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BA vs. Dynamic drivers: A discussion
Aug 15, 2011 at 1:34 AM Post #31 of 134


Quote:
kiteki said:
P.S. Do you have any DAP's that let you appreciate the differences?
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Hard to say.  All of my AB takes place using the first chain in my sig.  Same source, songs, etc.  I don't really use my other gear for AB since it's just not up to par w/ my current chain but only for specific functions or listening goals.  Most of my listening for the past few months has been for testing and ABing gear rather than just being able to enjoy casual content.  Thankfully my SQ playlist has 121 songs on it.  That number either grows or shrinks depending.  =P 
 
Definitely looking forward to James chiming in once he gets the UERM.  He'll have all three at the same time hopefully and will offer a fantastically detailed review I'm sure.  When that happens, perhaps add this to the title.  UERM, FAD-SS, EX1000:  A case study.
 
 
Aug 15, 2011 at 2:27 AM Post #33 of 134
I think when you go higher up in the quality of multi-crossover BA's and better designed dynamic drivers, it becomes more of a toss-up between the two and the type of sound they produce. When you're at the ultra high-end of both transducer designs, I think they are both very competent. I haven't heard the Sony EX1000, but I can imagine how good it is as I've owned the Sennheiser IE8 before and they were extraordinarily resolving and detailed, with serious bass power. And then I got the SM3 and realized that BA's can be even better than what I imagined them to ever be. Eventually I got the JH16 and boy did they make me change my perspective on BA's (I respected the balanced armature design much more after having bought customs, realizing how much better sounding they can be).
 
I think a single BA is not as good sounding as a single dynamic driver most of the time (this can be untrue if the BA is tuned very well). Multi-driver BA's tend to sound more detailed than most dynamics in their price range, but still lack the bass depth and punch of most dynamics (as well as nailing timbre right). When you reach 4+ driver-BA's on complex triple crossovers (Westone ES5, JH13/JH16, etc.) then the BA's truly begin performing at their maximum potential in my opinion--even then, there are dynamic-driver IEMs from manufacturers like Final Audio Design that stand their ground against these X-driver customs.
 
Either way, both transducer technologies have their benefits and disadvantages. However, both sound pretty darn good when you get your hands on a well-designed in-ear monitor incorporating either transducer.
 
Aug 15, 2011 at 2:36 AM Post #35 of 134
This may be slightly off topic, but do you ever find that when showing friends your BA based earphones you feel the urge to explain to them that they use a completely different technology that they may not even have heard? I always explain it by wiggling my finger around and telling them its an armature. For me its not so much an urge to brag so much as to enlighten.
 
Aug 15, 2011 at 3:51 AM Post #36 of 134
Aug 15, 2011 at 4:11 AM Post #37 of 134


Quote:
anaxilus said:
Uh no.....giggle.  
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Well, not in a creepy way :/ More like a, over-excited geek trying to get across an idea of a plane suspended between two poles kind of way. Then again my friends think I have a fetish for headphones anyway.
 
Aug 15, 2011 at 4:14 AM Post #38 of 134
 
Quote:
a_recording said:
Well, not in a creepy way :/ More like a, over-excited geek trying to get across an idea of a plane suspended between two poles kind of way. Then again my friends think I have a fetish for headphones anyway.
 
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Not until you get that mannequin head headphone stand, what'll they think then? :wink:

 
 
 
Aug 15, 2011 at 5:01 AM Post #40 of 134
Aug 15, 2011 at 5:10 AM Post #42 of 134


Quote:
dogears said:
http://splurgebook.wordpress.com/2011/02/21/everything-you-need-to-know-about-iems/
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That's a pretty cool write up. While not exactly for beginners, I liked all the tongue in cheek comments.
 
My contribution to the original topic is though, that sometimes it seems to me that the general opinion of dynamics vs BA's (dynamics are more bassy, BA's are more articulate) are in some ways clouded by the origin of BA's in very high-end earphones, and dynamics in low-cost consumer earphones. Going with the gross generalisations made by marketing, we would arrive at extremely technical sounding signatures for 'high end' classical and jazz listeners, and bassy, bloated sound signatures for consumers. When the ER-4 was introduced, the bleeding edge of miniaturisation and quality was BA's.
 
Now it seems like things are not so clear. All sorts of crazy things are happening: mid-bassy, bloated BA earphones like the (already old!) UE SuperFI 5, tiny dynamic drivers being used to try for BA-like articulation with the JVC Micro Drivers, etc etc. People are throwing stuff against the wall and seeing what sticks.
 
I'm sure as music_4321's comment is implying, this is going to be an epic an eternal struggle on these forums, but meanwhile in the actual market there are crazy engineering teams trying to push both armatures and dynamics to sound closer and closer, if it means growing dynamic drivers out of unobtanium or spoiling the whole party by perfecting the moving armature driver.
 
 
Aug 15, 2011 at 5:53 AM Post #44 of 134


Quote:
dogears said:
Bloated BA like UE sf5 - which version and what do you mean bloated? I happen to (still) own a pair) --- listening with it as I type :D
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The non-pro, second version with the vertical driver. I have a friend who has them, and I never liked the sound, just found it a bit too dark without being really articulate to compensate. I won't say they aren't decent though, and pretty relaxing heh.
 
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