dbdynsty25
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2010
- Posts
- 2,283
- Likes
- 257
In my never ending search for the perfect gym earphone I've tried just about every <125 dollar headphone imaginable...including the MTPC @ 220. My criteria is pretty simple: over the ear, chin slider, comfortable, fairly isolated and it needs to be V or U shaped with a nice bass presence for hip hop/rap/southern rock/jazz. It also needs to sound good with just an ipod touch 4G...no amps or anything in between. The mic/controller is also a plus but not required.
To be specific about what headphones I've had in my possession in the last two months: Phonak Audeo Perfect Bass, Brainwavz M2 & M3, NuForce 700x, MEE m11, Ultimate Ears 500vi & 600vi, Monster Turbine, Monster Turbine Copper, Etymotic HF3, JVC X67 and the Klipsch S4i. The three pairs I currently have in my possession are the M3s, the Turbines and the X67s (the current gym headphones cuz of their cost). I like them all for different reasons, but I want a one and only pair that excels at everything I'm looking for. Which brings me to the Atrio Xs (the set with the iphone/ipod controller).
I just picked up a pair of the Atrio Xs from JR for about 75 dollars shipped and they were delivered this morning. These clearly are a way for Future Sonics to use their inventory of the MG5 drive since it was replaced on the higher end Atrio by the MG7 speaker. These are just initial impressions because I've literally only spent about 15 min. with them and I know a few people were asking about these the other day in the OLD thread from a few months ago. I guess I'm the sucker who's tried them first.
I guess my reasoning for getting pair is that most people were pretty happy with the old MG5 driver in the old Atrio but that sometimes they thought it was a bit dark and not very sparkly...well that is kind of my sound preference. I love how the original Turbines sound and that's pretty much the complaint against those as well. I just can't use them at the gym because of the weight and they don't stay in my ears all that well.
First thing is the comfort and isolation...this is important for the gym and these things are just awesome. I had a tough time figuring out how far to actually put the headphone in. Too far and it muddys everything up (i use the default medium dual flanges). If you put them in a little bit less than you think you should (think: ety depth), then you're golden. They are definitely more isolating than any of the other headphones I've tried besides the Etymotic HF3s. You put them in quite a bit further than something like the Turbines...but again, not quite as far as the Etys. The default tips were fine for me...apparently the Atrios are known for the poor tip selection and tip comfort but I didn't have a problem with them.
The cables are decent, if a bit cheap. They are sturdy from a strain relief point of view, but they keep the shape of the packaging for quite a while...they still haven't straightened out yet and they've been out for a few hours. The strain relief on the plug and the Y are very good and the ones out of the earphones are really nice and flexible. One note about the color...these things look brown on the web...they are black and grey...and they look great in my opinion. Worn cable up, they fit right into my ear and I can sleep in them if need be.
These things sounded outstanding. They don't quite have the bass of the turbines coming out of my Touch 4G with the EQ off, but they are close. They seem to be quite a bit better in the mids and highs though, making it seem like they are a bit more forward. (I'm just an amateur at this, so my descriptions will be poor at best, lol). Obviously this is all done without any burn in so it's just how they sound out of the box at this point. I really like the clarity and depth of the bass (which is what the original Atrios were known for).
To be a true Head-fi junky...it wouldn't be right if I didn't also order a pair of the new Atrios with the MG7...so I should have those next week. But for twice the price and the lack of an ipod control, I doubt I will even open them because I'm super happy with the way these sound at the moment. Or maybe I just sell my other headphones and keep both. The Xs for the gym and the normal ones for my more critical listening (even though I'm not sure how good of an ear I've got, lol).
Anyway, just wanted to let some people know on here that the Xs do exist and they are a definite contender for the sub $80 bass oriented ipod/iphone control crown.
If you have any questions, fire away!
To be specific about what headphones I've had in my possession in the last two months: Phonak Audeo Perfect Bass, Brainwavz M2 & M3, NuForce 700x, MEE m11, Ultimate Ears 500vi & 600vi, Monster Turbine, Monster Turbine Copper, Etymotic HF3, JVC X67 and the Klipsch S4i. The three pairs I currently have in my possession are the M3s, the Turbines and the X67s (the current gym headphones cuz of their cost). I like them all for different reasons, but I want a one and only pair that excels at everything I'm looking for. Which brings me to the Atrio Xs (the set with the iphone/ipod controller).
I just picked up a pair of the Atrio Xs from JR for about 75 dollars shipped and they were delivered this morning. These clearly are a way for Future Sonics to use their inventory of the MG5 drive since it was replaced on the higher end Atrio by the MG7 speaker. These are just initial impressions because I've literally only spent about 15 min. with them and I know a few people were asking about these the other day in the OLD thread from a few months ago. I guess I'm the sucker who's tried them first.
I guess my reasoning for getting pair is that most people were pretty happy with the old MG5 driver in the old Atrio but that sometimes they thought it was a bit dark and not very sparkly...well that is kind of my sound preference. I love how the original Turbines sound and that's pretty much the complaint against those as well. I just can't use them at the gym because of the weight and they don't stay in my ears all that well.
First thing is the comfort and isolation...this is important for the gym and these things are just awesome. I had a tough time figuring out how far to actually put the headphone in. Too far and it muddys everything up (i use the default medium dual flanges). If you put them in a little bit less than you think you should (think: ety depth), then you're golden. They are definitely more isolating than any of the other headphones I've tried besides the Etymotic HF3s. You put them in quite a bit further than something like the Turbines...but again, not quite as far as the Etys. The default tips were fine for me...apparently the Atrios are known for the poor tip selection and tip comfort but I didn't have a problem with them.
The cables are decent, if a bit cheap. They are sturdy from a strain relief point of view, but they keep the shape of the packaging for quite a while...they still haven't straightened out yet and they've been out for a few hours. The strain relief on the plug and the Y are very good and the ones out of the earphones are really nice and flexible. One note about the color...these things look brown on the web...they are black and grey...and they look great in my opinion. Worn cable up, they fit right into my ear and I can sleep in them if need be.
These things sounded outstanding. They don't quite have the bass of the turbines coming out of my Touch 4G with the EQ off, but they are close. They seem to be quite a bit better in the mids and highs though, making it seem like they are a bit more forward. (I'm just an amateur at this, so my descriptions will be poor at best, lol). Obviously this is all done without any burn in so it's just how they sound out of the box at this point. I really like the clarity and depth of the bass (which is what the original Atrios were known for).
To be a true Head-fi junky...it wouldn't be right if I didn't also order a pair of the new Atrios with the MG7...so I should have those next week. But for twice the price and the lack of an ipod control, I doubt I will even open them because I'm super happy with the way these sound at the moment. Or maybe I just sell my other headphones and keep both. The Xs for the gym and the normal ones for my more critical listening (even though I'm not sure how good of an ear I've got, lol).
Anyway, just wanted to let some people know on here that the Xs do exist and they are a definite contender for the sub $80 bass oriented ipod/iphone control crown.
If you have any questions, fire away!
