[xbkingx]

Hey kids,

For some crazy reason, I decided I wanted to replace my now peeling and never great sounding Sony MDR-V400s, and that lead down this slippery slope into the underground world of headphone hi-fi insanity. I'm still a newbie, so here's my one alotted newbie question: if I have no problem with the volume output by a device, why do I need an amp?

Okay, that out of the way let me know what you think of the following:
I would like phones (at max 2 different) that that I can do the following in: lie in bed and listen to MP3CD player, jog outside in the city, play PC games, and wireless would be a big plus.
I'm thinking a pair of Ety 4s and the soon to be released Pioneer DIR1000 (or XB1 since their essentially the same).

I'm afraid the Etys might block out too much sound and not be a good idea for city jogging in, but I'm not exactly downtown. I just need to be aware, not on guard. I'm used to having the volume too high to hear much anyway, and I can't stand non-bud phones for exercise. Right now I have the Sony h.ear or whatever they are that are single clips and quasi-buds. Work great, sound like crap.

I have Klipsche ProMedia 5.1 speakers on my comp and use the cans for late night gaming mostly. But I lose the surround feel, which really sucks for some games (one that comes to mind is an online mutiplayer game that has players who can cloak and the only clear indication of their presence is the distinct sound it makes. Good sound localization is key to killing em). My keyboard and mouse are wireless, and the headphone cord is obnoxiously annoying. This is the main use for the Pioneers.

Well, what do you guys think? Anything you would do differently? There was another earbud that was supposed to be great, can't think of the name, but they were at CES. How do they compare to the Etys?

Thanks uber-much.
Brandon

UPDATE: found them. The Shure E2c. Love the 5cs, but not paying $600 for earbuds.

 

[AIM9x]

Welcome to Head-Fi! Sorry about your wallet.


I'm not sure you'd enjoy Etys for gaming. True, they isolate well. True, they are incredibly detailed. But you probably won't like them for gaming. When the bass hits, you'll hear it, but you won't feel it. For games, you want visceral (sp?) bass... bass you can feel. I'd say look to something full-sized with more bass and not horrendously expensive. ATH-A900s, Ultrasone HFI-650s, Beyerdynamic DT-250-80 and DT-770... all of these were named around here as good gaming phones, and they all have a decent amount of isolation if that's what you were initially looking at the etys for. There were probably more than these, but these are the ones that first appear in my mind when I hear gaming.

As for exercise buds... I haven't heard any earbuds I truly like. I'd say give the KSC-35s a try. You'll be able to afford them with the money you save by not getting the etys for gaming.

 

[xbkingx]

No opinoins?

 

[stuartr]

You don't want to jog in ety's period...you don't even want to walk in them. With music playing, you will not hear ANYTHING. It is very dangerous. It sounds like they would be an overkill for your sources as well. Do you really need 300 dollar headphones for your 100 dollar MP3CDP? Same thing goes for your computer...In order to make use of the ety's capabilities (or at least the ER4S) you need a quality amp as well as a very good source. Check the portables section for recommendations. I would say that KSC-35s would be a great choice. They are relatively cheap, very comfortable, and they have great sound without an amp. Perfect for working out. As for games I am not too sure...I think the Sony V6 (also known as 7506) is supposed to be good for that sort of thing...it has some isolation as well.
As for the other buds you were thinking, I think you mean the Shure...I am not certain how good they are, but I think I remember the concensus being that they were good, but not as good as the ety's.
Anyway, good luck....
BTW, you could get both the KSC-35 and the V6/7506 for less than the ety's cost...significantly less...

 

[NewSc2]

You could even get HD580's with a CMOY amp and the KSC35's for about the cost of Ety 4p's.

 

[xbkingx]

Quote:

Originally posted by stuartr You don't want to jog in ety's period...you don't even want to walk in them. With music playing, you will not hear ANYTHING. It is very dangerous. It sounds like they would be an overkill for your sources as well. Do you really need 300 dollar headphones for your 100 dollar MP3CDP? Same thing goes for your computer...In order to make use of the ety's capabilities (or at least the ER4S) ...

Actually, the rationale is 1 headphone for bed/exercise/portable, 1 for quality/surround/convienence.

I have a hardware mp3p for jogging (128mb ps|play) and the iRiver 350 MPCDP for bed/walking around (soon to be replaced by a 60GB NJB when they arrive). These would be the sources for teh Etys, which makes me think an amp is unnecessary.

For the other set, I've got a SB Audigy 2 Plat with Klipsche Promedia 5.1s. The A2 has optical out (plus a DVDA player app), which I believe would connect directly to the Pioneer XB1/DIR1000. The XB1 is Dolby Headphone comptible, which makes me think that using them for gaming would be better, scince I get the directional sound support for games and DVDAs. plus, I could always wander around with them, since they're cordless. I try to keep my desktop free of cords, since I hate getting tangled. As it is now, the headphone cord gets on my nerves.

Maybe this clarifies things? Why would I need an amp in either situation? I'm not deaf, and most of these sources can blow out my eardrums when on 3/4 max.

Brandon
ps-I've considered different permutations of the Etys, HD580, V6, S85, XB1, HD600. This seems like the most balanced. Worst case scenario for jogging is that I still used my Sony over the ear crappy things. All the wear and tear, I might not want anything over $20 now that I think about it.

 

[AIM9x]

Quote:

Originally posted by xbkingx No opinoins?

did you read NOTHING I posted?

get the damned HFI-650s and the KSC-35s... or get the ATH-A900s and the KSC-35s.

 

[bthorny]

Quote:

Originally posted by NewSc2 You could even get HD580's with a CMOY amp and the KSC35's for about the cost of Ety 4p's.

great idea
I would say open it up to either the 580 or 590 though