[hierobryan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKaz /img/forum/go_quote.gif Radioshack is SUPPOSED to carry them. I couldn't find them at any of the ones I went too though (plus I hate the color red). I find that Amazon usually offers the best price, or close to the best, and you get free shipping! Their customer service and return plicies are nice too.

weird. you can always go to RadioShack- Audio/Video Electronics, MP3, LCD TVs, GPS, Digital Cameras, DVD Players, Accessories and check local inventory (call to make sure they have it in stock). the radioshack by me had three in stock. i guess they're just selling what they have and that's it? maybe i should buy another.

 

[jhendrickson]

So for the super.fi MOD is it just as simple as putting the right ear plug into the left ear, or do you physically swap the wires between plugs? I can't find instructions on removal of the wires on their site. I'm starting to lean towards some sf3's or sf5's now that I see you can get them to not stick out as much.

I listen to alot of hip-hop, electronic type of music and am leaning towards the SF5 EB as I want alot of bass.

 

[Mweisbrod]

Quote:

It's not going to reduce the sound of cars. It is going to COMPLETELY ELIMINATE IT until the car is almost within touching distance. That's why I don't use my Super.Fi 5 Pros for bicycling.

speaking of which, i was on vacation and had my shures in while walking... and i was almost hit by a car... =P i was frightened... i didnt take out the iems...

 

[intoflatlines]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhendrickson /img/forum/go_quote.gif So for the super.fi MOD is it just as simple as putting the right ear plug into the left ear, or do you physically swap the wires between plugs? I can't find instructions on removal of the wires on their site.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/mod...i-5pro-188970/

Here is the thread dedicated to it.

 

[jhendrickson]

Ok, so after work I went to a local Radio Shack and snagged a pair of SF3's so I could demo them. I'm not immediately wow'ed to be perfectly honest. Perhaps my expectations are too high for this price point. I'm going to let them break in a little bit but my gut instinct says I'll be returning them and going higher end.

I am keeping in mind that I am used to listening to Sennheiser HD595's, but these just don't seem to to cut it for me. The low end of the bass just isn't there. The mids and highs are clear, crisp, and overpowering at times. (possibly because I am seeking out the bass, but I hoped I wouldn't have to be seeking in the first place.) These are very comfortable though!

I'm not sure if I am expecting too much out of earbuds or not. Maybe the SF5 EB's are what I need. What do you guys think? Lets open up the budget to the $150 range and see. Do I need to go to a double armature?

I listen to techno, electronic, trance/progressive (The Crystal Method, Daft Punk, Oakenfold, Tiesto, Thievery Corporation) primarily. Aside from that I listen to hip-hop, rock, and some country.

 

[Matteman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhendrickson /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ok, so after work I went to a local Radio Shack and snagged a pair of SF3's so I could demo them. I'm not immediately wow'ed to be perfectly honest. Perhaps my expectations are too high for this price point. I'm going to let them break in a little bit but my gut instinct says I'll be returning them and going higher end. I am keeping in mind that I am used to listening to Sennheiser HD595's, but these just don't seem to to cut it for me. The low end of the bass just isn't there. The mids and highs are clear, crisp, and overpowering at times. (possibly because I am seeking out the bass, but I hoped I wouldn't have to be seeking in the first place.) These are very comfortable though! I'm not sure if I am expecting too much out of earbuds or not. Maybe the SF5 EB's are what I need. What do you guys think? Lets open up the budget to the $150 range and see. Do I need to go to a double armature? I listen to techno, electronic, trance/progressive (The Crystal Method, Daft Punk, Oakenfold, Tiesto, Thievery Corporation) primarily. Aside from that I listen to hip-hop, rock, and some country.

Yeah the SF3's don't have that bass punch that you seem to need. The EB's are huge and stick out A LOT and you previously mentioned you didn't like that.

I have both the EB's and the super.fi 5 pro's and I'd say the Pro's are what you need. They have a pretty powerful, tight bass and sparkling highs. SQ-wise, they are not as muddy as the EB's are, and they are way above SF3's mostly because of the dual armature setup.

The SF5 Pro's can be found for $140 at Amazon

 

[billybob_jcv]

Make sure you have the IEMs *well* seated in your ears - that has a huge effect on the bass of IEMs. Try different tips if you aren't getting a good seal.

 

[jhendrickson]

Through the course of the evening I tested multiple tips, various insertion methods etc. I must have an oddly shaped ear canal or something because I never felt like they stayed put and I had to constantly readjust them. Bass got better as I got better at positioning them in my ear but I still don't feel like they are going far enough into my ear because of the big bulky pod. I also notice a hiss when there is no audio and this bothers me. All of the UE offerings in the mid-range have low impedance.

I'm very close to ordering Atrio M5's, but am still somewhat torn between them and the SF5 EB's. I have this suspicion that I will have similar fitment and hissing issues with the SF5 EB's just like I did the SF3's.

The M5's are supposed to sit deeper in the ear for better isolation, and they come with a nifty case that would hold my iPod Touch. I've read a number of posts by people who say they can sleep with them in and that's somewhat important to me. They also have a higher impedance than the UE mid ranges and that should help with the hiss.

 

[patalp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhendrickson /img/forum/go_quote.gif Through the course of the evening I tested multiple tips, various insertion methods etc. I must have an oddly shaped ear canal or something because I never felt like they stayed put and I had to constantly readjust them. Bass got better as I got better at positioning them in my ear but I still don't feel like they are going far enough into my ear because of the big bulky pod. I also notice a hiss when there is no audio and this bothers me. All of the UE offerings in the mid-range have low impedance. I'm very close to ordering Atrio M5's, but am still somewhat torn between them and the SF5 EB's. I have this suspicion that I will have similar fitment and hissing issues with the SF5 EB's just like I did the SF3's. The M5's are supposed to sit deeper in the ear for better isolation, and they come with a nifty case that would hold my iPod Touch. I've read a number of posts by people who say they can sleep with them in and that's somewhat important to me. They also have a higher impedance than the UE mid ranges and that should help with the hiss.

The SF5 Pro are pretty comfortable with the soft biflange and the flipside (reverse wires and stick driver in "wrong" ear). Also, they come with an attenuator which can help with hiss issues and volume issues (I use it with my Zune because the output is too strong, volume 1 is equivalent to around volume 8 with the attenuator on)

 

[Chipp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by intoflatlines /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you just copy/paste whenever someone asks about IEMs for <$100?

I thought I was just going crazy an mixing threads up!

 

[bsharpnack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhendrickson /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've been doing a fair amount of research as I always do prior to buying just about anything and I am at the point where I need more specific advice. I will use these when riding my bike, mowing the lawn, plowing snow, etc. I have focused my sights on the Sennheiser CX55 and am curious what you guys think of this specific model. I like that it will be easy with these to determine left/right without looking for the text on each ear phone, and I like what I hear about them being bassy. Are there other models that I should consider while trying to keep the cost closer to $50? I could go as high as the $100 mark but really want to keep cost down. I can get the CX55 for $57... Thanks in advance!

You mentioned you want to wear them while bike riding? I would not use any IEMs that block out too much environmental sound. A great choice to consider is Sony MDR-EX90, they sound great out of the box and can be made even better with a little modding. I use these as my "outdoor" phones, as they do let in a little outside noise, by design. They only partially block out external sound. Lots of folks on the board really like these, and they run under $100.

 

[jhendrickson]

After personally hearing how much sound IEM's really block I don't think I will be using them when bike riding. This is my first exposure to IEM's

I still think I'm going for the Atrio's unless someone has good reason not to. I've been through 60 pages worth of the Atrio M5 thread and the positive feedback outweighs the negatives, for me.

 

[dap_pad]

I went with the Atrio M5 and never looked back, it has everything you want and I sleep with them all the time and they are really comfortable with the Shure Olives.

 

[jhendrickson]

On the topic of Shure Olives, I've tried locating them on Shure site. Tried Google searches, etc. I'm guessing that either A) I suck at searching, or B) Shure doesn't actually call them Olives.

My closest guess is that these are the "Shure Olives" because they look like black olives!

 

[Chipp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhendrickson /img/forum/go_quote.gif On the topic of Shure Olives, I've tried locating them on Shure site. Tried Google searches, etc. I'm guessing that either A) I suck at searching, or B) Shure doesn't actually call them Olives. My closest guess is that these are the "Shure Olives" because they look like black olives!

Those are the ones.

If you want to save a buck or two, check out idealsound on Fleabay. Great seller to deal with, I expect you'll find more recommendations to them here.