Limitations of IEMs, or are these just really bad?
Mar 18, 2014 at 8:23 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 7
MohawkUS

MohawkUS

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It took six years but my AKG K81 has finally given out. Rather than replacing them with another small headphone I decided to try a pair of in-ears. Prior to these my only experience with in-ears has been a $15 pair of Sonys that I owned well before I got into audio and all I remember from them is that I found them very immersive for gaming.

The IEMs in question that just came in today, the Ultrasone Pyco. I have the Edition 12s right now and am enjoying them so far despite not having a decent amp to pair them with just yet so I figured I'd give US a try with my portable phones. Well, the sound with these is very forward. It's also very treble heavy, though not harsh. Rather than having a boosted treble everything else just seems lessened.

What I'm asking here is if this is something typical of all IEMs(lots of treble, forward, small soundstage, everything sounds 'fun-sized' unlike with full size headphones) or if it's just this pair. I ask as I've vaguely considered swapping out my full sized headphones and moving over to in-ears. This is because I am stuck in a noisy environment for the next few years.

Also if this isn't true of all IEMs, how do some of the best compare with high end closed back(not necessarily portable) headphones with regards to soundstage size and airiness? Ideally I want airiness and isolation, who doesn't?
 
Mar 19, 2014 at 1:32 AM Post #2 of 7
mohawkus said:
It took six years but my AKG K81 has finally given out. Rather than replacing them with another small headphone I decided to try a pair of in-ears. Prior to these my only experience with in-ears has been a $15 pair of Sonys that I owned well before I got into audio and all I remember from them is that I found them very immersive for gaming.

The IEMs in question that just came in today, the Ultrasone Pyco. I have the Edition 12s right now and am enjoying them so far despite not having a decent amp to pair them with just yet so I figured I'd give US a try with my portable phones. Well, the sound with these is very forward. It's also very treble heavy, though not harsh. Rather than having a boosted treble everything else just seems lessened.

What I'm asking here is if this is something typical of all IEMs(lots of treble, forward, small soundstage, everything sounds 'fun-sized' unlike with full size headphones) or if it's just this pair. I ask as I've vaguely considered swapping out my full sized headphones and moving over to in-ears. This is because I am stuck in a noisy environment for the next few years.

Also if this isn't true of all IEMs, how do some of the best compare with high end closed back(not necessarily portable) headphones with regards to soundstage size and airiness? Ideally I want airiness and isolation, who doesn't?
Click to expand...

 
Westone W4, Phonak PFE 232, and HiFiMan RE-600 are all really great IEMs that aren't treble happy (OK, the PFE might be a little) and have an ample (some more than others) amount of bass.  There are other IEMs that are more fun as well, the TF10, Westone W3, Atomic Floyd SuperDarts that are v-shaped (heavily). 
 
Mar 19, 2014 at 12:20 PM Post #3 of 7
Thanks for the recommendations though I wasn't really looking to spend over $200 on these. My question is more along the lines as if the miniaturization of these Ultrasones is typical of IEMs as a whole. Like how everything sounds toy size, there is no sense of scale, and it sounds like the band is crowded right next to your ear(very very forward.) Are their IEMs(within my budget and out) that get past this and which can make instruments sound both realistic in size and push them back in the stage?
 
Mar 20, 2014 at 2:17 AM Post #4 of 7
mohawkus said:
Thanks for the recommendations though I wasn't really looking to spend over $200 on these. My question is more along the lines as if the miniaturization of these Ultrasones is typical of IEMs as a whole. Like how everything sounds toy size, there is no sense of scale, and it sounds like the band is crowded right next to your ear(very very forward.) Are their IEMs(within my budget and out) that get past this and which can make instruments sound both realistic in size and push them back in the stage?
Click to expand...


Sounds like the IQ I reviewed a while back. Lol. Except that also had some bass to it. Maybe something like a ThinkSound model will suit you better? Dunu's DN-1000 may also be a good fit.
 
Mar 20, 2014 at 2:19 PM Post #6 of 7
hatefulsandwich said:
The sound of your IEMs is typical of the Ultrasone house sound, not of IEMs in general. IEMs are as varied in sound signature as any headphones or speakers.
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I'd beg to differ on that, I've owned the Pro2900(which were bad, though for different reasons) and I own the Edition 12s which have a completely different signature. There is a house sound the PRO and Edition share but it's not there at all with the IEMs.

I guess their IEMs are just bad... is it worth me trying some other IEMs in the price range or should I just get another pair of on-ear headphones like I was using before on the go?
 
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