[epithetless]

If you're getting them new, the m5s come supplied with a very nice neoprene case. Should you find that too big (it's roomy enough for all the included accessories/tips and then some), I'd say go for the Shure case with no cable spool -- spooled cases are notorious for straining cords.

 

[bindibadgi]

Thanks. I haven't received the M5's yet, so I'll wait and see, although I suspect the provided case will be a little big for what I need. I'm glad you warned me about the cable spool; I'll steer clear of that one.

 

[dfkt]

The Atrio case is perfect for my needs...

 

[dfkt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dfkt /img/forum/go_quote.gif Damn, why does it have to be me to post the first negative comment about the Atrios... I bought M5's through Handheldaudio UK in May - and some days ago they started to short out on the right earbud. The cable Y-splitter is the culprit, when I tap it the sound goes on or off. No visible damage can be seen, and I handled them very carefully all the time. Seems the cables and/or QC really aren't all that great. I never managed to damage any other phones I own, not even the V-Moda Vibes... Mailed Handheldaudio already, let's wait if their customer support is as good as Future Sonics themselves are said to be...

Got some new ones back today from Handheldaudio. Let's see if these hold up for longer.

I just sent them the plain Atrios for repair, no accessories, case, etc - in return I got a brand new, factory sealed pair of M5's. Nice, now I got all the accessory stuff twice.

That second case sure comes in handy for other IEMs, and having all the silicon sleeves in duplicate doesn't hurt either.

First pair I got came in a plain white box, with no manual. Now the full retail box tells me they're made in Korea... nice, I thought they're from China, like almost all the other non-custom IEMs.

 

[Caribou679]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dfkt /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Atrio case is perfect for my needs...

Hi!
I have ordered a pair of M8 and will probably not receive them before 1-2 weeks.

However I am using a D2 and seing the case you portrayed I am wondering if an amp P2AV2 would fit with the D2?(without them squeezing or dammaging).

I already use a similar case to transport the D2 but it is made for digital cards and is too narrow for both. It has a velcro strap that I put on the belt. Is there a clip on the Atrio case?

Another question: You transport the M5 with the D2 in the case, they don't squeeze too much together?

 

[momentary_lapse]

Thanks to this forum and this thread.. i got the M5's yeaterday.. they are great! thanks to everyone for helping. ive been listening to them for over 2 hours and no problems with comfort.. though they did feel a bit strange initially..

the case of perfect for the 30 gb ipod video and the phones.. love it..

 

[subfocus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by momentary_lapse /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks to this forum and this thread.. i got the M5's yeaterday.. they are great! thanks to everyone for helping. ive been listening to them for over 2 hours and no problems with comfort.. though they did feel a bit strange initially.. the case of perfect for the 30 gb ipod video and the phones.. love it..

Hi there momentary lapse , had a feeling you were gonna be happy with your choice

If you think they sound pretty good right now , then you'll be pleased to know that most M5 users seem to find they improve even more

after they've had a chance to settle (burn) in ....... Enjoy your music

 

[dfkt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caribou679 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi! I have ordered a pair of M8 and will probably not receive them before 1-2 weeks. However I am using a D2 and seing the case you portrayed I am wondering if an amp P2AV2 would fit with the D2?(without them squeezing or dammaging). I already use a similar case to transport the D2 but it is made for digital cards and is too narrow for both. It has a velcro strap that I put on the belt. Is there a clip on the Atrio case? Another question: You transport the M5 with the D2 in the case, they don't squeeze too much together?

The PA2V2 makes any headphone sound worse with the D2. The D2 is strong enough to drive any phone up to at least 150 Ohms with ease.

I even tried the HD650 (300 Ohm) with the D2, and with the D2+PA2V2. Of course the PA2V2 can drive those phones to higher volume levels, but the sound is muddy, lacks clarity and soundstage. The sound was quite noticeably better with the D2 alone.

Something along the lines of a Tomahawk/Hornet or a Xin amp might improve the sound, but certainly not the PA2V2.

Yes, there's a well thought out belt loop on the Atrio case. It uses velcro, so you can easily attach it to a belt without taking the belt out of the pant's loops.

The case is big enough for the D2 + Atrio, if you play a little Tetris, if you know what I'm saying.

They don't get squeezed in there, the way I manage to put them in.

 

[Caribou679]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dfkt /img/forum/go_quote.gif The PA2V2 makes any headphone sound worse with the D2. The D2 is strong enough to drive any phone up to at least 150 Ohms with ease. The case is big enough for the D2 + Atrio, if you play a little Tetris, if you know what I'm saying. They don't get squeezed in there, the way I manage to put them in.

Well I will try the D2 + PA2V2 + m8 together anyway. Yesterday I listened to some Beethoven symp. that needed an extra hoomph!.

All the IEM I use now are 16 ohms, wonder how the M8 being 32 ohms will sound? The Sportapro and KSC75 are 64 ohms and the sound is great.

I'll know in a week or too.

I carry my IEM (when not in use) in a small candy plastic box I recycled for that purpose. Sturdy and unconspicuous, it renders them protected from shock and crash as well as the eventual thief.

I have no doubts the M8 will sound great in a few weeks usage.

I have already ordered from idealsound at ebay a pair of Shure/Etymotic three flange sleeves that I want to try with the M8. I love the 3Xflanges, for me the Etymotic sleeves are the Cadillac for confort and isolation. They should both arrive at the same time.

 

[tbonner1]

Quote:

I am wondering if an amp P2AV2 would fit with the D2?(without them squeezing or dammaging).

Tight squeeze, I would not do it.

 

[dfkt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caribou679 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well I will try the D2 + PA2V2 + m8 together anyway. Yesterday I listened to some Beethoven symp. that needed an extra hoomph!.

For any 16 or 32 Ohm IEM the 200mW PA2V2 certainly won't provide any sonic improvement over the internal 74mW amp of the D2... but just go ahead and hear for yourself.

(With the 32 Ohm Atrios I generally listen at volume ~20/50 on the D2, at most - anything above that would kill my hearing. YMMV.)

 

[Caribou679]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dfkt /img/forum/go_quote.gif For any 16 or 32 Ohm IEM the 200mW PA2V2 certainly won't provide any sonic improvement over the internal 74mW amp of the D2... but just go ahead and hear for yourself. (With the 32 Ohm Atrios I generally listen at volume ~20/50 on the D2, at most - anything above that would kill my hearing. YMMV.)

Yes I will do the testing soon.

However I have a X5(broken earphone jack) that I use through the Line Out coupled with the PA2V2 and up to know every headphone I use on this rig sounded fantastic. I think it is the combination of the X5 - with all EQ off- and the PA2V2. The X5's Line Out is very flat and the PA2V2 gives it presence, space and bass. (with any eq settings on, the sound is awfull!)

With the X3, the Sportapro, the KSC75 , the sound is very good. Very anxious of trying it with the M8.

Also, Beethoven's symp do need an extra punch that the D2 does not furnish by itself.. I do not listen at full blast volume either.

For now my home gear is my portable gear, so I try different combination to get the most out of it.

I think that all the suscribers to this thread have a similar purpose regarding sound quality, or why invest $150-$200 in a pair of M5-M8 earphone + a few hundred on a mp3 player + some more $$ on a portable amp.

Life is great! Bring on the music!!!!!!!!!!

regards,

 

[LaBreaHead]

I received my M5's at work on the 6th (thanks, Road-Dog!), opened them when I got home, played pink noise through them for a couple of hours only, then couldn't wait to try them out.

Either they're not as big as they look in photos, or my ears are bigger than I thought they were. I haven't liked other flanges, and these were no exception, so I tried the two sizes of foamies that came in the packaging. Worn with the cords up and over my ears and with the larger foamies, they conveyed a lot of bass ... and nice detail. Right off the bat, I found them fun to listen to ... with a big, full sound, and noticeable separation of instruments.

My ears and ear canals must be different from each other, though, and after the ultra-minimalist presence of the tiny ER6i's with short Comply foams, these seemed potentially uncomfortable in and on one of my ears (it even seemed like they were too small for me to wear them with the wires over the ears, which surprised me). So I tried the smaller foams, again running the cords over my ears, and this felt more comfortable, at the cost of some of the big bass presence (as with any in-ear 'phone, bass seems dependent on filling the ear canal just so).

I ended the "try-out" session settling on the large foamies, but with the wires worn "down." The M5's looked surprisingly like larger versions of regular canal phones such as the Creatives or Sennheisers. Not as weird looking as I was led to believe, worn either way, but certainly no beauty contest winners. But they sound ... really nice ... really impressive even before full burn-in. I listened using an EQ'd Rio Carbon (very large bass presence) and a flat iPod Nano 2nd generation (even this sounded richer and fuller with the M5's than it usually does). I look forward to trying more combinations (Comply and Shure foamies, a PCDP, smaller flash players, Rio Karma, etc.).

I think I would need medium Shure foams or regular Comply foams with these (with the ER6i's, the body of the earphone and the short foam both fit into my ear canal; with these, only the ear tips "project" into the canal, and to get the fullest sound, they should fill the canal as much as possible).

After all my slight upgrades, sidegrades and backtracking, I can recommend these as a very worthwhile upgrade from standard earbuds and from canal phones, as well. Very, very good bang for the buck. They might not please some name-brand-conscious consumers, perhaps, because they aren't sold in the Apple Store and they do look a bit geeky, but that would be their loss.



__________________________
Phones (in order of purchase):
Sony MDR71, Sony MDR51, Etymotic ER6, Panasonic RP-HJ50, Shure E3C, Koss PortaPro 2, Creative EP630, Etymotic ER6i, Sennheiser PX-100, Sennheiser HD555, Future Sonics Atrio M5

Sources (in order of purchase):
2nd Generation 10GB iPod for Windows (retired)
Creative Muvo 256MB
Creative Muvo 1GB (out on loan)
Rio Carbon 5GB
Cowon iAudio 5 1GB (out on loan)
Rio Karma 20GB (low-mileage collector’s item)
Creative Zen Nano 1GB
Samsung YP-U2 512MB
4th Generation 40GB iPod (monochrome; used as home jukebox)
2nd Generation iPod Nano 4GB
Creative Zen Stone 1GB
iRiver T60 2GB

 

[Caribou679]

I received my M8 today, just before leaving for work, I am breaking them in now with pink-white noises.

very fast shipping from Road Dog, less than 5 days.

The fist idea I had when I opened the box was:

What is the right and left side? ( I was never good in geography!!)
I eventually put them backwards! I did not see the small L and R on the inside of the sleeve.

The second idea I had, when I had them on was:
They sure are microphonic!, how does this memory cable works?

I have no comment on the sound right now as it is too soon and on the confort too as I am not familiar with them yet.

The color blue is very sharp and I am very anxious of wearing them for real.

They are much bigger than the CX300 or even the Crossraods X3.

 

[gldblade]

Hey guys,

Looking at the pictures it seems to me that the M5s stick out quite a bit from the ears. Is this really the case? I'm really tempted to pull the trigger, but this would be a showstopper for me