[yipcanjo]

Love this thread. Thanks for the hard work!

Any chance of getting the Etymotic HF5 IEMs in the mix?

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yipcanjo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Love this thread. Thanks for the hard work! Any chance of getting the Etymotic HF5 IEMs in the mix?

I haven't been actively hunting a set but I wouldn't rule it out if I manage to snag a set in a trade.

 

[buz]

First of all, thanks for this, invaluable list. I might yet add some MEs to my arsenal

I would like to question the microphonics rating of the RE0. While it is undoubtedly orders of magnitude better than the also listed RE2 (which is nigh unusable due to microphonics and besides, I don't like the sound at all), I most certainly disagree that is anywhere near as good as the NE-7M with whom I experience close to no microphonics (the Crossroads Bijou might be slightly better, but not by much) something I cannot claim to be true of the RE0.

However, it may be that the cabling that is used now is different from yours, seeing that I have a right angled plug on my RE0s?

I might also debate the difference in sound quality not to be as large as implied by 6.5 vs 10 (when driven by a Clip+ at least) but in fairness, without EQ, the strong mids of the NE-7M can be annoying (especially with my Shuffle, it's not so bad with the Clip, surprisingly). The RE0 is clearly better, but as you say, the NE-7M is lots of fun (it was the first of my IEMs that made me understand just what the heck a soundstage is

.

The RE0 also need a lot more juice but frankly, I don't really feel that my FiiO E3 changes much if anything about their sound.

 

[ljokerl]

That's right, my RE0 had the Summer '09 cloth cable which had no microphonics when worn over-the-ear. Also a straight plug. The newer cable (which I have on my RE252) seems to be more microphonic than the cloth one when worn over-the-ear but less microphonic when worn straight-down. Wearing both my RE0 and NE-7M over-the-ear resulted in similarly nonexistent microphonics.

As for sound quality, the RE0 annihilates the NE-7M in detail and separation. It has a far less colored sound and more natural presentation. It has better treble extension and tighter bass. It's faster, more balanced, and more textured. It also has far more room for improvement with a proper amp (E3 doesn't count). Also, I didn't give them a 10/10 on sound; only a 9.5

. There are certain things that the Er-4S, CK10, and now the RE252 do better than the RE0.

More updates coming in the new year

 

[SactoMan101]

So when are we going to get a review of the Etymotic Research HF2 and HF5?

 

[buz]

I somehow never manage to have the cable stay behind my ears - may be related to wearing glasses that are already crowding the space there.

As for sound quality, I left the RE0 another 12h on fairly high volume (louder than I ever use them, for sure) and maybe it's placebo but they seem to have further improved, maybe I should delay judgment another 50-100hours of use as in fairness, the NE-7m probably have 200h on them by now... I still love the mic in the NE-7M (I spend most of my work traveling and every piece of kit I can eliminate is good, the mic lets me get away with not carrying the craptacular BB headset

, just wish there was an RE0-mic

Does the E5 count as decent amp? I may yet get one (stopped buying most types of gadgets as I don't have time to use them which gives me the "right" to buy some small ones I may not ever use

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by buz /img/forum/go_quote.gif As for sound quality, I left the RE0 another 12h on fairly high volume (louder than I ever use them, for sure) and maybe it's placebo but they seem to have further improved, maybe I should delay judgment another 50-100hours of use as in fairness, the NE-7m probably have 200h on them by now... I still love the mic in the NE-7M (I spend most of my work traveling and every piece of kit I can eliminate is good, the mic lets me get away with not carrying the craptacular BB headset , just wish there was an RE0-mic Does the E5 count as decent amp? I may yet get one (stopped buying most types of gadgets as I don't have time to use them which gives me the "right" to buy some small ones I may not ever use

The RE0 do need a good bit of burn-in, but they're fun to listen to as they change. If you really want a mic you may want to pick up something like the AT-MP100. Bonus points for re-terminating your RE0 to the proper length

.

I don't particularly like the E5 with the RE0 but it's certainly a nicer amp than the E3. Honestly, to start getting anywhere near full potential from them you need at least a mini3.

 

[yipcanjo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SactoMan101 /img/forum/go_quote.gif So when are we going to get a review of the Etymotic Research HF2 and HF5?

For what it's worth, here's my recent write-up comparing the Ety HF5s to the Klipsch S4s.

 

[Saintkeat]

heres another thought joker! what about the audeo phonak!

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saintkeat /img/forum/go_quote.gif heres another thought joker! what about the audeo phonak!

Yeah, just recently dug them out of my drawer while searching for the PL30. I'll try to include them in the next few weeks.

 

[buz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljokerl /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't particularly like the E5 with the RE0 but it's certainly a nicer amp than the E3. Honestly, to start getting anywhere near full potential from them you need at least a mini3.

I think I will either get an Icon Mobile or the E7 should it ever arrive - gives me a device that is small enough to fit in the laptop bag and can be used to both circumvent the barely bearable DAC in my work T61 and the unbearable one in my home D830... It looks like the bug has bit me, so it's not quite impossible I would get another one after that

 

[ljokerl]

New additions:

Soundmagic PL30 (as promised)
Auvio Armature earphones
JVC HA-FX66 AirCushions

Had to split the first post due to reaching image cap. Looks like I'm going to be restricted to 69 reviews in this thread between the two posts.

 

[rawrster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by buz /img/forum/go_quote.gif I somehow never manage to have the cable stay behind my ears - may be related to wearing glasses that are already crowding the space there.

Have you tried putting the slider thing as far up as you can? I found that doing that helps the cable stay behind the ears. Another option may be silicon ear guides which is what I have on my RE0 and they have helped as well.

 

[R04R]

I noticed there weren't any Sennheiser IEMs in your catalog. Do you ever plan on reviewing them or are there any IEMs you've already reviewed that could be comparable to them?

After reading most of the reviews and the easy to comprehend table I'm getting the MeE ai-m6 for $25 off Newegg. Thanks.

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by R04R /img/forum/go_quote.gif I noticed there weren't any Sennheiser IEMs in your catalog. Do you ever plan on reviewing them or are there any IEMs you've already reviewed that could be comparable to them?

The only Sennheiser IEM I own is the CX250 which will be reviewed the week after next. I've also owned the CX300 before and it's not worth considering. The CX250 is a much better earphone.