[ronmtorres]

hi guys,
although i am not upgrading anytime soon, i am planning my purchases for the coming months. now, i want to upgrade my iem to a true audiophile iem. i have read different reviews and opinions about the two iems although the er4 is the one i have read more about.
one good description i read of the er4 is that it is a true audiophile headphone, and i really really want it. it produces neutral, balanced, and true audiophile sound. i listen to all types of music but the thing is i have more of hip-hop and r&b. i read the etys lack a bit of bass punch that is true of r&b. i also read that it is based on an old-school one-driver technology only. i want to know if r&b/ hip-hop would sound good on the etys. i am leaning more on buying this although lately i have been thinking if it will be a good choice.
on the other hand, i just read that the ue 5s use dual driver technology and has more bass than the etys. can users say they are better than the er4? are they balanced and do they produce an audiophile (balanced) sound?
i want an iem that will not probably make me upgrade for a longer time (although i know this is wishful thinking

) and again, i want a true audiophile iem.
please recommend me what to buy and help me make an educated purchase. and to owners please tell me more good and bad points about these iems!

which is more bang or the buck?
are there other iems you can recommend? please iem recommendations only. if you do, please tell me why you recommend it over these two. my max budget is $200. i also do not intend to upgrade my amp yet. maybe nexxt year.
i am also waiting for the release and eventual review of the new q-jays and their comparison against other iems of the same price level.
thanks a lot. you guys have really helped a lot in my previous purchases.

 

[mrdeadfolx]

Overall winner imo: Super .fi's. I'm referring to the Pro's here, not the EB's. The UE's definitely have far more bass than the Ety's. The Ety's have great bass extention, but not necessarily a lot of it. One thing the Ety's win on hands down is isolation. Although the UE's isolate fairly well, the ER4's block out EVERYTHING. Probably the most sound isolating IEM there is. Treble is brighter and more defined on the ER4, the Super .fi's treble is slightly warmer, and definitely less fatigueing on the ear after extended use I find. The Ety's stick out about a mile from your ear, and if you don't "flip-flop mod" the UE's (which is a must if you ask me), they stick out quite a ways themselves. And to directly answer some of your questions: Rap/hip-hop will sound good on the Ety's, but not as good as it will sound on the Super .fi's, mostly due to bass.
Yes, the Super .fi definitely produces a balanced "audiophile" sound.
For your budget, you may also want to take a look at the Shure E4's, very nice as well. They have good balance, nice bass (but not overpowering), are comfortable, compact and have good isolation. Hope this helps a little, good luck.

 

[ronmtorres]

thank you for that very comprehensive reply mrdeadfolx

a question though..which do you prefer better? your e4 or ue5? does any need amps to sound good? other opinions are still very much welcome and needed..

 

[bellsprout]

audiophile is a very stigmatised term. anything that produces audio can be audiophile. u seem to define audiophile as neutral and balanced, but coloured and euphonic is just as valid. there's every chance that u listen to "true audiophile" er-4 and not like it (not like it makes everything sound like real life).

dual drivers aren't better than single driver - just different. dual drivers move more air, so they have more impact and soundstage, but single driver er-4 has more detail.

depends what u want really. i love my er-4s and wouldn't trade it for anything except ue10 pros, but i don't recommend them to everyone like i used to. some people can't do without the nightclub bass, some people are oversensitive to treble, some people find them far too detailed to sound good with crappy source/recordings.

i think for ppl starting out in portable audio, superfi 5 is a "safer" option (less chance for disappointment).

 

[Genocide]

why dont you try both of them in any audio shop near your area??

for my case,i will go for superfi 5 pro due that i cant take the highs from the er4, while the EB only good for trance and techno song.

 

[rb67]

My vote goes for the ER-4Ps. I have tried both. For reproduction of live music, nothing can beat the ER-4Ps in accuracy in my opinion. Personally, I think the bass on the super.fi5's is a bit flabby. Don't get me wrong, they are a great pair of IEM's, but it was just not detailed enough for my tastes. I can see the UE 5pro working well with electronic and artificial bass, but in vocals and overall detail reproduction the ER-4P's win hands down.

I think rap and hip hop would sound fine on ER-4P's. The bass response will be exactly what the recording artist and the engineer put down on the CD. The super.fi's will have a stronger lower frequency response but with less detail and punch. I would really encourage you trying both and seeing which you like.

One thing to note with the ER-4P's is you should have a decent source. If it is a poorly encoded MP3, it's noticeable as it is a very high resolution IEM. SF5's is not as big of an issue in that respect.

 

[mrdeadfolx]

Something else I thought I should add that for some people could be a deal maker/breaker, the Ety's have fairly thin, flimsy cables that are PLAGUED with microphonics (rubbing the outside of the cable will be heard clear as a bell in your ear, even while playing loud music), whereas the UE's have a sturdier cable with a low profile plug and little microphonics. The UE plugs are also replaceable, which was very attractive to me. Most of the above statements are pretty accurate, its all what youre listening for.

Oh, and to the OP, I prefer the sound of the 5 pro's to the E4, but not by an overwhelming margin, they are certainly neck and neck in comparisons.

 

[gp_hebert]

I've used the UE Super.fi 5 Pro and the Shure E4c and it's hard to say which one I prefer.

On first listen, the SF5P will surely impress you with its big bass and colored sound and the Shure will probably leave you cold with its balanced and a little bit "dull" sound. I think it really depends on what you want to hear in your music. Overall, I feel like the Shure is more acurate and has better midrange, but the SF5P is more engaging and fun to listen.

 

[jack pulp]

probably too late, but I'd go for the ER4 and just use an equalizer to pump-up the base as much as you want! The detail and isolation are unbeatable. Plus, compared to the sure e4c (I've never tried the UEs), I find etys have slightly improved imaging precision, along with precision in everything else.

AND, I do think the ety's sound a lot like real life...based on balance and precision anyway, and relative to what you'd expect is possible from a headphone. This is especially noticable on well recorded voice...very very accurately reproduced.

(I just bought a pair, so I'm still in the head-over-heels phase, if you couldn't tell!)

incidently, I can definitely see where adding an amp and using the increasing the impedance with a P/S cable would help...I doubt I'll be able to resist much longer.

 

[flamerz]

Sorry, don't really feel like reading the responses before mine, but it seems you've picked the polar opposites of all IEM's. What type of sound do you like? I have a feeling you should simply do more research rather than ask for help. In your price tier, check out the ER4's, Shure E4's, Super.fi 5pro's, and the EB's. I've listed them in order from treble heavy to bass heavy.

 

[bellsprout]

*neutral to bass heavy

 

[flamerz]

Meh, neutral to treble heavy depending on the user. You always catch my unconscious bias in everything I post, bellsprout.

 

[bellsprout]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flamerz /img/forum/go_quote.gif Meh, neutral to treble heavy depending on the user. You always catch my unconscious bias in everything I post, bellsprout.

har hurrr

treble heavy relative to bassy phones i concur. but i wonder whether bassheads take off their phones in a noisy place and go "damn everything sounds so bright!"

 

[flamerz]

Well, it's all in relativity. I only say that about high pitched loud things when it's quiet. On the other hand, when a lowrider rolls by me in the suburbs blasting bass, it sounds pleasantly quiet.

Wait, how do I know if the man in the lowrider is actually playing it loudly? Fission mailed, fission mailed.

 

[ronmtorres]

to all of the guys who have written their responses to my thread, i would like to thank you for all your time and your efforts to help me! i really appreciate all of your responses. i think they really tell the differences among the iems i mentioned.
i have a confession to make though, i have to say that the main reason i am leaning toward the etys is just because it is deemed to be an audiophile iem and many fellow friends here seem to use them. put simply, i think i just want to "go with the flow." i know it is wrong because i also have to consider my type of music. because of your wonderful responses, the war is now balanced. i think the ue 5 pros are also of audiophile quality. thanks a lot guys!
but this does not mean i am ending this thread. more of your responses and other people's responses are so welcome.