[slaters70]

Well, just pulled the MC5s off the burn-in PC, hooked them up to the newly updated Touch (iOS4) and turned on the bass boost EQ. They sound better, to me much better. Need the EQ, but not a deal breaker at all for me. However, with the Touch at least, need to almost take the volume to max. So I hooked up the T3 and LOD cable, and turned on the gain switches, and wow, the sound is amazing to me. Detailed, plenty of bass. Just listened to two tracks, The Message (Bela Fleck) and Don't Worry, Be Happy (McFerrin) and wow, I like it. This is all very early, and I want to see how the MC5s sound with the J3 when my new one gets here Tuesday (32GB). But the burn-in seems to have settled down the treble issues, and certainly brought out more bass. Never heard the RE0s,so can't compare. But they are on par with the RE-Zeros I have here, I believe. I am using the UM56 sleeves on the Etys, so that may be an unfair advantage over the HD IEMs.
 
But both sound excellent, and will keep both I believe. More to come. But with a little help (amp, bass EQ) the Etys sound much different to me than out of the box.

 

[h20buzz]

I took mine off burn in a couple hours ago as well, as they'd surpassed 50 hours. Very big difference from 24-25 hours to 50+ as compared to 0-24. The harsh upper mid emphasis that always drives my right ear nuts has all but vanished, and i find the signature of these to be rather warm and detailed, if more of a "recessed" detailed, if that makes sense without lengthy elaboration. The bass is more prominent. Not a bass lovers delight, not even close...but not light, nor is it muddy or inaccurate. I'm making my impressions with flat EQ, and will probably try to tweak for personal tastes a bit. I also find that these are harder to drive and require quite a bit more volume out of my Touch to get the volume level i want. If it helps anyone, where i'd normally have my DBA at about 1/2 volume or slightly less i need to have these at about 3/4 to be comparable. I don't have any amp with me to play around with, but i bet it would really make a difference.
 
Nobody should be mislead: these are not a heavy hitter phone and i don't think they were intended to be. These are a budget minded phone that actually have some things to offer, depending on what you're looking for most in this price range.
 
I'm just happy i might be able to stand to use these for what i bought 'em for. To drown out super loud rap music at the gym without having to almost deafen myself with volume in so doing.(no disrespect to rap lovers,it's just not for me) I will say that these have the best isolation i have ever experienced with any iem, at any price point, if they do nothing else. I've seen what i thought was really good isolation in a couple of other phones, and is..and the MC5 blows them outta the water.

 

[slaters70]

Yes, we are on the same wavelength I think. An amp via LOD with the Touch really does improve their overall impact, especially with bass, but you are right. They are not going to push me to put my DBAs on the for sale block, that's for sure. But I am a major DBA fan, too.
 
But whatever, we both agree there is a definite improvement via burn-in, and these are dynamic drivers all the way. I do think the custom sleeves are an advantage SQ-wise, glad I had two sets. But when you get your Arrow, get an LOD for the Touch and then listen again. I think you will have an even higher opinion of the MC5s. I may not listen to them any other way going forward, though I understand your desire to use them at the gym for iso.
 
The best thing is that early mid-bass harshness is gone.
 
Any microphonics? With the shirt clip, I don't get much of any.
 

 

[jaieger]

hey, quick question - how do you guys feel about the build quality of the MC5; does it inspire confidence like the truck ER4 series?

 

[slaters70]

Yes.

 

[h20buzz]

Yeah, i'd easily say build quality is top shelf, but i can't compare to the ER4 as i haven't heard or seen them. Very solid, quality feel.
I haven't yet really tried messing with the shirt clip, probably tomorrow night. Without it i was experiencing moderate or more accurately probably low moderate microphonics. Not terribly annoying but noticeable. I bet the clip does help, i'm just not in the habit of using one yet.

 

[slaters70]

I seem to put them on almost all my non-over the ear IEMs, whether they need one or not, but they usually do.

 

[NR76]

Thanks for this thread. I am trying to decide between er6i, hf5 and mc5. I had er6i and quite liked the sound signature there. From the posts above, I am still not clear if mc5 have similar clarity as er6i with better bass.
 
Also, I am thinking of DBA-02 - How are DBA-02 different from mc5, besides the fact that they have deeper bass? A bigger / better . wider soundstage? I see a lot of buzz on this forum around DBA-02. Is that mainly because they're new and have everyone excited? Or, are they really worth waiting a few extra weeks/months for with the extra dollars?
 
(I have read through several posts, but I am quite a novice here, so please bear with me if I am asking questions that have already be answered.)
 
Thanks.

 

[h20buzz]

Quote:

Thanks for this thread. I am trying to decide between er6i, hf5 and mc5. I had er6i and quite liked the sound signature there. From the posts above, I am still not clear if mc5 have similar clarity as er6i with better bass.
 
Also, I am thinking of DBA-02 - How are DBA-02 different from mc5, besides the fact that they have deeper bass? A bigger / better . wider soundstage? I see a lot of buzz on this forum around DBA-02. Is that mainly because they're new and have everyone excited? Or, are they really worth waiting a few extra weeks/months for with the extra dollars?
 
(I have read through several posts, but I am quite a novice here, so please bear with me if I am asking questions that have already be answered.)
 
Thanks.

Probably the quickest way for me to answer your question regarding how the DBA-02 compares in the time i have right now is to tell you to walk into a room at night, turn on a night light and look around. Then walk into the same room and turn on a lamp with a 100 watt bulb and look around. You probably see all the same things, but everything is brighter, clearer, and you see more detail in things in the room,right? Same thing  applies to what you'll hear with the DBA vs. MC5. The DBA-02 offers more detail wise, and has smoother more natural vocals,better imaging and an overall more powerful presence. And i'm in no way knocking MC5 here. It offers a lot at the price point it's situated at, and is worth the asking price, IMO.

 

[andyoooooobun]

goods from ety usually need an amp

 

[slaters70]

Good analogy, but might be a bit extreme. Last night, listening to the MC5s via my Touch/T3/LOD setup, they were more like a 60-watt bulb than a nightlight. They really did sound pretty darn good for $79 IEMs. But the DBAs are still 100 watts, as you say.
 
Quote:

Probably the quickest way for me to answer your question regarding how the DBA-02 compares in the time i have right now is to tell you to walk into a room at night, turn on a night light and look around. Then walk into the same room and turn on a lamp with a 100 watt bulb and look around. You probably see all the same things, but everything is brighter, clearer, and you see more detail in things in the room,right? Same thing  applies to what you'll hear with the DBA vs. MC5. The DBA-02 offers more detail wise, and has smoother more natural vocals,better imaging and an overall more powerful presence. And i'm in no way knocking MC5 here. It offers a lot at the price point it's situated at, and is worth the asking price, IMO.

 

[stevenswall]

Etymotic Hf5 just arrived. Initial impressions are that the treble seems more articulate than the Mc5,  the vocals are not as real sounding as the Mc5, midrange and treble seem similar. Hf5 cabling job is not as nice, it still shows the folds from the package and is not as pliable or relaxed. The Hf5 sits deeper in my ear, and the slimmer body is more comfortable. Bass seems more monotone.

 

[slaters70]

Interesting. I had a real breakthrough with my MC5s last night, listening via the Touch LOD/T3, after 40-50 hours of burn-in. Sounds like at this early juncture, the differences is balanced out (detail vs. build quality, etc.), so that would make the MC5s a better buy. I mean, so far. Interesting that Ety would make a phone $50-$60 cheaper than the hf5, street price, and it's comparable. More burn in for the hf5 though, only to be fair.
 
Just did a little more listening with the Touch/LOD/T3, and wow, these phones sound very, very good amped. No EQ any more (turned off the Touch bass boost), and bass is there, not overwhelming, but not MIA. I did some head to head comparing with the RE-Zeros, and the Etys hold their own to my ears (same setup, same tracks, etc.). In fact, they might have a little more tight, punchy bass (neither has any hint of blass flab or bloat) than the RE-Zeros (and the MC5 doesn't need the adapter either). The RE-Zero treble is a little more extended and detailed, but not by much. Both are excellent IEMs under this setup (amp and LOD). I will do some ampless listening, but why bother? The T3 is so small, it sits very nicely to the back of the Touch via rubber band.
 
Anyway, I figured I'd post a photo of the MC5s with the UM56s. They look very nice together, and yes, the MC5s do stick out, but it doesn't bother me. The Ety custom sleeves cover some of the driver body, I believe, so they stick out less. But the SQ with the UM56s is about as good as it gets (I tried all the other OEM tips, and the Westones rule).
 

 

[veritus]

I've been following this thread and appreciate all the information and research.
 
So, I had a pair of Ety 6i's that were stolen about 6 months ago. I loved those things and wouldn't be replacing them if I still had them. With that said, I'm torn between the hf5 and MC5. I would classify myself as a music lover and not a pro audiophile. Noise cancellation is important to me because I fly extensively for work, but other than that I want something that sounds good. Between the MC5 and hf5, what would you recommend? I leave for Thailand on Thursday, so I need to pull the trigger with overnight shipping today. Any suggestions would be MUCH appreciated.
 
Cheers!

 

[stevenswall]

I you listen to Classical, Jazz, or Acoustic music, get the Hf5, as it will have the best treble detail... If you want a better cable (durability wise), and more 'fullness' over more common genres like Rock, Rap, and more vocal music, get the Mc5.