[Gee Simpson]

IMO the E40 is a big step above IM70. Tighter and punchier bass, more forward and clearer mids, and a more present treble. No contest. The E40 is really close to the level of CKR9LTD/10 to me, and it's amazing how they achieved that for half the price of the CKR's.

Wow! It looks like these will be my IM70 upgrade then.

 

[jant71]

They look like the model to get, those E40. Really nice profit margin on those CKR's so not amazing to me

. They will do just fine selling the E40 for $99. 

 

[Sp12er3]

Woo.. It seems to be the right time to upgrade my IM50! E40 definite try, esp if it has better isolation and smaller footprint. Will check out both E50&E70.. XBA100 is a good example of a good single BA and i loved the lushness of XBA300

 

[seanwee]

XBA100 is a good example of a good single BA

I disagree, there are better BAs for the price.

 

[ozkan]

Woo.. It seems to be the right time to upgrade my IM50! E40 definite try, esp if it has better isolation and smaller footprint. Will check out both E50&E70.. XBA100 is a good example of a good single BA and i loved the lushness of XBA300

Etymotic HF5 is a good example of single BA.

 

[packersfan125]

do we know when the e40s are releasing?  Amazon says March 1 but is that accurate (for US)?

 

[Malevolent]

Heard all three at Canjam. Here are some short impressions from the brief amount of time I had with them.

E40: Very nice! It has 90% of the CKR9LTD sound. Lively, punchy and dynamic. Very forward vocals, perhaps too close for comfort on some tracks. Bass is one of the best I've heard in this price range, almost exactly like CKR9LTD bass. For the price it's a superb value. Impressed!

E50: Quite neutral sounding, but nothing noteworthy about it. Sounds veiled in comparison to E70.

E70: Very flat tuning with a nice amount of sparkle in the highs. Somewhat reminiscent of the XBA-300. Resolution and detail are pretty good. Not nearly as fun or musical as the IM03, probably suited for monitoring only.

 
Thanks for the impressions! Here in Tokyo, they are not yet in stock, but the major retailers are starting to take orders for them. It's a shame they don't have any demo units available, though.
 
Anyway, the E40 sounds like a good choice. If it sounds close to a CKR9LTD, they must be something special, especially at that price point. On the other hand, I am a little disappointed to hear that they tuned the E70 for a balanced sound. Their last 2 flagships aren't exactly flat (CKR10 and IM04), so I was hoping for something a bit more musical this time around. Anyway, I will still be giving them a try.
 
Again, thanks for your impressions. 

 

 

[yellowbirdfly]

   
Thanks for the impressions! Here in Tokyo, they are not yet in stock, but the major retailers are starting to take orders for them. It's a shame they don't have any demo units available, though.
 
Anyway, the E40 sounds like a good choice. If it sounds close to a CKR9LTD, they must be something special, especially at that price point. On the other hand, I am a little disappointed to hear that they tuned the E70 for a balanced sound. Their last 2 flagships aren't exactly flat (CKR10 and IM04), so I was hoping for something a bit more musical this time around. Anyway, I will still be giving them a try.
 
Again, thanks for your impressions. 

 

You're welcome! 

 
You'll definitely like the E40 if you liked the CKR9LTD. I'm glad Audio Technica is bringing their push-pull driver tech to a more accessible price point so more people can experience it. 

 

 

[natalieann]

Amazon has these dropping tomorrow----We shall see

 

[jant71]

Well, what do you know. Seems Sound professionals did get stock in. Get them while they're hot!!!
 
Seems somebody got an E40 as there are 9 left and 10 E50 and 10 E70 left.

 

[natalieann]

Amazon had 10 pairs in for an hour and so, now they are shipping in 1-2 months....That was quick

 

[jant71]

Amazon never had any. They were 1 to 2 months still. Only Soundprofessionals supposedly had them but it was bull. All the E's are now April 4th. They didn't sell everything out in a few hours. Now I know why they are only 88% positive ratings. They at least play some games

 

[natalieann]

  Amazon never had any. They were 1 to 2 months still. Only Soundprofessionals supposedly had them but it was bull. All the E's are now April 4th. They didn't sell everything out in a few hours. Now I know why they are only 88% positive ratings. They at least play some games

Yeah, sound professionals was selling through Amazon and they claimed the 10...I guess they were confused

 

[kimD]

Anyone E70 owner here, can shares the sound quality than over IM04.

Thanks

 

[HiFiChris]

Does anybody know whether the "L" tips of these will be larger than those of the ATH-IM series?