[jd13]

So i've been hanging around for several months now- reading quite a few reviews and such. However, despite the HUGE amount of reviews/comparisons between the e5c and er4, I have heard very little on their soundstages.
For me- this is one of the most important parts of audio listening. I enjoy music to take me to another place while I'm in a subway or bed, and no amount of detail can do this like a well aligned stage.

With this said- any recommendations? As I'll be living in NYC shortly, I'm looking primarily for In Ear Phones, however, I'm not completely against a pair of 650's if i can't find what im looking for in the ety/shures.

Thanks,
jd

 

[Mr.Radar]

From what I've read (I've never actually heard an IEM) they have a different "in your head" type soundstage, which isn't like speakers or non-IEM headphones. I could be completely wrong though because, like I said, I've never heard an IEM.

 

[akellor]

When I had my e3s my wife described the soundstage the best, it's like your underwater with the music.

You know when you're underwater and sounds seem to be coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time? It's kinda like that. Not totally, there's still some stereo separation. It's a very cool sound imo. From what I've read here, I think soundstage for all in-ear phones are pretty much the same.

Too bad in-ear phones hurt one of my ears so much, otherwise I'd still have them.

 

[catscratch]

Oooooh ooohhh *raises hand* *cough* Yay, my favorite rant topic...

There's only one IEM that I know of that gives good soundstaging - this. It's the Stax SR-001 Mk II, and I really love these things.

Most IEM's are really weak in terms of instrument separation and imaging. I've read that custom molded IEM's improve this somewhat (have yet to hear one), but as far as ER-4/E5c go, if you're looking for good soundstage, forget it. That's not to say that they don't give lots of detail or impact, as the ER-4 is hyperdetailed almost to a fault, and the E5c gives you enough impact to knock your socks off (properly amped and driven).

The Stax SR-001 Mk II is a bit different, though. First, it's open, and isn't technically 100% a canalphone, even though you do wear it like one. Because it's open, it won't give you any isolation, and it will leak a tiny bit of sound (not enough to bother people unless you play them loud in a quiet environment). Their soundstaging is what sets them apart most - since they're electrostatic and not quite a canalphone, they give excellent imaging and instrument separation. At the same time though, they sound full and lush, with a warm tonal balance not quite unlike the E5c. They have strong bass, beautiful mids, and a recessed treble, though not as recessed as the E5c. They have as much detail as the ER-4 overall (less in the treble but more in the mids and bass), however, they have a more musical sound than the ER-4, with a more relaxed way of presenting micro-detail.

Sonically, I'd rate them well above the ER-4 and E5c. I've heard that some people do prefer these to Sensaphonics, but I wouldn't go nearly that far, since the 001 does have a few holes in it's sound (recessed treble and coloration).

In terms of practicality, they're not that good. You need to carry the amp around, and they're not very comfortable, although you do get used to them after some time. If you've got a small mp3 player like a Rio Karma then you can easily fit it and the amp in your pocket - provided your interconnect is flexible enough - but if you've got a bulky, older PCDP, then you won't be able to fit the setup in your pocket for sure. Also, they sound so good with an AC adapter that you won't want to hear them battery powered afterwards

If you want canalphones with a soundstage, this is your only alternative. Also, in IEM's it's the best sound quality you will get for the money. But, you'll have to live with some practicality issues. I love these things and I won't switch to another IEM, but I use them as more of a transportable system than something that I can walk around with (although, once again, if your source is small then this won't be a problem).

 

[Max Minimum]

I disagree with catscratch, somewhat. Concerning the seperation of instruments, anyway. I find the Ety's do this very well. The soundstage is weird. Some like it and some don't. At first, it is definitely located inside the space of your head, but I find that after a minute or so of listening that my brain begins to get its cues from the echoes and reverberations present in the recording. This is something I have not heard other headphones do as well as the ety's. I am a small-timer here, though. There are plenty of headphones (including Stax) that I've never heard before, so I wouldn't be surprised if others provide as much or more soundstage cue information. Anyway, after a small amount of time, I find that the soundstage grows. Like I said, it's weird. It still sounds like it's in your head, but maybe your head is much bigger.

 

[Ferbose]

The only good in-ear phone I have heard is ER-6.
My main phone is K501, which has been described by many as having extremely wide soundstage (I concur).
There is no comparison: K501 has much better soundstage than ER-6.
Listening to a string quartet on ER-6, the left two are bundled together and the right two also bundled. A huge sonic gap in the middle.
On K501, the central hole is not very obvious because the four instruments are more, but not completely, equally spaced.
Even Sennheiser PX100 has better soundstage than ER-6, but worse than K501.
The three phones are compared side-by-side.
For me, soudstage width and instrument separation is a huge thing. They make or break my listening experience. If this is the case with you, I would suggest staying away from expensive in ear cans.

 

[jd13]

Thanks all for the replies- ill be in NYC this weekend, so i'll look around for a stax dealer (as well ast the ety's and shures). However, i think im being slowly convinced by other topics to grab the sensaphonics. Im calling them today for a more exact price.

jd

 

[Pov]

As a person who has been using high end SPEAKERS for years, I don't understand how the term "soundstage" can be applied to headphones. Yes, there can be more or less "separation" between instruments in different types of phones, but "soundstage?" I don't think so. Sound stage to me is the placement of the individual instruments on a stage, in FRONT of you, in a manner that permits you to close your eyes and point to where the sound of each instrument is coming from - left, right, center, front stage, rear stage, etc. With every headphone I've tried, the sound is essentially coming from inside your head, or maybe on either side of your head, but you don't get that 3-dimensional effect that defines the placement of instruments on a stage.

 

[toaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch Most IEM's are really weak in terms of instrument separation and imaging. I've read that custom molded IEM's improve this somewhat (have yet to hear one)...)

The soundstage on the sensaphonics is unbelievable. Way, way better than what you get with the er-4 or e5c. The e5's have depth, due to their deep bass abilities, but as far as overall open sound stage, they just do not cut it. The sensaphonics are the first canalphones i have heard that create an open sense of space all around.

 

[zachary80]

The only dIEM that I can do a direct comparison of right now is the Shure E2c (vs hd580)

Basically, soundstage = no