tuckers
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2004
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I recently got two IEMs to try out. The Bowers & Wilkins C5 S2 In-Ears and the RHA T10i. I wanted something to improve upon my RHA MA750is which I really love. For other headphones I also have the Mr. Speakers Alpha Prime and the Original Audeze LCD-2s.
My whole reason for an IEM headphone is to have a great experience of music in the gym (I spend about 12 hours a week in the gym), when traveling, and commuting. So my review is solely based on performance in that environment, and mostly directly out of my LG Nexus 5 phone. I spent very little time with them with an external amp, or listening to a desktop system.
My Requirements
Requirements for me are great sound quality, and I prefer close to what is usually called 'reference' sound, but with a bit of a V shape with a sparkly treble, air, and deep but tight bass, I like the treble to have some bite when called for. I also require big dynamics and detail. The MA750i has what I consider a near perfect sound signature for a value priced IEM. It's got a good treble with good air (though it's not that refined), very clear midrange, great dynamics, and incredible powerful deep and perfectly tight bass. Its bass performance is stellar, and better than I have heard for much much more.
I also require something well built enough to last through workouts, something that fits in the ear well, blocks enough external sound, and does not have noticeable microphonics. The earphones efficiency is also important so I can get really loud sound levels without amplification. What is not important to me is packaging, looks, over the top fit and finish.
I have run the earphones for over 150 hours in order to get proper burn in. And the C5s sounded VERY different straight out of the box than after about 100 hours on them. Out of the box they had a strong midrange component, and very strong bass, but very pleasant. Over burn in the bass actually reduced some, and got much tighter and tuneful. The highs came in, and a tremendous amount of detail. Usually new earphones have rough treble and have a grainy quality, these did not.
Fit and Finish
The C5s look very nice. The cord is very slim and doesn't tangle easily. They are pretty small. While I had no problem with their build, they just feel and look like they are not built to last in a rough environment. My impression is probably really influenced by the RHA 750 and T10i earphones which are built like tanks. But they could be really tough earphones, that's just an impression I got from them.
They have this little loop that is supposed to fit in your ear above the main body and keep the phone in place and reduce microphonics. In practice though with my ears (which are pretty normal sized for a man) they did the opposite and the fit really ruined what was otherwise a very appealing headphone. I want to say first that I tried every combination of the supplied tips extensively, and I tried a set of Comply T4s. The medium tips that came installed on the earphones fit me the best by far of all other combinations. The Complys made a great fit, but the sound quality became dull and tubby sounding. I spent an endless time fiddling with the loop. It never worked for me. No matter how I molded it, the ring would actually push the earphones out of my ears over the course of a few minutes. I would touch the earphones every minute of so adjust them for sound quality or falling out of my ears. None of the tips helped. The ring also had this strange effect that the sound tonality would change dramatically when my head was tipped up or tipped down. All earphones do this to some degree, but with these it was a glaring problem. Head up the sound would become light and treble focused, head down bass heavy and rolled off treble. I tried holding the cables so the pull of the cables wouldn't affect them, and that didn't work. I ensured that the seal of the tips was not changing, but that didn't work. The other problem with the ring is that it introduced a lot of microphonics to the sound. This was from the direct interaction of the loop with my ear, movement caused rubbing, which came through loud and clear.
Finally I tried removing the loop (you can take it off one side of the main body). The earphones then can be worn down or with the cable over the ears. This improved the sound quality dramatically, but wearing them down resulted in more microphonics. Over the ear was the best sound quality and pretty good at reducing microphonics. But the plastic the loop part of the cable is not a memory plastic, and as much as I bent it to fit an over the ear configuration, it would not really stay. Resulting in me fiddling again with the earphones every minute (or more) to push them in my ears deeper or to try to push the loop cable back into the right shape. The earphones were constantly moving, and so the sound quality was constantly changing. Microphonics, except when worn over the ear was bad.
In terms of blocking out outside sounds, the medium tips did an excellent job, they may be the best isolating earphones I have tried.
In conclusion about fit and finish, all this pretty much made this earphone a fail for me. Which is a pity because the sound quality I was getting out of them when they were aligned just right was really impressive. Maybe my ears are shaped in a way that can't work with this system, but the shape of my outer ears is pretty standard really.
Sound Quality
When everything was aligned properly, the sound quality of these earphones was very good. They were a noticeable improvement over the MA750is. They really are close to what they call reference sound, with maybe a slight emphasis on the midrange. They do not have a V curve. They have a very wide and natural soundstage, considerably wider than the RHA headphones. They have a very powerful bass, that at times is a bit too overpowering. It is fairly tight, but has a bit of a mid bass hump. Bass instruments are really physically big with the C5s, they take up the whole soundstage and sometimes take over the mix just in terms of size. However, this seems to be an issue with all IEMs that I hear compared to really good full sized headphones. They don't have the speed and detail of the lower bass that the MA750i's have though. Overall though it was very satisfying even for someone like me that loves a good bass line. Bass of course varied a lot depending on how deep in the ear the tips go, and as the tips never stayed put in my ears, it was changing a lot with these phones. Treble is good. There is no treble glare like with a lot of IEMs with single metal drivers. It is smooth and reasonably extended, there is some air, but its' not going to win awards for airiness. The treble does lack the energy and sizzle that is sometime required in music. But the treble is also very revealing. The midrange is excellent. These earphones really shine a light on the midrange and vocals, guitar strings, horns etc, come through with beautiful clarity, but without sharp edges. This brings me to the best part of the earphone which is the combination of the midrange, the treble, the soundstage and the extraordinary detail. These combine to really make me smile. I hear more details presented in a natural unforced way than I have ever heard in an IEM. Vocals are a bit more forward to what I am used to, but that's not a bad thing at all in the context of the whole, I would call it a strength. Overall they present music in a very cohesive way that few earphones can improve upon. They are plenty efficient to be driven by my phone, but they are a bit less efficient than my RHA earphones.
The one thing I wish these earphones could do is roar. This is what the MA750i do so well, and why I love them. Sometimes I really like to rock out, two tracks that are good examples of this Billy Idol's White Wedding, and the Pretenders Tattooed Love Boys. The guitars here can really cut through the track light up the music with big dynamic jangling notes. The C5 is just not quite up to the task with that, its' a bit too polite and reserved compared to the very best I have heard. For some reason this is really important to me, it's what gives me goose bumps when I listen. I got those goose bumps less often compared to listening to these tracks through the MA750i.
Comparisons
Spending time with the C5 and the MAT10i really showed me something much better than the MA750is in terms of sound quality on a number of fronts. If the C5s fit my ears and didn't have microphonic problems, they would definitely replace my MA750is. They are an improvement in all areas except for overall dynamic swing and bite for rock and roll, and the deep deep reach of the incredibly tight bass of the MA750is (which I think is unique for them).
The T10i's have several problems, they are overly sweet and smooth, and don't have much bite, midrange and vocals are shelved down in the mix, and the treble is not as extended (fixed somewhat by the teble mod they provide). The T10is also have a much narrower soundstage and lack a general cohesion of the music (room ambience for instance is there but it's not delineated). I can't decide between the bass on the T10i or the C5, they are both excellent, I think the C5 is faster though and has more detail. The t10i's are the best fitting IEMs I have tried too. The T10is do not isolate as well as the C5 does either.
Conclusion
This was a frustrating process for me, because the C5 gave me a glimpse into a much higher quality sound experience, but the ergonomics absolutely didn't work for me. The C5s have a very neutral detailed and engaging sound in a wide soundstage, I wish I had that sound quality in something that fit as well at the T10i's or MA750is. To that end, I have taken a leap and have ordered the DITA The Answer IEMs. I'm hoping I can get even better sound quality in a form that will fit my needs better.
My whole reason for an IEM headphone is to have a great experience of music in the gym (I spend about 12 hours a week in the gym), when traveling, and commuting. So my review is solely based on performance in that environment, and mostly directly out of my LG Nexus 5 phone. I spent very little time with them with an external amp, or listening to a desktop system.
My Requirements
Requirements for me are great sound quality, and I prefer close to what is usually called 'reference' sound, but with a bit of a V shape with a sparkly treble, air, and deep but tight bass, I like the treble to have some bite when called for. I also require big dynamics and detail. The MA750i has what I consider a near perfect sound signature for a value priced IEM. It's got a good treble with good air (though it's not that refined), very clear midrange, great dynamics, and incredible powerful deep and perfectly tight bass. Its bass performance is stellar, and better than I have heard for much much more.
I also require something well built enough to last through workouts, something that fits in the ear well, blocks enough external sound, and does not have noticeable microphonics. The earphones efficiency is also important so I can get really loud sound levels without amplification. What is not important to me is packaging, looks, over the top fit and finish.
I have run the earphones for over 150 hours in order to get proper burn in. And the C5s sounded VERY different straight out of the box than after about 100 hours on them. Out of the box they had a strong midrange component, and very strong bass, but very pleasant. Over burn in the bass actually reduced some, and got much tighter and tuneful. The highs came in, and a tremendous amount of detail. Usually new earphones have rough treble and have a grainy quality, these did not.
Fit and Finish
The C5s look very nice. The cord is very slim and doesn't tangle easily. They are pretty small. While I had no problem with their build, they just feel and look like they are not built to last in a rough environment. My impression is probably really influenced by the RHA 750 and T10i earphones which are built like tanks. But they could be really tough earphones, that's just an impression I got from them.
They have this little loop that is supposed to fit in your ear above the main body and keep the phone in place and reduce microphonics. In practice though with my ears (which are pretty normal sized for a man) they did the opposite and the fit really ruined what was otherwise a very appealing headphone. I want to say first that I tried every combination of the supplied tips extensively, and I tried a set of Comply T4s. The medium tips that came installed on the earphones fit me the best by far of all other combinations. The Complys made a great fit, but the sound quality became dull and tubby sounding. I spent an endless time fiddling with the loop. It never worked for me. No matter how I molded it, the ring would actually push the earphones out of my ears over the course of a few minutes. I would touch the earphones every minute of so adjust them for sound quality or falling out of my ears. None of the tips helped. The ring also had this strange effect that the sound tonality would change dramatically when my head was tipped up or tipped down. All earphones do this to some degree, but with these it was a glaring problem. Head up the sound would become light and treble focused, head down bass heavy and rolled off treble. I tried holding the cables so the pull of the cables wouldn't affect them, and that didn't work. I ensured that the seal of the tips was not changing, but that didn't work. The other problem with the ring is that it introduced a lot of microphonics to the sound. This was from the direct interaction of the loop with my ear, movement caused rubbing, which came through loud and clear.
Finally I tried removing the loop (you can take it off one side of the main body). The earphones then can be worn down or with the cable over the ears. This improved the sound quality dramatically, but wearing them down resulted in more microphonics. Over the ear was the best sound quality and pretty good at reducing microphonics. But the plastic the loop part of the cable is not a memory plastic, and as much as I bent it to fit an over the ear configuration, it would not really stay. Resulting in me fiddling again with the earphones every minute (or more) to push them in my ears deeper or to try to push the loop cable back into the right shape. The earphones were constantly moving, and so the sound quality was constantly changing. Microphonics, except when worn over the ear was bad.
In terms of blocking out outside sounds, the medium tips did an excellent job, they may be the best isolating earphones I have tried.
In conclusion about fit and finish, all this pretty much made this earphone a fail for me. Which is a pity because the sound quality I was getting out of them when they were aligned just right was really impressive. Maybe my ears are shaped in a way that can't work with this system, but the shape of my outer ears is pretty standard really.
Sound Quality
When everything was aligned properly, the sound quality of these earphones was very good. They were a noticeable improvement over the MA750is. They really are close to what they call reference sound, with maybe a slight emphasis on the midrange. They do not have a V curve. They have a very wide and natural soundstage, considerably wider than the RHA headphones. They have a very powerful bass, that at times is a bit too overpowering. It is fairly tight, but has a bit of a mid bass hump. Bass instruments are really physically big with the C5s, they take up the whole soundstage and sometimes take over the mix just in terms of size. However, this seems to be an issue with all IEMs that I hear compared to really good full sized headphones. They don't have the speed and detail of the lower bass that the MA750i's have though. Overall though it was very satisfying even for someone like me that loves a good bass line. Bass of course varied a lot depending on how deep in the ear the tips go, and as the tips never stayed put in my ears, it was changing a lot with these phones. Treble is good. There is no treble glare like with a lot of IEMs with single metal drivers. It is smooth and reasonably extended, there is some air, but its' not going to win awards for airiness. The treble does lack the energy and sizzle that is sometime required in music. But the treble is also very revealing. The midrange is excellent. These earphones really shine a light on the midrange and vocals, guitar strings, horns etc, come through with beautiful clarity, but without sharp edges. This brings me to the best part of the earphone which is the combination of the midrange, the treble, the soundstage and the extraordinary detail. These combine to really make me smile. I hear more details presented in a natural unforced way than I have ever heard in an IEM. Vocals are a bit more forward to what I am used to, but that's not a bad thing at all in the context of the whole, I would call it a strength. Overall they present music in a very cohesive way that few earphones can improve upon. They are plenty efficient to be driven by my phone, but they are a bit less efficient than my RHA earphones.
The one thing I wish these earphones could do is roar. This is what the MA750i do so well, and why I love them. Sometimes I really like to rock out, two tracks that are good examples of this Billy Idol's White Wedding, and the Pretenders Tattooed Love Boys. The guitars here can really cut through the track light up the music with big dynamic jangling notes. The C5 is just not quite up to the task with that, its' a bit too polite and reserved compared to the very best I have heard. For some reason this is really important to me, it's what gives me goose bumps when I listen. I got those goose bumps less often compared to listening to these tracks through the MA750i.
Comparisons
Spending time with the C5 and the MAT10i really showed me something much better than the MA750is in terms of sound quality on a number of fronts. If the C5s fit my ears and didn't have microphonic problems, they would definitely replace my MA750is. They are an improvement in all areas except for overall dynamic swing and bite for rock and roll, and the deep deep reach of the incredibly tight bass of the MA750is (which I think is unique for them).
The T10i's have several problems, they are overly sweet and smooth, and don't have much bite, midrange and vocals are shelved down in the mix, and the treble is not as extended (fixed somewhat by the teble mod they provide). The T10is also have a much narrower soundstage and lack a general cohesion of the music (room ambience for instance is there but it's not delineated). I can't decide between the bass on the T10i or the C5, they are both excellent, I think the C5 is faster though and has more detail. The t10i's are the best fitting IEMs I have tried too. The T10is do not isolate as well as the C5 does either.
Conclusion
This was a frustrating process for me, because the C5 gave me a glimpse into a much higher quality sound experience, but the ergonomics absolutely didn't work for me. The C5s have a very neutral detailed and engaging sound in a wide soundstage, I wish I had that sound quality in something that fit as well at the T10i's or MA750is. To that end, I have taken a leap and have ordered the DITA The Answer IEMs. I'm hoping I can get even better sound quality in a form that will fit my needs better.
. So I'm looking for something which has tight bass, wide sound stage, good range across lows, mids and highs with crisp clear punchy sound quality which will sound fun. Not looking to spend more than 180-200$. 
