Okigire
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2006
- Posts
- 35
- Likes
- 0
Well, I suppose it's time to actually post something on this forum!!
So, here's a little (long?) story...
Like most of you, I used to enjoy listening to music with just about anything so long as I could hear. Stock earphones weren't bad at all, until you realized what you were doing! Then came some store bought earphones that were better, and lasted a long time. Not-too-long-ago came the HJE50s from Panasonic... the improvement was noticable in the comfort, bass and treble. To this day I don't think they sound that bad (read on).
Recently I thought - it's been a while since I've tapped into the world of audio. So, off on the web I surf and lo and behold I find Head-fi... probably one of the worst mistakes ever (read on).
I started to realize that all this bass pumping treble screaming music was great, but didn't cover what I listen to most... music! IEMs, what a great concept and isolation was important. I have always been a fan of Ety's stuff, so I started reading and there they were - EVERYWHERE on the forums!
I debated between the Ety 6 and UM1. I was a little sad to hear that the Etys had a low level of bass, and the UM1s were a lot more responsive to that. Great, UM1s... then came more posts about the "improvement" of 6i over the 6, and more significant, how much more accurate and detail the 6i had (over the UM1s). Why couldn't this decision be easier?
Wait a second... what decision?! Since when did I start debating on buying a et of IEMs?! Before I knew it, I made the decision to get the Ety 6i's...oops?! After listening to them, here are my thoughts...
WOW!!! These actually sound...decent! Having much experience with flanges (ie. earplugs), getting a seal was as simple as inserting them in my ear. This obviously isn't a review, but my "experience." The HJE50s I thought were great - plenty of treble and bass to go around. That's about all they had though... it was an in-your-face sound.
The Ety 6i are nice and simple. The flat response for me is very comforting. I don't need much treble nor bass, and things sound a lot more natural. The keyword here is NEED, I wish they had a little more bass, and perhaps more treble. The bass seems lacking for songs where bass is key... rock/metal, certain songs (such as THE ROCK movie soundtrack), etc. Overall though - the bass is fine, but a touch more would be great.
Now reading what everybody has to say about the E2Cs and the UM1s, should I have gotten one of those instead? (I'm asking this question, and answering it because there seem to be endless threads about this!!!)
My answer is NO! It's very heavily based on personal preference, and the clarity and flat response of the Ety 6i is just what I wanted. Bass would have been nice, but wasn't as much of a priority. For others, if you need bass beyond a "flat response" then seriously consider the E2C/UM1.
I guess we all know what comes next... which pair to get next? For me, it'll have to be small and portable... earphones or IEMs. My experience with IEMs are screaming for IEMs next. Full-sized headphones just won't do (yet). Did somebody say iM716? Uh oh...
So, here's a little (long?) story...
Like most of you, I used to enjoy listening to music with just about anything so long as I could hear. Stock earphones weren't bad at all, until you realized what you were doing! Then came some store bought earphones that were better, and lasted a long time. Not-too-long-ago came the HJE50s from Panasonic... the improvement was noticable in the comfort, bass and treble. To this day I don't think they sound that bad (read on).
Recently I thought - it's been a while since I've tapped into the world of audio. So, off on the web I surf and lo and behold I find Head-fi... probably one of the worst mistakes ever (read on).
I started to realize that all this bass pumping treble screaming music was great, but didn't cover what I listen to most... music! IEMs, what a great concept and isolation was important. I have always been a fan of Ety's stuff, so I started reading and there they were - EVERYWHERE on the forums!
I debated between the Ety 6 and UM1. I was a little sad to hear that the Etys had a low level of bass, and the UM1s were a lot more responsive to that. Great, UM1s... then came more posts about the "improvement" of 6i over the 6, and more significant, how much more accurate and detail the 6i had (over the UM1s). Why couldn't this decision be easier?
Wait a second... what decision?! Since when did I start debating on buying a et of IEMs?! Before I knew it, I made the decision to get the Ety 6i's...oops?! After listening to them, here are my thoughts...
WOW!!! These actually sound...decent! Having much experience with flanges (ie. earplugs), getting a seal was as simple as inserting them in my ear. This obviously isn't a review, but my "experience." The HJE50s I thought were great - plenty of treble and bass to go around. That's about all they had though... it was an in-your-face sound.
The Ety 6i are nice and simple. The flat response for me is very comforting. I don't need much treble nor bass, and things sound a lot more natural. The keyword here is NEED, I wish they had a little more bass, and perhaps more treble. The bass seems lacking for songs where bass is key... rock/metal, certain songs (such as THE ROCK movie soundtrack), etc. Overall though - the bass is fine, but a touch more would be great.
Now reading what everybody has to say about the E2Cs and the UM1s, should I have gotten one of those instead? (I'm asking this question, and answering it because there seem to be endless threads about this!!!)
My answer is NO! It's very heavily based on personal preference, and the clarity and flat response of the Ety 6i is just what I wanted. Bass would have been nice, but wasn't as much of a priority. For others, if you need bass beyond a "flat response" then seriously consider the E2C/UM1.
I guess we all know what comes next... which pair to get next? For me, it'll have to be small and portable... earphones or IEMs. My experience with IEMs are screaming for IEMs next. Full-sized headphones just won't do (yet). Did somebody say iM716? Uh oh...