Libertad
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2007
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I consider this to be my first true hi-fi IEM i have ever purchased aside from the im716 so im very excited
but i dont hear much talk if any about these has anyone tried these or am i the first?
Disclaimer: As I have stated in my other impressions this is my first truly high end IEM I have ever owned and have not auditioned other amazing phones such as the Triple.fi, se530,IE8,UE11,CK100,Future Sonic M5, ER4P/S. The only phones that I have purchased are the HTX7, Technics DJ1200,HJE300,and the im716. So I can’t give a comparison to the ones mentioned except those that I have previously owned. My listening with these are done straight out of my COWON D2 un amped at 10-18 volume using 220Kb MP3s and 200-500kp ogg. I listen to mostly psytrance but listen to salsa and rock as well. These are my honest impressions of a relatively unknown headphone and can be taken with as much salt as you’d like. So without any further or do I present my review
Specifications
Type: Closed, dynamic stereo headphone
Use unit: Diameter 8.5 mm
Impedance: 26 ohms
Pressure response: 100 dB/mW
Largest input: 200 mW (*IEC)
Playback frequency zone: 6 - 28,000 Hz
Length of cord/code: 1.2 m
Plug: Stereo mini-plug, diameter 3.5 mm, straight type, 24K gold-plating
Mass: 20 g
(got this info from audiocubes as a FYI to lazy to look at box)
The material?
These phones as you may or may not know have been presented to the audio market much like many others but like most they have a sales pitch. With these it’s not so much as features but more of what they are made of the raises a few brows. These phones are made of cubic zirconium, a material used in sterile medical equipment and the chemical field due to its tolerance to abrasion, corrosion, and heat. Cubic zirconium has a hardness of about 8.5 on the moss hardness scale, not the perfect 10 of diamonds but it’s up there. This brings of course the question of why the use of such a material. Well Panasonic believes it has good acoustic properties, perhaps it is very low to completely none resonant given its hardness however I don’t know for sure. I have seen several speakers using zirconium in there housings or on the drivers themselves so I guess there is some truth to this. The only thing that interest me in this is its sound its looks and that fact that they may very well last longer than me. In use of these phones I have noticed that It doesn’t heat up or cool down to the air around it. It generally stays the temperature it was before I used it with is interesting and these are very scratch resistant. I had them fall on a concrete floor and slide (I panicked of course) but found they were untouched with not a scratch on them shining like new however they do attract finger prints very easily.
The Build and accessories
The buds are rock solid and very scratch resistant with a neat subtle blue tint to them and are very shiny. The buds themselves have 4 tune ports one on the bottom by the cable connector and three arranged in a triangle around the nozzles base. The buds have some weight to them but not enough to feel like weights in the ear. The 1/8 jack is solid enough for my tastes with gold plating. The cable is pretty long at 1.2 meters in length and for me its perfect long enough for movement and just long enough for the desktop. The cable slits mid way so the buds can be far apart (I don’t think anyone has a head wide enough to really need it however) this allows for nice flexibility in use. The portion of cable leading to the buds for the cable slider are thinner than the one used on the jack and are more flexible and it worries me some but I haven’t found problems yet. The connector at the bottom of the buds runs in at about ½ inch in length and surprisingly isn’t as bothersome as id though when in use. They come with the normal affair of tips except the extra small tips, never knew there were tips that small and are made of a nice soft silicon. These do come with a pleather case that holds the buds and maybe some tips, it reminds me of some Calvin Klein wallet I had. The box they come in deserve a note of attention as it is very well presented with a nice sturdy paper board cover and jewelry style box holding the buds and accessories. I thought the jewelry style box was a nice touch on Panasonics part all the way down to the felt interior on the box it gives you a sense that these have a higher dollar price to them and is very easy to open just slide it out and take off the box lid, all very nice considered I purchased these for $223 US
Comfort and isolation
Despite the weight of the buds in my hands they feel almost weightless in my ears and are very comfy I used them 8hrs straight and napped with them in and almost forgot they were there. These do stick out some so sleeping on the side requires wearing them over the ear but it can be done, this depends how far the stick out in your ears however so ymmv. Now the isolation compared to my HJE300s is a good bit more but it doesn’t shut out the world around you it just lowers the volume a good bit as I can have them in with nothing playing though and could hold a conversation. These may not be a good choice with commuters or train goers but I found with some moded foam tips they provide very acceptable isolation if your willing to try. The nozzle size I believe permits the use of comply t400 tips ill order some to try this out in an update.
Now the sound
The treble
These little things put out some impressive treble to say the least. These were more analytical and harsh at first but after about 80hrs they quiet down and become very listenable. The one thing that got my attention immediately while listening to rock is how they do cymbals and high hats and such. They give that shimmery sound and clash that everything I used before just can’t do. These present high note in a more realistic way to put it bluntly sax sound like a sax and women sound as they should just beautiful. I tried using burninwave generator and tested tones and found they go up to 18,000hrz fine anymore I cant say because I can’t hear that high so the range is definitely there.
The mids
The mids at first with these phones I was unsure with. They seemed distant and dry to me but after a whole lot of music and pink noise later they really move up and sit much closer. The mids are very clear and focused with a more tactile feel to them. The sweeps and effect in my music have a feel to them that’s the best I can describe it and are very clear. Like the buzzing noises and drums have a more subtle increase in impact compared to other phones I’ve tried They make vocals as clear as day in comparison to everything else I have and do have the prat the snare drums didn’t have before with the lingering effect after wards, I think is called decay. The notes last as long as they should and don’t loiter and get in the way. The mid bass is also very well integrated with the lows and highs and doesn’t pump out unless its in the recording. And speaking of recording the rule of high end audio of crap in crap out definitely applies here they are honest to but it gently.
The bass
This was a bad note to me at first. The lows were quiet and took a back seat the whole show and me being a bass head was no bueno in my book. So I took burn in to heart and let it run its course and found a much different bass than what im accustomed to. The bass seems to be a bottomless well I tried low pass sweep from 200hrz-20hrz and found it keeps up and can go lowe than 20hrz. I cant hear but I can feel it so I know its playing them although I don’t think it can quiet hit 6hrz like the specs say but they go lower than I can hear so it more then enough range for my ears. Now they don’t have a crazy mind slitting punch but the impact is there but much cleaner than my other phones. The bass rhythm in music is as it should be nice clean and tight and well articulated but most importantly its in the right tone setting the pace as it should be and not the star of the show. There isn’t that epic boom of oomph that I know but instead its just honest clean tones, now that not to say there bass shy id feel its much more balanced to other phones. I trying using the EQ and maxed it out and was astounded on how much they can produce and still not fog up the picture however I turned it back to the flat eq because I just liked it how it was naturally.
Detail and soundstage.
Detail is a word that gets through around often in the crowded IEM scene these day with so many phones delivering those subtle details that some of us live for unfortunately most phones that deliver this seem to have a trade off on being dry and analytical. That just isn’t the case here with these I hear the lead take in a breath for there lines the sticks hitting the drums and the pucks of strings yet they have just enough of a warmer tone to make then not analytical. Now along with that come the odd noises of clips and artifacts in lower encoded music as they will be audible now. For a while I struggled to hear lyrics in The Muse’s song hoodoo but now I can sit with pen and paper and write them down as I hear them, something I’ve longed for a long time. The only phone ive tried that came close in this regard was the im716 but they can get sloppy when you introduce several people playing at once. These keep it together nicely with each part of the song clear even at the highest volume I can tolerate, something odd for dynamics. Then theres that timbre they give. I’ve had open cans and like that open airiness they give to my music now I can enjoy it on the go. As I mentioned in an earlier impression I actually found myself taking them out and trying to refit them thinking I didn’t have a good seal because of how open they sound, maybe the 4 tune ports have something to do with this. Now the soundstange is the strangest thing from these I can hear being as small as they are the blown my HTX7 out of the water and those had the best soundstage I heard. It feel like I have two studio monitors in front of me playing the music. Playing Plavalaguna from the Fifth Element soundtrack was a whole new experience with the instruments stretching out at my arms length at either end and the depth to give the feed back that there in the background and miss Plavalaguna right in front giving me chills down my neck. For being only 8.5mm drivers im blown away in this regard
Closing comments
These were a shocker to me never had I heard this kind of detail from a dynamic even besting the im716 and the sparkle I’ve never had all with no fatigue at all.I always though the im716 were great but they just cant deliver the detail these do to my music. They also sport competitive feature in there price point with detachable cables and definitely up to pare sound quality to me. These take my music to a more intimate place and keep my attention without being harsh but detailed and more laid back neutral bass sound and for a diehard bass fan that’s saying alot. Not once while using these could I detect distortion or resonance from the driver so I guess the claims of cubic zirconium live up to the hype in marketing as far as im concerned. The acoustic properties really are something also given the open tone these give yet being closed, maybe the driver incorporates zirconium as well. Being such a unique material and sporting good looks are two things that are rare in audio as well as having the sound to match im thoroughly impressed with this purchase. My beloved im716 were my budget go to for detail and these put them to shame, perhaps the ER4 may finally have a dynamic contender…I smell an amp and ER4S burning in my wallet.
Disclaimer: As I have stated in my other impressions this is my first truly high end IEM I have ever owned and have not auditioned other amazing phones such as the Triple.fi, se530,IE8,UE11,CK100,Future Sonic M5, ER4P/S. The only phones that I have purchased are the HTX7, Technics DJ1200,HJE300,and the im716. So I can’t give a comparison to the ones mentioned except those that I have previously owned. My listening with these are done straight out of my COWON D2 un amped at 10-18 volume using 220Kb MP3s and 200-500kp ogg. I listen to mostly psytrance but listen to salsa and rock as well. These are my honest impressions of a relatively unknown headphone and can be taken with as much salt as you’d like. So without any further or do I present my review
Specifications
Type: Closed, dynamic stereo headphone
Use unit: Diameter 8.5 mm
Impedance: 26 ohms
Pressure response: 100 dB/mW
Largest input: 200 mW (*IEC)
Playback frequency zone: 6 - 28,000 Hz
Length of cord/code: 1.2 m
Plug: Stereo mini-plug, diameter 3.5 mm, straight type, 24K gold-plating
Mass: 20 g
(got this info from audiocubes as a FYI to lazy to look at box)
The material?
These phones as you may or may not know have been presented to the audio market much like many others but like most they have a sales pitch. With these it’s not so much as features but more of what they are made of the raises a few brows. These phones are made of cubic zirconium, a material used in sterile medical equipment and the chemical field due to its tolerance to abrasion, corrosion, and heat. Cubic zirconium has a hardness of about 8.5 on the moss hardness scale, not the perfect 10 of diamonds but it’s up there. This brings of course the question of why the use of such a material. Well Panasonic believes it has good acoustic properties, perhaps it is very low to completely none resonant given its hardness however I don’t know for sure. I have seen several speakers using zirconium in there housings or on the drivers themselves so I guess there is some truth to this. The only thing that interest me in this is its sound its looks and that fact that they may very well last longer than me. In use of these phones I have noticed that It doesn’t heat up or cool down to the air around it. It generally stays the temperature it was before I used it with is interesting and these are very scratch resistant. I had them fall on a concrete floor and slide (I panicked of course) but found they were untouched with not a scratch on them shining like new however they do attract finger prints very easily.
The Build and accessories
The buds are rock solid and very scratch resistant with a neat subtle blue tint to them and are very shiny. The buds themselves have 4 tune ports one on the bottom by the cable connector and three arranged in a triangle around the nozzles base. The buds have some weight to them but not enough to feel like weights in the ear. The 1/8 jack is solid enough for my tastes with gold plating. The cable is pretty long at 1.2 meters in length and for me its perfect long enough for movement and just long enough for the desktop. The cable slits mid way so the buds can be far apart (I don’t think anyone has a head wide enough to really need it however) this allows for nice flexibility in use. The portion of cable leading to the buds for the cable slider are thinner than the one used on the jack and are more flexible and it worries me some but I haven’t found problems yet. The connector at the bottom of the buds runs in at about ½ inch in length and surprisingly isn’t as bothersome as id though when in use. They come with the normal affair of tips except the extra small tips, never knew there were tips that small and are made of a nice soft silicon. These do come with a pleather case that holds the buds and maybe some tips, it reminds me of some Calvin Klein wallet I had. The box they come in deserve a note of attention as it is very well presented with a nice sturdy paper board cover and jewelry style box holding the buds and accessories. I thought the jewelry style box was a nice touch on Panasonics part all the way down to the felt interior on the box it gives you a sense that these have a higher dollar price to them and is very easy to open just slide it out and take off the box lid, all very nice considered I purchased these for $223 US
Comfort and isolation
Despite the weight of the buds in my hands they feel almost weightless in my ears and are very comfy I used them 8hrs straight and napped with them in and almost forgot they were there. These do stick out some so sleeping on the side requires wearing them over the ear but it can be done, this depends how far the stick out in your ears however so ymmv. Now the isolation compared to my HJE300s is a good bit more but it doesn’t shut out the world around you it just lowers the volume a good bit as I can have them in with nothing playing though and could hold a conversation. These may not be a good choice with commuters or train goers but I found with some moded foam tips they provide very acceptable isolation if your willing to try. The nozzle size I believe permits the use of comply t400 tips ill order some to try this out in an update.
Now the sound
The treble
These little things put out some impressive treble to say the least. These were more analytical and harsh at first but after about 80hrs they quiet down and become very listenable. The one thing that got my attention immediately while listening to rock is how they do cymbals and high hats and such. They give that shimmery sound and clash that everything I used before just can’t do. These present high note in a more realistic way to put it bluntly sax sound like a sax and women sound as they should just beautiful. I tried using burninwave generator and tested tones and found they go up to 18,000hrz fine anymore I cant say because I can’t hear that high so the range is definitely there.
The mids
The mids at first with these phones I was unsure with. They seemed distant and dry to me but after a whole lot of music and pink noise later they really move up and sit much closer. The mids are very clear and focused with a more tactile feel to them. The sweeps and effect in my music have a feel to them that’s the best I can describe it and are very clear. Like the buzzing noises and drums have a more subtle increase in impact compared to other phones I’ve tried They make vocals as clear as day in comparison to everything else I have and do have the prat the snare drums didn’t have before with the lingering effect after wards, I think is called decay. The notes last as long as they should and don’t loiter and get in the way. The mid bass is also very well integrated with the lows and highs and doesn’t pump out unless its in the recording. And speaking of recording the rule of high end audio of crap in crap out definitely applies here they are honest to but it gently.
The bass
This was a bad note to me at first. The lows were quiet and took a back seat the whole show and me being a bass head was no bueno in my book. So I took burn in to heart and let it run its course and found a much different bass than what im accustomed to. The bass seems to be a bottomless well I tried low pass sweep from 200hrz-20hrz and found it keeps up and can go lowe than 20hrz. I cant hear but I can feel it so I know its playing them although I don’t think it can quiet hit 6hrz like the specs say but they go lower than I can hear so it more then enough range for my ears. Now they don’t have a crazy mind slitting punch but the impact is there but much cleaner than my other phones. The bass rhythm in music is as it should be nice clean and tight and well articulated but most importantly its in the right tone setting the pace as it should be and not the star of the show. There isn’t that epic boom of oomph that I know but instead its just honest clean tones, now that not to say there bass shy id feel its much more balanced to other phones. I trying using the EQ and maxed it out and was astounded on how much they can produce and still not fog up the picture however I turned it back to the flat eq because I just liked it how it was naturally.
Detail and soundstage.
Detail is a word that gets through around often in the crowded IEM scene these day with so many phones delivering those subtle details that some of us live for unfortunately most phones that deliver this seem to have a trade off on being dry and analytical. That just isn’t the case here with these I hear the lead take in a breath for there lines the sticks hitting the drums and the pucks of strings yet they have just enough of a warmer tone to make then not analytical. Now along with that come the odd noises of clips and artifacts in lower encoded music as they will be audible now. For a while I struggled to hear lyrics in The Muse’s song hoodoo but now I can sit with pen and paper and write them down as I hear them, something I’ve longed for a long time. The only phone ive tried that came close in this regard was the im716 but they can get sloppy when you introduce several people playing at once. These keep it together nicely with each part of the song clear even at the highest volume I can tolerate, something odd for dynamics. Then theres that timbre they give. I’ve had open cans and like that open airiness they give to my music now I can enjoy it on the go. As I mentioned in an earlier impression I actually found myself taking them out and trying to refit them thinking I didn’t have a good seal because of how open they sound, maybe the 4 tune ports have something to do with this. Now the soundstange is the strangest thing from these I can hear being as small as they are the blown my HTX7 out of the water and those had the best soundstage I heard. It feel like I have two studio monitors in front of me playing the music. Playing Plavalaguna from the Fifth Element soundtrack was a whole new experience with the instruments stretching out at my arms length at either end and the depth to give the feed back that there in the background and miss Plavalaguna right in front giving me chills down my neck. For being only 8.5mm drivers im blown away in this regard
Closing comments
These were a shocker to me never had I heard this kind of detail from a dynamic even besting the im716 and the sparkle I’ve never had all with no fatigue at all.I always though the im716 were great but they just cant deliver the detail these do to my music. They also sport competitive feature in there price point with detachable cables and definitely up to pare sound quality to me. These take my music to a more intimate place and keep my attention without being harsh but detailed and more laid back neutral bass sound and for a diehard bass fan that’s saying alot. Not once while using these could I detect distortion or resonance from the driver so I guess the claims of cubic zirconium live up to the hype in marketing as far as im concerned. The acoustic properties really are something also given the open tone these give yet being closed, maybe the driver incorporates zirconium as well. Being such a unique material and sporting good looks are two things that are rare in audio as well as having the sound to match im thoroughly impressed with this purchase. My beloved im716 were my budget go to for detail and these put them to shame, perhaps the ER4 may finally have a dynamic contender…I smell an amp and ER4S burning in my wallet.
