[audionewbi]

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Hello all! Newbie here. I received my red C5 last week and a half ago and I am pairing it with my Grado SR225's and SR80i. The only other amp I could compare the C5 to is the Cmoy BB which turned me on to the headphone amplification pathway. The C5 is indeed a great buy.
 
I am in the market for IEMs with a budget within $100 - $150. I hear good things about HF5 Ety's and I was wondering how it sounds with the C5. 
 
I am open to other IEM recommendations too! As for what I am looking for as far as sound is concerned, I am leaning towards accuracy.
 
Thank you! I am all ears!

maybe have a look at DBA-02 MKII?

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

Hello all! Newbie here. I received my red C5 last week and a half ago and I am pairing it with my Grado SR225's and SR80i. The only other amp I could compare the C5 to is the Cmoy BB which turned me on to the headphone amplification pathway. The C5 is indeed a great buy.
 
I am in the market for IEMs with a budget within $100 - $150. I hear good things about HF5 Ety's and I was wondering how it sounds with the C5. 
 
I am open to other IEM recommendations too! As for what I am looking for as far as sound is concerned, I am leaning towards accuracy.
 
Thank you! I am all ears!

How do the Grado's sound with the C5?

 

[BB 808]

The JDS Labs C5 and Grado SR80i has a smooth tonal balance and a natural, musical quality, excellent stereo imaging. With bass boost on, it's all just right.

 

[72bug]

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How do the Grado's sound with the C5?

 
I think it's a great match.  As for the SR225, there is space between the instruments. It's like you can actually tell how many instruments are playing and you can grab them in your head. Having spent years playing in a band, when I am playing with my band,  I actually know which person is playing which part - it's like that. 
 
I feel that there's no coloration too, neutral, just the right amount of bass. I never had the need to engage the bass boost. 
 
I listen to an ipod classic, lossless files, with a fiio line-out, to Grado 225. Mostly, classic rock and jazz - Led Zeppelin, Cream, John Coltrane, Mahavishnu Orchestra, etc.
 
I am yet to try it out with streaming music. Do you think a DAC would make a noticeable improvement?

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

Quote:

How do the Grado's sound with the C5?

 
I think it's a great match.  As for the SR225, there is space between the instruments. It's like you can actually tell how many instruments are playing and you can grab them in your head. Having spent years playing in a band, when I am playing with my band,  I actually know which person is playing which part - it's like that. 
 
I feel that there's no coloration too, neutral, just the right amount of bass. I never had the need to engage the bass boost. 
 
I listen to an ipod classic, lossless files, with a fiio line-out, to Grado 225. Mostly, classic rock and jazz - Led Zeppelin, Cream, John Coltrane, Mahavishnu Orchestra, etc.
 
I am yet to try it out with streaming music. Do you think a DAC would make a noticeable improvement?

An external DAC can help depending on how good your current DAC is. I have an ODAC and it improves the clarity of instrument separation and widens the soundstage a bit compared to my other DAC's, but it's not a huge improvement.

 

[JiPod]

I've been really enjoying the C5. I've paired it with my M-100 and SE535 Special Edition, finding that my SE535 Special Edition is lacking bottom end in comparison to my M-100.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a Universal IEM that mimics the M-100's sound quality & signature?

 

[72bug]

Quote:

An external DAC can help depending on how good your current DAC is. I have an ODAC and it improves the clarity of instrument separation and widens the soundstage a bit compared to my other DAC's, but it's not a huge improvement.

 
I am planning to purchase the ODAC too. I think when streaming music from a computer, using the ODAC + C5 would give me the best musical experience as compared to streaming music without it. Right now, without a DAC, I notice the same thing as you notice - less clarity and smaller sound stage. 

 

[audionewbi]

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I am planning to purchase the ODAC too. I think when streaming music from a computer, using the ODAC + C5 would give me the best musical experience as compared to streaming music without it. Right now, without a DAC, I notice the same thing as you notice - less clarity and smaller sound stage. 

ODAC and C5 gives me better listening experience than ODAC + O2. They stack up perfectly on top of each other. You simply cannot go wrong with ODAC!
 

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

Quote:

An external DAC can help depending on how good your current DAC is. I have an ODAC and it improves the clarity of instrument separation and widens the soundstage a bit compared to my other DAC's, but it's not a huge improvement.

 
I am planning to purchase the ODAC too. I think when streaming music from a computer, using the ODAC + C5 would give me the best musical experience as compared to streaming music without it. Right now, without a DAC, I notice the same thing as you notice - less clarity and smaller sound stage. 

Oh wait, what did you mean by streaming your music? I thought you meant just play your music through your computer in your original post. Technically you're still using a DAC if you hear stuff through your headphones since the DAC coverts digital bits (0's and 1's) to an electrical analog output (voltage and current to your headphones to move air).
 
 
Quote:

I've been really enjoying the C5. I've paired it with my M-100 and SE535 Special Edition, finding that my SE535 Special Edition is lacking bottom end in comparison to my M-100.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a Universal IEM that mimics the M-100's sound quality & signature?

I have very little experience with earphones....I would have suggested the SE215 since that's the only other earphone I've heard other than the CX-300, but you own their higher-end SE535 model.

 

[JiPod]

Quote:

I have very little experience with earphones....I would have suggested the SE215 since that's the only other earphone I've heard other than the CX-300, but you own their higher-end SE535 model.

Thank you for your suggestion.  Interesting how you suggested a dynamic driver IEM (opposed to a multi BA IEM).  Will actually give that and some hybrids a try.

 

[gkanai]

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I've been really enjoying the C5. I've paired it with my M-100 and SE535 Special Edition, finding that my SE535 Special Edition is lacking bottom end in comparison to my M-100.

 
I'm using many of the same components. C5 & O2. M-100 & HD 25 1-ii, SE535 and F-111.

 

[JiPod]

Quote:

 
I'm using many of the same components. C5 & O2. M-100 & HD 25 1-ii, SE535 and F-111.

Have you found a universal IEM very close to the M-100 in sound quality & signature?

 

[akash neagi]

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Have you found a universal IEM very close to the M-100 in sound quality & signature?

I think XBA-4 is close......
I'm not sure though I heard them some time ago....

 

[gkanai]

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Have you found a universal IEM very close to the M-100 in sound quality & signature?

 
Not yet.

The SE535 and F-111 are neither much like the M-100.

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

Quote:

I've been really enjoying the C5. I've paired it with my M-100 and SE535 Special Edition, finding that my SE535 Special Edition is lacking bottom end in comparison to my M-100.

 
I'm using many of the same components. C5 & O2. M-100 & HD 25 1-ii, SE535 and F-111.

What do you think of the C5 next to the O2? I'm just kind of curious and to see whether or not I'm hearing things accurately when comparing the two. XD