[Superbaldguy]

I was listening to the soundtrack to "Braveheart", this morning, on my D-EJ925 and 888's, and noticed a LOT of crackling on the low bass notes, and the volume wasn't that loud. Now, after listening to this CD with my D22SL "Eggos," those notes simply thunder and sound perfect. (great cans, BTW)

I've been using my 888's for over a year, and never really noticed this shortcoming with really, deep bass tones. Do all earbuds have this crackling problem with loud passages? How do the Etys handle wide dynamic range passages? I know this recording has a very wide frequency and dynamic range, and, maybe even a bit 'unsafe' for some headphones. Or, is this simply a lack of decent low-end frequency response on the part of the 888's?

I certainly don't want to subject my precious 888 buds to any more of this sort of thing, and, now that I'm aware that this CD has such intense musical passages, I'll be more careful in the future..

 

[Duncan]

Hmm...

E888s, Sharp - taut, but not extended bass... Overly rich mids, and a recessed treble, All in my opinion of course...

MX500s to my ears are infinetly better.. a bass that whilst not being thunderous is certainly more prominent than the E888s, a much smoother (thinner compared to the E888s) midrange, and a slightly peakier treble...

To me personally the MX500s are a no brainer... although I know that a lot of other people on here disagree with me...

 

[Superbaldguy]

I own the MX 400's, which are the same thing as the 500's (or is that debatable?), sans the voulme control. Yes, they do sound pretty good, but aren't as comfortable.

The "Braveheart" soundtrack is one recording that simply is a bit too much for buds - wide dynamic range and frequency response - and the limitations of such cans is apparent. At lower volumes, the 888's can handle it, OK, but not as well as my Eggos.

Of course, closed cans have their own virtues. There has been much debate about which ones do the best job, but opinions vary as much as the models of headphones. Some PCDP's simply do not have a good headphone amp, which adds to the problem.

The 925 is a very good performer, but it could have been designed to be better. Sony has done a good job of balancing a compact shell, great shock protection, and long battery life, so I have no real complaints. Its headphone amp seems more suited to classical music, IMHO.

How does the 905 compare with the 925?

 

[MacDEF]

I'm with Duncan on this one. I much prefer the MX500 to the 888. The 888 have rather poor bass, and treble that just doesn't sound right to me compared to the MX500. The strength of the 888 is their midrange, but overall I think the MX500 are much more balanced.

 

[Duncan]

Quote:

Originally posted by Superbaldguy How does the 905 compare with the 925?

I have the 905 and the 825 (same as the 925 but with a slightly poorer top volume) and I have to say that the 905 is of an almost legendary status, it has a VERY wide open frequency response, it has a GREAT internal amp... no distortion, just very clear sound... the best analogy between the two, whilst not necessarily correct is running a top notch pair of 'phones out of a standard CDP jack (925) compared to running the same phones out of a HeadRoom Blockhead (905)

As to why the earphones bottomed out? hmm... If i'm honest, the 925s amp isn't the greatest... and if the E888s are 16ohms, and the D22s 32ohms (for example) - that will make the D22s easier to drive, so - less likely to distort - if the track you were playing is as thunderous as you say... I guess the amp was clipping (even at low volume - especially if you used megabass?)

and... well with the MX500s, my quote below says it all really

 

[Ctn]

Use the 925's line out

Its headphones out is pure crap.

 

[jpelg]

Quote:

Originally posted by Duncan ... and if the E888s are 16ohms, and the D22s 32ohms (for example) - that will make the D22s easier to drive

Duncan,

please educate us non-engineer types about this statement. How is it that an earbud with higher sensitivity and lower impedance harder to drive?

 

[Duncan]

Ok, I've borrowed some of Eagle_Drivers knowledge here...

Quote:

Originally posted by Eagle_Driver P=I^2*R? Then V=I*R... Thus, P=V*I. And then, P=V^2/R. Okay, then theoretically, the 10mW @ 16 ohms amp will deliver an equal amount of output voltage as the 5mW @ 32 ohms one. But there are too many variables involved: Often, the 5mW @ 32 ohms amp doesn't quite deliver 10mW @ 16 ohms, due to idiosyncrasies in those crappy op-amps. Likewise, a 10mW @ 16 ohms amp may actually deliver a bit more than 5mW @ 32 ohms (in fact, more like 7mW @ 32 ohms).

V=Voltage
I=Impedance
P=Power?

The full context of the the quote can be found here

 

[redshifter]

sbg,
i've never excperienced what you hear on your e888. i use them for all types of music, including sub-bass sounds like in electronica and nine inch nails. perhaps you have e888 "grattle"?

the e888 has the same shortcoming i've heard in all earbuds: small sound. compared to any full sized headphone the music seems shrunken. this doesn't bother me if the earbuds sound good.

with the e888 out of the box they have subdude treble, same as the cd1700 (which also uses bionetic drivers). this is because there are paper filters over the transducers. i removed them and replaced them with some plastic mesh filters from a set of dead e848 earbuds. now the treble sparkles, but at times sounds a tad etched.

the mids are wonderful and vocals very realistic, and with the foamies on the bass is good, but perhaps that's just because i'm using a d-777's headphone jack. the e888 really shines in the detail department. they communicate a suprising amount of musical detail for earbuds; perhaps it is the LC-OFC cord sony uses.

another negative on the e888 is they are just too small for my ears and never stay put. i took the rubber gaskets off the e848 (they are the same as the ones on the e888) and put them over the gaskets on the e888, now they fit great (with the foamies on).

the bottom line is i get a lot of enjoyment out of my e888.

and i hope superbaldguy gets to the bottom of his noisy e888 earbud problems.

btw, super, i'm getting my d66 eggos next week from japan.

 

[Duncan]

Quote:

Originally posted by redshifter The e888 has the same shortcoming i've heard in all earbuds: small sound. compared to any full sized headphone the music seems shrunken. this doesn't bother me if the earbuds sound good.

Red,

You HAVE to try the MX500s, and crank up the volume... the effect isn't quite the same on the D777 as it is on the E905, but nonetheless... the MX500s really seem to lose that 'small' sound... granted, they don't have much in the way of soundstage, but - they really don't seem compressed musically

Whilst maybe not being the worlds best recorded CD, Shakira sounds sublime on this combo... Track 11 - Eyes Like Yours (Ojos Asi) is very Arabian sounding, a huge complex track, and amazingly the MX500s hold their ground, not sounding disjointed or anything - Granted it doesn't sound overall as crisp as my Senn HD580 setup, but - what are we asking for? - In stark comparison to the E888s which sound shrill and congested on this track - draw your own conclusions... maybe the urban legend that 10mw kills the E888s is true... if so, I stand guilty as charged... if not, then the MX500s walk all over the E888s

 

[jpelg]

Uh oh. Now I've regressed back in my HS calculus class and feeling just as dense.

I mean, I understand the inverse relationship between mW and Ohms from an amplifiers standpoint. But aren't headphones the load on the amplifier? Doesn't that support the opposite conclusion regarding the drivablility of the E888's (16ohms) vs. D22's (32ohms)? That is, given the same sensitivity rating or higher, shouldn't the 888's be more efficient?

What am I missing?

 

[Duncan]

Unfortunately Jpelg I don't know the answer to that myself...

So far as I know, the LOWER the ohmage... the more potential you have for a HIGHER sensitivity... hence AKG and High End Senns are VERY quiet when driven from portable equipment because they require LESS voltage... or, maybe I should say DRAW less voltage?

So, the E888s would DRAW more voltage, but as a direct result sound louder... I think

Please, can someone with the full on knowledge come to my aid here?

 

[coolvij]

I *think*:

Headphones with lower impedances need more current - the 888s need a ton to sound anywhere near their potential - so, while the Eggos at 32 ohms are softer at the same voltage level, they use less current, and distort the cdp's amp less than the current-hungry Sonys.

I *think*



(BTW - I used to be a lover of the 888s - then I broke them in but another attempt to mod them - which made me realize that I was constantly modding them because I wasn't happy with their damn addictive presentation..........now I'm trying the MDR-A44Ls - if they don't work, I'll go for the MX500).

 

[Vertigo-1]

Ugg. This thread is so heavily opinionated between the 888s and MX500s and contains so little backup evidence on either one, it's a wonder we get anywhere.

I used to think the 888s were the best. Then for a while I thought the MX500s were better. Now I'm back to thinking the 888s are better.

You know what?

It really don't matter to me.

Cause once you step out that door into the real portable world, any difference is irrelevent. I'll be more than happy to just grab the closest one and head out the door.

*starts rapping from the movie Romeo Must Die*

"It really don't matter to me...It really don't matter to me...It really don't matter to me..."

 

[Duncan]

Vert...

Not that it particularily matters for 95% of people here, and i'm NOT being elitist before anyone jumps on that bandwagon... but once you get to the high end portables, that is when the difference is ultimately clear between the E888s and the MX500s...

I guess it'd be a but like you comparing the A44s to Grado 325s on whichever amp it was you used... the A44s had no logical reason (for most people on here) to be used on such good equipment... but, you did... and you liked the results, your opinion differed from the most, and I sided with you... the A44s DO have potential...

So for the most part my opinion is based on the same kind of basis... Yes, I know you yourself have had a D777, but... the E905 is better still... and this little PCDP really does tell the men from the boys in the earphone department... it has got such a clear output compared to every other PCDP (D121, D231, D345, D777, EJ825, EJ1000) that i've tried... and it REALLY is a case that the E888s sound very Mid-Fi compared to the MX500s on THIS player.

So, maybe my source is just TOO good, in which case - I apologise to everyone here for misguiding them... but, there are my reasonings nonetheless