decision....
Apr 20, 2004 at 4:25 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 9

stuman

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just a quick question, with my next paycheck ill be grabbing some nice(ish) phones for portable use, and as far as i can tell its between 2 at the moment....audio technia cm7ti and the bang and olufsen a8's.

what do you think of these two.....

if you want to recomend somthing better then a few likes of mine

- i like to listen to house music mostly, so base and vocals are most important, however a bit of sparkle wont go a miss.

-i love real metal finish hence my de-j2000 sony PCDP

-got about £100 to spend (for you yanks.. $179 ut that has to include shipping and tax.)

-i would prefer in ear than clip on thiniges, dont mind canal phones either, previously had ex71's they sounded far to bass heavy and dull and the left phone went dead.

got two weeks so you can take your time
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---stu---
 
Apr 20, 2004 at 4:34 PM Post #2 of 9
From what I've read, neither of those two 'phones deliver good-quality treble. In fact, both of those can be very bass-shy, and can have harsh, spitty, eardrum-piercing treble -- especially on most recent recordings/masterings (which are themselves very harsh-sounding to begin with).
 
Apr 20, 2004 at 5:44 PM Post #3 of 9
Stuman-

I own Bang and Olufsen A8s. While they have incredible highs and mid-highs, they are lacking in the low ends. However, they are unmatched in comfort, style, and appearance. Excellent earbuds for walking around or excercise. Overall, they make for a very nice headphone package that is slightly overpriced for the sound quality. However, if you were to purchase, you would be very happy.

I would be glad to part with my A8s for $120 US + shipping if you are interested. I will include all original boxes, docs, new foamies, etc.

I have not tried the Audio Technica AM7Ti, so I cannot comment on them. However, I do recall reading other reviews that Audio Technica earbuds have similar strengths/weaknesses to the B&O A8s... nice high ends, lacking low ends.

If style and appearance are a critical factor, I would recommend the A8s.

However, if style and appearance are not of the utmost importance, I would recommend that you consider Etymotic ER-4Ps or Shure E3Cs, both of which are near your price range of 100 stirling. While they sacrafice appearance, they make up for it in sound quality. I own a pair of Etymotic Er-4Ps, and they have replaced my B&O A8s as my portable headphones. The ER-4Ps have an amazingly detailed and clear sound that you will fall in love with. If you found the EX-71s too bass heavy for your tastes, try the ER-4Ps. I find them to be very neutral, with excellent detail (so clear that you can hear the musicians counting beats under their breath during pauses in the music) and instrument separation.

However, if you listen to house, you might like the E3Cs better. I have not tried these, but you will find many supporters of Shure earbuds on this forum, as well as many comparisons of Shure E3Cs vs Etymotic ER-4P/ ER-4S.

And -27dB sound isolation is a beautiful thing. If you ride on a subway/train/airplane with canalphones in, then remove them, you will discover one great lesson: The world is a nicer place between two canalphones.
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Apr 20, 2004 at 7:00 PM Post #4 of 9
thank you both for your comments, both of these is what i was expecting, after reading views and reviews on these phones the conclusion is the same, lack of bass, this doesnt worry me as much as i thaught, i am no where near a bass head nor am i an audiophile, however i love smooth sounds, and more of a groovaliser feel to the overall sound and by the sounds of things the Er-4p's sound like a monitor phone more than a fun phone (i may be wrong tho as i have not heard any of these phones)

also on a more of a side note, which has the higher sensitivity? i have the weak european ej2000 only has 0.5mW on the output and i had the volume maxed all the time to get hardly listenable levels out of the 71's.

---stu---
 
Apr 20, 2004 at 7:37 PM Post #5 of 9
For a highly efficient headphone which is pretty much needed when used with these weak EU headphone outs I would recommend E3c. The isolation from earplugs will also help so you don't need to crank the volume up due to noise around you.
 
Apr 21, 2004 at 1:08 AM Post #6 of 9
well, you said you want in ear phones, not clip-ons. the a8's are clipons.

i was on the train heading home from a summer internship and i saw some guy with a8's. he was nice enough to let me try them. they look "classy," (the shure e5's look way "cooler") but you said around 200 dollars, so nevermind the e5's. anyway, the a8's sound good, but they are by no means audophile sounding, not even close. and they don't isolate much at all.

if you like bass, i would avoid the e3's.

i will be able to comment on the etys if cmascatello ever gets around to sending them out to me...
biggrin.gif
 
Apr 21, 2004 at 4:34 AM Post #7 of 9
Quote:

Originally Posted by toaster22
i will be able to comment on the etys if cmascatello ever gets around to sending them out to me...
biggrin.gif



Ouch, that hurts. The Etys went out this PM and you should have them in your hands tomorrow or Thursday. Looking forward to your thoughts and feelings.
 
Apr 21, 2004 at 9:01 AM Post #8 of 9
E5? Cool? Really?
icon10.gif

Everyone I know says "I wasn't going to mention it but I thought you'd lost your hearing".


Anyway, 0.5mw is indeed pathetic. I've owned one before on it's own before I discovered this particular problem, and one afterwards when I was comparing with a non-restricted model (a difference for sure)... and there are precious few phones which work well from this. Both the phones you mentioned are open in design and while their drivers may be efficient (I don't know, I haven't checked their specs) the regular earphone design means that you won't hear as much as canalphones or closed phones when moving around.


The Sennheiser HD25-1 is a headphone which is quite portable and works pretty well out of the crippled D-EJ2000. You can get it for £90-£110 (Turnkey.co.uk on Charing X road does it). Earphone wise, the Shure E2 offers more volume than the EX71, both due to the higher isolation and the increased efficiency. £60-£80, depending on where you buy it. I've found Handheldaudio.co.uk in East London to be excellent service but they are the priciest (I paid £495 for the E5... ouch). That's what I'd recommend specifically from the D-EJ2000. The only problem is that if you don't like phones which sound a bit 'dulled' then the E2 may not suit. I don't know if you're prepared to stretch to the E3's but they would also address your problem.
 
Apr 21, 2004 at 11:01 AM Post #9 of 9
Quote:

Originally Posted by toaster22
if you like bass, i would avoid the e3's.


Well I like bass, but on the other hand if you're addicted to bass, I agree with you
wink.gif
 

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