[yepimonfire]

its not that i don't beleive in amps, its that i don't beleive in using amps for low impedance/high sensitivity phones that are easily driven by the amp of an ipod. im planning on getting an e7 sometime soon so if they REALLY make a big difference on low impedance/high sensitivity phones then my mind may change. but for now, i have to say i dont notice too much of a difference.
 
also, i dont mind brightness as long as its in the upper highs, some people call the ety's bright, i find it very hard to call them this since they don't really go past 15k easily, they are slightly harsh around 6khz though, but not in a good way. for the most part they are pretty neutral. they're neutral enough they make bad recordings sound REALLY bad. they are also not the fastest headphone...... over time i've discovered some irritating flaws in them, but never the less they blow my ad700s out of the water still. i find the timbre much more realistic, the ad700s sound plasticy in comparison.
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I have the DT880 250 ohm and they are the brightest cans I own. The Grado Sr225i, infamous for it's brightness, pales in comparison. They are sometimes TOO bright for me though, and I only use them for audiophile classical recordings, soundtracks and movies/gaming. I read that the DT880 loses it's sibilance when paired with a nice and warm tube amp. I might try this in the future. 
 
To me, it sounds like you're gonna love the Fostex T50RP. They're the most neutral cans I've heard so far. They need an amp though, even if you don't "believe" in amps. Remember, headphones are speakers. Speakers need amplification. 

 

 

[Narwayo]

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its not that i don't beleive in amps, its that i don't beleive in using amps for low impedance/high sensitivity phones that are easily driven by the amp of an ipod. im planning on getting an e7 sometime soon so if they REALLY make a big difference on low impedance/high sensitivity phones then my mind may change.

 

Keep the faith. They are like guitar amps. A good one will sound always better than a bad one. A good microphone cannot make sound better a bad voice. But a good voice will be always reproduced with great fidelity through a good microphone.
 
For me, when I had it for a week, the E7 didn't do any difference. In my impressions it just gave some middle. I tried to handle with the bass boost too, and the effect was something I cannot accept for my listening. Muddy and muddy. Maybe I could tell you that gave a little, but a little, more detail, but I am not so sure I can guarantee this with certainty. I did't like it as dac/amp, so I gave it away. Because I bought the famous combo E7+E9, I can assure you, from my experience, that together they do difference. An easily perceptible difference. And better amps do a more easily difference. Finally I held just E9, because I think that for that price it's worth. It's not heavy, it's not so big, and do is work quite well. But E7 for me doesn't worth. I think that his dac section is good for the price, but his amp section no. And if I have to use it just like a dac, there are a lot of better products for me. 
 
 

 

[utkusu]

Pianist was comparing ER4Ps with FA-003s somewhere in the FA-003 thread. Maybe you should have a look.

 

[Shike]

Which Etys?  There are differences between them.
 
If we judge by FR I think the Sennheiser HD-555 may give at least a similar sound, though not exact . . . for flat headphones though I'd go with AKG K601.  That's me though.

 

[jleewach]

I've just come to the assumption that my ER4-S's are as close to perfection as I'm going to get. I've yet to hear a full size headphone that I've thought of as superior. Probably electrostatic territory. 

 

[Shike]

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I've just come to the assumption that my ER4-S's are as close to perfection as I'm going to get. I've yet to hear a full size headphone that I've thought of as superior. Probably electrostatic territory. 

As someone who's tried various stats: I don't think so.

 

[AmanGeorge]

It will be really hard to find a full size headphone that can keep up with your Etys in terms of neutrality, balance, timbre, detail retrieval, and quickness - especially if you're looking at cans in the ~$200-300 range (which seems to be about where you're at based on the ones you talk about). You can find different flavors of sound, particularly with things like more soundstage, but I don't think you'll find anything unequivocally superior.
 
Can I ask - why do you even want a new pair of full size phones? If you just use your headphones with an iPod and on the go, and you love your Etys, I don't see why you would even bother with a pair of full size cans.

 

[jleewach]

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It will be really hard to find a full size headphone that can keep up with your Etys in terms of neutrality, balance, timbre, detail retrieval, and quickness - especially if you're looking at cans in the ~$200-300 range (which seems to be about where you're at based on the ones you talk about). You can find different flavors of sound, particularly with things like more soundstage, but I don't think you'll find anything unequivocally superior.
 
Can I ask - why do you even want a new pair of full size phones? If you just use your headphones with an iPod and on the go, and you love your Etys, I don't see why you would even bother with a pair of full size cans.

I don't want to speak for the OP, but for me personally, sometimes I just prefer to slip on a comfy set of fullsize headphones on instead of jamming the etys in my ear canals. Also, while the etys are the most accurate headphones I own, sometimes I just prefer to sit back and relax w/ a warmer, more smooth headphone. Warm full-size headphones always sound better to me than warm iems.
 

 

[AmanGeorge]

Sure, I'm totally empathetic to that point of view - I love my full size cans as well. I just wanted to make sure his expectations were realistic - it's going to be hard to match the performance of an Ety along the dimensions that an Ety is good at (speed, detail retrieval, balance) without plowing way through his budget, and damn-near impossible in any price range in the absence of a full size rig (either 'stats, a beefy ortho rig, or a system built around the HD800s). The bar should be lower - something that has a similar signature to the Etys and is easy to drive (for which the AD700, I think, is actually not a bad bet, but still not scratching the OPs itch).
 
From my experience, the Shure SRH840 isn't a bad fit for this situation - very neutral-sounding (although the mids might sound slightly recessed relative to the incredibly forward Etys), good detail retrieval, punchy bass, pretty easy to drive, and reasonably priced with excellent isolation (with the big compromises you make being soundstage, sometimes-bright highs, and that damn coiled cable).
 
Some folks have great things to say about the range of Fischer headphones as well as being of very high value for money - they may be worth looking into (except that I'm slightly wary of LFF's descent into borderline-shilldom with this company).
 
I'm not as familiar with the Beyer line aside from the DT880 but there may be something in their portable / monitor line that fits the bill (btw - in case somebody tries to talk you into the DT880, I really disliked this headphone relative to the Etys - it is bright and detailed, but the midrange was too sucked out to be as incredibly exhilarating as the ER4P).

 

[yepimonfire]

the etys really arent that fast of a headphone, theyre extremely fast for an IEM but compared to fullsize cans theyre not up to par, they also lack super high highs (15k+) which is an issue to me. i honestly can say i cant bear my AD700s random response compared to the HF5's. i would never need to own another headphone if they went up past 15k. and werent so harsh at 6k and i like fullsize cans because 1. theyre more comfortable, 2. i dont just listen on the go. 3, most of them can go up past 15k. 
 
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It will be really hard to find a full size headphone that can keep up with your Etys in terms of neutrality, balance, timbre, detail retrieval, and quickness - especially if you're looking at cans in the ~$200-300 range (which seems to be about where you're at based on the ones you talk about). You can find different flavors of sound, particularly with things like more soundstage, but I don't think you'll find anything unequivocally superior.
 
Can I ask - why do you even want a new pair of full size phones? If you just use your headphones with an iPod and on the go, and you love your Etys, I don't see why you would even bother with a pair of full size cans.

 

 

[rhythmdevils]

How can a headphone be neutral, not that fast, and extremely detailed?  That doesn't add up IMO.  You get a detailed sound either (by faking it) with colorations, or with a fast driver.  And do the Ety's really not extend past 15khz?  Most headphones, even the crappy ones, extend to at least 22khz.  Do you mean they roll-off?

 

[yepimonfire]

i never called them extremely detailed. and yes i mean rolled off.
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How can a headphone be neutral, not that fast, and extremely detailed?  That doesn't add up IMO.  You get a detailed sound either (by faking it) with colorations, or with a fast driver.  And do the Ety's really not extend past 15khz?  Most headphones, even the crappy ones, extend to at least 22khz.  Do you mean they roll-off?

 

 

[jleewach]

The etys are lightning-fast (imho,) and extend higher than any other headphone I've tried. I'm referring to the ER4S though, not ER4P or HF5. 

 

[yepimonfire]

maybe for IEMs, my AD700s, while not the most neutral sounding cans in the world i can easily say are lightning fast and do have incredible detail.
 
btw, the only difference between the ER4 series and the HF5 is the build, and that its handmade in the US where as the HF5 is made in a factory over seas somewhere and probably has better channel balance due to hand matching the drivers. they both sound the same other then that.
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The etys are lightning-fast (imho,) and extend higher than any other headphone I've tried. I'm referring to the ER4S though, not ER4P or HF5. 

 

 

[jleewach]

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maybe for IEMs, my AD700s, while not the most neutral sounding cans in the world i can easily say are lightning fast and do have incredible detail.
 
btw, the only difference between the ER4 series and the HF5 is the build, and that its handmade in the US where as the HF5 is made in a factory over seas somewhere and probably has better channel balance due to hand matching the drivers. they both sound the same other then that.


 

I was speaking for the ER4S model, not the ER4P. I'm very well aware of the differences of the HF5's & ER4's. I've had all 3 models. The higher impedance 'S' model is much better w/ detail than the 'P' model. 
 
And I'm not saying full-size cans cant be fast; I'm just saying the etys can easily compete with them on that level.