[kencer]

I have a pair of Panasonic RP-HJE50 and Sennheiser MX500 that i use for leisure and work respectively on my Sony NW-HD5(primary) and Panasonic SL-CT710(secondary) as i have felt that it was redundant to get high-end in-ears like Shures and Etys and such.

My Question is, Please bear in mind I am not dissing anyone, is it really worth it? i mean since the source is compressed audio and not true CD quality. even at atracplus 256/mp3 320 i can still tell the difference between that and audio cds.
lets not go to lossess codecs like FLAC as my DAP doesnt handle them...or even the fact that maybe i should change players that does accept lossless.

I have been eyeing the Panasonic RP-HJE70s and such but feel that i could be a real waste of money since i use my DAP most of the time.

 

[kin0kin]

well yeah it's worth it. But personally, I wouldn't spend more than 200 bucks on IEMs. It's easier to differenciate phones than to differenciate source/amps and etc. One thing to note is that, IEMs isolate outside noise, and you'd be able to hear a much cleaner sound than earbuds. You may also capture some details that you may have not heard before.

ps: I used to use er4p direct out of ipod

 

[Arainach]

I agree - for Isolation and overall detail, upgrading is definatley worth it, but there's about a $200 Price Point that I wouldn't necessarily cross. I'm using a pair of er6i right now, and I love them. I love them enough that I can seriously see me dumping them for a pair of er4p or er4s in a year or two (no more spending right now). The Isolation and Sound quality are a leap above any earbud I've ever heard.

 

[kencer]

That was a really quick. Thanks Arainach and kin0kin.

I Just might get them later in the year. Theyre really expensive over here so ill see as time goes by...maybe a better model might even be out

 

[Julz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kencer My Question is, Please bear in mind I am not dissing anyone, is it really worth it? i mean since the source is compressed audio and not true CD quality. even at atracplus 256/mp3 320 i can still tell the difference between that and audio cds.

Yeah, it's worth it. I was using Senn MX500's and then Sharp Md33's before I went "high-end" IEM's. I'm so glad I bit the bullet and spent the cash, cos it's a whole different world. kin0kin makes a good point in that I heard little nuances in music I'd heard hundreds of times before. But as we like to say here, YMMV. If you don't think it's worth it, don't.

 

[Julz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kencer ...maybe a better model might even be out

Ahhh, that'll be the Shure E500's

 

[skyline889]

I don't really care for my iems, I don't know why, I guess I have just never gotten used to the fact of sticking something that far into my ear. If your set on iems though I have both the Shure E3C and the Etymotic ER-4P and I prefer the Etymotics, I personally think that they are a lot more neutral sounding but with a stonger bass response than the Shures.

 

[LaBreaHead]

I can echo what Arainach said, except substitute Shure E3C's for the Etymotics. Good observations from kin0kin and Arainach about isolation, detail, and price threshold.

Also, your question was very pertinent, Kencer -- but I will say that it's amazing the detail you can hear for the first time even in the compressed version of a song you've listened to for years, if you have isolation and higher-quality earphones (I have the Panasonics you have, and the Sonys, and they're fine -- for what they are). I think you'll be happy if you upgrade within reason.

 

[cheechoz]

I don't want to start a debate, but any high quality Lame encoded MP3, is indistinguishable from the original CD, at least where transparency is concerned! Since the source you are using, isn't of the highest of qualty, I would say the reason for your worries comes from the source, not the MP3's!

 

[tezzla]

i must say... im proper amazed if on a normal rock or pop song you can tell the difference between well compressed music (say 256 - 320?) and a cd if your source was an mp3 player and you were using mx500 buds, cos honestly, i sometimes have trouble telling 192 from cd when its rock etc ...

lol maybe there is a new term for my ears...instead of golden ears, poo ears!

 

[Riordan]

acually, it depends. competently encoded mp3's are transparent (sound the same as the original) on fairly low vbr bit rates (depends on individual tracks, some problematic instruments excepted.)

BUT there's still a lot of dire mp3s out there stemming from incompetent programs - i don't doubt that those sound worse than the original even if their bitrate is high.

yet even those would sound better on "real" iems than on earplugs.

 

[kencer]

i used to study sound engineering way back. So the first thing i did was train my ears and stuff..unfortunately, i was more interested in doing sessioning work than the actual recording process ;P

Anyways, thanks for the feedback and all.

One reason for the upgrade is isolation..on the senns, as good as zero in a public place, the pana isnt so bad but still, there are some albums that are raw and i can still hear the general ambiance. esp in a noisy area..last thing i want is to raise the volumes just to make up for the loss of clarity (Im the type of guy who loves to admire and pay attention to the recording and mixing.)

i know a lot of people have been talking bout etymotics and that has caught my attention as well. Is it durable enough for rough usage? (the normal wrap round the player so on and so forth)

 

[Gino]

I am using Altec im716 in my iBOOK and love the sound. But when I used it on my Panasonic SL-CT800 sound was very thin. Volume was very low. When I used it through my Cmoy amp, it sounded better but still sounded thin.

I don't believe your Panasonic will bring out the best of high end IEMs. Might as well go for the lower lines. But hey, if you have money to burn, go for the high end IEMs. Or go for them and an Ipod later on.

 

[rick1970]

I would recommend the Shure E4 if you are looking for something durable. These are well respected here and probably one of the best balanced all-purpose IEMs, at least in its price range.