[rodman]

hey guys, i need your help again!

my dads heading to the US in a month or so and its my chance to buy some cheap headphones! im looking to buy either the im616 or d-jays. i just wanted some opinions on them since impressions r quite thin on the im616 (but a lot of good things on im716) and d-jays seem to be a bit older so ive tried and failed to dig up reviews on it.

i almost listen exclusively to jazz, eg lee morgan, keith jarrett, freddie hubbard, ella fitzgerald etc. so i guess it has to be good with the piano and vocals and id also like to hear the double bass without having to jack up the volume if thats possible.

im looking to use it commuting and hopefully, if the isolation and comfort is good enough, on planes. if not, ill stick with noisecancelling.

so wat do u think? thanks for listening! =D

 

[lewislink]

I know nothing of the D-Jays but the iM-616s are outstanding. I liked them so much that I bought the 716s thinking they would sound even better than the 616s. The 716s do sound better, but only if you amp them. The 616s sound wonderful un-amped. They have an excellent soundstage and the detail is quite good. The definition can be better but that's nit-picking.

I'm wanting to obtain a set of Q-Jays but that's only after acquiring a set of Triples and Images. the D-Jays are a lower line in the Jay brand and have no intention of starting off with some Jays in the lower line...though I have nothing at all against them, I just need to set limits somewhere.

I doubt you'd be disappointed with the 616s. They and the 716s are made by Etymotic Research and are most likely based on the Ety 4s.

 

[Buchieboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lewislink /img/forum/go_quote.gif I know nothing of the D-Jays but the iM-616s are outstanding. I liked them so much that I bought the 716s thinking they would sound even better than the 616s. The 716s do sound better, but only if you amp them. The 616s sound wonderful un-amped. They have an excellent soundstage and the detail is quite good. The definition can be better but that's nit-picking. I'm wanting to obtain a set of Q-Jays but that's only after acquiring a set of Triples and Images. the D-Jays are a lower line in the Jay brand and have no intention of starting off with some Jays in the lower line...though I have nothing at all against them, I just need to set limits somewhere. I doubt you'd be disappointed with the 616s. They and the 716s are made by Etymotic Research and are most likely based on the Ety 4s.

Go for th IM 616, it is said that they are almost the same as the ER6I

Question for those who owns both the IM 616 and the IM 716:

Is an unamped IM 716 better than an unamped IM 616?

 

[lewislink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buchieboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Go for th IM 616, it is said that they are almost the same as the ER6I

Actually, unless there is something faulty with mine, I have a set of ER6i's and find the iM-616 and iM-716 sound quality to be better than the Ety's. The soundstage and detail are better and the sound seem more real, present and coherent with the iMs.

Quote:

Question for those who owns both the IM 616 and the IM 716: Is an unamped IM 716 better than an unamped IM 616?

I find that to not be the case. My un-amped 716s don't sound quite as good as the un-amped 616s. However, put the 716s to an amp and they will indeed outshine the 616s...not by much, though.

 

[rodman]

thanks for the comments lewislink! but wat about the comfort of the im616? i heard they can get irritating after a while, say an hour or two, and thatd b no good for the plane. or is it down to the tips?

im also interested in a comparison in isolation of the two. lewislink, from ur sig, u seem to be liking the superfi3 but how does it compare to im616 in terms of isolation and comfort?

 

[lewislink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodman /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks for the comments lewislink! but wat about the comfort of the im616? i heard they can get irritating after a while, say an hour or two, and thatd b no good for the plane. or is it down to the tips? im also interested in a comparison in isolation of the two. lewislink, from ur sig, u seem to be liking the superfi3 but how does it compare to im616 in terms of isolation and comfort?

It all depends on the sleeve you use. The iMs, I use the OEM foam sleeves and they are wonderful with no irritation issue, other than an itchy ear now and then. I tried using the Comply foams with the iM-716s but the Complys are just a little too small to provide a satisfactory seal so I stayed with the OEM foams. However, if you are able to use the Comply foams and get a good seal, I highly recommend them. Otherwise I would use modded Shure olives. Even though the nozzle of the iMs are small, similar to the Shure nozzle type, an olive just won't fit them loosely enough to not cause a nozzle breakage concern. Modding a set of olives with the core of the OEM foams is the only safe way of using the olives with the iMs.

The Ultimate Ears Super fi-3s are oustanding canalphones but can have serious fit-ment issues...they did for me, anyway. Most UE phones use a large nozzle like the Sennheisers and the more popular, low end phones. I tried using the OEM foams but kept having seal and comfort issues so I decided to mod a set of large olives with the core from a set of OEM foams. This solve all issues and the UE3s are indeed wonderful to listen too. However, after having amped the iM-716s, I find the iM-716s to be about as good sounding as the UE3s but am currently doing final analysis on their personal rating. I'm sensing the 716s are going to outshine the UE3s but really will depend of personal preference. There doesn't seem to be enough difference to conclude one is better than the other.

You might consider the UE3. They are very reasonably priced. As far as which one seals better I believe the UE3s, with the modded olives, to seal better. With the OEM foams, the iM-716s seal better and are far more secure fitting and comfortable.

This is all according to my tastes and what does for me. You will have to experiment to come up with the best seal/comfort with any phones.

 

[3X0]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lewislink /img/forum/go_quote.gif However, put the 716s to an amp and they will indeed outshine the 616s...not by much, though.

The difference is quite tangible even with a mediocre amp and a non-depodded iM716. If you have a reasonably strong source, the iM716 will also sound better than the iM616. If you have a great amp and de-pod the iM716 with resistance added to taste, the iM716 gets to sound quite amazing and competitive with higher-range IEMs. Although the iM616 fares better with my X5 and iTouch than the iM716, the iM716 sounds a good deal better on my Meizu M6 when observing the ampless side of things. I also find the iM616 and iM716 alike both handily superior to the Super.Fi 3 Live (in terms of extension and detail mainly), and the iM716 technically more proficient than even the Super.Fi 5 Pro (though the 5 Pro sounds a LOT different from the 3 sound signature wise IMO). In fact about a year ago I sold my ER4P to keep the iM716 because I like them so much, especially in terms of their sound signature. The bass really stands out on the iM716 (in HD mode back then) compared to the ER4P at the expense of a negligible touch of detail, and I couldn't really justify having spent 4x the cost of the iM716 for the ER4P (since I paid full retail for those way back when).

The iM616 is an excellent start, and I have trouble understanding how ER6i units continue to sell when the iM616s are on the market. They are reasonably comfortable and pretty stylish too, and they're compatible with a great variety of tips from a number of manufacturers. I personally stick to Shure tips.

 

[tstarn06]

I managed to get the olives onto my 716s without breaking anything. Wow, very comfy, and the sound with the Minbox is awesome.\

 

[kazaam]

If you don't ever intend on using the d-JAYS while on the move, then the sound quality is absolutely amazing for the price. However, I only listen to IEMs while commuting, and I found its durability (particularly for the cable) to be absolutely abysmal. I've had two d-JAYS lose sound on the left channel and have had the cable extension replaced several times since getting my initial release pair. And no, I don't treat my IEMs particularly bad either.
On the other hand, if you run into any of these problems within its warranty period, their customer service is excellent, and I believe they still have an active presence on these forums.

 

[rodman]

wow, thanks everyone for such detailed replies, its a great help

Quote:

Originally Posted by kazaam /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you don't ever intend on using the d-JAYS while on the move, then the sound quality is absolutely amazing for the price. However, I only listen to IEMs while commuting, and I found its durability (particularly for the cable) to be absolutely abysmal. I've had two d-JAYS lose sound on the left channel and have had the cable extension replaced several times since getting my initial release pair. And no, I don't treat my IEMs particularly bad either. On the other hand, if you run into any of these problems within its warranty period, their customer service is excellent, and I believe they still have an active presence on these forums.

thats a worry, i read there were some early quality issues with the d-jays but i thought it improved. i wonder if anyone would be able to give a second opinion on them. i was considering the d-jays becuase its quite attractive at 60 bucks but if there are such significant durability issues, ill go with the im616.

in reply to 3x0, the equal if not better performance of the im616 over er6 and at a cheaper price is wat made me rule the etys out. and from ur comments it seems that decision was right.

im surprised by lewislink's favourable impressions on the sf3 as i thought from reading comments on headfi that the isolation is more canalphone standard rather than iem, but i guess experimenting with tips can make significant improvements. however, i feel that, according to impressions on headfi, the 2 i have chosen have a sound signature more suited to my taste. besides the sf3 r a bit bulky, and my friend has a pair and i want to be different! ill still keep a lookout for them and see if the price is right! thanks lewislink!

 

[lewislink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodman /img/forum/go_quote.gif wow, thanks everyone for such detailed replies, its a great help thats a worry, i read there were some early quality issues with the d-jays but i thought it improved. i wonder if anyone would be able to give a second opinion on them. i was considering the d-jays becuase its quite attractive at 60 bucks but if there are such significant durability issues, ill go with the im616. in reply to 3x0, the equal if not better performance of the im616 over er6 and at a cheaper price is wat made me rule the etys out. and from ur comments it seems that decision was right. im surprised by lewislink's favourable impressions on the sf3 as i thought from reading comments on headfi that the isolation is more canalphone standard rather than iem, but i guess experimenting with tips can make significant improvements. however, i feel that, according to impressions on headfi, the 2 i have chosen have a sound signature more suited to my taste. besides the sf3 r a bit bulky, and my friend has a pair and i want to be different! ill still keep a lookout for them and see if the price is right! thanks lewislink!

Don't misunderstand me, the iM phones are outstanding and are certain to be an easier fitting phone over the UE3s but the UE3s are at least as good, if not slightly better, sound quality wise as the iM phones and at a cheaper cost. The UE3s can have isolation issues but that's dependent on the sleeves used, which is why I elaborated on the use of modded Shure olives. With the olives I find isolation to be quite good and the comfort outstanding. They are bulky but they are supreme for sound quality. You'd be able to find a set of new UE3s for around $70 whereas the iM-616s are going for around $80 to $90 and the iM-716s are around $120.

 

[IppikiOkami]

Love my IM's! Was probably one of the best purchases i've made for my walkaround music.

Saw people talking about changing the tips for this and wondering which tips do they mean? Do they offer a better fit / sound than the three nipple one that comes with the box?

 

[3X0]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lewislink /img/forum/go_quote.gif They are bulky but they are supreme for sound quality.

Respectfully disagreed. The Super.fi 3 (Live) didn't have the detail resolution or upper treble detail to better the iM616, let alone the iM716. I wasn't too taken with them, though I find their performance comparable (in relative terms; not implying that they're alike) to the Etymotic ER6 (non-i version). Which is still a good value.

Of course, YMMV.

 

[rodman]

hmmm opinions on the d-jays still seem quite thin. would anyone be able to direct me to a thread on the d-jays? when i search it seems to find all the jays, most of them q-jays