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Best Single Driver IEM

Oct 7, 2015 at 6:55 AM Post #16 of 89
Another vote for the ie800`s, had them for about 2 years and they`re superb. In terms of tonality, they have a sub-bass emphasis, very slightly more than neutral mid and upper bass, neutral mids and sparkly highs. I personally find them very bright, however they do retrieve an immense amount of detail at low volumes as a result. Clarity is also the best of any iem I`ve heard including the er-4, however the er-4 sounds more detailed due to their more forward mid presentation.

I did feel, however, that the er-4`s did not portray the whole audio spectrum. I thought the bass response was great, but there was very little sub-bass with any tips I tried and I can clarify that I did indeed have a good fit. My former favourite earphones were the Klipsch x10`s, they had a laid back, smooth, warm and bassy sound sig. However they had very recessed highs (more so than any Shure iem) and a fair amount of bass bloat, pretty much the opposite of the er-4`s.

The ie800 is a solid medium between these two iem`s and actually outdoes both of them in almost every regard, a marriage of technical proficiency and carefully sculpted tonality. It`s not flat, but it is close enough to unveil a lot of microdetails and nothing feels lost or covered by another frequency range. The smaller drivers also have some good speed with effortless detail retrieval and quick decay for a dynamic, yet bass remains very textured. I also prefer them to my B&W P7`s if that means anything, but on the whole, they present a very engaging, fabulously detailed yet slightly v-shaped sound with phenomenal clarity. I picked mine up new for around $550 AUD which is around $400 USD so I don`t think it`s really fair to down vote them for being a "$1000 iem", but I like to think that they have the value and engineering of a "$1000 iem" so... what a bargain...
 
Oct 7, 2015 at 11:07 AM Post #17 of 89
ryanjsoo said:
 Clarity is also the best of any iem I`ve heard including the er-4, however the er-4 sounds more detailed due to their more forward mid presentation.
Click to expand...

Forward mid gives more detailed sound? Funny
smile.gif
 
 
Oct 7, 2015 at 11:30 AM Post #18 of 89
ER4PT's when properly driven won't leaving you wanting for bass. 
 
Oct 7, 2015 at 12:08 PM Post #20 of 89
Ie800 for me. Easy win. Also scales very well. Sounds great out of my oppo ha-1.
 
Oct 7, 2015 at 4:02 PM Post #21 of 89
max choiral said:
  Match in what? I haven't heard a dynamic driver which can rival a good single BA. Mids - nope, treble - more or less, lows - quality issues, but ok for the people who value quantity
Click to expand...


....but that's the point. A single BA does so poorly with bass compared to a dynamic and surely a track with poor bass is going to sound anaemic, no matter how good the mids and trebles are.
 
Oct 7, 2015 at 5:40 PM Post #23 of 89
Miles Davis Trumpets - the best extended highs that I've ever heard and they are smooth to boot. High volumes? No problem. No damned sibilance. I personally find no fault with the mids (others claim them to be recessed) - they are perfect. Bass sounds perfect with the medium small tips if you want quality. Out of the head Soundstage plus one of the most realistic timbres (and punch for electric bass and bite for guitars).

I still miss them :(
 
Oct 7, 2015 at 7:20 PM Post #24 of 89
max choiral said:
Forward mid gives more detailed sound? Funny
smile.gif
 
Click to expand...

 


I apologize if this is the wrong terminology, I probably should have said that details are more forward (aggressive?) in the mix due the less recessed mid presentation.
 
Oct 8, 2015 at 1:57 AM Post #25 of 89
holden4th said:
 
A single BA does so poorly with bass compared to a dynamic and surely a track with poor bass is going to sound anaemic, no matter how good the mids and trebles are.
Click to expand...

Single BA bass is faster and more precise but lacking some "weight" and "body" sometimes. 
I really love the e-q8' bass which I will never call "poor". It is fast and precise and it has enough weight but lacking some space in comparison with dynamic drivers. 
 
Oct 8, 2015 at 2:10 AM Post #26 of 89
Haven't owned the E-Q8, but I can speak for the E-Q7.  Still love it since its debut. 
 
I have owned Final Audio Designs (FAD) Heaven V, VI, VIII, and Piano Forte VIII, and each is magical in its own way that is uniquely and forever FAD. They won't win on technicality, but the sound coloration with each one makes them the most emotionally gratifying iems I've heard regardless of driver count and hybrid configurations, IMO.
 
Oct 8, 2015 at 2:29 AM Post #27 of 89
Finally I see some Ortofon fans! Lol. 
beerchug.gif

 
Oct 8, 2015 at 4:42 AM Post #28 of 89
This takes me back quite a few years when the electrostatic speakers first came out, the mids and highs were amazing but the bass was less than desired.
 
A company called JansZen produced speakers that had some incredible (and I mean unbelieveable) looking and sounding electrostatic drivers and had a subwoofer at the bottom. A mate of mine got a pair of these in the mid 80s and we spent hours comparing tracks. It was the only speaker that made his early model CD player sound better than his TOTL turntable
 
The combination of the two produced one of the best speakers I've ever heard but it was well out of my price range. My Quad ESL 63s were simply blown out of the water. I sold them not long after that.
 
I see today's hybrid BA/dynamic iems as the in ear version of this idea.
 
BTW, JansZen are still making speakers
 
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