[indigo]

I have been a lurker on these forums for quite some time, and have made all my headphone purchases based on what I've read here. I currently listen to mainly rock on an unamped ipod, and I have the Shure E4G, the Vibes and the Audio Techica EW-9 and ES-7. I also used to have the Ety E4P and the Bose in ears. Out of these, I enjoy listening to the ES-7 the most, followed by the Shures, however I am now looking for an IEM with a bit more bass then the Shures, and based on what I've read here, have narrowed it down to the Atrios and the Super-fi Pros.

I would really like to hear opinions/ advise from members who have both sets. They are now about the same price give or take about $30, and they fit the budget. Other recommendations are also appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jinx20001]

Based on price you certainly get more for your money in the super fi's and they dont sound bad either,good exciting warm sound,the atrio's are decent putting out some whopping bass but they are ugly cheap looking and are probly not as well made,but still sound decent none the less,based on the earphones you say uve got or had id say your obviously willing to spend the money on earphones so get a real up there pair,im talking shure se530,ue triple fi's or heck maybe even the upcoming q-jays are shaping up well.

One thing is for sure,if you do get a really proper up there pair then you wont be tempted to spend all that cash on all sorts of earphones,trying to get the right pair 4 u,if you like warm explosive puchy but amazingly clear sound the shure se530 are for you.

If you want super clean highs and nicely textured bass with not as clean or forward mids as the shures then the triple fi's are for you.

And if it really has to be out of the two choices then the super fi offer more for the money,sound,looks and pakage wise.but as mentioned once you have that serious high end pair you wont look back,i personally recommend the shure se530 as being serious quality all round,some do prefer the highs of the triple fi tho.i always found that when i had a mid range pair such as the super fi i always craved more,as i knew better was out there.

Before customs and serious over head headphones the shures and triple fi are topping the list at present,and the triple fi can be had at fair price!

 

[tstarn06]

Never owned the Super.Fi phones, but I have the M5s. They are definitely not ugly nor cheaply made, and they have led me to shed my ER4P/S phones (something I thought I would not do). To me, the M5s represent the smoothest, most easygoing, fun IEMs you can buy in the 100-200 price range. Again, I can't speak for the Super.Fi phones. But the M5s are a wonderful, efficient, fun way to listen to music. Some say the mids are recessed, the highs not high enough, and are all about bass. Not true. Just read the Atrio threads. I am not alone.

 

[bronxers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinx20001 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Based on price you certainly get more for your money in the super fi's

I'm not sure that the few head-fiers that have actually listened to both would agree with that assessment.

indigo: It is hard to come to a conclusion as to which is better because so few seem to have actually listened to both (keep in mind that the atrio m5 has only been around for a few months). There was a thread posted on this a few weeks ago. The thread included a poll, which should be taken with a grain of salt because the vast majority of voters have not actually heard both.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...ighlight=atrio

tbonner1 also posted an excellent review of the atrio m5, and in that review he compares them to the super.fi 5 pro. It's a good read and may help you in your decision: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=239901

 

[cn11]

Hi, I have listened to both side by side. I much prefer the Atrio M5/8. I ordered the Atrio, and a coworker got in the Super.Fi 5 pro mostly so we could compare. We both A/B'd them back to back, and both agreed that the Atrio was much more natural sounding. The bass is one of the strongest suits of the Atrio making the Super.Fi pro sound almost anemic by comparison. The SF 5's were a little more detailed (that may have just been a function of them being very forward in the treble), but the Atrio's weren't that far behind. I'd say they had about 90% of the detail, while sounding much more full and natural- toe tapping. They work for almost every genre of music... perhaps not trance. My coworker returned the Super.Fi pro 5, and is getting ready to order the Atrio M5.

Hope that helps.

 

[indigo]

Guys, Thanks for all the opinions, I am leaning towards the Atrios and will pull the trigger in the next day or so.

 

[lisztian420]

Hi,

I own the Super.fi 5 Pro. I never heard the atrio myself so I cannot judge. But one thing about Super.fi 5 pro that I really like is the ability to upgrade the cables. I read somewhere about an ES cable upgrade for superfi and tripfis and tempted into buying them 6 months ago. I really have to tell you the sound of SF5Pro with ES cable is just soooo sweet! I think the bass has tighten up noticably and the mid is more foward. This really makes the Super.fi 5 Pro a much more balanced IEMs. (While still toe-tapping FUN) So,.. I would say that it's really hard to beat the Super.fi 5 pro and ES cable upgrad for the money! Well,.. goood luck on your decision.

Charlie

 

[gldblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 Some say the mids are recessed, the highs not high enough, and are all about bass. Not true. Just read the Atrio threads. I am not alone.

From the review linked in this thread:
Quote:

Originally Posted by tbonner1 Subjectively, it sounds like the bass is +3 dB up from 30-80 Hz, flat to -2 dB through the midrange and –2 through the treble

Am I interpreting tbonner1's statement correctly? I would interpret tbonner1's statement to mean that relative to bass, the mids and highs would subjectively seem recessed.

 

[Night Surfer]

tbonner1 came to the conclusion that the mids are recessed.
The majority disagree.

 

[only500made]

I'll get both 'phones by monday (week after next). I'll have a review by saturday.

 

[indigo]

Ok, will wait with baited breath for your review then.......have still not made the decision yet. Part of me likes the fact that the Superfis can be had for a relatively cheap price now, and quality wise seems to be pretty good.

 

[LaBreaHead]

The M5's make my unamped/un-EQ'd iPod Nano sound richer and fuller. With my EQ'd Rio Carbon, I had to adjust the EQ (which had been set for lesser earphones) for less bass. As tstarn06 says, "...the M5s are a wonderful, efficient, fun way to listen to music."