blackdragon87
Headphoneus Supremus
Full sized headphones all the way. Never been into iems, hate sticking things in my eardrums
Full-sized headphones vs IEMs
- Thread starter IEMusic
- Start date
IEMusic
Headphoneus Supremus
Makes sense. A lot of people hate sticking anything in their ears.
DivineCurrent
500+ Head-Fier
I know this is a year old thread, but I wanted to share my views on this topic of IEMs vs Full Size.
While I still would pick a high end open back headphone in a controlled ideal environment, like my two favorites the Focal Clear MG or the Hifiman HE-500, there are many times where I would take an IEM. And those circumstances are not limited to portability or noise isolation.
If you can get the fit right and find comfortable tips for your own ears, IEMs can be more comfortable than full size. In my case, after a while the pressure of the full size headphones against the sides of my head gets annoying, and it always messes with my hairstyle. Not only are IEMs lighter and sometimes more comfortable, but there’s more freedom with movement.
And for the sound, high quality IEMs have excellent bass extension that is similar to or equal to a planar magnetic. My top two used IEMs, the JVC HA-FDX1 and the Dunu Zen Pro, both have top tier bass that easily competes with full size headphones in the $500-$1000 range. In general however, most IEMs I have heard do not sound as natural to me as my favorite full size ones, at least stock on their own with no mods. I love the qualities of single dynamic driver IEMs, so I decided using EQ is an excellent option. With EQ, you can fine tune these highly technical dynamic driver IEMs to sound like a Focal Clear or Sennheiser HD 650, but with better bass response. Sure, the imaging and soundstage are not as impressive at first in IEMs, but it is only noticeable in direct A/B comparison.
The convenience and isolation of IEMs cannot be understated however. I do not want to bother others in my household, so IEMs give me the ability to listen as loud as I want without having to worry about noise leakage. Not only that, but I get a good 90% of my ideal open back headphone system, specifically with the Dunu Zen Pro and EQ.
Edit, I sat down for a more extended listening with my Clear MG Pro and Dunu Zen Pro, both with EQ. My above impressions are the same, but the sense of scale is better on the full size Clear MG Pro, not really surprising there. In direct comparison, the imaging and soundstage Zen Pro is smaller, even though the bass extends better. The layering and depth is also better on the Clear. This is also not surprising, as the whole ear interacts with the sound with full size headphones while IEMs bypass the outer pinna.
While I still would pick a high end open back headphone in a controlled ideal environment, like my two favorites the Focal Clear MG or the Hifiman HE-500, there are many times where I would take an IEM. And those circumstances are not limited to portability or noise isolation.
If you can get the fit right and find comfortable tips for your own ears, IEMs can be more comfortable than full size. In my case, after a while the pressure of the full size headphones against the sides of my head gets annoying, and it always messes with my hairstyle. Not only are IEMs lighter and sometimes more comfortable, but there’s more freedom with movement.
And for the sound, high quality IEMs have excellent bass extension that is similar to or equal to a planar magnetic. My top two used IEMs, the JVC HA-FDX1 and the Dunu Zen Pro, both have top tier bass that easily competes with full size headphones in the $500-$1000 range. In general however, most IEMs I have heard do not sound as natural to me as my favorite full size ones, at least stock on their own with no mods. I love the qualities of single dynamic driver IEMs, so I decided using EQ is an excellent option. With EQ, you can fine tune these highly technical dynamic driver IEMs to sound like a Focal Clear or Sennheiser HD 650, but with better bass response. Sure, the imaging and soundstage are not as impressive at first in IEMs, but it is only noticeable in direct A/B comparison.
The convenience and isolation of IEMs cannot be understated however. I do not want to bother others in my household, so IEMs give me the ability to listen as loud as I want without having to worry about noise leakage. Not only that, but I get a good 90% of my ideal open back headphone system, specifically with the Dunu Zen Pro and EQ.
Edit, I sat down for a more extended listening with my Clear MG Pro and Dunu Zen Pro, both with EQ. My above impressions are the same, but the sense of scale is better on the full size Clear MG Pro, not really surprising there. In direct comparison, the imaging and soundstage Zen Pro is smaller, even though the bass extends better. The layering and depth is also better on the Clear. This is also not surprising, as the whole ear interacts with the sound with full size headphones while IEMs bypass the outer pinna.
Last edited:
Users who are viewing this thread
