Thought i'd write up a little comparison between these 2 iem's(at work on a nightshift and nothing better to do!!).
Over the last 2 to 3 years i've been working my way through the majority of iem's trying to find the 'right one'. From Shure e2c right through to the triple Fi's, although i have missed a few, Westone and Klipsch the main two i havnt tried.
Just over a year ago i bought the original Atrio M5 and really enjoyed them, but was still curious about some of the higher end iem's out there so didnt keep them very long(sure i'm not the only here who's done this!)
Tried the Ety er4 and the Triple Fi as well as the sleeks since the M5.
Although i loved the sound of the Triple's i just couldnt get a comfy fit so i sold them and bought the Shure SE530 and i was amazed at the comfort and sound quality from them. however a couplke of weeks back i read about the new version of the Atrio's and it got me thinking back to how much i enjoyed the deep bass from these iem's. So i took the plunge and bought them on the basis that they would be my back up/second iem's.
Well after 70 hours or so burn in of the Atrio's i think i prefer the sound from them over the Shure's, i find it a bit hard to believe but have spent the last few days comparing and am a bit shocked that i prefer the atrio's.
To compare i've been using a 2nd gen zune 80 with all music encoded at mp3 320. tracks i've mainly used for comparison are -
1. David Bowie - Rock and Roll Suicide
I use this i love the build up in the first minute or so and find it's a good way to compare bass(on the bass drum beat) and that soft acoustic start to the song.
2. The Smiths - I Know Its Over
Again similar reason for track 1, lovely bass line in this and a great build up in the first couple of minutes using acoustic guitar.
3. The Fall - Blindness
This is probably different to the first two as it has real crunching lead and rhythm guitar section where the bass takes a little bit of a back seat.
4. The wedding Present - I'm Not Always So Stupid
Real fast guitars throughout this 4 minute classic, esp the last minute or so.
The Shure with all these songs sound great, really nice bass and the quitar work in track 3 and 4 sound excellent, nice soundstage with all the tracks as well, cant really fault them at all.
The Atrio's on the other hand, they probably dont reproduce the same levels of detail in the highs as the Shure's but the bass is really outstanding and not in an overpowering way. I am not a basshead as such but with the shure's and all the other iems i've owned over the years, some have great deep sounding bass but with the Atrio's i can almost feel that bass pounding as if it is next to me. On tracks 3 and 4 they produced a bass sound that just wasnt really there withe shure's. I also think that despite what i've read elsewhere they produce good mids and highs, not on the same level as the Triple's or Shure's but still a good sound.
Overall i find the Atrio's have a lovely deep rounded warm sound that doesnt fatigue when listening over long periods, i find now that when i use the shure's i almost find them a bit harsh on my ears after listening to the Atrio's.
From being my backup iem's i can see the Atrio's being my no 1 and probably end up selling the se530's.
I'm by no means saying that they are a better iem for everybody but to my ear and musical taste they really do sound awesome.
Oh and sorry for the long rambling post!
Over the last 2 to 3 years i've been working my way through the majority of iem's trying to find the 'right one'. From Shure e2c right through to the triple Fi's, although i have missed a few, Westone and Klipsch the main two i havnt tried.
Just over a year ago i bought the original Atrio M5 and really enjoyed them, but was still curious about some of the higher end iem's out there so didnt keep them very long(sure i'm not the only here who's done this!)
Tried the Ety er4 and the Triple Fi as well as the sleeks since the M5.
Although i loved the sound of the Triple's i just couldnt get a comfy fit so i sold them and bought the Shure SE530 and i was amazed at the comfort and sound quality from them. however a couplke of weeks back i read about the new version of the Atrio's and it got me thinking back to how much i enjoyed the deep bass from these iem's. So i took the plunge and bought them on the basis that they would be my back up/second iem's.
Well after 70 hours or so burn in of the Atrio's i think i prefer the sound from them over the Shure's, i find it a bit hard to believe but have spent the last few days comparing and am a bit shocked that i prefer the atrio's.
To compare i've been using a 2nd gen zune 80 with all music encoded at mp3 320. tracks i've mainly used for comparison are -
1. David Bowie - Rock and Roll Suicide
I use this i love the build up in the first minute or so and find it's a good way to compare bass(on the bass drum beat) and that soft acoustic start to the song.
2. The Smiths - I Know Its Over
Again similar reason for track 1, lovely bass line in this and a great build up in the first couple of minutes using acoustic guitar.
3. The Fall - Blindness
This is probably different to the first two as it has real crunching lead and rhythm guitar section where the bass takes a little bit of a back seat.
4. The wedding Present - I'm Not Always So Stupid
Real fast guitars throughout this 4 minute classic, esp the last minute or so.
The Shure with all these songs sound great, really nice bass and the quitar work in track 3 and 4 sound excellent, nice soundstage with all the tracks as well, cant really fault them at all.
The Atrio's on the other hand, they probably dont reproduce the same levels of detail in the highs as the Shure's but the bass is really outstanding and not in an overpowering way. I am not a basshead as such but with the shure's and all the other iems i've owned over the years, some have great deep sounding bass but with the Atrio's i can almost feel that bass pounding as if it is next to me. On tracks 3 and 4 they produced a bass sound that just wasnt really there withe shure's. I also think that despite what i've read elsewhere they produce good mids and highs, not on the same level as the Triple's or Shure's but still a good sound.
Overall i find the Atrio's have a lovely deep rounded warm sound that doesnt fatigue when listening over long periods, i find now that when i use the shure's i almost find them a bit harsh on my ears after listening to the Atrio's.
From being my backup iem's i can see the Atrio's being my no 1 and probably end up selling the se530's.
I'm by no means saying that they are a better iem for everybody but to my ear and musical taste they really do sound awesome.
Oh and sorry for the long rambling post!
