All my iems are harsh?
Oct 9, 2009 at 11:20 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 11

thope

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I use super-fi4, 5 pro and jays-d IEM's on a regular basis. I wanted to try something new and got apple iems to try out. First I hated them for no-existant mid-bass and in-efficience but after a while of quiet listening I started to like them quite well. they have the sweet hi-end, down to earth mids and weird ghost bass that was of very low frequency, I was surprised to discover that their frequency response went quite low and that some of the songs that were pure torture with jays D or sf5 were actually quite enjoyable with these. I listen to a lot of classical music and during high notes, I just have to deal with the torturous whistle effect caused by these.

so, I want to know your opinion on if jay-d and sfi5 are very harsh natured earphones.
 
Oct 9, 2009 at 11:36 PM Post #2 of 11
sorry to intrude on your thread...i have superfi 4s and found them really irritating to my ears, making them itch and ache after a while, im just wondering how the 5s and other iems in general compare as it has put me off trying another pair
 
Oct 10, 2009 at 12:15 AM Post #3 of 11
@ the OP
Some people are simply more unacceptable to harhness that others. Some of the most infamous phones for harshness are the JVC HP-FX500, but I don't find them very harsh at all. Have you tried foam tips on those IEMs? Foamies tend to settle down the high end.

@ anthemeral
How long have you used IEMs? This is pretty common for a few months when first using IEMs. That said, some people can't stand having them in their ears, period. The only cure for those people are customs and soft foam tips. As for the Super.fi 5 Pros, they were never uncomfortable to me because I could never get the damn things to stay in my ear canal.
 
Oct 10, 2009 at 1:55 AM Post #5 of 11
when using my superfi 4s i found them ok for the first month or so but my ears seemed to develop problems that id never had before, such as dry skin, flakiness and a kind of wetness that was more apparent when using the iems
now i cant wear them for more than twenty minutes without needing to itch which then causes aches and sore skin..
seeing as the cables now broke anyway im stuck between choosing something with a detachable cable, either ie8 iems or ultrasone full sized

.....

as for harshness, i found the superfi4s very harsh with certain music, i was initially impressed with the bass of them when i first bought them but with some music my ears feel like they need to have a rest before the album ends, this was worse when listening through my laptop than on my mp3

when listening to mastodon new album on flac it was vey hard to tell what was going on, it all seems too harsh, but when listening to tiesto it seemed both beautifully clear and just the right amount of deep bass

i always thought that clarity is what i would like most in headphones but now im thinking that something warm and coloured is more suited to me like with sennheisers, perhaps your the same
 
Oct 10, 2009 at 2:06 AM Post #6 of 11
You might want to try out the Head Direct RE0 IEMs. They're slightly warm and more laid back, so they aren't fatiguing or offensive. As well, the frequency response is smooth, so there's really no odd points that end up offensive with certain songs.

I'll also note you'll want to invest in better tips. They will help a lot with comfort. You can look into Comply for a memory foam option or Shure foams (Olives) for a more latex type of foam. I'm a big fan of the Olives.
 
Oct 10, 2009 at 3:56 AM Post #7 of 11
I used foams for a while with my atrios but I was very unhappy with all the rinsing I had to do to keep them even barely clean but i never thought of using foamies for these, i'll get some comply tips and see if it smooths up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvw2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
You might want to try out the Head Direct RE0 IEMs. They're slightly warm and more laid back, so they aren't fatiguing or offensive. As well, the frequency response is smooth, so there's really no odd points that end up offensive with certain songs.

I'll also note you'll want to invest in better tips. They will help a lot with comfort. You can look into Comply for a memory foam option or Shure foams (Olives) for a more latex type of foam. I'm a big fan of the Olives.



 
Oct 10, 2009 at 4:17 AM Post #8 of 11
Shures are different. They have a solid top layer, so it's not just all open cell foam for junk to get into. It's also why they don't soak up high frequencies like other foams either. They're not a memory foam like Comply, so they hold better in your ear too. They're also tough as nails and very very tough against wear. Frankly, Olives kick butt.

Yep, you can use foam to tame top end too, if that is what the problem actually is in the first place. I do question if they will help or not specific to Super.Fi 4s. I don't know. I haven't seen any specific data on the 4s nor have used them. I don't know what their problem is and if it's fixable just with a tip.

I say just look into the RE0 as a more pleasant option. Head Direct has a 30 day money back guarantee too if you're in the mood to just try them out.
 
Oct 10, 2009 at 4:22 AM Post #9 of 11
Quote:

Originally Posted by mvw2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Shures are different. They have a solid top layer, so it's not just all open cell foam for junk to get into. It's also why they don't soak up high frequencies like other foams either.


I found that they do suck up quite a bit of high frequencies (this is on my er-4S)
 
Oct 10, 2009 at 4:32 AM Post #10 of 11
They are still harsh guys. I guess it's just how they operate.
 
Oct 10, 2009 at 4:44 AM Post #11 of 11
this song is probably the harshest one in my library. I am sorry I couldn't find an english song from the top my head. the female voice at the beginning of the song has very bad whistle effect. Andala Meghamala.mp3
 

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