ericschmerick
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2010
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OK I posted earlier today for the first time on this forum regarding my dislike of the UE700s I bought a recently. Got some good advice from some kind folks, and I went down to Jaben in Singapore (at the Adelphi) to audition some better IEMs.
I'm not an audiophile, and until a month ago I've never spent more than S$100 or so on a pair of phones. I decided to get something "better", and wound up making a mistake buying the UE700s (not enough bass for me). But I'm on a flight tomorrow, and I just wanted to pull the trigger and get something that really suited my tastes.
So, let me just say that I just had the kind of "out of body" experience I was originally expecting to have when I first listened to the UE700s. I auditioned the IE8s, SE530s, W3s, TF10s, and a few others in that range. The W3s BLEW ME AWAY. I have a feeling some might think they are a little too "bassy", but they are just what I like. Of the four I just listed, they have the most bass. I tried one other (a dynamic) that was too bassy - really "boomy". Note: I'm going to sound like an idiot here, because I don't know how to express myself in proper terms.
Anyway, here's the part that blew me away. They let me audition a few headphone amps. Literally, I sat there and laughed out loud a couple of times because I was hearing layers of music that I had never heard before - music INSIDE the music I've been listening to before - pouring into my brain. I don't know how to explain it, it was like there was a part of my songs that just opened up and was freed, and suddenly it surged out unimpeded by inferior electronics. Unbelievable.
So, I learned a couple of things:
1. If you're really looking at high-end IEMs and hoping to be blown away, never, EVER, buy a set of headphones without auditioning them. I made the mistake before of thinking that if IEMs get good reviews, then they'd all be at the same level of goodness. That good=good, for everyone. But there is a HUGE difference in the way each of the IEMs sounded to me today, and I am by no means an expert. So I now know that even a casual person with a basic appreciation of sound quality will have vastly different reactions to "good" IEMs. I can see how all of these phones could be called "fantastic" in one way or another, but they were all very different. There is also the physical fit issue - each IEM I tried today fit me in different ways.
2. Amplification adds another layer of quality. I would not have believed it, but literally I almost fell on the floor when I listened to the W3s through an amp. There's one part in "I've got a feeling" at around 3:30 where the music just "pushes" out a little bit. I never noticed it before, but on the amp it came through like a wave. I went back to the unamped phones, and it was there, but felt like it was "covered up" somehow. Also, at the beginning of that some there's a very "stabbing" synth beat that comes through much more staccato through the amp. I'm suddenly a believer. Note also, I tried 4 amps, and they all had different characteristics as well. You need to listen to stuff to make a decision you'll really be happy with.
In the end, I didn't buy the amp. Wanted to, but I just can't carry around another little piece of gear. The quality boost is there, but the reality is that most of the time I'd leave it in the bag or at home because I just don't want to hassle. I guess that's the non-audiophile in me coming out.
Thanks to this website! Man am I a happy camper.
I'm not an audiophile, and until a month ago I've never spent more than S$100 or so on a pair of phones. I decided to get something "better", and wound up making a mistake buying the UE700s (not enough bass for me). But I'm on a flight tomorrow, and I just wanted to pull the trigger and get something that really suited my tastes.
So, let me just say that I just had the kind of "out of body" experience I was originally expecting to have when I first listened to the UE700s. I auditioned the IE8s, SE530s, W3s, TF10s, and a few others in that range. The W3s BLEW ME AWAY. I have a feeling some might think they are a little too "bassy", but they are just what I like. Of the four I just listed, they have the most bass. I tried one other (a dynamic) that was too bassy - really "boomy". Note: I'm going to sound like an idiot here, because I don't know how to express myself in proper terms.
Anyway, here's the part that blew me away. They let me audition a few headphone amps. Literally, I sat there and laughed out loud a couple of times because I was hearing layers of music that I had never heard before - music INSIDE the music I've been listening to before - pouring into my brain. I don't know how to explain it, it was like there was a part of my songs that just opened up and was freed, and suddenly it surged out unimpeded by inferior electronics. Unbelievable.
So, I learned a couple of things:
1. If you're really looking at high-end IEMs and hoping to be blown away, never, EVER, buy a set of headphones without auditioning them. I made the mistake before of thinking that if IEMs get good reviews, then they'd all be at the same level of goodness. That good=good, for everyone. But there is a HUGE difference in the way each of the IEMs sounded to me today, and I am by no means an expert. So I now know that even a casual person with a basic appreciation of sound quality will have vastly different reactions to "good" IEMs. I can see how all of these phones could be called "fantastic" in one way or another, but they were all very different. There is also the physical fit issue - each IEM I tried today fit me in different ways.
2. Amplification adds another layer of quality. I would not have believed it, but literally I almost fell on the floor when I listened to the W3s through an amp. There's one part in "I've got a feeling" at around 3:30 where the music just "pushes" out a little bit. I never noticed it before, but on the amp it came through like a wave. I went back to the unamped phones, and it was there, but felt like it was "covered up" somehow. Also, at the beginning of that some there's a very "stabbing" synth beat that comes through much more staccato through the amp. I'm suddenly a believer. Note also, I tried 4 amps, and they all had different characteristics as well. You need to listen to stuff to make a decision you'll really be happy with.
In the end, I didn't buy the amp. Wanted to, but I just can't carry around another little piece of gear. The quality boost is there, but the reality is that most of the time I'd leave it in the bag or at home because I just don't want to hassle. I guess that's the non-audiophile in me coming out.
Thanks to this website! Man am I a happy camper.
