[goatwuss]

SO... A little while ago while I was was coding at work and thinking how much more fun I'd be having if I was home listening to my MAGIC HIFI DREAM MACHINE, it came to me that I should get a headphone setup for me at work to help pass the time faster.

At home I use the Sennheiser HD600 and the MG Head hooked up to a Ah Thoeb. It sounds pretty damn good - more lush, but less resolving than my Dynaudio based speaker system. No complaints.

I did my research - and ordered the Ety 4S. I was excited when I got them, plugged them in, took the time to make sure I got a good seal, and turned on the music. It took me about 10 seconds and my smile changed to a frown. Those things were creap - I tried for about 10 consecutive days to like them. I burned them in over 150 hours. Nothing changed the tonal character of these phones - No Deep bass, lean bass, lean lower midrange, nicely resolved upper midranged, and rough and harsh highs. (I listen to rock, jazz, and classical. Rock music is where I build this description.)

So - Back they went, and me back to the computer to research alternatives. I landed on the Shure E5c - for every Ety proponent, there seemed to be one for the E5c. Fuller base, none of the Ety's harshness.

Well - I plugged them in just now, been listening for a couple hours, and They're the backwards image of the Etys! Bass - a little bloated sounding, but I'll take it over the Etys, full lower midrange, resolute upper midrange, NO HIGHS! LOL!!! What!!! It's like a bad nightmare or something. With the problems these possess, Neither of these phones are real high end audio. Senn 600s, while by no means perfect, are high-end audio. Both were used with the MG Head and the Ah Tjoeb

I REALLY want to listen to high-end audio while I'm at work, and the Senn are too big and not an option.

Without spending a TON of money, are there any solutions for me?

Thank you, and if you disagree with any of my opinions, than we'll have to disagree.

Todd

 

[Tim D]

Have you tried another amp besides the MG Head.

 

[hackeron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by goatwuss Bass - a little bloated sounding, but I'll take it over the Etys, full lower midrange, resolute upper midrange, NO HIGHS! LOL!!! What!!! It's like a bad nightmare or something.

The sound changes depending on what tips you use. The grey flex tips have least treble. Try the triflange or foamies as a start.

Secondly you need to review your source. I also had a lack of treble problem which showed itself with lack of atmospheric sound and sound stage. Upgrading my sound card to the m-audio rev7.1 fixed that problem instantly and gave me the widest sound stage I've ever heard, ever! - consider a portable amp as well if you can. Also, some flash players like my Iops MFP350 has more treble (sounds shrill to me), so concider that if you love your treble.

Other than that, there's always an equalizer. A sound signature is something of a personal preference. The E5 dont lack clarity in the treble, so just make that treble a little louder.

If all fails, then you'll have to go with the sensas

 

[toaster]

did someone say sensaphonics?

 

[gsferrari]

You are trying to use 110 Ohms impedance headphone (E5) with a tube amp that is more comfortable with a 300+ impedance load...like a Sennheiser headphone...

Bad idea...

Try the ER4 and E5 with another amp - preferably a SS amp designed for 30 - 200 ohms...

 

[BuddhaSack]

I just ordered a pair.. now I'm scared!

 

[bangraman]

Neither Etys nor the Shures are the definitive panacea for true high-end audio on the move. I have so far not found anything which goes to the level of the premium $400 phones in terms of truly portable head/earphones. Like the unrealistic expectation of trying to get a laptop of the same performance for the same price as a desktop, there are compromises for the ultimate portability which come with these canalphones.


You take the lesser of two evils (in my case the E5, and once you tone down a bass a little to increase your perception of the treble it's actually not too bad at all). It seems if you need to go beyond these two, you need to go custom. I have no idea how much better this is... so over to others for opinions on that I think.


Headphonewise, for the money I feel that the Sennheiser HD25-1 is a good compromise of sound capability V isolation / portability if your budget doesn't extend to the Sensas/UE's (or you don't want to go custom) and you find the Etymotics/Shures a compromise too far. It's the main reason I keep both E5 and HD25-1. The E5 is better in certain sonic areas and it is of course much more portable/comfortable (for me), but the HD25-1 is also quite competent, pretty clean sounding and involves significantly less dynamic compromises than the Etys.


Oh lest I forget, relative size of HD25-1

 

[catscratch]

*Takes out the Holy Book of Stax and puts on preacher uniform*

Erm... you're using this at work, right? And I assume that portability and isolation aren't a 100% requirement?

Then try the Stax SR-001 Mk II. Basically, it will give you a more Shure-ish sound, with deep bass, liquid mids, and a somewhat recessed treble, and combine it with Ety-like detail, but far more delicately presented. The 001 is a bit cheaper than either, and sounds quite a bit better than both. It's not as comfortable, but definitely not bad for a few hours or so, after which your ears start complaining (but they do that with Ety's and Shures too).

It will absolutely blow away both of them in the midrange - some of the most transparent and resolved mids I've ever heard, and not just in a canalphone. Most phones will weep to have mids like this. Also, it offers better soundstage, but it still doesn't quite get over the "head full of sound" effect that canalphones produce. Sonically, this thing is very close to Sensaphonics, though it will not match their bass or high-end extension - but at a fraction of their price.

People mentioned a rolled-off treble on the Stax, which is true, but at work, you'll be using an AC adapter which helps with treble immensely, as does a good cable which I assume you have (no cheap interconnect will do this system justice - it's VERY detailed and VERY revealing).

They're definitely very good for rock. The treble puts cymbals slightly farther back in the mix than they should be, which is my only complaint, but the strong bass gives the music plenty of impact, and the lush mids give guitars a strong, full-bodied sound that is very close to speakers (did I mention that they're more resolving in the mids than your 600's? well they are). Vocals sound top-notch as well. For jazz and classical - well, they're electrostatic, need I say more? They DO have a fairly colored sound, which you will immediately hear after the more neutral 600's, but it's not necessarily a bad coloration - warm, with a slight loss of textures in the treble, but very good texture and resolution in the bass and midrange. It's a unique and decidedly seductive sound.

You can get the system for $239 from Audiocubes, with an additional $45 for power supply and $35 for a step-down transformer. You could probably find a power supply in the US (I couldn't), but the transformer does help to balance the incoming current and smooths out the sound quite a bit. Audiocubes doesn't have a return policy, so you can check out the system at a Stax store first, or alternatively, get it for around $350 or so stateside, if you can't get it for cheap on ebay.

 

[bangraman]

Provided portability and isolation are irrelevant, yeah... catscratch's recommendation is a good one. Superb sounding earphones... just not practical IMO for portable use.

 

[widds2v]

I think you had your hopes set too high. No one has (or should) claimed that the E5s are up there in terms of sound quality, bass, etc when compared to other high-end fullsize headphones. Compared to the other offerings for portable use, under $500 I have found no comparison. Yes, imo they stomp the hell out of etys. My A900s have more (and sometimes better quality) bass than my E5s, in a lot of tracks I enjoy its sound to the E5s. But look at the size difference.

If you're looking for something that can compete on a similar playing field as the HD650 like high-end headphones you're only option is custom IEM... sensaphonic or ultimate ears.

 

[redjr]

There is a lot of subjectivety when it comes to the quality reproduction of music with canaphones. They all sound a little different to most of us, so there's never a single solution! But, like myself, I suspect many readers of this forum have learned to be critical listeners of their music and thus can easily distinquish the subtle characteristics of the source, playback device, amp, and phones. All of these factor into trying to recreate the original recording - insofaras possible using electronic means. As one poster mentioned, the sound of any phones greatly depends on other factors, not just the electrical and acoustical makeup of the phones - not the least of which is quality of the original recording, compression format, and sampling bit-rate(my preferred bit-rate is always a minimum of 192kbps).

For the past couple of days I've been listening to my new ER-6i canal-phones. To me, the 6is sound very transparent - meaning nothing is added to the sound. I don't care much for the mind-numbing 'boomy', or mushy bass, but more for that solid punch that comes through clearly with the type of music I enjoy. Since most of what I listen to contains vocals, I tend to focus on the clarity of the mid-range frequencies. I listen to a lot of country music that has a wide dynamic range, and is often a good test for the overall tonal quality of ones portable digital setup. IMHO all digital music sounds a little harsh. There just isn't that 'warm' sound of a tube amp. But, I don't want to start that debate!

I have been using a PocketAmp with the 6is that does provide additional headroom and volume when I need it. It also seems to give some depth to the sound, by providing the extra power to help reproduce a more solid, cleaner bass. I prefer the foamies over the triple-flange tips on the 6is, because for me, they provide a better seal. I also need the isolation that canal-phones provide, because a jet airplane is one of the primary environments I listen in. They do a magnificent job in that environment! Physical fatique of canal-phones can also be problematic when listening for long periods.

 

[justanotheruser]

The E5s blew my mind...how could people like these?! For $4-500, they should sound MUCH better, regardless of their size. Seal wasn't the issue. Yes, which sleeve you use does affect the sound, but it's wrong to suggest that everybody who doesn't like them wasn't getting a good seal, which many seem to do here. And you should not have LOW expectations for $500 headphones...that's rediculous!

 

[number1sixerfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by justanotheruser And you should not have LOW expectations for $500 headphones...that's rediculous!

Just because they are $500 doesn't negate the fact that they are IEMs, not headphones. No non-custom fit IEM is going to be able to reproduce music as well as a mid-fi/hi-fi can imo.

 

[shuurajou]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman Neither Etys nor the Shures are the definitive panacea for true high-end audio on the move. I have so far not found anything which goes to the level of the premium $400 phones in terms of truly portable head/earphones. Like the unrealistic expectation of trying to get a laptop of the same performance for the same price as a desktop, there are compromises for the ultimate portability which come with these canalphones. You take the lesser of two evils (in my case the E5, and once you tone down a bass a little to increase your perception of the treble it's actually not too bad at all). It seems if you need to go beyond these two, you need to go custom. I have no idea how much better this is... so over to others for opinions on that I think. Headphonewise, for the money I feel that the Sennheiser HD25-1 is a good compromise of sound capability V isolation / portability if your budget doesn't extend to the Sensas/UE's (or you don't want to go custom) and you find the Etymotics/Shures a compromise too far. It's the main reason I keep both E5 and HD25-1. The E5 is better in certain sonic areas and it is of course much more portable/comfortable (for me), but the HD25-1 is also quite competent, pretty clean sounding and involves significantly less dynamic compromises than the Etys. Oh lest I forget, relative size of HD25-1

Ditto really, I love my HD25-1's

. Don't mistake them for the SP version, which are the bane of all evil

.

 

[commando]

Shures don't do highs well. For work I use an Emu 1212, a PPA, and A900s. You can get pretty damn good sound with an Emu 0404 or Chaintech AV710, and small amp of your choice, and the A900s. If you want better go up the Audio-Technica line.