MayaTlab
1000+ Head-Fier
Hello,
I've been using during the last years a number of various IEMs but, due to anatomical reasons (occlusion issues) I'd like to try my luck in quality portable cans. The problem is : I have strictly no knowledge of full-size cans.
However, I guess I can rather accurately describe what I'm looking for given my experience of top-end IEMs. I've listened so far to ER4P, SE420, Custom 3, UM3x, and I currently own Westone 3, IE8 and Earsonics SM2.
Here's what I like and dislike about the ones I know best amongst them :
IE8 : Great soundstage, nice bass quality (beautiful rumble, tight and controlled), good extension (bass and trebles). But voices tend to be on the cold and distant side, mediums a little lost and bodiless, too much bass (though not bloated), and a slightly unrefined "edge" : they don't sound rich enough to me.
W3 : Nice treble sparkle, very rich, refined and articulate sound (at least with modded triflanges), sense of clarity, very fast (instrument "attack", such as with guitar, is precise and tensed). But : mid bass hump, too much bass, and very fatiguing trebles, awful sibilance (to my ears), mediums a little lost.
SM2 : Beautiful "colour", everything feels liquid, wonderful sense of homogeneity between the lowest bass and the highest trebles (It's a dual driver pair of headphones that feels very "coherent"), the frequency response feels rather neutral (less bass and treble than IE8 and W3, but more than typical Shures). Great highs, perhaps a little rolled off relative to the current trend towards high or top heavy headphones, but which nonetheless manage to sparkle nicely (go figure). BUT : clear lack of speed : complex layered rock tracks tend to turn into a slight mud (less so than SE420 though), soundstage a little narrow.
UM3x : Pretty much like the SM2, except that the speed is vastly better and the instrument separation quantum leaps forwards relative to the previous three. BUT they're little dull : they lost the Earsonics colour. The soundstage is frankly narrow, though to their credit depth is very good. Still, I prefer them.
So as you might have guessed I'm looking for a set of cans at least as good as the UM3x, but with increased musicality and soundstage, WITHOUT sacrificing the instrument separation and the speed.
By portable, I mean "Audio Technica ES10" kind of portable. Now, if it can fold, the better, but I won't be demanding for the best portability on the market (sound quality comes first).
I'll play them straight out of a Cowon S9 and on a MacBook Pro with the possibility of an amp later on (not a priority). So they should be easily drivable. I'll use mp3 320 kbps and I may re-encode my library in FLAC. I listen to all kinds of music, hence the need for balanced, do it all headphones, even if the price is a little higher.
The budget is roughly between 400 and 600 dollars. If it could be less, the better, but again quality comes first and I want at the very least the quality of the UM3x and SM2 combined to justify the increase in cumbersomeness. If It's impossible, I'll find another solution
. Please note that I live across the Atlantic Ocean so I'll have the opportunity to pay either in Northern America or Europe depending on the final price.
Any idea ? Thanks !
I've been using during the last years a number of various IEMs but, due to anatomical reasons (occlusion issues) I'd like to try my luck in quality portable cans. The problem is : I have strictly no knowledge of full-size cans.
However, I guess I can rather accurately describe what I'm looking for given my experience of top-end IEMs. I've listened so far to ER4P, SE420, Custom 3, UM3x, and I currently own Westone 3, IE8 and Earsonics SM2.
Here's what I like and dislike about the ones I know best amongst them :
IE8 : Great soundstage, nice bass quality (beautiful rumble, tight and controlled), good extension (bass and trebles). But voices tend to be on the cold and distant side, mediums a little lost and bodiless, too much bass (though not bloated), and a slightly unrefined "edge" : they don't sound rich enough to me.
W3 : Nice treble sparkle, very rich, refined and articulate sound (at least with modded triflanges), sense of clarity, very fast (instrument "attack", such as with guitar, is precise and tensed). But : mid bass hump, too much bass, and very fatiguing trebles, awful sibilance (to my ears), mediums a little lost.
SM2 : Beautiful "colour", everything feels liquid, wonderful sense of homogeneity between the lowest bass and the highest trebles (It's a dual driver pair of headphones that feels very "coherent"), the frequency response feels rather neutral (less bass and treble than IE8 and W3, but more than typical Shures). Great highs, perhaps a little rolled off relative to the current trend towards high or top heavy headphones, but which nonetheless manage to sparkle nicely (go figure). BUT : clear lack of speed : complex layered rock tracks tend to turn into a slight mud (less so than SE420 though), soundstage a little narrow.
UM3x : Pretty much like the SM2, except that the speed is vastly better and the instrument separation quantum leaps forwards relative to the previous three. BUT they're little dull : they lost the Earsonics colour. The soundstage is frankly narrow, though to their credit depth is very good. Still, I prefer them.
So as you might have guessed I'm looking for a set of cans at least as good as the UM3x, but with increased musicality and soundstage, WITHOUT sacrificing the instrument separation and the speed.
By portable, I mean "Audio Technica ES10" kind of portable. Now, if it can fold, the better, but I won't be demanding for the best portability on the market (sound quality comes first).
I'll play them straight out of a Cowon S9 and on a MacBook Pro with the possibility of an amp later on (not a priority). So they should be easily drivable. I'll use mp3 320 kbps and I may re-encode my library in FLAC. I listen to all kinds of music, hence the need for balanced, do it all headphones, even if the price is a little higher.
The budget is roughly between 400 and 600 dollars. If it could be less, the better, but again quality comes first and I want at the very least the quality of the UM3x and SM2 combined to justify the increase in cumbersomeness. If It's impossible, I'll find another solution
Any idea ? Thanks !
