[FIJI]

Anyone else notice quite a bit of sibilance in the e500 in certain songs? I've tried a bunch of different songs, and I notice quite a bit of sibilance (at least that's what I think it's called). It's not there in every song, but it's there in a lot. I first noticed it when listening to dianna krall (flac) out of my ipod w/ rockbox. Then I started noticing it in a variety of other songs. I was hoping it was just my ipod, but it's still there when I listen to the songs out of the microstack. The e500's are less sibilant out of the microstack than the ipod, but it's still there. I'm currently using the soft rubber inserts, but I still notice it when using the foam inserts. While the sibilance may be in the recording itself, the e500s seem to REALLY make it noticeable. For what it's worth I have the k701's and hd650's, and I don't find the k701's sibilant as other have found. As I said before, it's not in every song or album so the sibilance must be in the recording itself, but that isn't really an excuse since I don't hear it in my other headphones. Maybe the e500's are just very unforgiving when it comes to sibilant recordings. I'm just wondering if anyone else is hearing this. I still think the e500's are really good, though.

I hope I'm using the word sibilant correctly here. My head-fi vocabulary isn't very good, but sibilance to me is when S sounds sound weird (can't really discribe it). Thanks!

 

[Old Dave]

I think this month's rule is that you are not allowed to say anything bad about the Shure E500s. Pls start a new post saying that these are the best headphones anyone has ever made and people might talk to you.

 

[Mercuttio]

Huh! I didn't try them out for very long, but I would have figured that they wouldn't be very sibilant based on the FR curve.

 

[K2Grey]

I'm not sure if a treble rolloff necessarily means there will be no sibilance.

Which frequencies are responsible for it, anyway?

 

[Michael Chan]

Yes, I feel the same. I would say it exists but doesn't annoy me much. Not every just a couple of songs that I can notice. As you said it might be unforgiving for certain recordings.

 

[lolos]

Does anyone know if is it the same case with all IEMs? especially UM2?

Thanks~

 

[doctorjuggles]

I'm normally the first person to notice any kind of harshness or sibilance at the top end because I really hate it, but I've found the E500s to be very smooth and forgiving in this area.

I know that the rockbox allows for EQ and I was just wondering if maybe the EQ settings were affecting the sound? Just trying to troubleshoot here. Everyone hears differently and even what consitutes sibilance is subjective, so it's possible your ears don't get on with the E500, but I wouldn't classify the E500 as being generally in this class, from my experience.

 

[silence57]

that might be all that matters.

 

[Jasper994]

Try pushing them into your ears a little further. Be really careful doing this with the grey tips though. If you get the grey tip past the bend in your ear they may get stuck. It's been my experience with IEMs that shallow insertion causes what you're describing. If you aren't getting a proper seal it will be even worse, but shallow insertion even with a seal will give you a harsher sound.

 

[FIJI]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I'm not saying the e500's are bad headphones because they are definitely the best IEM's I've heard (my experience is limited, however) especially in the songs that they don't display sibilance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by doctorjuggles I'm normally the first person to notice any kind of harshness or sibilance at the top end because I really hate it, but I've found the E500s to be very smooth and forgiving in this area. I know that the rockbox allows for EQ and I was just wondering if maybe the EQ settings were affecting the sound? Just trying to troubleshoot here. Everyone hears differently and even what consitutes sibilance is subjective, so it's possible your ears don't get on with the E500, but I wouldn't classify the E500 as being generally in this class, from my experience.

I don't EQ at all...I've never adjusted it, but I will check to make sure it isn't somehow EQ'd. However, it doesn't sound EQ'd at all in the treble region. Moreover, the e500's display the sibilance in the same songs coming from multiple sources. The e500's don't sound bright to me at all, but the sibilance is definitely quite noticeable and, for example, in the song "Father and Son" by Cat Stevens, it's quite unbearable everytime he says a word that has an S sound in it. Again, this might just be the recording, but the song sounds excellent from my k701's and hd650's and doesn't display the sibilance that the e500's have. I don't write many posts and I'm definitely not as picky or as critical a listener as many other people are, and in fact I would say that my ears aren't as "good" as other people's are when it comes to noticing things about headphones as far as highs being rolled off or a mid-frequency hump. I mean I'm sure I "hear" those things, but don't really know that's what I'm hearing or I am not able to describe what I'm hearing. When I listen to headphones I just think to myself "this sounds good" or "this sounds really good" or "i like the sound of A better than the sound of B" etc, but don't usually question or consider what it is I like better about A or B. As far as getting a good insertion or seal, I would say that they inserted as far as the headphones will allow because I can comfortably lay on my side without noticing the headphones being pressed in any further. I have even tried inserting them less deep to see if that makes it go away. I also feel that I have a good seal. Who knows...I will try some different tips, but I honestly feel that a different tip or different insertion depth will not make the sibilance go away in the songs that I hear it in as it's just way too prominent. Please note that all the tracks I'm listening to are either in lossless format or the original CD. I would never complain about a headphone being sibilant by listening to a low bitrate mp3.

 

[FIJI]

as a follow up...i just tried the modified triple flange (cut to make them a double flange) and the "Father & Son" by Cat Stevens is considerably less sibilant than with the soft rubber tips, but still more sibilant than the k701's or hd650's. i guess i'll attribute this to the smaller second flange going deeper into my ear than the soft rubber tip can go. basically the modified triple flange changed this particular song from unbearably sibilant to bearably sibilant. unfortunately the soft rubber tips are the most comfortable to me so it's either use the soft rubber tips and avoid the very few songs that i've found to be unbearably sibilant (it really is very few songs - so far...) or use the modified triple flanges, have a little less comfort and have bearable, yet still present, sibilance. it's pretty much 6 in one and half a dozen in the other. anyway, as i've said the e500's are still definitely very good and the sibilance may just be an inherent problem with IEM's or the type of drivers that IEM's require...i don't know. hopefully I don't lead anyone to not getting the e500's who were considering it as 95% of the songs I've listened to from them aren't sibilant. i just wanted to discuss what i was hearing and see if anyone else noticed it.

 

[TomH]

My E4s are annoyingly sibilant out of my iPod - and exhibit none of this trait while running out of the Micro/DM. Couldn't see if you were using an amp but from my limited experience it does improve the Shure IEMs' performance noticeably.

Good luck.

 

[Tuarreg]

Fiji

Trythe same tracks on a CD player to see if you have the same problems. Generally the E500s have been pretty smooth. I am thoroughly enjoying them!

Tuarreg

 

[Tuarreg]

TOM

Why does an amp improve the sound of a headphone if the efficiency is not a problem? Obviously I am missing something here because it seems like a lot of people use head amps. Wouldn't adding another component to the chain degrade the sound?

Tuarreg

 

[PiccoloNamek]

I never noticed any improvement when using an amp with my E4Cs.

Hell, I can't even tell the difference between amped and un-amped with my ER-4Ss. I think that "needs an amp" must be some kind of code for "sounds absolutely fine un-amped".