Etymotic vs UE
Apr 8, 2006 at 8:42 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 14
haibane

haibane

100+ Head-Fier
Joined
Nov 15, 2005
Posts
216
Likes
0
Should I get the Etymotic ER-4S with custom ear plugs or should I save up even more and get the ultimate ear ue-5c? Is there that big of a difference?
 
Apr 8, 2006 at 8:43 PM Post #2 of 14
It's best that you go for the 5 Pros instead, rather than jump straight into customs.
 
Apr 8, 2006 at 8:45 PM Post #3 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by AtheisticFreedom
It's best that you go for the 5 Pros instead, rather than jump straight into customs.


I'd actually prefer to have the customs as they would be a nicer ear fit. I don't think the 5 pros will live up to my standards that I have set for the 600s/580s
 
Apr 8, 2006 at 8:47 PM Post #4 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by haibane
I'd actually prefer to have the customs as they would be a nicer ear fit. I don't think the 5 pros will live up to my standards that I have set for the 600s/580s


Well after reading the review on the super.fi 5 pros I am semi interested... wondering what you guys think of them
 
Apr 8, 2006 at 9:25 PM Post #5 of 14
Customs are in another league =). I've owned, Shure e2, e3, e4, UE super.fi 5 pros, senns hd 555 and I prefer the UE5c because they are so comfortable compare to cans and universal phones.
 
Apr 8, 2006 at 9:26 PM Post #6 of 14
lol I've never seen anybody quote themselves directly on this site before.

Anyway, here is a basic breakdown about UE:

Customer Service: Their customer service is by far of extraordinary measures. I've had many of my emails answered back under half an hour. Search around these forums, and you'll see how unmatched they are in quality service to all their customers, whether it be from a bad cable or a lost earpiece.

Build (of the 5 Pros): Recently, there were reports of cracking/broken casings, but it was determined to be a bad batch.

Made of plastic, they stick out of your ear, instead of trying to lay flat, like the Shures. Memory wire helps keep a loop over your ear as to keep wires from interfering with you.

The memory wire is esp. helpful for working out; little microphonics (unlike the Etys), and although thin, very powerful (had it snag on sharp objects; no breaks). Also, the cable is user-replacable, which means if anything happens to it, you just need to get a new cable, not RMA the whole set; very helpful.

Sound isolation: Does not go deep into the ears like an Ety or Shure. Thus, less isolation, but that is good imo; I can barely hear people shouting for me at school, but I can hear a car horn very well if needed. Nobody can ever hear what you are listening to, so 5 Pros don't leak any sound.

Eartips are pretty much guaranteed to fit you; small, medium, large, foam, or biflange. Most here seem to find the medium the best in terms of getting the bass and clarity, which brings me to...

Sound quality. I love a good amount of bass (read: totally there, but not overwhelming), and the 5 Pros deliever it 100% The Shure E4s need an amp to start to show good signs of bass (although the E4 is very good in treble), and the Etys are known for not having enough or no bass at all (the Etys are known for being very 'analyzing'). The soundstage of the 5 Pro is known to be very wide for an IEM, but some argue that the bass covers up the higher treble. For me, I find everything a perfect comprise for one another, and the 5 Pros sound signature I definately love.

Hope this helps. I see now that I did not put many user opinions here, so if you need more, I'll check back here and see if you need any more help.

Later!
 
Apr 8, 2006 at 9:34 PM Post #7 of 14
AtheisticFreedom, you can't say that UE's universal products are cheaply made and infer that their customs products are cheaply made also. It's not comparable, it's like comparing a Porsche Boxster (cheapest porsche) to their Carrera GT (most exspensive model). And saying that the Boxster is cheaply made, so the Carrera GT is cheaply made too. Which is completely wrong. I just want to clearify, because I own both the Super.fi 5 Pro and the UE5cs, and the UE5cs are in another league. If you can afford it, go straight to customs and save yourself some money from upgrading later on. The super.fi 5 pro is no where near the UE5cs, the bass of the UE super.fi is sloppy and uncontrolled.
 
Apr 8, 2006 at 10:14 PM Post #8 of 14
True, the UE5c is far superior than the 5 Pros (I meant for my post to follow directly after the topic creator's post), but the 5 Pros are around 200-250 while the UE5c are straight $550...

Edit: Sorry if I came across whatever you think i came across as, rx7_fan. As you can see, I own a UE product myself, and one of the last things I wish to do is bash something that my ears like. Don't know where you are coming from, but my last post was to say how good UE products are. Furthermore, the topic creator literally stated he was interested in the 5 Pros now, not the customs.
 
Apr 9, 2006 at 2:58 AM Post #10 of 14
There is a thing called the Shure E500 which you may wish to wait for...
 
Apr 9, 2006 at 2:59 AM Post #11 of 14
^ And/or the UE Triple X; hot stuff!
tongue.gif
 
Apr 10, 2006 at 8:17 AM Post #14 of 14
Just to muddy the waters a little more, if you don't live in the USA you might consider going with ACS (in England). Their T2PRO is a similar product to the Sensaphonics 2X-S, but the major difference is that they reply to emails!

So if you're an overseas customer (like myself) it's easy to contact them with any queries. I've ordered a pair of T2PRO so I'll probably be posting pics and a review in the next week or two; root has also written a good review, you can find it easily enough if you search for 'ACS'.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top