[BigAmish]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rooka /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just got them and well, I am a bit disappointed They don't seem to be balanced, they are very focused on the heights. Especially with rock songs they sound plain Any tips or suggestions?

I thought the exact same thing when I listened to them for the very first time. I used the large tips first assuming that would give me the best seal (I am pretty tall), but mediums ended up providing the best sound (bass in particular) by far. Even the small tips formed a better seal compared to the large ones, although the mediums were still best sonically. Experiment with all the different tip sizes to see what works for you, even if the ones you currently like seem to fit fine.

Also, some in this thread suggest the UE foamies or double flanges give even better bass results (both part of the inexpensive UE Universal Fit tip kit). I'll be able to comment on that once my set arrives later this week.

Last, the bass also seemed to come through more after a few hours of burn-in...although that may have been due to my improved experience obtaining a proper seal (I am a relative noob to IEMs/canal phones). All I know is that I went from maxing my bass EQ at first listen to lowering it to about the level I use for my MS-1s (+3dB). Hopefully the same thing will happen to you. Happy listening!

EDIT: No fair Rooka!

You posted your edit as I was authoring my reply, so forgive me if my comments are redundant.

 

[Rooka]

Thanks BigAmish

Well, I'm going to 'burn-in' my X3s.
The UE foamies aren't that expensive, so maybe I'll get them, too.

Edit: They really sound better now. Great

 

[oli84]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bisco82 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think that the choice between the x3 and xB should be determined by a couple of things. 1) the music you listen to, if its mostly jazz, classical, acoustic, then I would say the X3... Hip hop, R&B, other bass heavy music... then I would go with the XB... however it would be a better deal IMHO to get the DTX50 - X3 bundle, and get one w/ great bass, and another with greater clarity.

Have you had a chance to compare the XB and the DTX50?

 

[steviebee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rooka /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks BigAmish Well, I'm going to 'burn-in' my X3s. The UE foamies aren't that expensive, so maybe I'll get them, too.

I like the UE foamies soundwise, but they do slip off their plastic mounts some (not while in the ear, I hasten to add. Well, not so far!). Can't seem to get a good seal w/ the double flange at all...

 

[holland]

These phones have significant changes over time, so burn them in well. When I first got them, they were quite uncontrolled in the bottom, but the bottom recessed over time. It's still a bit slow, but not prominent. The sound is definitely warm, but I would not call these heavy bass emphasized headphones. They do let you hear the bass though.

The UE double flanges are great. I just got them yesterday. After burn-in and the bass recessing down to being more controlled the highs became annoyingly metallic. Keep in mind, these were with stock tips all this time.

I tried the Shure tips, but without pushing the tips down the barrel they kept dislodging in my ears. With them pushed down the barrel they seemed to emphasize the high end more, so I just left them off and put the stockers back on. After putting on the UE double flanges, the high end seems a bit softer. The intensity is still there, but it's not as sharp edged. It's smoother.

The seal is definitely much better and I didn't push them down the barrel as shown in the early posts. They seemed to hold well without having to do that, and I'm able to push them deeper into my ears. The peaks and valleys don't seem as large in differential now. I would heavily recommend the UE tips, if you didn't order them with it on.

 

[Rooka]

So you recommend the UE Double Flanges over the Shure E2 set:

The advantage of the Shure set is, that it contains different types of earbuds. But do the double flanges sound better than all Shures or is it once again a question of taste?

 

[dfkt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by holland /img/forum/go_quote.gif The sound is definitely warm, but I would not call these heavy bass emphasized headphones. They do let you hear the bass though.

Either the tolerances/QC is way off with the X3's, there really is a "burn-out" symptom, or I don't know what else could produce people's totally opposite opinions about their sound character...

Mine sound cold and bright, without any bass at all, no matter what silicones or foamies I use... they're very similar to the Ety ER-6, although a bit more listenable and fun sounding, IMO. (Check my sig below, to get an idea what I'm comparing them to.)

Potential X3 customers beware, they seem to be a different sounding phone to everyone who tries them. Hope I added some more to the confusion...

 

[dfkt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rooka /img/forum/go_quote.gif The advantage of the Shure set is, that it contains different types of earbuds.

So does the UE universal fit kit: http://www.ultimateears.com/_ultimat.../universal.php

 

[holland]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rooka /img/forum/go_quote.gif The advantage of the Shure set is, that it contains different types of earbuds. But do the double flanges sound better than all Shures or is it once again a question of taste?

It's probably a matter of taste. The double flanges provide a better seal, and the fact that they didn't pop off the nozzle unless you pushed them all the way down the barrel. The UE fit on the nozzle just fine and didn't pop off leaving a sleeve in my ear to dig out. I tend to not use foamies, other than comply...but it doesn't fit on this. The Shure I used were the grey soft-flex.

dfkt, I have the IM716 as well. These are no where near that level of coldness. There is a bump in the lower-mids, which takes some getting used to. It's also not as smooth as the IM716 with ups and downs along the freq curve. I've lost track of how many hours I have on mine, but they are well over 200 hours now. The change seemed to happen ~150 hours, for me.

Edit: Rooka, there is a UE trial pack which has foamies as well as double flanges. http://www.ultimateears.com/_ultimat...ccessories.php . I got the grey double flanges, thought it would match my silver band, but it looks kinda weird. Should have gotten black.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ULTIMATE-EARS-EA...QQcmdZViewItem

 

[dfkt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by holland /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've lost track of how many hours I have on mine, but they are well over 200 hours now. The change seemed to happen ~150 hours, for me.

Interesting... I already gave up on the X3's, don't listen to them anymore - there's probably less than 20-30 hours on mine. Only thing that changed in that time is that they lost all bass and warmth - I really noticed no positive burn-in effects. Maybe I should leave them attached to some source for a few days and check back then...

 

[Bisco82]

what dkft experienced cannot be that uncommon, it was pretty on par with my experience. I do not say I prefer the X3 for listening over an hour and over all genres of my collection.

 

[holland]

Hmm, that's really odd. The X3 is not entirely my cup of tea, they've been demoted to workout headphones now (bottom rung of the totem pole). However, I've never found them cold at all. Granted I've never heard an ER6, but it can't be that much different than an ER4. I use the IM716 in HD mode, well actually I removed the pod and put an even larger resistor in-line so the sound is more sterile, so I can add bass boost. I can't really fathom the X3 being cold like my IM716.

It really does sound like something odd is going on, but I can't comment beyond my own pair. Some of my experience did mirror yours, the bass emphasis mellowed significantly and the upper end became more metallic/tinny sounding. It's still not cold though, due to the bump in the low-mids and the recessed mids with another bump in the lower highs.

Because of all the ups and downs in the freq response, it's hard for me to even compare it to a flatter Ety type of signature.

 

[Caribou679]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dfkt /img/forum/go_quote.gif Either the tolerances/QC is way off with the X3's, there really is a "burn-out" symptom, or I don't know what else could produce people's totally opposite opinions about their sound character... Mine sound cold and bright, without any bass at all, no matter what silicones or foamies I use... they're very similar to the Ety ER-6, although a bit more listenable and fun sounding, IMO. (Check my sig below, to get an idea what I'm comparing them to.) Potential X3 customers beware, they seem to be a different sounding phone to everyone who tries them. Hope I added some more to the confusion...

dear dfkt,

You are probably listening too much to your Atrio's M5. They might have spiked them with a solution that prevents other IEMs to go through the cillias of your ear canal , HAHA!!( Joke!)

"as sound travels into the ear it strikes the cilla, as with everything the cilla gradually wear out but are not replaced by the body. As the cilla break down so does our ability to hear because we have less cilla to detect sounds and the accuracy of our interpretaion of any sounds (particularly stereo) decreases. "


Basically a IEM is a magnet, a coil and a membrane. Once the break-in process is done the sound quality should stay even or improve.

Why not take a break of the X3 for a while and listen to them in a few months, maybe you will still like the sound then.

Personally I still think my X3 are fine!

regards

 

[dfkt]

Dear Caribou679,

I noticed your M8's arrived today: let's postpone further discussions until you burned them in... and then let's talk about the polar opposites of perceived sound signatures.

(Either here or on the ABI forums, as I noticed just now...)

 

[Caribou679]

Dear Caribou679,

let's postpone further discussions until you burned them in...
QUOTE]

Dear dfkt,

no problemo, with pleasure will I discuss the future about them!

by the way , do earphones get burned in or break in?

I personally use break in.

regards,