If you could choose between the 530's and the PFE's...

[fyu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oarnura /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow! really? How long does a phone have to languish in FOTM status before it can be taken out? Are Senn IE8s and Westone 3 FOTM too? When can we take them off the FOTM list?

Did I say they aren't FOTM?

Quote:

Originally Posted by analogbox /img/forum/go_quote.gif Again, have you tried both? I don't mean to be rude, but we should keep assumptions to minimum.

What assumption? That most people think the SE530s are excellent IEMs?

 

[abitdeef]

Amped I'd take the PFE, not amped the SE530 in a heartbeat. The treble on SE530 is decent and the mids and bass are really nice. Or another way, if you like a richer fuller sound go with SE530, or if you like a clean neutral sound go with PFE. Imho and limited listening time you really need an amp with the PFE to give it some "body" and impact on bass. Only tried the grey filters though.

I never though an amp did much for SE530, or that it really needed one- YMMV.

 

[oarnura]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fyu /img/forum/go_quote.gif Did I say they aren't FOTM?

Answer my questions. What does it take for a phone to get out of FOTM status?

 

[fyu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oarnura /img/forum/go_quote.gif Answer my questions. What does it take for a phone to get out of FOTM status?

lol. Getting agitated?
How about when the DUAL PFE threads drop off the front page?
The W3s and IE8s are slowly getting there. Mainly because fewer people have access to the amount of cash they need.
Have you seen the HD800 thread? Its not even out yet, and only 1 person has heard it so far.

 

[mark2410]

Quote:

Originally Posted by analogbox /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you tried both? If so, what is it that you like more about SE530 than PFE's?

nope i have not heard the pfe's, from my reading of them and conversations i get that they are a slightly more bassy ety er4. they sound good but really still kinda need and amp.

for me the sign of something being truly great is when for the big for no one really questions whether they deserve that status, people who hear them know instantly they are right at the top, the pfe's dont get this. yes some people absolutely love them (much like ther er4's too) but others just dont.

the op may hear them and fall in love, thy could be just what his ears want but in my opinion i feel there is more of a gamble as to whether he will love them or not getting the pfe's than there is getting the se530's. the 530's have been arround for years and still they sit right at the very top of what money can buy, whether they are right for you is a matter of opinion but it is without doubt they are widly recognised as being great.

in time the same thing could happen with the pfe but they are just too new and i just dont see the same level of widespread recognition of thier abilities so if someon asked my opinion im not going to suggest they gamble with their money. i am going to tell them what i feel is the most certain bet and saying odds are you will love the se530 isnt a bet you are often going to loose.

 

[mark2410]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oarnura /img/forum/go_quote.gif Answer my questions. What does it take for a phone to get out of FOTM status?

how about when people who say anything some others dont like about them stop behaving like they just kicked their granny in the head and pushed their mother down a flight of stairs.

remember people they are just lumps of moulded plastic and the odd bit of metal

 

[average_joe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cn11 /img/forum/go_quote.gif When I compared the Phonaks to my Atrio v.2's, they also were short in soundstage. And the Atrios don't have a very big soundstage to begin with. The Phonak soundstage is very narrow, and almost claustrophobic to me.

I guess our ears are different, with the grey filters the PFE had a wide stage to me, about 85-90% of the IE8. The black filters reduced the SS to a little larger than my NE-7s. The Icon Mobile via USB was the source.

Quote:

Originally Posted by scytheavatar /img/forum/go_quote.gif The hype that PFE has gotten in this forum is ridiculous. I am not sure why some are putting the PFE on the level of the SE530/Triplefi10/UM2 or even the ER4p/SA6 when they are at best on the level of the IM716 or RE2. I haven't heard the Q jays for a long time but off my memory I don't think the PFE is an upgrade from the Q jays. I agree with ghost87, the PFE are good for their price, nothing more. The HOTM effect seems to be getting worse and worse in head-fi. I haven't heard the IE8, but the Westone 3 suffered greatly from HOTM too. I think many have realized that the Westone 3 isn't that big an upgrade from the UM2, nor are they something revolutionary.

There are respected posters that agree the PFEs are great for the price and compare well with higher end models. I personally don't think the PFEs beat the IE8s as I prefer it's sound sig over the PFEs with the grey filters (and after hearing the detail of the IE8 don't like the lower detail level with the black filters), but I haven't heard the PFEs with an amp that is a match for them (and has bass boost).

And there are many people that think the W3 is the shiznit. Most headphones have groups of people that like them and that dislike them. If I were looking at IEMs in the $150 price range, I would choose either the Turbine or PFE. It just so happens there is another dynamic that is a little higher priced than the Turbine stealing it's thunder, the IE8.

And another thing, I don't recall (but could be wrong) that the people who received review samples of the Turbines did not also have IE8s. I applied but never received a response, and listed the IE8 as my favorite IEM.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fyu /img/forum/go_quote.gif lol. Getting agitated? How about when the DUAL PFE threads drop off the front page? The W3s and IE8s are slowly getting there. Mainly because fewer people have access to the amount of cash they need. Have you seen the HD800 thread? Its not even out yet, and only 1 person has heard it so far.

I have to agree with oarnura, and I no longer own the PFEs. Calling them FOTM, or implying it, is just plain wrong. Sure, not everybody likes them, but I don't understand the hate for an IEM that performes as well the PFEs for the price.

So, tell us all what the best choices are in the various price ranges:
$0-$10
$11-$30
$31-$50
$51-$100
$101-$150
$151-$200
$200-$300
$300+

From reading here, the best choices in the $101-$150 range are the Turbine and PFE (although you can now get the Turbine for slightly less than $101).

The PFEs are discussed so much because IMO they are that good!

 

[abitdeef]

^ LOL- Mark well said. Yes lets not suck all the enjoyment out of this wonderful hobby and great Forum. Different opinions are what makes the world go round. I don't want a one world Goverment or Banking system and I Don't want a one world IEM- unless it's IE8

That last part was a Joke

Or was it ?..... Mwhaaaaaaaa ha ha

 

[ibis99]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethan961 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I really can't believe my eyes here. The phonaks amped (even a little E5) should best the 530s... I experienced no sibilance whatsoever with them when I had them. I really doubt that the se310 is better than them, too. They beat my atrios hands down, and I wish I kept the phonaks instead of returning them and getting these.

Sorry but your way off. You can't compare the two. SE530 is much better than PFE. No question about it.

 

[oarnura]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fyu /img/forum/go_quote.gif lol. Getting agitated? How about when the DUAL PFE threads drop off the front page? .

No. I am trying to keep you on topic.

you still haven't answered my question.

 

[oarnura]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 /img/forum/go_quote.gif how about when people who say anything some others dont like about them stop behaving like they just kicked their granny in the head and pushed their mother down a flight of stairs.

It's not like that. I just want to know what criteria people use to claim something is FOTM and when it is not.


Quote:

remember people they are just lumps of moulded plastic and the odd bit of metal

Wonder why we all hang out and spend so much time discussing these lumps of metal, plastic and silicone. We must be losing our sanity.

 

[communic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 /img/forum/go_quote.gif for me the sign of something being truly great is when for the big for no one really questions whether they deserve that status, people who hear them know instantly they are right at the top, the pfe's dont get this. yes some people absolutely love them (much like ther er4's too) but others just dont.

Sorry but that is just ridiculous. No matter how good a headphone is it is never going to have universal appeal. Moreso for the fact that, being blunt, there are two types of way to represent music, coloured or uncoloured.

If you are someone that appreciates neutral uncoloured sound then without a doubt the pfe's are up there with the best universals. On the other hand if you appreciate warm sound then even if the iem in question can't be faulted on it characteristic merits, they simply won;t do anything for you.

On the other hand, if you are able to appreciate different representations of music, colured or uncoloured then it is impossible not to rank them up there with the big contenders.

 

[oarnura]

Quote:

Originally Posted by average_joe /img/forum/go_quote.gif And there are many people that think the W3 is the shiznit. Most headphones have groups of people that like them and that dislike them. If I were looking at IEMs in the $150 price range, I would choose either the Turbine or PFE. It just so happens there is another dynamic that is a little higher priced than the Turbine stealing it's thunder, the IE8.

I don't think the turbine are worth $150. They are good. I find them to lack the speed to resolve detail present in the source. I can't recommend anything that doesn't resolve everything present in the recording. Losing information is bad.

With the PFE since they are so neutral and reveal the characteristics of the source. You can boost the bass or EQ them to get what you want out of them.

With the Turbines there is no way to make them faster to resolve more information that is present in the source.

At $140 for the PFE and $150 for the Turbine. I would take the PFE hands down.


I hate to take this so off topic. I think the OP wanted impressions on the 530 and the PFE only.

 

[oarnura]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 /img/forum/go_quote.gif for me the sign of something being truly great is when for the big for no one really questions whether they deserve that status, people who hear them know instantly they are right at the top, the pfe's dont get this. yes some people absolutely love them (much like ther er4's too) but others just dont.

Name one IEM that meets that lofty standard. Just one.

Quote:

the op may hear them and fall in love, thy could be just what his ears want but in my opinion i feel there is more of a gamble as to whether he will love them or not getting the pfe's than there is getting the se530's. the 530's have been arround for years and still they sit right at the very top of what money can buy, whether they are right for you is a matter of opinion but it is without doubt they are widly recognised as being great.

You mean to say that no one hates the SE530? That every single person just loves them. There are no negative opinions of the SE530.

Seriously tell me you don't believe that.

Quote:

in time the same thing could happen with the pfe but they are just too new and i just dont see the same level of widespread recognition of thier abilities so if someon asked my opinion im not going to suggest they gamble with their money. i am going to tell them what i feel is the most certain bet and saying odds are you will love the se530 isnt a bet you are often going to loose.

If you haven't heard the PFE you can't make that claim. I never told anyone not to get a IEM I haven't personally heard. I am advocating the PFE because they are good to my ears.

I have never said negative things about any IEMs I haven't personally heard. Even that they might be a gamble because out of 60 or so people 5 have not liked the PFE.

 

[average_joe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oarnura /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't think the turbine are worth $150. They are good. I find them to lack the speed to resolve detail present in the source. I can't recommend anything that doesn't resolve everything present in the recording. Losing information is bad. With the PFE since they are so neutral and reveal the characteristics of the source. You can boost the bass or EQ them to get what you want out of them. With the Turbines there is no way to make them faster to resolve more information that is present in the source. At $140 for the PFE and $150 for the Turbine. I would take the PFE hands down.

I haven't heard the Turbines, and I thought the PFEs were great, but others have given the Turbines good reviews, just different sound sig to appeal to different taste IMO. I agree that resolving all the info is important, I now don't enjoy music on systems (or my other headphones) that lack the resolution of the IE8. Oh, and I do trust your ears.

Quote:

I hate to take this so off topic. I think the OP wanted impressions on the 530 and the PFE only.

You are right, I just brought other IEMs into this to try to make a point.