[Audio-Me]

Quote:

Originally posted by utdeep I'm biased here. the HD600s many weaknesses . a wise member once said that among the creme of the crop there are no clear winners, just personal preferences. I am not going to be walking around with a dang HD600, required amp, and audio player (especially with the clou cables).

Uh, wha??

No, I'm only 18. =)

Actually, ever since I got the Sony D-25S, and another HD600 using the stock cables, I've been walking around all over the place. Outside mostly. =) In my case, no amp was necessary, but always better to use one (headphone jack is loud! I keep it at 2).

 

[utdeep]

Audio&Me,
Get the Etys. Know true audio bliss.

Those who are wise cannot be ignorant... just unaware.

I guess you purchased those rechargeables for the D25. Congrats on getting 3-5 hours of portable fun with the no antishock ultimate CD player

 

[Tim D]

I didn't say I was dissapointed because I can't use Ety's enough. I have used them plenty and in situations where NO other audiosystem can fulfill with such proficiency. To be honest both my DT931 and AKG501 are very sad and need more love as well.

If you only want to listen to them in your own home that is fine especially if there is no need to hear things around you. I think they rock on the subway and have used them on trains and subways and planes in Europe before. I do not know if you'll get mugged just because you have Ety's. Here is a secret...there is no guarantee that your "mugger" is an audiophile mugger and say "damn those are $300 dollar Ety's". You can probably swindle much much more enticing things than what looks like earbuds. Sure I GUESS you can worry about carrying Ety's around with you, but the sad reality is, you might as well worry that someone is going to stab you to steal your shoes or socks or something.

They are just not throw off, throw on headphones, and not something that would fulfill a marathon home listening convenience phone. Obviously they are convenient in other ways.

I find it funny how Sennheiser users are already discounting Etys without ever hearing them because they are supposedly just "earbuds"...but many Ety users have indeed had oppurtunity to hear both. If you try Ety's first you can return them. You can also return Senns if bought from Headroom. If you go for the cheapest route for Senns you can't return them, and either be utterly content, or left wondering.

I would not use Ety's on a treadmill because you sweat, and sweating means you'll dirty up the filters, which means you'll have to replace them more than you would probably want to. Also jogging is not something you need Ety's for...Koss will do.

 

[stuartr]

Ok, I guess I am one of the people who can really submit a little bit more balanced of an OPINION...if that is possible, as I have both the HD 580 and the ER-4s and I have good amps and sources for them. Personally, I reach for my 580s more often than my Ety's. Perhaps this is more telling in itself than anything else I will say. I really do love my Ety's, but I find, as TimD did that I don't use them quite as much. Personally, I agree almost completely with MacDEF (as I almost always do...) -- When properly powered, the sennheiser sound appeals to me a bit more. It requires less effort to listen to. The Ety's are very very detailed, and you will hear every single pop, hiss, and space between each note -- this is often a very good thing, but try listening to a cycle of Bartok's string quartets like this...it can be a little much. I find the sennheisers more comfortable in their sound as well as in their actual fit. They are like soft ear muffs, yet I do not really get hot in them. As for the Ety's, I can go for about 1.5 hours with them comfortably, after that I start to think about them, and this is with the foam, not the white-tips, which are generally regarded as less comfortable, but perhaps better sounding. One problem with the Ety's, if you are concerned about usability, is they don't just slip on and off like the 580s/600s, it is possible, but if you are going to have to take them in and out every 15 minutes to talk to your roomate or something, I guarantee you are going to get annoyed. Also, the cable is very microphonic, and it can also be a pain in the ass if your favorite seat is more than 2 feet from your stereo, as the cable is only 5 feet long. But for drowning out that annoying guy upstairs or nextdoor, the ety's are unbeatable. They are also great on any of the incarnations of the MTA. Libraries and cafes too benefit from their isolation. As for durability and upkeep, I think both are fine. I had the 580s for three years, and then the cable messed up, so I upgraded to clou cables, and have been very very happy. Otherwise they seem pretty durable...I have brought them around in a backpack to many places, haphazardly toss them onto beds and furnature, and I have missed and hit the floor more than once with no (well, no grattle anymore...) real damage. Ety's are physically pretty solid as well, and as utdeep said, they have less mass, so physical punishment will probably do less damage...Ety's can be a little bit more of a problem depending on what type of user you are. If you are fine with the white tips, then you probably will have little upkeep, as I think they last a good while. The foamies tend to deteriorate a little more quickly, but I have had the same foamies on for about a month, and I suspect I will change them in another two weeks or so. I really appreciate the niche that both fill, but unlike utdeep, if I had to choose between them (god-forbid), I would go with the 580s. Perhaps I am in the minority. But coming home and just slipping on those cushy velour padded monstrosities and falling asleep to some beautiful relaxing music is not something I would risk doing in Ety's, and it is one of the aspects of listening I like the most.
Woo, that's done. Good luck making a choice.
Stuart

 

[Audio-Me]

I fell asleep last night on the couch while listening to the Atmosphere channel on digital cable(time warner) using the HD600s. It's amazing how easily I can pass out with these on, I forget I'm wearinig them, and the sound(stage) isn't on my head, it's surrounding me entirely. =)

As for bass, you guys are nuts, the HD600 has enormous amounts of bass, hell it hurts to listen to bass heavy songs sometimes! Bass extention doesn't really matter to me when listening to headphones, there's just no substitute for a good subwoofer. What makes the Sennheisers so great is their detail in the low frequencies. Most of the headphones just create the boom, and not the bang.

Etys are flat out impractical for me, I hate having things in my ear. I might try them eventually, but not any time soon.

 

[stuartr]

Just to clarify things a little bit. The bass is good on the Senns, but it really does have more extension and detail on the Etys. The 580s sound a little murky in comparision. They impact you more because it rattles your whole head, but the Ety's go lower and are clearer.
But I will keep with what has already been said -- this is less a sound issue than a usage issue. People who have both of these phones will tell you that they are both fantastic, and the sound difference is a matter of personal preference. The important part is deciding what you will most often be using the phones for, and to make your decision based on that.
Some people just can't deal with canalphones -- that is a problem for Audio&You to decide. If you can't handle them, then don't get them, but there is no point naysaying them if you have not heard them...
I maintain my previous point, I would still choose the senns if I could only have one, but the best solution is both.

 

[arnett]

Quote:

Originally posted by stuartr . One problem with the Ety's, if you are concerned about usability, is they don't just slip on and off like the 580s/600s, it is possible, but if you are going to have to take them in and out every 15 minutes to talk to your roomate or something, I guarantee you are going to get annoyed.

i agree. that's why i think the etys make a perfect second headphone.
you'll always need something you can just slip on and off easily.

 

[dhwilkin]

Agreed w/ Tim D & stuartr. I prefer the sound of the Etys a little more, but I use the 580s more, because they are so easy to put on and off.

 

[duetta]

My two cents. The Etymotic 4S canal phones are an extraordinary piece of audio gear. They're not perfect (durability could be better, as mine have gone back to the factory for broken stems twice) and they do require a committment from the listener (in that you've got to seat these things in your ear canal). In terms of comfort, the foam tips are fine (I can't use the rubber white tips), and custom earmolds are even more comfortable -- but be forewarned that the stems don't apparently like them (which how mine ended up back in the factory, and why I've gone back to using the foam tips). I've yet to find the perfect amp to complement the amazingly neutral ER-4S sound, which may turn out to the be something completely over the top like the Cary Integrated Tube Amp. That said, on their own terms, they are as good at what they're supposed to do as any piece of high-end audio equipment I have ever heard. Most high end audio equipment carry price tags that are completely out of proportion to the degree of musical satisfaction they bring you -- at least in my experience. At $269 list (from Headroom), these guys are a miniature reference system in themselves -- and actually sound quite good driven directly by a Panasonic portable CD Player.