[Zaied]

The first pair of good headphones I purchased after coming to head-fi were the PX100s. I love them. They really shine in more quiet areas where there isnt a lot of ambient noise but seem to lose their acoustics on a bus or just walking around outside. I have been looking at the ER6s as an in ear outdoor travel alternative. Ive read an endless number of posts concerning the ER6s lack of bass, and so this is what concerns me most. My question is, me being greatly impressed with with PX100s acoustics (cymbal crashes and percussion in general sound perect) and tight bass response, do any of you think the ER6 is a worthy upgrade? Im hoping to get a litte more detail of course, but I love the sound signature of the PX100, it's non fatiguing, very smooth and quite detailed, especially for background acoustics. The soundstaging (if this is the correct term) is amazing. My "low-fi" friends are blown away when they hear my PX100s. Quote - "Sounds like you're there, hearing them play live!" So do the ER6s have good soundstage, and maybe a little ambience and sense of depth and space? Ive tried the Plug, and I was horrified. There were no real acoustics, it were as if a speaker were shoved right next to my ear.

In a nutshell, Im looking to get everything I got out of my PX100s from the ER6s. Other suggestions in a similar price range of the ER6 would be appreciated.

 

[hentai]

px100 and er6 are very different. maybe the e2c suit you better. px100 is dark , er6 is bright sounding,

use canal phones carefully

 

[Zaied]

Can anyone second the E2c reccomendation?

 

[prona]

I second the notion.

 

[Zaied]

Hey this is interesting. From this link http://www.dapreview.net/content.php?article.133 I came across the following:

In relation to the iPod
"Perhaps the easiest way to overcome the equalizer's shortcomings is to just not use it! Bangraman at the Head-Fi forums recommends headphones such as the Sennheiser HD 25-1, the Beyerdynamic DT231 and the Sony MDR-G74SL for use in conjunction with the iPod. These headphones apparently emphasize bass, which in turn acts as a de-facto equalizer. I say "apparently" as I have not tried any of these phones. I would recommend you test-drive these headphones however as they may be exactly what you are looking for. I have tried some low-end Sennheiser headphones which had overemphasized bass, and I can, in that respect, testify that a headphone can make a huge difference in your iPod's sound signature. I would also like to add the Koss KSC-35 to that list, as it is often touted as having strong bass."

His point is that the iPod's bass signature is too neutral. Bassy headphones compensate for this, and so the bass effect in the headphones appears to be reduced, but in turn make up for the lack of it coming from the ipod. I have noticed this with my PX100s, which on record are on the bassy side of things, but sound perfectly okay on an unamped 3g ipod. With that in mind, I know the E2cs are also considered a bit bassy, and since the iPod bass singature is exremely neutral, Im beginning to believe that the E2c would be a better match than the ER6. I have read numerious times that the ER6s lack bass, and are very bright, so Im guessing they'll sound absolutely terrible on an iPod.

Anyone agree?

 

[hentai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zaied and are very bright, so Im guessing they'll sound absolutely terrible on an iPod. Anyone agree?

er6 won't be terrible. just that it may not up to be your taste . i like brightness and darkness as well

 

[Zaied]

Im willing to settle for a little brightness, but not too much. From what I understand, the ER6 are the brightest of the lot. Im looking for something that will balance both brightness and darkness.

My point is that Im not looking for something that sounds exactly like the PX100s, but something that someone who was impressed with the PX100 would like with out having the extremeites of brightness or anything that would be a significant deviation from the PX100s.

 

[hentai]

then er6 is not your cup of tea also , it may be too bright for you handle, its best to hear them yourself. e2c is the best choice for you imho its dark but still slightly brighter than px100

 

[PFRfan]

I have a pair of PX100s which I've loved. But the desire for something smaller to take up less space in my notebook bag, along with high expectations of canal-phones, drove me to buy a pair of E2Cs. They were a big step up from the PX100s, and a little better IMO than my Sony MDR-7506s. After 2 days, I got an email with someone clearing out the E3Cs for about $20 more than I'd paid (retail). So I returned them and bought the E3Cs. This was another improvement, but nearly as drastic as the first.

The point - if you can find the E2Cs for ~$75, I think that's one of the best ways to spend your money.

 

[JohnRich]

The ER6 are fairly flat sounding; they will only sound bright if you don't insert them correctly. They are fine driven directly from the Ipod, unless you need unrealistic levels of bass. The PX100s sound somewhat warmer but have less detail.

The plug is not a great guide to canalphones generally, although ironically, given the recommendations you've had so far, the Shure E2 would be the closest to the plug sound; bloated/fun bass and less wonderful delivery of mids and highs.

The best advice is probably for you to try as many of the canalphones within your price range as you can, and make an informed choice based on how they sound to you. Althernatively the PX200 retains some of the Sennie PX house sound in a similar form factor to the PX100 but copes better with ambient noise.

 

[cresny]

I have an ipod 4g and ety ER4S as well as beyer DT-231.

I agree with the posts regarding headphone matching with the ipod. The Beyers sound great (they were boomy with other DAPs) while the Etys are just too thin, even when amped (though the soundstage does improve when amped). If you want a canalphone similar in price to the PX-100, I recommend the Sharp MD33s. They sound great on my 4g unamped and they're very comfortable as well.

 

[Kirosia]

If it means anything, I prefer the ksc-35 over the er-6 unamped.

 

[BoonetheAiredale]

I ordered the e2c's from buy.com for a total of 59.99, after a 5% rebate coupon was added. Shipping was free.

'Bout as cheap as I could find. Hope they work well with a flash player, as that is all I have for the time being.

 

[Zaied]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cresny I have an ipod 4g and ety ER4S as well as beyer DT-231. I agree with the posts regarding headphone matching with the ipod. The Beyers sound great (they were boomy with other DAPs) while the Etys are just too thin, even when amped (though the soundstage does improve when amped). If you want a canalphone similar in price to the PX-100, I recommend the Sharp MD33s. They sound great on my 4g unamped and they're very comfortable as well.

Ideally I wouldnt like to spend more then maybe than what the e2cs cost, but if the quality is justified, Im willing to spend upto maybe 120 or so. But then there is the issue of the ipod not being able to drive higher end canalphones well enought to justify the cost without getting an amp, so with respect to that im looking for something in the e2c/er6 rang-ish maybe?

 

[kaxixi]

I 'upgraded' from the Senn PX100's to the er6's when I needed a headphone to block out noise. I have not heard the shures, but I wouldn't recommend the er6's. The detail's impressive, but I miss the warmth and the bass.