[blackcatz]

Hi! I have a ipod 6G > crossroads idock > silver bendy > go-vibe > esw9. I was just wondering if there was any other portable headphones or iem that sound better than the esw9 that arn't open like grados! Thanks

 

[TSi]

there are a lot of things better than that... but then it really depends waht you count as portable and what you count as bulky.

 

[blackcatz]

Okay i love the akg 701 but its bulky

Anything at the range of the akg 701 and above are considered bulky

Don't know if a high end iem will beat it? like eg interested in the um3

 

[TSi]

lol, really depends on your budget.

theres always choices of customs. ie: UE11C, UE10C, Livewires, FreQs.
Those will usually top off universal iems.

same with portable amp and cables and your dap... if u want to switch everything to better stuff, im sure theres a way (as long as u dont mind the budget)

 

[blackcatz]

Hmm planning on keepin teh amp for da moment cause its doing a good job

Just looking for something dats better sounding than the esw9 like a iem or headphone.

 

[monolith]

High end IEMs will probably beat out the headphones you have. There's room to improve your amp, perhaps to something like a Pico or an RSA offering.

Also, I'd immediately go for a one-piece LOD. Two piece ones are very unwieldy.

 

[blackcatz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by monolith /img/forum/go_quote.gif High end IEMs will probably beat out the headphones you have. There's room to improve your amp, perhaps to something like a Pico or an RSA offering. Also, I'd immediately go for a one-piece LOD. Two piece ones are very unwieldy.

Whats a one-piece?

Hmm if high end iem can beat my headphones im going straight ahead

What do you think will beat the crap outta my esw9? Pls not the ue11... I radtha buy a ed9 hahaz

So im guessing its the ue10 or the um3?

 

[TSi]

one piece is basically a LOD that goes directly from your ipod to your amp without another connector.

so instead of: ipod --> LOD --> mini-mini --> amp
it would be: ipod --> LOD cable --> amp

 

[ronnielee54]

X2 on the LOD. Check out Turbo. He is a member of Head-fi, does really good work, and his prices are more than fair.

 

[catscratch]

You'll have to stretch the definition of "portable" a bit. I don't know how good the ESW9 is but an mp3 player is always going to be the bottleneck in a good setup. You can always put in an mp3 player/PCDP with optical output to a separate DAC (like the HR MicroDAC), then to your amp and cans. Improving the source is going to give you a significant boost in performance, but you will have to lug the whole mess around, and I don't really consider that "portable." Still, if you want to seriously improve your SQ, this is the route I would go.

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TSi /img/forum/go_quote.gif one piece is basically a LOD that goes directly from your ipod to your amp without another connector. so instead of: ipod --> LOD --> mini-mini --> amp it would be: ipod --> LOD cable --> amp

It'll be interesting to know which one the OP prefers. While theoretically a "one-piece" may be better, there's reason to believe that a well made "two-piece" with decent solder points and connectors will sound no worse.

 

[Namrac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkpowder /img/forum/go_quote.gif It'll be interesting to know which one the OP prefers. While theoretically a "one-piece" may be better, there's reason to believe that a well made "two-piece" with decent solder points and connectors will sound no worse.

I don't think the issue raised has anything to do with sound quality, simply that a one piece is going to be smaller, more portable, and more convenient.

 

[TKvC-SainT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackcatz /img/forum/go_quote.gif Okay i love the akg 701 but its bulky Anything at the range of the akg 701 and above are considered bulky Don't know if a high end iem will beat it? like eg interested in the um3

Incidently I actually sold my K701s recently after getting my ESW9s

This thread makes me wonder do you dislike the sound you´re getting out of your ESW9 setup, or are you just upgrading to "upgrade".

If the second option I would say just enjoy them, I know I do

. And if you want something else too, then I suggest the IEM route to get maximum isolation for when that´s needed.

 

[blackcatz]

Hahaz got the buying bug again and just want something that sounds better than my current setup. And yes i still love the sound comming out now but theres so much to improve!

Im not sure if i can find the one-piece thing here in singapore? Any idea if jaben sells it?

So there are 2 routes now rite?

1) Upgrade amp and LOD keep headphones(no recommendations yet).

2) Upgrade to iem maybe amp too.

Ill go with the one which you think produces the best sound! Which do you suggest i take?

 

[blackcatz]

Oh yea and regarding the optical out, im a pure wav guy so i really need a player that has a harddisk that can do that. If other players with a better DAC and hhd I would have sold my ipod a long long time ago