[xguntherc]

Hey guys. I just wanted to comment that I had finally got my iM 616 IEM's I got them from ThingFling.com for $13.99

I must say. these im616 phones sure sound amazing. Etymotic has some nice stuff. I was very impressed with them right out of the box. Ive let them burn in since yesterday afternoon but they still are going to run a few more days for a longer burn in.

Can anyone familiar with the Er6 or iM616 comment about them. I must say the Triple Flanges are my new favorite.. They are comfortable and seal great for me. These were much better than my Ne-7m except they have ZERO bass.

Are they really that empty on bass. theres none whatsoever. or is that the tips, will bass improve with the foam they come with? or the other red filters?

They are only my second IEM but i do like them. If the Er4 have more bass Id like to get them for sure. Can anyways comment on bass for both phones, and if theres any way to improve bass on the er6/im616??

Thanks! (So far very impressed)

 

[tstarn06]

For one, burn-in isn't going to make any difference with the 616s, since they are BAs (balanced armature) not dynamics. Second, I agree, bass is light. But, I use the Clear Bass EQ on my Sony DAP (+3) and that really brings out the bass and it's clean and tight. I see you have the PA2V2, my first amp. Doesn't that help with bass. I hooked up a FiiO E3 that costs like $9, and it also really boosts the bass on the 616.

I've owned the ER4P and the er6i, and the 616s are really Etys, in the same family. To me, if you can tease the bass out via amp or EQ, this is a great value. The 4P isn't going to give you all that much more bass without boosting it somehow.

Oh, I got two of the 616s, and I own the UM3X and Klipsch S4. One other nice thing is the custom sleeves I got for the Westones, which cost $115, are a perfect match with the 616s too. On that front, I got very lucky.

Tip-wise, using foam (olives or complys) also should give the bass a little more play. as the silicone flanges are going to accentuate the higher registers.

 

[ljokerl]

Yep, that's just the way the Im616 is. For me, Shure Olive tips always helped a bit with the bass impact, most likely because of solid conduction.

And yes, the ER4 have better bass all-around.

 

[tstarn06]

Agree, didn't mean to say the 616s are on par with the 4P. But at that price, it's a great way to enjoy the Ety house sound if you can squeeze out some bass (which I have managed to do).

I just listened to some acoustic guitar tracks with the 616s and the UM56s sleeves, no EQ or amp on the Zune80. Artist was Tuck Andress. Amazing detail and clarity, Ety all the way. For that type of music or vocals, etc., they sound fantastic, but I am sure the custom sleeves also have a big impact, as they do with the UM3X and S4 as well.

 

[xguntherc]

Well I personally wasn't a fan at ALL of my ne-7m but they were with a medium Comply that didn't fit very well. I could try buying some small's and see if that helps the bass for these 616's.

What about the foam that came with the 616, are those worth a try, or no??
Also, I keep reading anything for the ER6 wont fit the ER6i phones.. are the im616 the same as the ER6i.. so should I buy Comply T-100's

As far as the bass, yea it's basically non existent. lol I'll try to EQ them a little bit. What did you do tstarn.. I listened to some Jack Johnson, or some Dispatch. Anyone. get a song by dispatch called Hey, Hey and crank it up, sounds AMAZING on these phones.

So joker, how much more bass do the ER4 have, I don't need a lot of bass, but more than these have out of the box.

So should I get comply, or foam olives? or is that more personal choice. I also thought I read that BA drivers still could use some Burn-In, or is that wrong, or do some still do it, and some don't? Maybe these sound so amazing because they are my first BA phone.

 

[tstarn06]

I never cared for the NE-7M either, but used Comply as well. I think the sound tube on the NE-7M made them hard to wear with Comply. For the 616s, I would recommend the olives, either small or medium, and the 616s are the same as the er6i (not the er6), so if the Comply chart says T100, than that's the right number. It takes work to get foamies on, but they will work.

The 616s don't really need burn-in. And why not try the black foamies that came with them? They are pretty large, but might work.

As for the bass, all I can say is that with the Sony DAP, which has a great EQ function, it's very easy to bring the bass up into the mix and without bloat or distortion. Doesn't mean you have to buy a Sony DAP, but it is by far the best match with the 616s, since the Sony house sound on DAPs is warm and tends toward bass anyway, a good counterpoint to the Ety sound. Unfortunately, the bass EQ on the Touch can be problematic (at least it was on my Touch 2G), with little user control ... unlike the superior Sony EQ.

Did you try the PA2V2 with the 616s? Doesn't help. But I agree, with artists like Jack Johnson, acoustic jazz, female vocals, the 616s do sound amazing...any genre that doesn't require bass per se. But it is possible to get bass out of them, but they will never be bass monsters. It's really an adjustment. Even without EQ, I would not say the 616 bass is non-existent, just greatly recessed. But it's there, much like it is with the Ety phones. You have to find ways to bring it out of hiding. Tips, EQ and amp with a good bass boost all can help.

 

[ngsm13]

iM 716's were my first set of IEM's a while back. I enjoyed them until I upgraded.

nG

 

[tstarn06]

Yes, I had them too. Even had them depodded, but felt they needed an amp anyway. For whatever reason, the 616s (which I had owned before but sold quickly when I got the 716s) this time around really brought back the Ety sound for me, and at $17, how can you lose? Also, I had never tried the 716s with the Sony DAP, because it always seemed they were underpowered, but not so with the 616s. Odd. Funniest thing is I got the 716s for $20 shipped from newegg, a one and done sale no doubt. Considering the MSRP on those two phones, that price also was amazing. Very odd IEMs in the sense that Ety made them for AL. They no doubt will disappear as time goes on. The 616s are probably almost unattainable now (ThingFling got a box of them somehow, but not many left out there), but the 716s seem to still be out there. For example, they are available on Amazon for about $70 shipped. But for $17, I could not resist the 616s, and ended up with two pair.

 

[thomasshi]

I bought 2 pairs for $31

Best sub-$20 IEM I have ever tried.

 

[tstarn06]

We agree on that, but only if you like the detailed sound sig Ety delivers. My guess is many budget-fi buyers ($50 and under buyers) would not like them because the bass is not prominent and needs to be drawn out of them. Not sure if you saw this, but in 2005, when they were reviewed by PC Mag, the MSRP was $149!!

 

[xguntherc]

Well I actually messed with the triple flanges a little more. And I was able to wet them and get a slightly farther insert and better seal and I found a little more bass present, still very slight tho, and yea the pa2v2 did help but I personally feel the pa almost makes them even brighter than they already are. They don't need anymore brightness. They sound just great the way they are.

So is there a im616 or etymotic sounding iem with more bass I could pickup? And your very right, the hard to wear n uncomfortable ne-7m made me almost swear off iems (hense the ok2s) but these im616 make me wanna give em another try. Can u recommend a similar sound with slightly more bass.

I also think I'll return my ok2 for pk2 since I'll never use there iem feature and that makes the heads to wide n hard to stay in my ear. I might get the pk2 instead as it's thinner where it goes in the ear

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xguntherc /img/forum/go_quote.gif So is there a im616 or etymotic sounding iem with more bass I could pickup? And your very right, the hard to wear n uncomfortable ne-7m made me almost swear off iems (hense the ok2s) but these im616 make me wanna give em another try. Can u recommend a similar sound with slightly more bass.

The ER4 definitely fits that criteria.

 

[mythless]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ngsm13 /img/forum/go_quote.gif iM 716's were my first set of IEM's a while back. I enjoyed them until I upgraded. nG

Same, I loved them, if I didn't lose them (I think someone took it - *stares at the brother*), well no that's a lie. I'll probably still gone and bought all my audio gear. Oddly enough, I used to listen to a lot of hip hop and didn't mind the bass. I need to find them so I can compare them with the RE0.

 

[gameboy115]

I have no idea why I can't get to ThingFling.com with Firefox or IE. Both just went blank when I tried to connect................

 

[xguntherc]

How much more bass does the er4 have over the er6i??? I do like bass and have a sub in my truck, but I don't need extreme bass. The er4 could be a good choice. What about the RE0 with the triple flanges. Or doubles?? Or will they fit the same way the ne-7m did. Cuz I didn't like that