[seanwee]

I would say sterile is like a flat freq response and analytical is how well it presents details and mostly the accuracy.


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So, planar headphones are sterile?

 

[Tom22]

i love detailed sound . Whats the difference between analytical and sterile anyways?

I would say sterile is like a flat freq response and analytical is how well it presents details and mostly the accuracy.


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That sounds good. I would say sterile as in lacking colour or flavor in a sense, bland is another word that comes to mind.

Analytical would be thrusting a details forward, some would say in the treble? Shimmer, minute details?

 

[seanwee]

That sounds good. I would say sterile as in lacking colour or flavor in a sense, bland is another word that comes to mind.

Analytical would be thrusting a details forward, some would say in the treble? Shimmer, minute details?

Thats what i like 

 

[Sp12er3]

 
Try JVC spiral dots tips and let me know what you think 

alright will try later hardly utilise them these days

I wonder... What kind of Mids presentation do you like to listen to @Audio123 ?
Right now, Personally I like how my IM50 sounds for any kind of music, with the vocal intimately placed, just like how I want it to be with a touch more mid bass than I like.. With FAD H2 its a very different representation of Vocals, it feels like the Vocal placed front and centre, with a spotlight on the singers, instruments circling around her, keeping the focus on her as much as possible.. I find this very touching in some music, but can be a it too much on some others. Which is why I keep XBA100 near for acoustics. Love watching video with Heaven 2 tho, speech intelligibility is great. In your experience, does AT E40, also CKR9 in that matter lean more toward the IM50?

 

[pedronet]

I wonder... What kind of Mids presentation do you like to listen to @Audio123 ?
Right now, Personally I like how my IM50 sounds for any kind of music, with the vocal intimately placed, just like how I want it to be with a touch more mid bass than I like.. With FAD H2 its a very different representation of Vocals, it feels like the Vocal placed front and centre, with a spotlight on the singers, instruments circling around her, keeping the focus on her as much as possible.. I find this very touching in some music, but can be a it too much on some others. Which is why I keep XBA100 near for acoustics. Love watching video with Heaven 2 tho, speech intelligibility is great. In your experience, does AT E40, also CKR9 in that matter lean more toward the IM50?

+1 on the im50, those sweet sweet vocals i would also like to know this

 

[seanwee]

I wonder... What kind of Mids presentation do you like to listen to @Audio123 ?
Right now, Personally I like how my IM50 sounds for any kind of music, with the vocal intimately placed, just like how I want it to be with a touch more mid bass than I like.. With FAD H2 its a very different representation of Vocals, it feels like the Vocal placed front and centre, with a spotlight on the singers, instruments circling around her, keeping the focus on her as much as possible.. I find this very touching in some music, but can be a it too much on some others. Which is why I keep XBA100 near for acoustics. Love watching video with Heaven 2 tho, speech intelligibility is great. In your experience, does AT E40, also CKR9 in that matter lean more toward the IM50?

I have listened to the IM50 multiple times and once even considered buying them. However , after listening to the CKR9 there was no turning back.
 
They have roughly the same sound signature but the CKR9 has less bass QUANTITY, however its bass QUALITY more than makes up for that. The sound is massively clearer and more transparent too.
 
The FAD Heaven 2 and XBA 100 is muddy next to the CKR9.

 

[pedronet]

  I have listened to the IM50 multiple times and once even considered buying them. However , after listening to the CKR9 there was no turning back.
 
They have roughly the same sound signature but the CKR9 has less bass QUANTITY, however its bass QUALITY more than makes up for that. The sound is massively clearer and more transparent too.
 
The FAD Heaven 2 and XBA 100 is muddy next to the CKR9.

 
They're that good huh? So where does the E40 sit considering both the IM50 and the CKR9? I don't know if this was answered before, if it was i'm sorry for repeating.

 

[seanwee]

   
They're that good huh? So where does the E40 sit considering both the IM50 and the CKR9? I don't know if this was answered before, if it was i'm sorry for repeating.

Ive never heard the E40 but from what others say, it should be IM50<E40<CKR9

 

[audio123]

I wonder... What kind of Mids presentation do you like to listen to @Audio123 ?
Right now, Personally I like how my IM50 sounds for any kind of music, with the vocal intimately placed, just like how I want it to be with a touch more mid bass than I like.. With FAD H2 its a very different representation of Vocals, it feels like the Vocal placed front and centre, with a spotlight on the singers, instruments circling around her, keeping the focus on her as much as possible.. I find this very touching in some music, but can be a it too much on some others. Which is why I keep XBA100 near for acoustics. Love watching video with Heaven 2 tho, speech intelligibility is great. In your experience, does AT E40, also CKR9 in that matter lean more toward the IM50?

lush mid mids and forward upper mids, perfect for female vocals. Well I started out with Heaven 2 all the way to their flagship Fibass. I would say if you are looking to build on H2 mids, H6 is the one you should consider. I got an E40 because of the elevated mids.It is more musical than IM50 and on par with CKR9. The upper mids have E40 the edge over CKR9. Cheers!
P.s Heaven iems have magical mids

 

[seanwee]

lush mid mids and forward upper mids, perfect for female vocals. Well I started out with Heaven 2 all the way to their flagship Fibass. I would say if you are looking to build on H2 mids, H6 is the one you should consider. I got an E40 because of the elevated mids.It is more musical than IM50 and on par with CKR9. The upper mids have E40 the edge over CKR9. Cheers!
P.s Heaven iems have magical mids

Is that so ? I cant wait for them to hit a store here so i can demo them.

 

[yellowbirdfly]

So having used my E40 for the past few days, I'm starting to get a better idea of its sound. Here are my impressions with JVC spiral dots tips:

- Bass reaches incredibly deep and is visceral. Slightly emphasized over neutral yet very linear with no mid-bass bloat. Plenty of detail and texture, with excellent control and precision. In short, the bass is nothing short of amazing and the closest you can get to planar bass in an IEM.
- Very linear through mids to treble, with a gentle roll-off at the top to prevent sibilance.
- Mids are very clear and detailed, and the tonality is exceptionally accurate and true to life.
- Vocals are at the forefront and well separated from the other instruments. Male and female vocals both sound nuanced, expressive and beautiful. Truly a vocal-head's dream.
- Treble is gentle on the ears, carries great amount of detail while straying far from sibilance and harshness. Impressive tuning.
- Soundstage is rather wide for an IEM, and good depth though not as deep as the CKRs.
- Separation, imaging, resolution are all excellent and better than most IEMs in this price range.
- Incredible dynamics and impact (a common trait in all Dual Phase Push-Pull driver IEMs), making traditional dynamics feel flat in comparison.

Overall, these are no doubt the best IEMs in its class. Even when coming from top tier IEMs like FLC8S, the E40 did not reduce the musical enjoyment one bit. They don't really do anything wrong, unlike many IEMs I've heard at this price. At $99 these are a definite steal!

Though if you are considering getting them, the JVC spiral dots tips are a MUST for unlocking the true potential of the E40s. There is a significant improvement going from the stock tips to the JVCs, making the investment worth more than the cost.

IMHO.

 

[seanwee]

So having used my E40 for the past few days, I'm starting to get a better idea of its sound. Here are my impressions with JVC spiral dots tips:

- Bass reaches incredibly deep and is visceral. Slightly emphasized over neutral yet very linear with no mid-bass bloat. Plenty of detail and texture, with excellent control and precision. In short, the bass is nothing short of amazing and the closest you can get to planar bass in an IEM.
- Very linear through mids to treble, with a gentle roll-off at the top to prevent sibilance.
- Mids are very clear and detailed, and the tonality is exceptionally accurate and true to life.
- Vocals are at the forefront and well separated from the other instruments. Male and female vocals both sound nuanced, expressive and beautiful. Truly a vocal-head's dream.
- Treble is gentle on the ears, carries great amount of detail while straying far from sibilance and harshness. Impressive tuning.
- Soundstage is rather wide for an IEM, and good depth though not as deep as the CKRs.
- Separation, imaging, resolution are all excellent and better than most IEMs in this price range.
- Incredible dynamics and impact (a common trait in all Dual Phase Push Pull IEMs), making traditional dynamics feel flat in comparison.

Overall, these are no doubt the best IEMs in its class. Even when coming from top tier IEMs like FLC8S, the E40 did not reduce the musical enjoyment one bit. They don't really do anything wrong, unlike many IEMs I've heard at this price. At $99 these are a definite steal!

Though if you are considering getting them, the JVC spiral dots tips are a MUST for unlocking the true potential of the E40s. There is a significant improvement going from the stock tips to the JVCs, making the investment worth more than the cost.

IMHO.

Great mini review!!!!!!

 

[yellowbirdfly]

Great mini review!!!!!!

Thank you! I might do a full review if there's time.

 

[Sp12er3]

@Seanwee hrm... is that so? what do you think is a better deal then? E40 at $99 or CKR9LTD at $150? cause really, my IM50 is due for an upgrade, it felt inferior compared with my other IEMs (though fine when alone), but how far of an upgrade an E40 or CKR9 is still to be seen, (intend to demo both first, found a seller willing to set 2 weeks demo period for CKR9, and E40 demo will be coming to local Jaben)
@Audio123 yeah, you pull me hard enough making me want to try out a Heaven 6, if its everything H2 is but upgraded in every aspect I'm down.

 

[seanwee]

@Seanwee hrm... is that so? what do you think is a better deal then? E40 at $99 or CKR9LTD at $150? cause really, my IM50 is due for an upgrade, it felt inferior compared with my other IEMs (though fine when alone), but how far of an upgrade an E40 or CKR9 is still to be seen, (intend to demo both first, found a seller willing to set 2 weeks demo period for CKR9, and E40 demo will be coming to local Jaben)

I cant really comment on that yet as i have yet to demo the E40, sorry to disappoint

.