[McCol]

Ordered my M5's today from handheldaudio, seems to be the retailer here in the UK selling them. £99 with next day delivery, so should be here tomorrow morning.
Wasnt sure about them, was trying to decide between the M5, UE sf5pro, Shure e4c and the ety er4p.
In the end after reading through this thread and a chat with a chap from Handheld i plumped for the M5's. Hope its the right choice!

 

[jayzen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mho /img/forum/go_quote.gif search it on ebay.com Get it from a seller called idealsound.

thanks.... they deliver worldwide for free. excellent!

 

[mho]

Quote:

Originally Posted by McCol /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ordered my M5's today from handheldaudio, seems to be the retailer here in the UK selling them. £99 with next day delivery, so should be here tomorrow morning. Wasnt sure about them, was trying to decide between the M5, UE sf5pro, Shure e4c and the ety er4p. In the end after reading through this thread and a chat with a chap from Handheld i plumped for the M5's. Hope its the right choice!

what did the guy from handheld say to sway you?

 

[McCol]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mho /img/forum/go_quote.gif what did the guy from handheld say to sway you?

We talked about the UE 5pro(which they sell) and my previous experience of IEM's. Which are - ER6i, V-moda vibes, e2c and AL im716.

He didnt say anything in particular, just the way he described them compared the UE's. He said he thought they had a really good all round balance with a lovely bass sound, which seemed to reflect what i've read here.
I had considered the er4p but had a listen to my er6i's(first time in ages) and decided that from what i've read the M5's would suit better.

 

[Sibling Chris]

someone mentioned customs when buying from ebay and shipping to the UK
ok so top tip for buying the M5's if you are in the UK basd on my experience....


If you get them from roaddog online from his ebay shop, it seems current price you can barter for is $130 plus $25 shipping.
when they arrive in UK customs ParcelForce (as the partner of USPS) will pay for VAT on the item as requested by customs. They will then hold the item until you pay them VAT and a fixed handling charge.

I had a letter today from ParcelForce indicating this amounted to a little over £27 which I paid over the phone and then they will deliver to me tomorrow.

What this means is that total cost having bought from US ebay seller is approx £105 and it takes approx 10 days from ordering before you get them.

this is about £5 more expensive then buying them from the UK distributor www.handheldaudio.co.uk which incl delivery works out at £99.90 and you get them a lot quicker (2-5 days) rather than messing around with customs and parcel force.


Now if something goes wrong with your items you cannot return them once opened to handheld audio for hygiene reasons. So the fact that you bought them in UK is not really advantageous.


Therefore if the exchange rate improves, or you can get them for less than $130 and you don't mind waiting a little longer go with road dog online. Otherwise I'd say stick with HandHeldAudio

hope that helps!

cheers
Chris

 

[mho]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sibling Chris /img/forum/go_quote.gif someone mentioned customs when buying from ebay and shipping to the UK ok so top tip for buying the M5's if you are in the UK basd on my experience.... If you get them from roaddog online from his ebay shop, it seems current price you can barter for is $130 plus $25 shipping. when they arrive in UK customs ParcelForce (as the partner of USPS) will pay for VAT on the item as requested by customs. They will then hold the item until you pay them VAT and a fixed handling charge. I had a letter today from ParcelForce indicating this amounted to a little over £27 which I paid over the phone and then they will deliver to me tomorrow. What this means is that total cost having bought from US ebay seller is approx £105 and it takes approx 10 days from ordering before you get them. this is about £5 more expensive then buying them from the UK distributor www.handheldaudio.co.uk which incl delivery works out at £99.90 and you get them a lot quicker (2-5 days) rather than messing around with customs and parcel force. Now if something goes wrong with your items you cannot return them once opened to handheld audio for hygiene reasons. So the fact that you bought them in UK is not really advantageous. Therefore if the exchange rate improves, or you can get them for less than $130 and you don't mind waiting a little longer go with road dog online. Otherwise I'd say stick with HandHeldAudio hope that helps! cheers Chris

It's true, you cannot open them and change your mind. You can change your mind and return them if you haven't opened them though. But if something does go wrong with your M5's you are covered by the one year warranty as with all products sold in UK. Handhelds policy is on their website. If it cost more to import them like Chris says, your probably better off buying them from handheld.

 

[Jinxy]

Thats exactly what I did, after working out the VAT and everything hence my post earlier about getting them from HandHeld. Nobody I've found in the uK will swap headphones for the hygene reason. Warranty will be handled by Handheldaudio if the headphone have a fault.

I hope my medium Shure black Foamies arrive soon as the large foamies are too big and the small too small..

 

[Frostychrist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Packgrog /img/forum/go_quote.gif I also find it interesting how the Atrio tackles bass response. Some songs, like Soilwork's The Chainheart Machine, a melodic death metal track, have fairly modest bass response. It doesn't feel absent, but it doesn't feel particularly present either. On the other hand, A Perfect Circle's The Package makes the bass VERY known, and you can feel the bass clearly and fully all around your head, with warmth and power, but also with clarity and a lack of distortion. -Packgrog

Ok well I finally got my M5's and I am falling in love with them. I posted a new thread titled Atrio M5's wiith some questions I had. In hindsight I should have posted it all here.
Anyway, I agree with what packgrog said. I have found that alot of my metal albums have a very sublte, yet astonishing bass response. While Hip Hop and some other bass heavy music makes it very appearant and it hits. My take on this is that the M5's reproduce the music the way it was intened to sound. The way it was mixed and enginereed in the studio. I know from hanging out with alot of local metal bands that have recorded demo's they have a way to structure it. They turn the drum tracks down lower and put more of an emphasis on guitar and vocal tracks. Just enough to give it a little more even sound, but not to single anything out. I think a lot of metal bands kind of have the same structure. Whether its just a song or the whole album. I have noticed that studios like Cutting Room (Opeth's - Ghost Reveries and Katatonia's - The Great Cold Distance) take a unique approach to vocal set-up but they have a nice all around feel to them. Where as alot of black metal bands that want to capture the rawness of black metal don't really bother with to much tweaking. I think this was accurately reproudeced with the M5's. Also it really picks up on the distortion and effects that bands will use while playing. Just my take on this. I am still in the process of burn in and the mids need to feel in a bit more and this might change.

 

[tstarn06]

Well, I have been AB testing the ER4P and Atrio M5 for 15 minutes, using a two-pronged plug from my Creative Vision M headphone jack (no amp, EQ off and no bass boost, which the CVM offers). And I have to say, I like them both, even though they are very different. I have no real technical knowledge, I just like quality sound, and it seems to me the Etys and the M5s are different animals, but who says you have to favor the beauty of a tiger over the grace of a Cheetah? So I can deliver any technical reasons why I feel they are both keepers. I do find the Etys easier to insert (using the Comply short foamies, which are a great match with the ER4Ps), but I am waiting on a set of the new Shure black foamies for the M5s. I also will try out a pair of the Comply tips on the M5s as well. Makes sense they will work.

So my admittedly limited technical expertise aside, I find both products worth keeping. That may seem odd, and maybe long-term one will win out over the other. But for now, I can't part with either. Though I have to say, the longer I hear that amazingly tight, bold bass line on Black Cow by Steely Dan rumbling as I type, the M5s are really starting to grow on me. When I switch over to the Etys, the Steely Dan clarity is apparent, but the base seems so far away (without the boost turned on). Hmmm. Could be a portent of things to come.

Anyway, that's my humble comparison. Not much of a decision, I suppose. But I really do like the M5s, and can't wait for those new tips to arrive.

Oh, did I mention I also ordered a pair of Crossroads MylarOne X3s as well (on their way)? Have to see how they stack up. If not much different than the M5s, then one of them will have to go. Or not. Doh!

This place is gonna make me nuts.

 

[epithetless]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif This place is gonna make me nuts.

Welcome to the future. The future is now.

Me, I have absolutely no money to be spending on more headphones, but I can't keep my eyes off this thread...

 

[Sibling Chris]

my atrio m5's just arrived!

first impressions...listening to Athlete right now...

I wish they came in a bigger package or with instructions or something, because when I opened the package it didn;t look like a £100 set of headphones, but then it matters more what they sound like!

...need to sort out the over the ear thing because there is considerable noise from wires rubbing against my stubble (even though I shaved this morning!) when I move my head around.

On my iRiver H140 with stock headphones I always had bass turned up +20db using rockbox. I've immediately knocked this down to +10db and bass still feels very deep...may tweak it down further. bass does sound a little "floppy" if you know what I mean and top end not so bright as I epxected, mids seem strong.

there is small amount of hiss in silent patches - probably my H140. But I don't find this a problem really, have to concentrate to hear it. If the noise isolation wasn;t so good probably wouldn't notice it at all.

Noise isolation is brilliant - I can hardly hear myself moving about and the phone just rang and I didn't hear it at all! (Luckily just saw the screen flash and realised I had a call)

I haven't played around with different tips, when I do I expect things will be better than I'm already experiencing.

I'm going to get to work now and leave them to burn-in in the mean time, after that and messing around with different tips I'll give an update.


cheers all

 

[warrior05]

Congrats on acquiring a pair of very nice IEMs. Their sound will settle. As for wearing them, I had the same conundrum. I just couldn't quite understand how they were supposed to be worn. Wearing them with the cord hanging downwards was okay but like you, the memory wire would rub against my cheeks and cause insane microphonics. Then I turned them around and shaped the memory wire to my ear and everything was golden.

That's terrific you are getting a terrific seal with the stock tips. If you get a chance, try the new Shure black tips.

 

[warrior05]

Watched a movie with my M5s for the first time last night. I was using my portable DVD player which puts out a surprisingly good picture and decent sound. Though the headphone jack was wired backwards so sound sources that are panned hard left or right are visually right or left respectively on screen. A tad disorienting.

Anyway, the M5s make for a very decent IEM movie listening experience. Voices were natural sounding and with the M5s bass response, explosions and the like were well represented. And they even provided a taste of theater sound. I had somewhat of a sense of depth. I never heard anything behind me but still and all a decent listening experience in regards to depth perception of the sounds.

Watching movies on my portable during a plane trip would be very satisfying indeed.

 

[Jinxy]

My Shure Black Foamies turned up at home today. I'll give some impressions compared to the standard ones one I get home later.

 

[mho]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sibling Chris /img/forum/go_quote.gif my atrio m5's just arrived! first impressions...listening to Athlete right now... I wish they came in a bigger package or with instructions or something, because when I opened the package it didn;t look like a £100 set of headphones, but then it matters more what they sound like! ...need to sort out the over the ear thing because there is considerable noise from wires rubbing against my stubble (even though I shaved this morning!) when I move my head around.

I think that they come in just a plastic packet thing because it's the pre release version. The Release version has a retail box but also retails for a greater price, even though there's nothing extra except the retail packaging.

I was initially wearing them dangling down like Warrior, seemed pretty good for me, good fit, good comfort and no microphonics (no facial hair lol).
Then I thought I'd try wearing it over the ear as I think it is meant to be worn this way (presence of memory wire), flexed the wire over my ear and I found the the seal and comfort was even better! Try it.