[andersen]

 
Recently bought a new 7^th gen iPod classic 160Gb and decided to get to an IEM to pair with it. Reading the positive comments here and other sites went for the Etymotic HF5. This is my first step into the IEM word and I am disappointed.
For some years I use Denon AH-D2000 as full size can, which I love, especially compared to my previous AKG K501 which sounded thin (bass shy) and recessed compared to the Denon. To my delight the Denon synergizes well with the iPod, even unamped, I did not belive to get such great sound from an apple product, and am happy did not go for s:flo2 or  more esoteric sources.  Hooking the iPod up to my decent class-a (PH-100) headamp helps getting more controlled and refined  sound with the Denon, but even without it, it’s a joy to listen to it.
 I selected the Ety mainly for 3 reasons:

1. People claimed it’s one of the most comfortable iem, I have tight ear canals and somewhat irregularly shaped outer ears (erabuds always fell out of my right ear) , so a comfortable fit was my 1^st priority
2. Clear, open, detailed sound – users claimed so, at least
3. Good price in Europe (compared to IEMs of the same bunch)

And what I experienced:

1. The 3-flange tips are unbearable for me, even the smaller ones do irritate me, they sit too deep, presses the ear canal too strong, feeling discomfort. Foam tips are no better, again too big for me. Fortunately got in the package some soft, grey hemisphere tips – don’t know whether they are part of the standard kit or my dealer gifted them – and these are the ones I can live with. The only drawback as they don’t fit deep and the tips are longer, the phones protrude too much out of my ears, making a ridiculous outlook of me, like walking with pencils in my ears…
2. The sound can not even be compared to the Denon. They are simply not in the same league. Switching from the Denon to the Ety is like switching from FM to AM on a radio (ok, im exaggerating a bit) . Bass, sparkle, musicality, liviness, emotions are gone. What remains is a boring mid-centric sound, appropriate for background listening, but lost the excitement and energy of the music. The only advantage if the Ety is that due of its thin and recessed sound and great isolation its more suitable for backround listening (while working), the Denon is simply too involving to draw the attention to the music. Tried the Ety amped via my PH-100, but did not get any significant change of the sound quality.
3.  

I know that we are speaking about apples and oranges here, the D2000 is for home listening and IEM’s mainly for mobile use, and their prices are quite different , but I was expecting the get the same kind of experience from the Ety I got with the Denon, in which it failed.
What do you recommend? Should I forget the IEMs ? Or are there models which rivals the D2000’s sound (maybe do Denon's own iems have similar signature of sound)?
 
English is not my native lang, pls. forgive the errors... 

 

[poliact]

Hmm.. never heard the denon d2000 myself, but i find the ie8 close to headphones. Just to make things clear, iems and headphones exhibit unique sound characteristics, therefore they will never sound the same. Iem mostly delivers sound through a direct path via the ear canal, while headphones delivers via a more complicated path. IF you take a ba iem like the tf10, the sound is reproduced straight to your ear, making it feel "superficial" in a sense. Dynamics rely on moving drivers using wind, which makes them sound similar to headphones because of wide soundstage. There is also a hybrid kind of driver, call the moving coil(ortofon hf5) but seems you didnt like it already. Face it dude, a 9mm driver cannot rival a 50mm driver. However, if your still interested, try some dynamics like ie8.

 

[KLS]

Ortofon HF5? You mean Ortofon e-Q7?
 
Hi @andersen, I have no experience in both D2000 and HF5, if I read correctly, HF5 is to the cold side while D2000 is to the warm. I think the problem lies whithin your sound signature preference.
 
It is true that comparing D2000 (an open dynamic full-sized headphone) and HF5 (BA IEM) is like comparing apple to orange. However, if you talk about sound signature alone, it is just about preference, nothing to do with whether it is BA IEMs, dynamic IEMs, open headphones, closed headphones, or electrostatic phones, in my opinion of course.
 
I guess you just like a warmer sound, with a good bass quality, and quantity as well I suppose. I suggest looking into Sennheiser IE8, Victor FX500 and FX700, Monster Gold and Copper.

 

[Marcus_C]

Etymotic's fit does take a bit of getting used to. You won't be the only one not comfortable with the deep fit. You won't get the same sound as the denon's with the hf5 no matter what amping or tips you use. If you want to stick with denon their iem's are very capable and a more similar sound to the d2000's. KLS's suggestions are some of the best 'warm' suggestions too. At the hf5's price presonally i'd recommend the beyerdynamic dtx100.

 

[bcpk]

I think it is premature to damn the sound of a pair of IEMs when you are obviously having fit issues. Try cutting off the largest flange on the grey tips and shortening the stem a bit.

 

[AudioHi]

You should have bought Denon C751 instead for $79..

 

[Napilopez]

Sorry to hear that you haven't had the best of experiences with your first taste of the IEM world =/

I agree that you are comparing apples and oranges, but I think of it in a different way. Recently some IEMs have shown me that the potential difference between IEMs and full sized headphones is much smaller than some people make it out to be. Some people swear that headphones are unquestionably better than IEMs in similar price range(disregarding amping and stuff for the moment), but my recent experiences and the recent advances in the IEM market beg me to disagree.

Anyways, the apples and oranges you are comparing are the separate sound signatures of the headphones, not the form factor. Etyomics are know for being some of the coldest IEMs around, and are not generally what one looks for when thinking of bass(actually, they're more like the very opposite). The D2000s are known for being somewhat U-shaped(the degree of this "U" varying from impression to impression, and amp to amp), with big bass and sparkly highs. I can't think of two sound signatures more different! 
 
It also seems like you aren't getting a proper fit, given the lack of highs(neverrr heard that of an ety XD). Given that those grey tips you described don't go in deep, that's prolly why you are having treble recession issues.
 
If you want to reproduce your Denon sound on the go, you're prolly going have to look into something that has a more familiar sound signature. Check out things like the above Denons, the TF10, or Monster Turbines. My personal recommmendation would be the Panasonic HJE900. I only had a tinyyyyy listening session with the D2000 once, so I can't really compare, but theyre both u shaped, with big bass and sparkly highs(sometimes bordering on harsh, according to some impressions).

 

[koonhua90]

Etymotic does not give you the impact you want, and the HF5, when you use the triple flange, the soundstage is pretty small. Imaging isn't top notch either. It's good at treble, with very good neutrality and clarity. Admittedly, it is not top notch, but the isolation on HF5 is pretty incredible using the grey triple flange.
 
I prefer my FX a lot more, in terms of imaging, soundstage, bass impact, treble and mid quality. It's just a different sound signature, as a lot have mentioned. I have not heard the D2000 before, so I can only recommend you to look into the top tier IEM thread, and also the IEM reviews by ClieOS and Ijoker.
 
Another thing, have you tried removing the green filter on HF5? It tames down the sparkle quite a bit, while making the treble smooth. But I prefer listening without the filter. 

 

[mark2410]

you wanted comfort and picked an ety?
 
anyway clearly you want something V shaped.  look into C751, IE6, IE8, HJE900, FX500, TF10, W3

 

[nc8000]

With the right tips the Ety's can be very comfortable. Using black olives or T100x I can use my ER4 and HF2 for a whole day with no problem

 

[Ypoknons]

If you think the the K501 is thin and prefer the D2000, then I think you like bass. I have no idea what the HF5 sounds like, but it seems like you'd like more a triple.fi kind of sound. 

 

[yliu]

I have the Etymotic hf5, it took me a few days to get used to them, after they were very good.
The  bass is a bit lacking, but the mids and the highs are very very good in my opinion, I think the mids are even better than some full size cans.

 

[andersen]

Thanks for your valuable responses.
Meanwhile I have decided to try getting accustomed to the Ety before I jump into a new IEM. But if the latter happens, the new baby could be one of your recommendations.
 
The complete list of IEM you suggested: C751, IE6, IE8, HJE900, FX500, FX700, TF10, W3, Monster Gold and copper, DTX100.
 
Most of them are much more expensive (or not available at all to/in my country) than the HF5, and I don't want spend the 2x price. The two exceptions are IE6 and DTX100, which cost about the same as the HF5. 
 
IE6 got quite mixed reviews, very few info on DTX100...any thoughts which one to buy?
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  

 

[ChroniCali]

Ety isn't really known as being comfortable, Klipsch is though.  The HF5 and D2000 have completely different sound signatures, so it really depends what you are looking for.  The IE8 and the IE7 are good suggestions for comfortable, well-fit IEMs which have the soundstage of a full sized headphone.

 

[andersen]

I succeed to achieve a tight fit with the HF5 from the beginning, but three flange tips annoyed me, put them aside, used the soft gray "mushrooms"  instead.
As someone recommended to use 3 flanges, I gave a chance them again, and much to my surprise they are less and less irritating, and i am getting better highs with them than with the mushrooms.  Interestingly, I just realized, my ears do require two different size of tips, small one into my  left and the big one into my right ear.
I would not say I'm starting falling love into the Ety, but my quite harsh initial feelings are getting more differentiated.
Thanks again for your enlighting posts.