Quote:
Originally Posted by harrydog
I listen to a fairly wide variety of music, mostly classic rock, and sometimes jazz, blues and classical.
To give you an idea of the sound I like, my home speakers are Celestion SL700s that I've had since the early '90s. Most of you may not have ever heard of them. They're small bookshelf speakers with incredible detail and soundstaging. They're almost holographic. They have great highs, mids and upper bass but very rolled off a little below 40hz. These were expensive speakers back then, but well worth it and I still love them.
So, that's the kind of sound I prefer and the UM1s just sound muddy and dull in comparison. I probably would have gone for the Etys right off the bat but so many people don't like them for their lack of bass that I was concerned that I wouldn't like them either. Now I'm thinking that's probably not the case.
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I am familiar with the Celestion SL700s. If I remember, they have a unique box structure- honeycomb, or something, rather than MDF. More memorable was what they sounded like- fast and clean. I also hold a fast transient response as a priority.
The UM-1s have a nice balanced sound (from what I’ve read), which attributes to their large and loyal following. Some, however, have remarked about the high freq roll off you mention. Your experience with your home speaker/stereo set-up probably made this more obvious than to most. Your home set-up, of course, also factors in to your preferences for phones. It should be noted that how well the tips fit your ear canals can have a remarkable effect on the sound and may explain why we see such varied responses to
all IEMs. I would take the other suggestions regarding different tips into serious consideration before looking for a repalcement.
The Etys, and their clone, the Altec iM716, are known for their fast transient attack and detailed, but not etched, highs. Not unlike the Celestions. Although some say the bass is deficient in the Ety/Altecs, my experience (iM716) is that it is likely deeper and faster than what you are used to with the Celestions (although I’ve never heard the latter in a small room, where the bass might be reinforced).
My personal experience was that the iM716s were good right out of the box. Very fast, exciting transient response. But they sounded a little thin, almost sibilant, and ever so slightly canned or hollow. A balance definitely tilting towards the treble. After about a week of burn-in they fleshed out nicely adding weight and dimension to the mids on down, and a yielding a more refined top end. I would venture to guess the Etys are the same. (Note: This was with the foamies, not the tri-flanges- again tips can make or break) Nonetheless, they are not bootylicious phones by any means. This too is probably not unlike the Celestions.
From what you described, I think either Etys or Altecs might be worth a consideration if you are still not satisfied after trying differnet tips.
