[dubleon]

Hello everyone,
 
 
I have some ES7's (which I love), which i listen to mp3s and some flac via a Newforce Icon Mobile DAC / AMP on my laptop.
 
Any idea about what I could upgrade to next?
 
 
most of the time I listen to :
 
hip hop
electronic/alternative things
 
 
I would like something closed, and it does not matter if they are huge!
 
Thanks,
 
Leon
 
 
 
 

 

[NapalmK]

For electronic and hip hop check out the Denon D2000 and Ultrasone HFI-780 or Pro 750. They do amazingly well with electronic and bass heavy music. You might want to also check out the Beyerdynamic DT770/80ohm, I just got it a couple of days ago but it seems pretty good so far. What's your budget?

 

[dubleon]

Maybe 300 GBP if it something amazing Thanks for your quick reply!

 

[Szadzik]

Why not go AT route and get ESW9? If you like ES7 then ESW9 would be a good upgrade.

 

[dubleon]

Thanks for the suggestion, hmm seems like there are a couple I should try- pretty exciting!!
 
I have a rather embarrassing question to ask as well, and wondered if any of you could help. Please excuse my poor attempt at explaining things, my old music teacher was always convinced I was a lost cause!  I have quite a few flac tracks I listen to and to me some sound better than others.
 
Would this be from song production? For example if I stick on MJ Heal the world I can hear what seems to be a detailed and warm sound that interacts at many levels, the same with Sting Fields of Gold and Chris De Berg Lady in Red.
 
However, with some other tracks I dont seem to get this cool immersive range of articulate sounds, and sometimes get distortion- e.g with some newer popular music, is this because music just isnt as complex and 'layerd' these days? There is something about listening to a song and having a wide range of transparent sounds that come together that is just awesome.

 

[Vergex2]

Quote:

Thanks for the suggestion, hmm seems like there are a couple I should try- pretty exciting!!
 
I have a rather embarrassing question to ask as well, and wondered if any of you could help. Please excuse my poor attempt at explaining things, my old music teacher was always convinced I was a lost cause!  I have quite a few flac tracks I listen to and to me some sound better than others.
 
Would this be from song production? For example if I stick on MJ Heal the world I can hear what seems to be a detailed and warm sound that interacts at many levels, the same with Sting Fields of Gold and Chris De Berg Lady in Red.
 
However, with some other tracks I dont seem to get this cool immersive range of articulate sounds, and sometimes get distortion- e.g with some newer popular music, is this because music just isnt as complex and 'layerd' these days? There is something about listening to a song and having a wide range of transparent sounds that come together that is just awesome.

 
Probably - what you should be doing is comparing MP3s and FLACs side by side. Highly synthetic pop (Korean pop comes into mind, no offense to anyone who likes it) doesn't sound any better on FLACs than MP3s, really. They're very similar even in the most extreme cases, most of the time, 320 kb/s MP3s offer over 90% of what a lossless file will. Sometimes, as much as 98-99% and you may never find a perceivable difference with FLACs.
 
I personally can rarely, if ever tell the difference between FLACs and 320 kb/s MP3 even under very careful analysis. However, the peace of mind is free, and definitely worth it (unlike cables, which offer similar performance increases as switching between 320 MP3 and FLAC, but at a substantial price).

If I were you, I'd grab ES10s. I don't know the sound signature of ES7s, but ES10s focus heavily on bass, though it has a very nice midrange and treble (though it may seem recessed on bassy tracks). They are also extremely easy to drive - I have the uDac and a Cowon S9, and I actually prefer to drive them out of my S9. They definitely are fun rather than reference cans, and don't have perfectly neutral sound reproduction. But that is exactly the way I like it, or it would destroy my poorly mastered music.
 

 

[loveholic]

Quote:

Why not go AT route and get ESW9? If you like ES7 then ESW9 would be a good upgrade.

By looking at his genre of music, I doubt he will like the esw9.
I second the es10.

 

[Mr Joboto]

 
Quote:

For electronic and hip hop check out the Denon D2000 and Ultrasone HFI-780 or Pro 750. They do amazingly well with electronic and bass heavy music.