My Solution: Er6i and Bass

[ckhirnigs113]

Hi,
First of all I would like to say that I am adicted to Head-Fi. I check out the new posts a few times a day, and search for any topic I need an answer to. I often get more questions, but I enjoy the learning process.

Anyway, I have an iPod Photo and have been using the Ety Er6i's with it for about 6 months now. I have practically read everything concerning these phones and an iPod.

I think I have finally found a solution to the lacking bass of the phones. I was unwilling to consider a headphone amp because I really love my iPod for its portability. Due to constant tweaking and experimentation, I have recently been listening through the line-out using a PocketDock with an in-line attenuator (that I got from Radio Shack) to control the volume.

By doing this I have been able to listen without the documented distortion usually present through the headphone out of the iPod Photo (most apparent in piano solos). My bass problem was not solved until I discovered MP3Gain. At first I adjusted the gain of all 3,500 songs on my iPod to 92db. This level provides enough volume through the line-out for my needs. With the gain lowered, I am now free to use the iPod EQ without any distortion!

Bass Boost does wonders for the Er6i's! I can't believe how much fuller the sound is now that you can feel the bass instead of just hearing it accurately. The truth is it may just be my personal reaction, since I was so used to the anemic bass provided by the phones until the change.

As a side note, I can't force myself to listen through the headphone-out anymore. The sound from the line-out is noticeably clearer to my ears. IMO, the Bass Boost is just what the Er6i's needs (if you go through the line-out).

Right now, I don't think I need an amp. The sound is now clearer and much fuller than I could have hoped for without upgrading. I hope this helps someone out there struggling to decide whether or not to hang on to the Er6i's for a little longer.

Thanks. -CK

 

[BowerR64]

So you just remixed all your MP3s for these junk ass IEMs? no thanks, ide rahter get somthing different.

 

[msflsim]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckhirnigs113 Hi, First of all I would like to say that I am adicted to Head-Fi. I check out the new posts a few times a day, and search for any topic I need an answer to. I often get more questions, but I enjoy the learning process. Anyway, I have an iPod Photo and have been using the Ety Er6i's with it for about 6 months now. I have practically read everything concerning these phones and an iPod. I think I have finally found a solution to the lacking bass of the phones. I was unwilling to consider a headphone amp because I really love my iPod for its portability. Due to constant tweaking and experimentation, I have recently been listening through the line-out using a PocketDock with an in-line attenuator (that I got from Radio Shack) to control the volume. By doing this I have been able to listen without the documented distortion usually present through the headphone out of the iPod Photo (most apparent in piano solos). My bass problem was not solved until I discovered MP3Gain. At first I adjusted the gain of all 3,500 songs on my iPod to 92db. This level provides enough volume through the line-out for my needs. With the gain lowered, I am now free to use the iPod EQ without any distortion! Bass Boost does wonders for the Er6i's! I can't believe how much fuller the sound is now that you can feel the bass instead of just hearing it accurately. The truth is it may just be my personal reaction, since I was so used to the anemic bass provided by the phones until the change. As a side note, I can't force myself to listen through the headphone-out anymore. The sound from the line-out is noticeably clearer to my ears. IMO, the Bass Boost is just what the Er6i's needs (if you go through the line-out). Right now, I don't think I need an amp. The sound is now clearer and much fuller than I could have hoped for without upgrading. I hope this helps someone out there struggling to decide whether or not to hang on to the Er6i's for a little longer. Thanks. -CK

Hi,
I also heard that this can help greatly but if u have a large library like most of us, the whole process of lowering the gain is just too painfull..
But i found the solution for my er6i's in porta corda II..
the sound and bass is great..just what i needed..the highs are a bit rolled off
but the bass is just right, not overwhelming but accurate.

 

[vranswer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BowerR64 So you just remixed all your MP3s for these junk ass IEMs? no thanks, ide rahter get somthing different.

Nice. I do love wet blankets thrown on a fire.

 

[Covenant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vranswer Nice. I do love wet blankets thrown on a fire.

Well, i'll add some positive feedback to counter all these dreary souls

I'm glad you found a way around the flaw in the 30gb Photo that suited your needs, the flaw with piano solos was what steered me away from this player and into my iRiver purchase. This finding may be helpful for any other Photo-edition users who don't want to lug around a pocket amp.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

Well, I guess my finding was not too spectacular after all. I just know that it has made a big difference to me, and I will now refrain from purchasing E4c's any time soon.

Thanks. -CK

 

[luisc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckhirnigs113 Well, I guess my finding was not too spectacular after all. I just know that it has made a big difference to me, and I will now refrain from purchasing E4c's any time soon. Thanks. -CK

What matters is that it WORKS not only for you but for other people too (like me).

 

[Emon]

My ER-6 are

with foobar2000's EQ and a 1-band shelf EQ in PatchMix DSP on my E-MU 1212m. Maybe a little boomy from all the EQ, but mostly it's pretty defined. MUCH better than with no EQ. I had to split the EQ job between both apps otherwise I'd get nasty distortion by setting either too high.

From a portable though...still less than desirable. The headphone out on my Panasonic player actually sounds pretty good, and the bass boost is decent for my ER-6. The line out on my Discman sounds just great, much cleaner than the boomy headphone out on that player, but totally lacks bass.

 

[zeyus]

So the EQ works with the lineout?

Because I was thinking of using MP3Gain on my iMini and was concerned after all the mucking around, trying to use line-out etc, that the net result would be just lower volume.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeyus So the EQ works with the lineout?

Yes it does. The EQ seems to work better through the line-out because there is no bass drop-off to degrade the quality. The use of MP3Gain is what makes the EQ usable in the first place.

 

[zeyus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckhirnigs113 "So the EQ works with the lineout?" Yes it does. The EQ seems to work better through the line-out because there is no bass drop-off to degrade the quality. The use of MP3Gain is what makes the EQ usable in the first place.

Thats cool, because I knew about mp3gaining to get headroom for the EQ from the headphone out. I was just under the impression line-outs were usually just flat outputs.

(on linux) I'll have to get the script started soon to mp3gain all my mp3s, this could take days!

 

[DJGeorgeT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BowerR64 So you just remixed all your MP3s for these junk ass IEMs? no thanks, ide rahter get somthing different.

wow 6i junk ass iems and you own the Shure E2? You just lost credibility dude.

 

[Emon]

Yeah, and just look at his "not recommended" cans in his signature...

 

[BowerR64]

The arnt for me. The fact your remixing all your MP3s to taylor the sound to these headphones proves they sound bad. Im not doing that with my IEMs.

 

[Ttvetjanu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BowerR64 The arnt for me. The fact your remixing all your MP3s to taylor the sound to these headphones proves they sound bad. Im not doing that with my IEMs.

I doubt "remixing" mp3's will take very long, unless you have HUGE amounts. Besides, its not really remixing, you just set the volume lower.

P.S. A good track for ER-6i bass is Mr Oizo - Flatbeat.