[ClieOS]

   
Shure olive tips bring out the treble more than both Etymotic tips and they are way more comfortable. You might like them more. 

 
You are right, olive does bring out just a little more treble. However, the newer olive has build in wax guard that makes pushing in the nozzle more difficult. The older olive works out just fine. I reckon the slightly increase in upper treble has to do with the nozzle being much more open in olive than in tri-flanges. If I am right, cutting off the smallest flange of the tri-flanges might bring similar result. I'll try it if I can get some new tri-flanges in the next few days. Also, I tried Shure grey flex and it is not bad either, kind of in between tri-flanges and olive..

 

[prostheticwhim]

Sorry for any wrong expression, what I meant was definition/resolution with crispness. Treble, I find metallic and dry in mk5 with lack of extension on notes. Anyway I like the iem but would prefer gr07 as SQ wise.

 

[tomscy2000]

I published the full review with measurements, here:
 

 

[ozkan]

  I published the full review with measurements, here:
 

 
Thanks for the review but I can't see the pictures and measurements on both my computer and phone.

 

[tomscy2000]

  Thanks for the review but I can't see the pictures and measurements on both my computer and phone.

 
Where do you live? Tried it on multiple PC browsers and on iOS Safari, and it all shows up, both in normal and incognito mode). I'll try to find some time to post them here.

 

[FranckZHou]

I believe a pair of used er4s or er4pt fits better. They are around $100 and you can easily get them from eBay or used equipment form. I got a pair of used er4s from eBay and I really like them. 

 

[ozkan]

   
Where do you live? Tried it on multiple PC browsers and on iOS Safari, and it all shows up, both in normal and incognito mode). I'll try to find some time to post them here.

 
Ok, solved. I agree that the treble extention falls behind ER4S with stock tips. But I've found out that with Shure olive tips it sounds more airier with a slight increase in treble extention and refinement. It is like converting ER4P to S for me. They are also more comfortable. You guys should try Shure olive tips with these. MK5 is nothing short of amazing with them.
 
Lastly, Could you please try with 75 ohm adapter to see if it benefits from additional impedance? Thank you. 

 

[Inks]

It won't benefit from impedance, dynamics don't work the same way, they have a linear impedance phase

 

[tomscy2000]

  Ok, solved. I agree that the treble extention falls behind ER4S with stock tips. But I've found out that with Shure olive tips it sounds more airier with a slight increase in treble extention and refinement. It is like converting ER4P to S for me. They are also more comfortable. You guys should try Shure olive tips with these. MK5 is nothing short of amazing with them.  
Lastly, Could you please try with 75 ohm adapter to see if it benefits from additional impedance? Thank you. 

^^ What @Inks wrote about the impedance. This is a dynamic coil driver with pretty flat impedance across the whole board. Adding additional resistance will pretty much only contribute to wasted energy from your amp and decrease control.
 

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Forgot to add the CSD into the review, but here they are. There are some QC issues with this unit as well, but I can't surmise whether this is just this particular sample or whether it is system-wide and/or within tolerance limits set by them. Also note the differences in measured bandwidth between different ear tips. I don't think these measurements are the final word because of the common irreproducibility of treble above 8 kHz in ear simulators, but the results are interesting to see anyway. I didn't get speakerphone to test the Klipsch biflange tips because they didn't come with the MK5 (of course). However, I prefer the Klipsch small biflanges, if only because they fit my ears a lot better than anything Etymotic offers, including the foam tips. To me, it sounds pretty good too. It doesn't overhang over the head too much either, and I can achieve an ideally deep fit. Only drawback to them is lesser isolation IMHO. Tests with Comply S/T/Ts-100 and Shure olive tips would be interesting, too. speakerphone still has the MK5 with him, so we could try to test them if he can get his hands on these tips, but I can't guarantee anything.

 

[prostheticwhim]

Great review, I completely agree with thinner mid range and lack of treble extension. Is er4 midrange is fuller? But bass will be lacking in er4 vs mk5, am i right? I thought of getting er4 after hearing mk5 but couldn't be sure.

 

[K_19]

Just got these in this morning and after short rough volume matched comparisons with the Ety Kids... IMO these sound very similar, except that I think I'm noticing more of the AKG-like 2K bump on these (thankfully I'm used to bumps in this region thanks to the K702) and with a more controlled lower end. The highs also seem a bit more relaxed on these but I could be just imagining that. Overall they're close enough that I can say that you may call these "Ety Adults" model as opposed to the Ety Kids. There are times where I am looking for a bit more sparkle in the treble, but that may just be from me using the 7506's (which has accentuated treble) recently quite often. Haven't tried the foam tips (which didn't come with the Ety Kids) yet, may give them a try soon. They somewhat sound like a IEM-ed K701/K702 (with obviously, an IEM level soundstage compared to K-series wide soundstage) if I had to make a rough comparison with another headphone... detailed, a bit dry, emphasis on upper mids with clean yet not accentuated treble/bass.  It's no ER4S which I demoed recently, but there's enough resemblance there that I can definitely say that these are a great deal at their price.
 
Like them enough to keep and sell the Ety Kids 

. It's of a much lower impedance thus more practical and flexible. Not really the most exciting sounding IEM's but we all know Ety's are not for that purpose. These will do great whenever I need to do voice monitoring work and also do well as a decent IEM when I listen to music on the go and need a LOT of isolation like when sitting in subways and trains (though I think on the streets I'll continue to stick to my PX200's for comforts sake and safer less isolation).
 
BTW, has anyone played around with the filters with these yet to play around with their sound signature? I know for Ety Kids a lot of people use MC series filters with them to supposedly bring their sound closer to ER4S-like balance... I don't have a lot of ear wax so I don't really need them for functional purposes but if they can give a better sound I'd be interested in looking into it.

 

[ozkan]

  Just got these in this morning and after short rough volume matched comparisons with the Ety Kids... IMO these sound very similar, except that I think I'm noticing more of the AKG-like 2K bump on these (thankfully I'm used to bumps in this region thanks to the K702) and with a more controlled lower end. The highs also seem a bit more relaxed on these but I could be just imagining that. Overall they're close enough that I can say that you may call these "Ety Adults" model as opposed to the Ety Kids. There are times where I am looking for a bit more sparkle in the treble, but that may just be from me using the 7506's (which has accentuated treble) recently quite often. Haven't tried the foam tips (which didn't come with the Ety Kids) yet, may give them a try soon. They somewhat sound like a IEM-ed K701/K702 (with obviously, an IEM level soundstage compared to K-series wide soundstage) if I had to make a rough comparison with another headphone... detailed, a bit dry, emphasis on upper mids with clean yet not accentuated treble/bass.  It's no ER4S which I demoed recently, but there's enough resemblance there that I can definitely say that these are a great deal at their price.
 
Like them enough to keep and sell the Ety Kids 

. It's of a much lower impedance thus more practical and flexible. Not really the most exciting sounding IEM's but we all know Ety's are not for that purpose. These will do great whenever I need to do voice monitoring work and also do well as a decent IEM when I listen to music on the go and need a LOT of isolation like when sitting in subways and trains (though I think on the streets I'll continue to stick to my PX200's for comforts sake and safer less isolation).
 
BTW, has anyone played around with the filters with these yet to play around with their sound signature? I know for Ety Kids a lot of people use MC series filters with them to supposedly bring their sound closer to ER4S-like balance... I don't have a lot of ear wax so I don't really need them for functional purposes but if they can give a better sound I'd be interested in looking into it.

 
From my experience with HF5, green filters only decrease the upper treble energy and add a tiny bit of bass to HF5 so I had to remove the filters and add 75 ohm adapter to make it sound closer to ER4S. I assume you will loose some sparkle with filters. Btw, I'm using my MK5 with Shure olive tips and IMO they are getting closer to ER4S with them.  
 
 

 

[K_19]

I'll have to see if I still have some Shure Olives somewhere (used to have the 530's)... the thing is that I actually don't get a reliable seal that easily with most foam tips due to my weirdly shaped ear canal in my left ear (there's a small sharp cartilage bump in there somewhere).. the triple flanges actually gives me the most easy, reliable and comfortable seal in there. 
 
Are the included grey OEM foam tips not as good? I'll try them a bit later as I'm not home currently but quite curious if they have a smaller effect as the olives.

 

[ozkan]

  I'll have to see if I still have some Shure Olives somewhere (used to have the 530's)... the thing is that I actually don't get a reliable seal that easily with most foam tips due to my weirdly shaped ear canal in my left ear (there's a small sharp cartilage bump in there somewhere).. the triple flanges actually gives me the most easy, reliable and comfortable seal in there. 
 
Are the included grey OEM foam tips not as good? I'll try them a bit later as I'm not home currently but quite curious if they have a smaller effect as the olives.

 
Grey foam doesn't work for me. I find the triple flange tips better but they give me so much pain. For me, I get the best sound from Shure olive tips then triple flanges and lastly the grey foams. 
 
My friend sent me his Havi B3 and beloved RE0 today. I will compare MK5 against Havi B3, RE0 and Tenore on saturday if you are interested.
 
Ok, I switched to Tenore and believe me or not they are very muddy and unnatural after MK5. Thinner midrange with muted vocals and less bass impact. Treble is also more present, airy and detailed on MK5. Overall MK5 is more detailed and accurate than Tenore. I think it is time to say goodbye to Tenore.

 

[K_19]

   
Grey foam doesn't work for me. I find the triple flange tips better but they give me some much pain. For me I get the best sound from Shure olive tips then triple flanges and lastly the grey foams. 
 
My friend sent me his Havi B3 and beloved RE0 today. I will compare MK5 against Havi B3, RE0 and Tenore on saturday if you are interested.

 
I am not currently in the market for another IEM as of now (more of a fullsize headphone guy) but it's always great to hear a comparison! Please do so when you do get a chance! I did hear the RE0's in the past so I would be able to at least understand that particular comparison much better.
 
I'm currently back home now and just listening through the foam tips... they seem to be a bit warmer to my ears, otherwise I can't say I notice much else as of yet... except that I do find them noticeably LESS comfortable... this I expected as there's something with foam tips and perhaps their expansion properties that don't play well with my inner ears comfort wise. Triple flanges weirdly enough are more comfortable for me (I know that would be difficult for some to underdstand, lol, but it's one of those moments that prove it's really YMMV in this hobby as far as comfort goes).  I also managed to find a pair of 530 Olive foams from many years ago! ...but they looked dirty and are several years old, so I cleaned them first... thus I gotta wait until they are fully dry. Will come back with my thoughts once I try them.