E4 arrived, so I ordered the super.fi 5 pro, too...

[The Monkey]

Tried my E4 with all the tips (except the triple flanges) and quickly understood all the praise and criticisms of these phones when paired with an ipod. This is not a criticism of the E4, actually. It's a criticism of the ipod. why doesn't that thing have a real EQ?

Generally I hate using the EQ, but the E4s need it out of the ipod. And they need it bad, boost that bass. Otherwise, they sound very thin when listening to rock. Detailed, yes. Emotionally involving, no. Groovy, not at all. But when I put on some Beethoven, the E4s came alive. A very refined, very detailed sound. Definitely emotion-provoking. Too bad I listen mostly to rock.

So in the spirit of my DT 250-250 groovalizers, I went on ee-bay and found the super.fi's brand new for $175. Not a bad deal, even if they are white (ick). So we'll see. Perhaps the E4 is just too sophisticated for my palette. Maybe I just need a good bass whump upside my head. In the end, though, I'll probably just keep both.

Out of another source, I doubt I would have this issue. The E4 clearly is a terrific IEM. And btw, I always thought myself an IEM hater. Consider me a convert.

To be continued...

P.S. This journey started with me considering the E2 and maybe the E3 as a stretch. Head-Fi, how I love/hate thee...

 

[albau]

Hehehe, Monkey, you're following exactly in my steps

I think you're coming down too hard on iPod. By portable standards it has a reasonably fine, clean amp and workable EQ presets (though parametric EQ won't hurt). E4's simply aren't rock phones for casual "fun" listening in a same way as my beloved AKG K-501 ain't no stinkin' rock phones. All Grados are, some Beyers and Senns are and even few AKGs are but not E3/E4 or Etys. No matter in what source you plug them in or how you amp and/or EQ 'em sound signature and dynamics stay the same. They demand critical listening of serious nuanced music and not jumping up and down while playing air guitar. And, yes, E4's are awesome with classical, folk and good jazz like Winston Marsallis.

 

[jjcha]

Hey, so you ordered the super.fi... cool.

I actually might have suggested instead of the super.fi, selling the E4 and just going straight to the E5c.

I haven't listened to the E5c in a long time (gave them to a friend of mine) so I can't say for sure how they compare. At the time though, I was a lot happer with the E5c straight out of the iPod than I am now with the super.fi. But that was a while ago and before I had listened to a variety of headphones.

Regardless, having the E4 and super.fi is nice because they are quite different phones. But I find that when I listen to the super.fi, I miss the clarity, resolution and treble of my E4c. And when I listen to the E4c, I miss my bass. So rather than being happy with two different alternatives, I'm just sort of ambivalent about both.

Well, that's not exactly true - I am appreciating more and more the E4c's technical ability, even if they are bass-recessed. You do get used to it more over time and miss it less, though yes, the E4c are not a rocking IEM. Actually, I have yet to find a IEM that's great for rock the same way the Grado PS-1 is the ultimate rock can (at least out of all the ones I've heard so far).

Best regards,

-Jason

 

[wakeride74]

Ditch the ipod and upgrade your source
Take the E4C's to a Best Buy or something and plug in to some different players... tweak the EQ a bit and get the one that you like.

My iriver really slams with my E4 and I find no need for a bass boost if the EQ is tweaked right. The SM3 bass boost does make them really sing but that's a topic for another thread

 

[solvexyz]

Well, I am not a fan of Rock. I just can not stand it. I normally listen to classic or jazz. However, weird thing happened, I can listen to Rock with my E4C. So lately my iPod is filled with Rock. I think it is the way E4C presents rock music that allows me to focus on the detail instead of getting interrupted by the huge bass. I am not a bass head. In fact too much bass makes me headache. I believe if you do not mind carrying an amp with your ipod, I am sure you can EQ the e4c bass level on par with super fi pro.
That way you get both detail and heavy bass.

 

[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally Posted by albau Hehehe, Monkey, you're following exactly in my steps I think you're coming down too hard on iPod. By portable standards it has a reasonably fine, clean amp and workable EQ presets (though parametric EQ won't hurt). E4's simply aren't rock phones for casual "fun" listening in a same way as my beloved AKG K-501 ain't no stinkin' rock phones. All Grados are, some Beyers and Senns are and even few AKGs are but not E3/E4 or Etys. No matter in what source you plug them in or how you amp and/or EQ 'em sound signature and dynamics stay the same. They demand critical listening of serious nuanced music and not jumping up and down while playing air guitar. And, yes, E4's are awesome with classical, folk and good jazz like Winston Marsallis.

hmmmm... I both agree and disagree with you on this point. With my home rig, I can rock out just fine with the E4. With some rock I prefer the E4 and with other rock I prefer the E5 or SF5P.

 

[a5ianz]

i also disagree that rock sounds thin outof the ipod. if you have higher bitrate sounds, the midrange guitars using distortion petal really shine. it feels alive and in your face. the bass guitar isn't meant to bump for rock songs

 

[The Monkey]

To clarify, I don't mean to say that rock doesn't sound good out of the ipod. Rather, there is poor synergy between the E4 and the ipod when listening to rock. I find that there is AWESOME synergy between my ipod and my DT 250s for rock. For the most part, I like the ipod's clinical sound. But its EQ settings are lame.

Anyway, one of my primary reasons (rationalizations?) for getting the IEMs was for air travel. And I can tell that the E4s out of the ipod are just going to be too thin when competing with the engines and crying babies.

By the way, I agree with Philodox; I think the E4 sound signature is similar to that of the AKG 271S.

 

[Jmmmmm]

Concerning the e4 + ipod, I think the best thing to do is add an amp (Any amp - mainly to use the line-out) and use the acoustic eq. They really are fantastic then, to me; I don't think their bass is any less than the 5pro's in that situation. BTW, I listen almost exclusively to rock, and I think the e4c's are great with it - i prefer them to the 5pro's for it. I don't think they're like ety's, which are best with jazz/classical/etc.

Regardless, I hope you enjoy the 5pro's, I think they are great canalphones as well. Perhaps you'll find that their sound is what you are looking for.

 

[The Monkey]

Good point about the amp, but I'm nervous about bringing my cmoy through security at an airport. Regardless, I will try it through an amp at home.

 

[The Monkey]

Got the Super.fi's. Only 10 minutes on 'em so far, but i think this will work out just fine.

 

[Borat]

I'm happy you found what you were looking for The Monkey.

I discovered something after using both the Shure E4 and the UE Super.fi 5Pro. That is I don't care about accuracy/neutrality/balance in my portable phone. I want them to be fun. So while I thought the E4 was an excellent IEM, I didn't find them to be much fun for on-the-go listening, which usually consists of fast paced/high energy rock. The UE's had them beat in this department IMO. For more delicate subdued (acoustic, classical) listening, the E4's are really good though. But I personally never listen to that type of music outside the house.

In conclusion, if you could get the Grado SR-60 sound in a relatively small closed headphone or an IEM, I would snatch it up immediately.

 

[zeyus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Borat In conclusion, if you could get the Grado SR-60 sound in a relatively small closed headphone or an IEM, I would snatch it up immediately.

If I could get my MS-1s in an IEM...I'd be sold on the spot!

 

[Edwood]

The Super.Fi 5 Pro's are too veiled for my home system. But for my shrilly PSP on the otherhand....

-Ed

 

[Jasper994]

I expect a review in a week or two!