[yobs]

Several months ago, I purchased a set of Westone UM2s, and to be honest, my initial impressions were not too great. I'd come from a shure e2c and Mylar X3 background. I figured it was just the initial change from one headphone/IEM to another, and the rolled off highs of the UM2 and (I find slightly warm) sound was something I just wasn't used to as yet.

Fast-forward to present, and the UM2s have become one of my most loved possessions. Recently though, I dusted off my Mylars and fired up some favourite tunes.

The first thing I noticed was a night and day difference in BASS. The mylars brought a punchiness to the music, particularly the bass, that I'd been lacking in both my portable (UM2) and home cans (k501 w/ 701 pads). To check that what I was hearing was true, I tried both the x3s and um2s unamped from my Cowon D2. x3 punch > um2 punch. Next I tried them amped via iBasso D1. Same result.

In my IEM past, I tried out the Atrio M5s and found them very punchy, though a bit too low end focused for my liking

. I don't recall how the e2cs were in this regard.

I searched around on head-fi, and noticed funk-o-meter had several posts on this being one of the core differences between armature and dynamic headphones.

My question is, do armature based IEMs ever equal dynamic driver IEMs for overall punchiness? I've read that the e500s are punchy, but can it compare to the X3s (and the Atrio m5s) in this regard?

Or is it a matter of the UM2s just having low punch output?

 

[Gatekreeper]

It's definitely a physical limitation of armatures is that they're more suited to detail and clarity rather than solid bass and punchiness. If you're looking to find that again in quality head gear, I'd suggest the Atrio M5 or the Super.fi 5EBs, which both use dynamic armatures to drive forth that bassiness.

 

[IPodPJ]

Armature IEMs do not provide the impact and presence that full-size cans do, and even many dynamic driver IEMs surpass armature-based IEMs in this regard. Your observation is correct. Armatures just don't sound true to life. Just listen to the kick of a bass drum on an IEM and then a full-size can. This is one of the main reasons I sold off my IEMs.

 

[gtp]

With due respect, I will disagree with both of the above posters. We have to differentiate between bass volume and punchiness.

Bass volume is indeed less with armatures compared to most dynamics. There are just physical limitations. To correct this, manufacturers design multiple armature-based woofers to increase the bass volume.

On the other hand, punchiness depends on the speed of the bass notes, and armatures can match or exceed dynamics for punchiness.

While many armatures do not have punchiness, the Shure E500/SE530 and SE420 do. Realize that the UM2 is very musical and is not punchy in the lower end, I found the bass to be mushy. However, the high-end Shures do have very punchy bass. If you want the UM2 sound sig, but with punchiness, try one of the Shures. Compared to the Atrio M5, the Atrio are bass-monsters and have more bass volume, but actually are less punchy than the Shures.

 

[mdarnton]

With the right music, I notice a substantial difference in punch between my ER4Ps used bare on my iPod, vs from the iPod through my Move.

 

[jinx20001]

i agree with the above in that its very much a bass volume issue, punchiness can still be achieved very well with armatures.

i think one of the main problems with bass is its very much designed to be felt, and ofcourse that cannot really be done with earphones, so what earphones have to do is create a tight accurate boom. accuracy results from lower bass volume so boom is not as substantial.

to put it simply (and it is just my opinion) i think what you hear with the dynamics is increased boom (giving the effect of powerful bass) which in reality is less accurate than tight bass.

 

[devilsadvocate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gatekreeper /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's definitely a physical limitation of armatures is that they're more suited to detail and clarity rather than solid bass and punchiness. If you're looking to find that again in quality head gear, I'd suggest the Atrio M5 or the Super.fi 5EBs, which both use dynamic armatures to drive forth that bassiness.

I completely agree with this. This is what led to my Super.fi 5 EB purchase.