[thebrain]

I am going to be purchasing a pair of these and I wondering if the sound of them would be improved dramatically with a chead amp ~$60 on my ipod with songs at at least 128aac, mostly higher?
thanks

 

[some1x]

I'm very happy with E4C straight out of iPod. Maybe I'm lucky. With the foamies, I'm hearing very balanced response and good bass presence.

 

[vranswer]

Nope. Don't NEED an amp. They need strong bass source. i.e., any of the Sony players (which are colored for bass), or iPod if you've mp3Gained the files and can utilize bass boost, etc.

 

[thebrain]

to some1x, what king of files do you use, are they mp3gained?
are you using the EQ.

 

[akwok]

It does not seem to benefit from an amp (it does not sound very good in both situations, IMO; but it IS one of the best portable phones.. just not good enough to hang with the upper tier home headphones). I plugged them into my home setup today and there was not that noticiable a difference.

 

[some1x]

I'm using Apple Lossless, no EQ.

Listening to "So What" from Kind of Blue right now, the bass line carries itself quite well, and the plucking effect is there. The most noticable defect in E4C's frequency response is lack of treble extention. With the K1000, I can hear a "halo" of air around the cymbals. The E4C + iPod doesn't quite achieve that effect.

In "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough," there is a faint bass drum that comes in every so often. With the E4C, it doesn't sound quite as low (as HD650). Otherwise, the E4 manages to keep the energy high.

 

[razer]

Argh! Where can I get the K1000's??? Cant find a cheap place to buy 'em..

 

[some1x]

Quote:

Argh! Where can I get the K1000's??? Cant find a cheap place to buy 'em..

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=125021

 

[audiojoe1]

That sure is cheap...wish I wouldnt have bought so many fireworks lol! The 4th of July is like my christmas I just love blowing things up

Gets a great idea for a pair of QC2's.

 

[MD1032]

If the E4c is anything like the E2c, it is very easy to drive straight from the portable, but you will notice a world's difference by amping.

 

[thebrain]

I am getting a lot of confliction here.
ONe gys says they dont need an amp, another says it the world's difference. And yet another says they sound like crap ( but He is obviously way to hifi for me so I think theyll sound fine)
help!

 

[Imyourzero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thebrain I am getting a lot of confliction here. ONe gys says they dont need an amp, another says it the world's difference. And yet another says they sound like crap ( but He is obviously way to hifi for me so I think theyll sound fine) help!

Ha, might as well get used to that. Everybody's ears and standards are different, so there will always be people that swear you need an amp for HD 580s "or else they'll sound like crap" and then there are those that realize the HD 580s (even without amplification) are a huge step up from what most people are using when they first come to this site. Ditto for cables, burn-in, and just about every other topic that gets discussed here.

Don't worry, they'll sound fine.

 

[Jasper994]

Running out of my Zen Xtra they sound great. As with most headphones, a good amp will help them sound their best, but in this case it's not really necessary. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you could get them now, be happy with them for the next year or two and then add an amp if you wanted to, or not at all. Either way they'd still be a great pair of IEMs.

 

[cheechoz]

I usually run my E4c's straight out of my iPod, and found that the clear flex sleeves give me the best all around signiture. As for the amp, I have a total bithead that I use for my E5c's and I can tell you that it no doubt ads more volume and punch to my E4c's. Since my MP3's are all normalized I can use a little help with volume. Bottom line is that they sound great right out of the iPod, but the bass seems to be lacking with no EQ.

 

[stevieo]

the e4c is a very good canal phone & is good straight out of the ipod headphone jack without an amp. i don't know if a cheap amp will make much of an improvement.

however, it is even better out of the ipod line out via a pocket dock with a very good cable & very good amp. but, then you are talking about money.