[Mㅇㅇsik]

Hey, I was looking into getting new earphones, that will mainly be played through my LG V30 (will probably get the LG V40 as well), and my Macbook Pro 2018. I am only looking for earphones that can be worn down, and with an L shaped connector. So far I have found the Final e5000, but I keep hearing that they are hard to drive, and am worried it would be a waste to purchase them just to play them through my laptop and phone. If there are any other recommendations with those specs, I would be delighted on your opinions. I mainly listen to hip hop, with female vocals, so am looking for crisp and clear bass, and good clarity. I currently own a pair of 1More Quad drivers and like them, but am looking for an upgrade. My maximum budget is around $500 (Canadian Currency), but would probably prefer to be closer to the $300 pricepoint (in USD currency), or $400 (Canadian Currency).

Thanks!!

 

[theveterans]

Campfire Audio Comet would be a good candidate for $200 USD. I own one and its sound signature is focused more on clarity than bass though, but its bass has enough punch for it to not sound thin.

 

[galangerz]

recently HBB has been reviewing a lot of budget chifi iems that are well below 200 US that seem impressive. you might already know his YouTube channel Bad Guy Good Audio Reviews, they are to be bought abroad however, and will take time to get to us in canada, but the hybrids DMG's and OSV3's are looking promising and are on my radar. just waiting for his next video on which one he prefers more.

either way, they are both about 150 US, Hybrids, impressive as per his description, and he said there is a small difference from the empire ears bravado which is well above their price range

I have the legend x and the e5000, and yes the e5000 i gotta put on max volume on my phone sometimes cus of their difficulty to drive.

 

[Mㅇㅇsik]

Thanks for the replies!

Doing a little more research, I have decided to narrow my choices down to the Final e5000 and the Etymotic Research ER4SR/XR. @Kenneth Galang could you give me your impressions on the e5000? One thing that I am curious about is how much they leak sound. I tend to listen to my music pretty loud, and I would not want to bother others while listening to music. And if anybody else has any input on a comparison, they would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Quasimodosbelfry]

Thanks for the replies!

Doing a little more research, I have decided to narrow my choices down to the Final e5000 and the Etymotic Research ER4SR/XR. @Kenneth Galang could you give me your impressions on the e5000? One thing that I am curious about is how much they leak sound. I tend to listen to my music pretty loud, and I would not want to bother others while listening to music. And if anybody else has any input on a comparison, they would be greatly appreciated!

I just got a pair of pre-loved E5000 from a local seller and it pairs wonderfully with my WM1A. While it does seem to need a bit more push to drive than my iBasso IT04, I don't think your MBP and V30 will have trouble driving them. They're really very good. Nice controlled bass and a lovely presentation of mids, making for very intimate vocals. And the highs aren't fatiguing nor too shrill.
Been listening to R&B, 80s pop, and jazz standards.
Mmmmm...
My regular IEMs are Dita Brass and Witch Girl Pro as I prefer a darker sound. The E5000 are closer to IT04 great value at a lower price. I really think they're way underrated.

 

[galangerz]

Hey, bud! my impressions aren't the greatest, and all I have to compare to is the legend x, but I can say that the soundstage of the little e5000 is surprising to me. cant describe height, width, and depth, just that its larger than I thought. not huge though mind you. mids are the sweet spot for its single dynamic driver. bass and treble are where I can tell the most difference. the bass is good, like Quasi described above, more focus on midbass than sub. treble doesn't extend as high, missing some detail compared to legend x, but that's expected. on its own, I think its great. Isolation is average. depending on how deep you insert it and what tips you use you'll get more or less isolation.

I had the option to pick the e4000 or the e5000. it was a blind buy, what made me go for the e5k was that it felt like you get more for your money (ironic its like twice the price) but the silver cable justifies itself, and I think so does the unit.

If you want more treble from the e5000, change tips. I got a good result from spin fits, pretty much anything with a wider bore will open up the sound a bit. final audio e tips take a tad bit from the treble while enhancing the body.

if I could make a suggestion, check out some chifi iems. some mid-budget ones are making waves as their performance to price ratio is getting better apparently. honestly, if I knew about them before, I might've got them instead of my e5000. right now I'm eyeing the HIFIBOY OSV3 and the BGVP DMG. both multi BA hybrids, and you can buy both for the price of the e5000.

 

[HappyMachine]

The ER4XR is amazing. If you like isolation then I'd definitely recommend them as their isolation is scarily good. Otherwise their soundstage is better than some of my over-ear headphones and their bass, unlike some reviews have stated, is just enough for me.

 

[chimney189]

Take a look at the Periodic Be .. the only thing that doesn't fit your criteria is that it doesn't have an L-shaped termination.
Everything else is checked off in your list for it!

 

[Mㅇㅇsik]

@Quasimodosbelfry Thanks for ur input!!

@Kenneth Galang On the contrary your impression seems pretty good haha. I will look into those custom IEMs maybe to get on the side or later on when they are more reviewed.

@chimney189 Since I tend to listen with my phone in my pocket, an L shaped jack is pretty important to me as I've had too many straight jacks cause problems for me. Thanks for the reply though.

However for now I am still somewhat torn in between the ER4SR/XR and Final e5000, however I am slightly leaning towards the e5k.

Thanks again and any more input by anybody is appreciated as well!!

 

[Will Chiu]

I personally like the e5000 more. I think it has a better value as the cable on its own already cost like 250 bucks.

 

[PointyFox]

Check out Sennheiser ie80. Pretty similar to the ER4XR and cheaper. Much more comfortable to wear but has less isolation.

 

[Colors]

I've owned/own the Campfire Comets, E5000, ER4XR and ER4SR and based on your preferences, I can easily recommend you the E5000.

It has the clear and crisp (lovely smooth and right amount of texture too) bass that you're looking for and the clear vocals (especially female). The Comets lack the texture and natural sound of the E5000's DD (although it does have great mid-bass, but it does not have the E5000's sub-bass) and the ER4XR/SR might sound too clinical for you (they're more neutral). I personally think a warm + sweet sound will work well with your hip hop and female vocal genres.

The E5000 isn't too hard to drive. It sits about 75% volume with stock tips + my iPhone X. Yes, it does scale with power (sounds super nice balanced out of my Cayin N5ii + pure silver cable on low gain = wow), but your V30 or MBP should drive it pretty well.