the next logical step would be to have a hybrid IM20h with one of the dynamic drivers from IM50 and another balance armature from IM0x series   This way we can have the best of both worlds with a decent bass and mid/treble clarify.
 
A bit concerned about wires quality per your comments.  Hopefully there will be aftermarket versions.  I absolute love my RC-SE1 mini-coax replacement cables (for UE900 and W40), and can only hope FiiO will make one for ATH replacement.

 

[razor5cl]

I hope there'll be some aftermarket cables too. Not for sound quality, but for mic controls and cool colours and materials.

 

[delmonte]

  didnt try the im02 as i only had abt 20mins( which i bought im70... yes they were that attractive and still enjoying them very much, will be doing a heir 5.0 vs im70 match this weekend..for the fun of it). 
 
would try the im02 this Friday. as for price, dynamic drivers are cheaper to produce than the armature drivers(of cos apple-to-apple comparison, there are very expensive dynamic drivers too). i got the im70 as have always found sound of dynamic drivers more cohesive and live like. armature drivers can produce better details separation etc but its like different sounds coming from different mouth. whereas dynamic drivers are like all the freq. coming from the same mouth. better if it is a single full range driver(by far the best speaker i listened to is a full range field coiled 12inch feastrex) the sound is integrated,there is no interest to pick out the highs, mid lows etc unlike separate drivers. The same i felt about dynamic drivers.
 
so far IM70 has not dissappoint. btw the highs are a bit recess compared to the mids and lows, which helps expand the soundstage a few steps back. not a bad thing, if not the sound would be to forward. 
 
my wife was quick to correctly guess the price of the im70(to be sub USD100...the give away,,,she said the cable looks cheap. 

 
considering the rest of fancy cables on the other phones...the im70 cables look more like wires than cables...no complaint....just an observation by my wife.

The highs definitely open up with burn in. It also depends on which tips you use. The stock tips aren't good for highs, but of course it comes down to preference.
 

  Perhaps the next logical step would be to have a hybrid IM20h with one of the dynamic drivers from IM50 and another balance armature from IM0x series   This way we can have the best of both worlds with a decent bass and mid/treble clarify.
 
A bit concerned about wires quality per your comments.  Hopefully there will be aftermarket versions.  I absolute love my RC-SE1 mini-coax replacement cables (for UE900 and W40), and can only hope FiiO will make one for ATH replacement.

I find the cables to be of very good quality. They don't tangle and seem very sturdy and it has an L-shaped jack which I think is more durable. And, someone already posted a link a few pages back to replacement cables produced by AT, designed just for the IM series, so you needn't worry. I think the cables that you can buy separately aren't exactly the same, though. They're a higher quality version of the cables that come with the headphones, so they're a bit expensive I think. Still good that it can be easily replaced.

 

[quartertone]

I hope there'll be some aftermarket cables too. Not for sound quality, but for mic controls and cool colours and materials.

There are cables with mic: http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%87%E3%82%A3%E3%82%AA%E3%83%86%E3%82%AF%E3%83%8B%E3%82%AB-%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9E%E3%83%BC%E3%83%88%E3%83%95%E3%82%A9%E3%83%B3%E5%AF%BE%E5%BF%9C%E3%83%98%E3%83%83%E3%83%89%E3%83%9B%E3%83%B3%E7%94%A8%E7%9D%80%E8%84%B1%E3%82%B1%E3%83%BC%E3%83%96%E3%83%AB-1-2m-AT-HDC1iS-1-2/dp/B00I548WOE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394058646&sr=8-1&keywords=AT-HDC1IS%2F1.2

 

[surge]

X2. E cabkes cables r actually very flexible and doesnt tangle. E quality isnt cheap,, is e looks of it that makes it seems cheap.
Listened to im70 and heir 5.0 e whole night n did quite abit of A/B comparison....soomeones gonna get upset w what I am goin to say...I am selling my heir 5.0.
Treble:5.0 more detail but 70 more sparkle n no sibilance at all compared which can get quite aggressive at 8k range.
mids:5.0 more weight n forward. Both r a pleasure to listen. Actually found 70 having a cleaner n clearer presentation. Probably its thinner giving e illusion clarity.
lows:5.0 hit lower n more detail. But 70 is not far behind. However, bass of 70 sounds more cohesive n natural.
Anyone wants to buy a heir 5.0?

 

[surge]

Perhaps the next logical step would be to have a hybrid IM20h with one of the dynamic drivers from IM50 and another balance armature from IM0x series   This way we can have the best of both worlds with a decent bass and mid/treble clarify.

A bit concerned about wires quality per your comments.  Hopefully there will be aftermarket versions.  I absolute love my RC-SE1 mini-coax replacement cables (for UE900 and W40), and can only hope FiiO will make one for ATH replacement.

would prefer to see a quad symphonic dynamic driver. 2x2 arrangement. High/mid and low/sub bass

something different. Market is filled w amerature n dynamic bass combination