[guardiangel]

i've been constantly reading about IEMs for the past 2 days now.
so much contradictions about ety and shure... e4c vs ety and no bass and so much... just ARGGGHHH #$%*(&#$*(%&#
couldn't it be much easier?

so far i haven't REALLY heard a baaaaad thing about e500pth YET...
and YES i've read all reviews... from this site/cnet/ilounge/apple/ and most major electronic store so plz dun flame me...

from what i know e500pth has the "better" bass of most shure and 3ple drivers.
e5c and e500pth cost the same but e5c has only dual drivers...

so whats the downside to e500pth? and shure even reduced the MSRP >.>

just wanna hear what the pros gotta say

 

[Iceroid]

bad = majorly rolled off treble
good = everything else

 

[viper_45]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iceroid /img/forum/go_quote.gif bad = majorly rolled off treble good = everything else

x 2

If you're someone who likes an open and airy sound, you will be (at least initially) very dissapointed with the E500. From my memory, I seem to remember the E5c were quite similar in the highs. As many people will point out, you will eventually acclimatise to the sound of the E500s and discover the details exposed in the rest of the frequency range (bass - mids). The E500s are undeniably coloured, but very enjoyable nonetheless.

IMO, the E4c are more balanced and will take a lot less time to acclimatise to. All IEMs take a little time to get used to, as the presentation is starkly different to any full sized headphone.

 

[JLai]

^^ x3

Having the E500s for close to 2 months now, I'd say the only bad thing about them is the treble rolloff when they're straight out of the iPod headphone jack. BUT...this is easily fixed with a Hornet M. Out of my Echo Indigo DJ, they sound superb.

When I listen to it via iPod --> Hornet M, I can't really find any area I'm disappointed in. If anything, I wish it had a larger sound stage, but given that all IEMs lack in this area, I can't fault it.

 

[ILikeMusic]

The E500 high end is also easily fixed with just a tad of EQ. The E500 are capable of high-end detail rivaling anything out there, but for some reason Shure chose to tailor the sound more towards the mids. But once you fix it with EQ the E500 have no rival among universal IEMs except perhaps for the Triple-Fi (depending on individual taste), but the Triple-Fi form factor just doesn't work for me at all.

 

[freakmax]

When music is not playing , I notice a hiss.( direct from iPod)
This never occurs when using Ety er4s.
Overall, I prefer the E500.

 

[JLai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by freakmax /img/forum/go_quote.gif When music is not playing , I notice a hiss.( direct from iPod) This never occurs when using Ety er4s. Overall, I prefer the E500.

Also fixed with the Hornet M.

 

[nfusion770]

I like highs too, but think I have been acclimated to the shure sound. I run them out of my Xin micro and think they sound great. I played with EQing the highs for about a week, but I have returned to the unEQed sig. I guess the only downside is that they pick up all the details of bad recordings- somehow I find it hard to conceive of that as a "fault" of the e500s.

In any case, they are great IEMs and if you dont like some aspect of them, you can easily EQ them, or- at worst- sell them at a minimal loss.

 

[freakmax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLai /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also fixed with the Hornet M.

Interesting.
I'm considering buying an amp for my e500.
The Hornet M is in my list.

What is the difference between Hornet and Hornet M?
Whic one should I get?

 

[niftymatt]

Hornet is the original version and I heard it is more bassy. I'm pretty sure Ray Samuels only sells the M version now.

 

[sonic32]

Quote:

Originally Posted by freakmax /img/forum/go_quote.gif When music is not playing , I notice a hiss.( direct from iPod) This never occurs when using Ety er4s. Overall, I prefer the E500.

You could also use the included attentuator to rid yourself of the hiss with the Ipod/E500 combo.

 

[niftymatt]

anyone know of any amps that will make the bass sound less muddy (make it tighter and less bass) and make the treble shine? What do you guys use for amps?

 

[guardiangel]

hmmm how about the e4c?
i heard the treble is good but the bass sux...
so its exactly opposite of e500pth?
can i use eq or an amplifier to boost the bass for an e4c?

 

[John_M]

Go with the E500. The E4c sounds a bit lifeless in comparison. I think "majorly" rolled off treble is a bit of an exaggeration, as well.

 

[Mr.Shadow]

I find the bass too tight and flat, there is almost no extension, it might be related to the setup I have, I'm not sure

The quantity of bass is superb, exactly as much as I would have like, it's something I missed a lot with the E4c, which resulted in a small/narrow sound.
The E500 makes up for it big time, with full and big/broad sound !

Highs are a little recessed/closed, at least they are not sharp/edgy.

I agree that there is a decent amount of coloration in the mids, but it's warm and shabby

Aside from that, they are pretty good.