Final Audio Design Impressions and Discussion Thread

[Jmop]

Perhaps my ears just prefer a slightly less than neutral treble.

 

[TLDRonin]

ive heard many people say they dislike the 650s due to the lack of treble lol

 

[vladstef]

Perhaps my ears just prefer a slightly less than neutral treble.

The gradual rise from 1k to 3k of about 10dB is as neutral as you could possibly get in this isolated area. I'd argue that 8dB is more natural sounding to my ears but this is personal. A lot of headphones try to go for a peak at 3k that gradually drops off to 10K or eliminate energy around 7K while keeping the overall curve the same, meaning 10K being similarly strong as 1K.
Here is the netural graph (a few different studdies, most of them agree on the 3K peak - our outter ears are mostly forming it and our brain interprets it as flat).

 

[Jmop]

Yeah even I would admit that the drop around 10khz on the 650 is too drastic.

I don’t actually have a problem with the midrange at all with the 600s and likely the 650s. As you said, the curve works well and sounds very even. Some gear could push my tolerance for shoutiness with the 600s however, so I see where people are coming from in that regard.

 

[Jmop]

Anyway, just got the E5000 in the mail! Very excited for first impressions.

 

[calpiyuki]

Just picked up the e5000 from audio46 as it was only two blocks away from where I work, and dang all I can say is that it complements my Andromeda really well. Color me impressed!

 

[Jmop]

So unfortunately I'm going to have to return this pair, the left channel is occasionally intermittent. Aside from that, presentation and build quality are exceptional and comfort is very good. I like them better with Spin Fits, gives a bit more room between my ears and the phones. There's touch less bass with the Spin Fits in terms of sound. From what I've heard in the last hour, bass draws the most attention it seems. You get a lot of weight, but there is that darkness from the bass emanating over the presence region of the midrange. It does a decent job at pulling back depending on the recording, however. Vocals are nice but there is sibilance, and some cymbals hits can appear emphasized over others here and there, though this is minimal. Keep in mind my E5000 isn't burned in. Overall sound is definitely dark with a bass focus more than anything. Good soundstage, lots of room. Cuts back on hiss pretty good and likes volume. That's all for now.

 

[TLDRonin]

Just picked up the e5000 from audio46 as it was only two blocks away from where I work, and dang all I can say is that it complements my Andromeda really well. Color me impressed!

Thats exactly what I wanted to hear!

 

[calpiyuki]

Thats exactly what I wanted to hear!

Oh yeah the bass woke me up that afternoon hahaha it's definitely for bass head and classical head (?), it just sound amazingly organic. One thing to note though is the fact that I had to bring my fiio x7 ii's volume all the way to 100 in low gain just to listen to the items properly.

 

[PinkyPowers]

Oh yeah the bass woke me up that afternoon hahaha it's definitely for bass head and classical head (?), it just sound amazingly organic. One thing to note though is the fact that I had to bring my fiio x7 ii's volume all the way to 100 in low gain just to listen to the items properly.

Oh yes. These demand quite a bit of power.

 

[TLDRonin]

Oh yes. These demand quite a bit of power.

Just received my pair, and for a second I thought my hearing got way worse since I had to raise the volume a lot more compared to other IEMs.


Whats the reasoning for this? Since it's only 14 ohms shouldn't it be fairly easy to drive?

 

[Jmop]

Low sensitivity.

 

[Jmop]

Low sensitivity with low ohm means you need to push a lot current, though 14 isn’t THAT low. My Supermini drives the HD600 with more authority lol, since it isn’t a low output device.

 

[calpiyuki]

Maybe upgrading the amp module to am5 will solve the issue...

 

[EndGameSearch]

I have always been intrigued by the design of the piano forte and have found a few post on the XIII but would love to find a review or at least some impressions of the X. At twice the price of the VIII it would have to be seriously impressive to justify the spend. Does anyone have experience with it and willing to share impressions? I have other IEMs in that price range but I didn’t buy them completely blind.