[Caribou679]

Put them on now!

You'll see them evolve!
Pink noise them when you sleep.

 

[Inks]

After contemplating as to whether i should wait for the Westone 3 or purchase the m5s, i decided to do the latter. Mainly because I like the idea of having headphones that are not fatiguing, but yet have detail and punch. Another reason i didn't wait for the Westone 3, was because it might not live up to the expectations, while the m5s have tons of good reviews.

Can't wait, >_<, ordered yesterday........I wonder when they'll arrive.

 

[Richdel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inks /img/forum/go_quote.gif After contemplating as to whether i should wait for the Westone 3 or purchase the m5s, i decided to do the latter. Mainly because I like the idea of having headphones that are not fatiguing, but yet have detail and punch. Another reason i didn't wait for the Westone 3, was because it might not live up to the expectations, while the m5s have tons of good reviews. Can't wait, >_<, ordered yesterday........I wonder when they'll arrive.

I was in the same boat, trying to decide between the Q-jays and M5's. Just too many good reviews to pass up the M5's. Now I am just going to sit back, and see what happens with the Q-jays, and the soon to come Westones. If they are all they are supposed to be, then I will try them out. If not, I got a great set of iems to pass the time until the next great iem comes along.

If you got your M5's through roaddog, your wait won't be long. They were very quick getting my pair to me. Good Luck!

 

[dranoel4190]

ive read the first 15 pages of this thread but still havent arrived at a detailed comparison of the Atrio M5 and Super.fi 5pros. if someone could post his/her experiences with both that would be great! still reading the thread though

im pretty satisfied with my sf5pro. but it seems i would like it to have more bass impact, richer midrange and less fatiguing highs. if the atrio can at least improve on one or two fields, i might consider getting this and sell my sf5pro.

btw, i listen mostly to modern/mainstream rock. heres my preference if it helps.
1. ue sf5pro
2. senn cx400
3. panasonic hje70
4. senn cx300
5. jbl220
6. sf3 studio

 

[tstarn06]

Don't have SF5pro (and never have had them or listened to them), but you will get un-fatiguing highs, taut, forward bass impact, but the mids are not the Atrios' strength. Doesn't bother me like it bothers others. Sorry I can't give you any direct comparison.

 

[1012007]

Can someone name all the tips that fit the Atrios?

Thanks a lot

 

[Inks]

thanks Richdel, but unfortunately they still haven't arrived (I know i'm being impatient lol). Perhaps it takes a bit longer for me cause I'm in California (Socal).

 

[meusickfrek]

Inks, My atrios took 6 business days or about a weeek to deliver. They made to New Mexico in two days, then took four days to get from NM to flagstaff, AZ, so just be patient. Let us know how you like them when they arrive. Oh ya and don't forget about burn in, I know bla bla bla....

 

[Inks]

I've just tracked it and it should arrive on monday

. It will of course be a bad idea to judge without burn-in, so it's nice to see that stated because it may help those who don't know.

In the same regard, it's comfort may be best with shure foamies, so i won't judge it's comfort with stock tips.

 

[WiseOx]

Just a quick gush....these iem's are the best bang for the buck i've spent since joining headfi...outstanding.

i just tonight tried the shure olives in reverse, and found the sweet spot......they weren't sealing well enough mounted normally....i love headfi, i wouldn't have thought of that.

the mate amazingly well with my little dot 2++.....the SR225's are taking a back burner for a few minutes.....

 

[Richdel]

Well, the M5's did about 60 hours of pink noise burn-in (20 minutes of pink noise, 2 minutes of silence, on repeat), and I finally got some free time ( read this as alone time) to enjoy them. I had 2 different sessions, about 1.5 hours each, without interruption. My setup was a Creative Zen Plus 4GB Flash, to mSeed Spirit Portable Amp, to the M5's.
All tracks were ripped from cd using Media Monkey to FLAC, then ripped using Foobar2000 to 256KB mp3.

My first impression was that I was suprised how high I had to set the volume on the ZenV+ to drive the M5's at a slightly elevated state. This is not a volume I listen to all the time, but one I like to listen to when I am looking for some good jams. This is now making me rethink my next purchase of a DAP with more of a slant to the DAP's amp and sound signature, more then the bells & whistle ( read this as codec support, gui, fm radio,...).

2nd thing that surprised me was how difficult it has been to keep a good seal on my right ear. I have been listening in the prone position, my head cocked to the right side, and I feel like I am constantly loosing the seal. When I succeed in getting the seal back, the beautiful rich bass comes back into play. I am using the bi-flanges that came installed on the M5's, so I will spend some time trying out the foamies this week. Hopefully that will cure the problem, and lead me to the Shure Olives for the perfect fit.

Now to the actual listening experience. I have a fantastic home rig, but since having kids, I get to spend very little time listening to it. I usually have only alone time, when the family is awake, and then they don't want to hear my music. I decided I wanted a portable rig, and headphone setup to take advantage of those days & nights when I was in the musical mood, and the TV options were horrible at best. But it will be difficult to find a suitable rig that supplies the type of sound I am used to, especially since I will be looking at my home rig as I listen to the portable rig.

Well, I think with all of the help from head-fi, I have done well. This setup had me listening to music that I have had for years, but it all felt like new music to me again. If you read this far, you will know that I am in full agreement, proper seal is critical with the M5. But when you get it, it is a fantastic sounding iem. My basis for comparison is very limited, a few sony sports phones, and a few Koss phone ( Plug and sportaphone that were used for running). These phones, the M5's, sounded fantastic. They are not boomy in the bottom end like the Koss phones, and definitely punchier in the bottom end then any of the Sony phones I have had. The bottom is there, very alive, and not too oevrbloated. I definitely don't think the bass is overdone, in fact, for me it is just right. The detail is good, but it is hard for me to be objective since I have so little to compare to. There are passages in songs I have heard for years, where I have found new detail. The background harmony on the Traffic song, Memory of a Rock and Roller is fantastic, and usually subdued in most listening modes. To me, the M5 sound sig just felt familar, like it was something I have been listening to for years. There was nothing there that sounded out of place.

I think what I like best to date of these phones is their "listenability" (if this is a new word, sorry!). By this I mean that I don't get fatigued at all with them in my ears, even after the 1rst couple of 1.5 hour sessions. That is a long time for me, especially with iems. I was excited to hear what the next song would be, and how it would sound. And I found myself turning down the volume trying to locate that sweet spot where the the volume is and detail are present without overamping everything. The highs do seem a bit soft, but the M5 did respond a bit to some eq'ing, so this was not at all a bad thing.

To this point, I am very happy with my purchase. I am anxious to resolve the fit issues, and I am already beginning the process of looking at a new/better source. The best thing I can say about the M5's today, is that I would purchase them again tomorrow if I had to.

...more to come.

 

[subfocus]

Glad you like 'em ....

 

[dfkt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richdel /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is now making me rethink my next purchase of a DAP with more of a slant to the DAP's amp and sound signature, more then the bells & whistle ( read this as codec support, gui, fm radio,...). [...] I am anxious to resolve the fit issues, and I am already beginning the process of looking at a new/better source.

The Atrios go very well with the Cowon D2. This one's a bit on the bright sounding side, which is a no-no for Etymotics or the q-Jays, but perfect for the Atrios, IMO. The D2's ridiculously strong 74mW amp helps quite a bit as well (hell, it almost drives my HD650).

You wouldn't even have to do without the bells & whistles, the D2 got 'em all...

The D2 + Atrios is what I use 90% of the time... definitely my favorite rig.

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richdel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, the M5's did about 60 hours of pink noise burn-in (20 minutes of pink noise, 2 minutes of silence, on repeat), and I finally got some free time ( read this as alone time) to enjoy them. I had 2 different sessions, about 1.5 hours each, without interruption. My setup was a Creative Zen Plus 4GB Flash, to mSeed Spirit Portable Amp, to the M5's. All tracks were ripped from cd using Media Monkey to FLAC, then ripped using Foobar2000 to 256KB mp3. My first impression was that I was suprised how high I had to set the volume on the ZenV+ to drive the M5's at a slightly elevated state. This is not a volume I listen to all the time, but one I like to listen to when I am looking for some good jams. This is now making me rethink my next purchase of a DAP with more of a slant to the DAP's amp and sound signature, more then the bells & whistle ( read this as codec support, gui, fm radio,...). 2nd thing that surprised me was how difficult it has been to keep a good seal on my right ear. I have been listening in the prone position, my head cocked to the right side, and I feel like I am constantly loosing the seal. When I succeed in getting the seal back, the beautiful rich bass comes back into play. I am using the bi-flanges that came installed on the M5's, so I will spend some time trying out the foamies this week. Hopefully that will cure the problem, and lead me to the Shure Olives for the perfect fit. Now to the actual listening experience. I have a fantastic home rig, but since having kids, I get to spend very little time listening to it. I usually have only alone time, when the family is awake, and then they don't want to hear my music. I decided I wanted a portable rig, and headphone setup to take advantage of those days & nights when I was in the musical mood, and the TV options were horrible at best. But it will be difficult to find a suitable rig that supplies the type of sound I am used to, especially since I will be looking at my home rig as I listen to the portable rig. Well, I think with all of the help from head-fi, I have done well. This setup had me listening to music that I have had for years, but it all felt like new music to me again. If you read this far, you will know that I am in full agreement, proper seal is critical with the M5. But when you get it, it is a fantastic sounding iem. My basis for comparison is very limited, a few sony sports phones, and a few Koss phone ( Plug and sportaphone that were used for running). These phones, the M5's, sounded fantastic. They are not boomy in the bottom end like the Koss phones, and definitely punchier in the bottom end then any of the Sony phones I have had. The bottom is there, very alive, and not too oevrbloated. I definitely don't think the bass is overdone, in fact, for me it is just right. The detail is good, but it is hard for me to be objective since I have so little to compare to. There are passages in songs I have heard for years, where I have found new detail. The background harmony on the Traffic song, Memory of a Rock and Roller is fantastic, and usually subdued in most listening modes. To me, the M5 sound sig just felt familar, like it was something I have been listening to for years. There was nothing there that sounded out of place. I think what I like best to date of these phones is their "listenability" (if this is a new word, sorry!). By this I mean that I don't get fatigued at all with them in my ears, even after the 1rst couple of 1.5 hour sessions. That is a long time for me, especially with iems. I was excited to hear what the next song would be, and how it would sound. And I found myself turning down the volume trying to locate that sweet spot where the the volume is and detail are present without overamping everything. The highs do seem a bit soft, but the M5 did respond a bit to some eq'ing, so this was not at all a bad thing. To this point, I am very happy with my purchase. I am anxious to resolve the fit issues, and I am already beginning the process of looking at a new/better source. The best thing I can say about the M5's today, is that I would purchase them again tomorrow if I had to. ...more to come.

The FS foamies are pretty good at delivering a seal, so those should upgrade your M5 experience. I went back and forth with the FS foamies, Shure olives (inverted, of course) and the flanges. I liked the latter to some extent, but their mushy texture made it hard to keep them in the same place (as you noticed). Their sound is fine. The FS foamies are good, but get dirty way too fast (the color is all wrong for stuff you have to stick in your ears). THe Shure olives are the best foam sleeves for the M5s, but they cost extra. I use the mediums, and like others here, put them on "upside down," so the flat end goes into the ear. They are shaped like gum drops, and when using them the "right" way, they always seemed loose. With the inverted approach, they stay put. Leave it to some wacky head-fier to try them upside down.

Give it a shot if you ever get some of the shures. They can be had for $14 on ebay via idealsound. Mediums seem to be the best size for most people, but I am in the process os swapping smalls for mediums with another head-fier (I bought both).

 

[Richdel]

A couple of more observations.

I spent two more listening sessions with the Atrios, and the FS foamies. I am more accustomed to foamies, as I used these with Koss plug when running. The seal with the FS foamies was perfect. No playing with it to gain the right seal. Placed them is, seal was perfect, and the phone never feel loose. Even when I turned my head to have the my ear directly on the pillow. So, now I am going to purrchase the Shure Olives. i am using the FS foamies Large, so I assume that translates to the Shure Olives Mediums?

2nd observation was that the FS foamies seem to "darken" the sound ever so sligthly. There was noticeable difference in the high end with foamies compared to the flanges, although I did not AB them. But I was able to EQ a bit with the 5 band EQ in the Creative Zen +, so I am willing to play with the sound in order to have seal and comfort.

I have been wearing them down, rather then over the ear. I seem to struggle with the memory wire thing, so I just go quick and dirty with the wires hanging down. Sound from the Zen V+ to the MSeed Spirit to the Atrios is fantatsic!