[kaushama]

I bought Atrio M5 few months back and couldn't give it a critical listening after a small initial period when I had my Supermini with me. I have sent it for upgrades in a bad time and its stuck in Dr. Xin's workshop. I am waiting for a Reference too.
I have bought a Hornet M recently till I get the In amps and to compare.
Following quotes are lines from Xin's forums regarding new reference by Ron (Highflight) and Ath.

Ath;

Quote:

Ron, Since you mentioned Atrio M5, I am wondering if it benefits from the Reference Amp. It sounds great out of my Iriver H140 with no noticeable difference hooking it to MisterX XP, Xenos 1HA-EPC or the good old GoVibe V3. It sounds so much better out of the headphone jack! I also happen to own a pair of UM2 and Etym. ER-4S. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Ron;

Quote:

The Atrio is a really good phone for unamplified use. It is only with my best recordings that I can note an improvement in detail and resolution when using my Reference or Move. Even then, the differences are quite small.

Has anyone else observed this? I am going to check on this but still have only a 100hr burnt Hornet M in my hand.

I thought I found perfect IEM for price factor in M5. Its disappointing to hear this. Man! This is never going to end up!!!!

 

[only500made]

...by the time ur amp swings by, probably the next big thing is out already. whats the ETA, 2009?

 

[kaushama]

Noop! Hopefully next month!!

 

[dfkt]

Maybe I misread your post: you find it disappointing that you won't need to lug an amp around with you?

The M5 do not benefit from an amp. They sound almost the same out of my Woo 6 tube amp and out of my wimpy 14mW Samsung YP-U1.

 

[kaushama]

Quote:

you find it disappointing that you won't need to lug an amp around with you?

Yes its disappointing if M5 reaches its maximum performance without an aid of an amp! Headphone amps are designed to overcome the limitations of the meager amplification sections of many portables and sources. Very good headphones like HD650 needs the muscle of an amp to bring the sound of a source to the next level of listening experience. If M5 reaches its maximum out of portable's out, it is a good factor for those do not like the hassle of carrying an amp.
After all why do we need amps then?
Anyway I do not like the rolled off treble response of my M5. Upper registers lack little detail and mids are not as sweet as I would like them to be. I think my KSC35 have sweet mids for that matter.

 

[dfkt]

That's pretty much a generalization... some guy here on Head-Fi (Bangraman?) used his $4000 Sony R10 for portable use, without an amp - and he is quite happy with it.

Sure, the HD650 needs a strong amp - but the M5 is not a "bad" phone if it is effective enough to be run to full performance off a weak DAP amp... not every phone needs huge amounts of power. After all, Future Sonics specializes in on-stage monitoring, and I don't see Madonna or Britney Spears using a Xin or Tomahawk for in-ear monitoring... If it sounds good (for me), why complain about it being a disadvantage that you don't need to shlepp another toy around? I really don't get your argumentation...

 

[kaushama]

Yes I agree M5 is probably designed for on-stage monitoring, when the performer does not need my type of listening. I am a listener not a performer.
Why do we need HD650 like cans then? Everyone can buy M5 and can live happily ever after!
I think we need amps for more refiNed sound with details and sound stage. I agree M5 is a wonderful IEM for its performance without amp. It stops there.

 

[cn11]

The lack of need of an amp is one of the best things about them in my mind. I have one rig for home use, travel, and at work- Trekstor Vibez w/Atrio M5. I love the simplicity of the setup. Great sound, portability, & simplicity.

 

[kaushama]

By the way do you feel a difference between the SQ of Atrio M5 unamped and HD650 amped?

 

[ataraxia]

With my Corda MOVE, I've noticed a slight improvement in the sound quality. Granted, it is nowhere near the difference the amp makes with my Alessandro MS-1s (which themselves aren't supposed to scale well either), so take that as you will.

That being said, I believe it was commonly believed that IEMs in general don't improve much with the presence of amps. Someone with vast experience in other IEMs can correct me if they wish.

 

[shigzeo]

i have noticed nothing other than lack of hiss of any type when i use the m5 paired with my supermicro or supermini and other amps that were not portable. it is a great iem that does not really need anything. for the record, i listen to d2 with it but have tried panasonics new little 850 or whatever it was. that one seemed to hiss less than d2 and only had 3mw *2 but nevertheless sounded wonderful.

 

[antonyfirst]

Buy an Etymotic ER4P. Seriously, it's one of the biggest things you can do to match the Reference.

 

[bonkon]

It is a good thing that they can almost reach their full potential without an amp, but again you can always use an amp just to benefit of the line out of your source. Some players have noticeably better line out than headphone out and I doubt that you can't hear the difference using the M5 between headphone out and good line out + amp on these players.

Now should I get them or the q-Jays? Aarrgh can't decide need help.

 

[jyxent]

I'm using the Atrio M5's with my iPod and a Headphonia amp. Probably the biggest benefit for me is the lack of noise when using the amp from the line out.

I've done a little bit of comparison between using the headphone out and the amp with the line out, and I've noticed some slight differences. Whether or not its an improvement, or just some minor coloring of the sound of the amp, I'm not sure. Both sound very good to me.