[random person]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucidity Great to hear your impressions Tyll, So far I have only have heard good things about the Sensas, while UE are more off a mixed bag, alltough mostly positive. When you say about UE10; "They might be a touch too full in the bass, but only ever so slightly and certainly without a whiff of bloat" My ears are sounding the alarm. This territory south off, neutral sound accuracy land, I would rather stay away from. Even if it is by ever so little.

You might want to thoroughly review other posts on the UE10Pro -- I think Tyll is the first to say that the UE10Pros were a "touch too full in the bass" -- everyone else (well, except for Dooboloo -- but I think he got a bum pair) has found them neutral, if not bass-light. Big D tells us that his remade UE10Pros have more bass than his original ones, and since light bass was a slight complaint of earlier UE10Pro owners, maybe UE redesigned them to have a tad more bass than they had before, hence the discrepancy in responses about them. Also, you should probably review iamdone's posts about the UE10Pro and Sensas.

You can, of course, go nuts reading user reviews -- they can be incredibly contradictory!

 

[joncirca57]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesse_w Reading comprehension is your friend. Try your hand at his post one more time, maybe. jesse

You are right of course, but do you get off on comments like this?

 

[gpalmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by random person Big D tells us that his remade UE10Pros have more bass than his original ones, and since light bass was a slight complaint of earlier UE10Pro owners, maybe UE redesigned them to have a tad more bass than they had before, hence the discrepancy in responses about them.

Given that most canal phones seem to have more bass when they have a good fit, I wonder if this might have been part of his experience.

 

[random person]

gpalmer -- I think you are making an excellent point! With custom iems, fit is everything. There's really no way to separate sound impressions from the fit. This goes a long way in explaining the "discrepancies" in experience from one person to another, and from one brand of custom iems to another.

 

[Blitzula]

Quote:

Originally Posted by toaster22 well, perhaps the most important note here is that you are the first person i am aware of that has not thought their custom molded iems were fantastic.

I think the most important note here is not to assume they're nirvana for everyone. There have been any number of people who didn't think their custom molded IEMs were fantastic. You posted on some of those threads.

People do generally enjoy them though.

 

[toaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blitzula I think the most important note here is not to assume they're nirvana for everyone. There have been any number of people who didn't think their custom molded IEMs were fantastic. You posted on some of those threads. People do generally enjoy them though.

to the best of my knowledge there are in fact very few people...like 2 on headfi...who, understanding and expecting a great iem sound from their custom iems (not an open-phone sound) who don't feel that their iems are fantastic.

 

[CookieFactory]

well they had better love them. Especially when considering the alternative is feeling like an idiot for dropping almost a grand in sunk costs when 90% of the performance could've been had with an Ety ER4S

 

[donunus]

Question for Tyll or anyone else thats heard the super.fi 5pro early.

How does it sound compared with the UE5? I've heard they are a universal fit version using the same drivers. If that is true, is it safe to say that the shure e4c might be more balanced sounding due to the super.fis heavy bass? Also, how extended are the highs on the super.fi compared to the shure.

You can also send me a private message if you think this is not related to this thread. thx

 

[random person]

Ultimate Ears told me that the Super Fi and the UE5c are most emphatically NOT the same 'phones fitted with different earpieces; and they do not consider them comparable at all.

 

[toaster]

well of course they would say that...you think any shure employee would say the e4s are better than the e5s?

i would wonder though...how similar their most inexpensive custom iem would sound to their best universal fit. besides, it is the same company with their same technology, i can't imagine them tailoring a "worse" sound, when they use similar drivers that they know are capable of making the "best" sound that the ue-10 does.

just something to chew on...

 

[iamdone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by toaster22 to the best of my knowledge there are in fact very few people...like 2 on headfi...who, understanding and expecting a great iem sound from their custom iems (not an open-phone sound) who don't feel that their iems are fantastic.

Was I one of them?

Yeah, I still don't find the ue10 or the sensas as satisfying as my RS-1.

As far as bass, the sensas sound bassier and warmer to me than the ue10. I prefer the ue10's more neutral bass when amped. The sensas have better rhythm when hooked directly to the ipod but still lack the high end sparkle a need.

Basically after listening to both for a few months seperately I can now easily here the differences. The ue10 have better extension, more detail, and more headspace. I think someone who likes a stronger bass punch and is less concerned with the highest high might prefer the sensas.

Both are very good as a portable headphone but if I would never use them as my only home headphone. Only if I need isolation. The main problem I have is on rock music. Neither headphone seems to do very well with the electric guitar. They both make it too lush.

 

[toaster]

i think drawing comparisons between custom iems and some of the highest offerings of open phones is simply, not fair.

most of the dissatisfaction you are expressing, i believe, is greatly due to the "ultra closed-nature" if you will, of custom iems.

one of the most obvious things, is that you simply will not get as much of an "edge" out of a canalphone, because it is right next to your ears. for safety, this is how it has to be. the reason the ue's have more of an edge (if they do, i don't know) it is simply because the good people over at ue believe they are presenting a more realistic sound with this edginess, where the good people over at sensaphonics believe their "lusher" more laid back presentation is more realistic. either way, you're not going to have the same edge with a canalphone as with an open phone like the rs-1. if you expect something like this, you will surely be dissappointed.

what i think people purchasing custom iems should consider, is how extraordinary the sound is, but it is also important to realize the few (in my opinione there are not many) limitations that come with being able to fit this kind of sound into your ear. i would hope there would be less of an edge than with an open phone, for the sake of my hearing.

i am trying to stop talking about this, but people keep saying things that make me feel that i need to persist. i do not want people to shy away from custom iems for, what i feel, would be the wrong reasons.

 

[Blitzula]

Quote:

Originally Posted by toaster22 i think drawing comparisons between custom iems and some of the highest offerings of open phones is simply, not fair.

It's perfectly fair for people to know how a $700-$1,000 IEM will perform compared to an open phone in the same range. It's a factor people should consider, the limitations of IEMs may or may not be something that a purchaser will be ok with.


Quote:

Originally Posted by toaster22 i am trying to stop talking about this, but people keep saying things that make me feel that i need to persist. i do not want people to shy away from custom iems for, what i feel, would be the wrong reasons.

Where did someone in this thread post a wrong reason?

 

[toaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blitzula It's perfectly fair for people to know how a $700-$1,000 IEM will perform compared to an open phone in the same range. It's a factor people should consider, the limitations of IEMs may or may not be something that a purchaser will be ok with.

unless people are looking to use custom iems as their sole headphone, i 100% disagree.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Blitzula Where did someone in this thread post a wrong reason?

i do not feel that shying away from custom iems because they do not sound as good as an open phone makes sense...if you are looking for a portable phone. if you want the best sound possible on the go, i don't think there are any better options than custom iems.

to not go with a custom iem because you are worried about what some person said when they compared the performance of the custom iem to an open phone, would be a terrible mistake in my opinion.

the only complaints i have ever heard about custom iems not matching up to an open phone, are due to the safety measures that must be taken to keep the iems within safe limits. i do not feel iems deserve to lose points because of the restrained threshold dictated by their technology.

to me, this would be similar to complaining about not being able to sprawl out on your a very comfortable car seat...and complaining that your big leather couch at home is much more comfortable. there are some very comfortable cars, but you simply can't expect them to be as comfortable as your favorite couch at home.

 

[Blitzula]

I agree with you, to a point. Yes, if the comparable open headphone can't be used for portable use, the IEM sound quality becomes less of an issue.

However, it may not be worth it for some people to spend up to $1,000 for a portable phone that doesn't sound as good as the comparable open phone. For example, as I'm sure many here will attest, it can be very difficult to go to a different or lower quality sound when you've become accustomed to something better for your tastes.

So for me, I think it's fair to consider whether the lesser sound quality compared to the comparable open phone is worth the money for the convenience of the portability.