jonathanjong
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2008
- Posts
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My friend's new Apple IEMs arrived today, and I got to make comparisons on my iPod Touch (1st Gen.) with Etymotic ER-6is. I managed to listen briefly in a noisy restaurant and a relatively empty train, and had much more time in a quiet apartment. So far, I've had only 8 hours listening to these (0844, 18/12 NZ time). I might enjoy them more with more time with them, but I'm not sure why it'd affect more careful analysis. Here goes:
Case
The Apple IEM comes with a pretty, compact case. Some winding up is required (think, the Sennheiser MX 90 VC case, but easier to use, smaller, and prettier), which can be a pain. The size is a double-edged sword. It's small and therefore more portable, but you really can't fit anything else (e.g., spare tips) in there at all. There's a separate, cute case for the tips, oddly. It's a hard case too, which is good for protective purposes, but I'm guessing it's not going to be pretty for long. Scratches, here we come! Anyway, the C551 case still takes home the prize for me.
Form
It's pretty alright. Classic Apple minimalism: White body, translucent white silicon tips (more on which later), grey sleeve where the body meets the cable, and shiny metal driver. The metal bits are a nice touch indeed. One complaint: These IEMs have relatively long, plastic "arms", and these are bit of a pain especially when putting them on. Which leads us to the question of fit.
Fit
My friend and I both have minor fit issues with headphones. If it matters, we're both Chinese and have relatively small ear canals. I use the baby blue triflanges for my ER-6i, for example. He can barely get the stock Apple IEM medium tips in, and failed to achieve a good fit. I can insert the medium tips, but again could not achieve a good seal. So, we both went for the small tips. This worked better for me than for my friend, for some reason. Anyway, one problem I only detected this morning, is that even with a good seal, the Apple IEMs aren't very secure. They tend to move and threaten to fall out of my ears, and they actually do fall out of my friend's ears. Now, this might be a fact about our ears rather than a bug in the design of the IEM, but should serve as a warning to those with small ear canals.
Comfort and Isolation
The stock silicon sleeves are very soft and comfortable. Much better than either the stock Denon C551 or Sennheiser CX300/400/500 ones. They're also less noticeable than my ER-6i blue (small) triflanges, but it's slightly unfair to compare the two tips, really. Unfortunately, the new Apple IEMs don't isolate very well. At 50% volume, I couldn't hear much music at all in the restaurant. I had to crank it up for 75% to make the music acceptably audible, and not even 100% would block out all of the noise. In fact, at 100%, the combination of the music blasting in my ears and the restaurants' patrons' chattering was just...noisy and aggravating. In comparison, at 50% the ER-6i attenuated noise sufficiently for me to enjoy my music. Things were better in the train, but I still noticed train-related sounds (e.g., screeching, rumbling, whirring) at 50%, when the ER-6i got rid of these sounds by abou 30%. Finally, they totally blocked out my friend's voice (normal speaking volume, 2 metres away, quiet apartment) at 50%, playing the intro of Thrice's Firebreather.
Cable and Microphonics/Bone Conduction
The cable is nice and thick, and is amenable to being stuffed in pockets without tangling up. Much better than the ER-6i in this regard. However, they're microphonic as hell (more so than C551, perhaps even more so than CX300), and you will not want to eat anything with these IEMs on. I didn't hear my own footsteps or heartbeat though, thank goodness. It's just the cable (e.g., rustling against shirt) and sounds that come from the head (e.g., chewing, tapping forehead). Also, these are not amenable to being worn around the ear, so a shirt-clip might be the way to go. [NB: I hadn't realized tht the CX300s were notorious for microphonics. From memory, the Apple IEMs are worse. Even if my memory is off, they're at best no better than CX300. Might be a dealbreaker for some.]
Sound
I suppose this is what most of you care about. First, perhaps by virtue of their relatively poor isolation and shallowness in the ear canal, they were not as loud as the ER-6i. As such, I turned them up a little bit when making my comparisons lest I misinterpret "louder" as "better". For my review/comparison, I listened to 6 tracks. These aren't my usual test tracks, but I only have my iPod with me at the moment.
First, jazz. I played O Tannebaum (from the Charlie Brown Christmas album) and immediately discovered that the Apple IEMs were darker than the famously neutral ER-6is. So, these are slightly dark IEMs, people. Relative to ER-6i, the Apple IEM lacked detail and had a tiny soundstage. I'll chalk that up as a limitation of the Apple IEM: Small soundstage, poor imaging. From memory, even my C551 had a larger soundstage, or at least better imaging. If this is independent of being dark in general, it's worth mentioning that the ER-6i's highs (e.g., hi-hat) are much crisper and clearer than the Apple IEM's.
Next, classical. The only decently ripped files I had was Handel's Messiah (McCreesh). Naturally, I played the Hallelujah chorus. My impression that the Apple IEM has a dark sound signature was confirmed here. Again, the Apple lacked detail relative to the ER-6i, and had weaker highs. However, I think I enjoyed the Hallelujah chorus more with the Apple IEMs! It was just more exciting. Make of that what you will.
Third, I put on Trans-Siberian Orchestra's The Lost Christmas Eve (from album of same title). This is an acoustic-ish piece. Once again, the Apple IEM's weakness in detail was evidenced, especially in the higher notes. Ditto with its limitations in terms of soundstage and imaging.
Fourth, rock. I had Queen of the Winter Night (from the album above) and Thrice's Firebreather (from the Alchemy Index Vol. 1 & 2) on for these. Firebreather's on the metal side of rock. The only thing I have to add with these genres is, unfortunately, an ambivalent comment. With Firebreather, the Apple IEM delivered tight, punch bass, which I missed after selling my C551s. So, an upper hand over ER-6i. But with QotWN, I thought that the bass was boomier. Of course, the Apple IEM could just be revealing the low quality of the file or recording, which the ER-6i didn't because it provided attenuated bass. So, I'm not sure about this. I enjoyed the darker sound of the Apple IEM more for this genre of music, but when I put my ER-6i back on, I was pleased to hear the much improved detail these provided.
Lastly, not a music genre per se, but just listening to some female vocals (e.g., Diana Krall, Sarah McLachlan), the vocals were more...forward (?) than the ER-6i. Or conversely, the ER-6i had recessed vocals. I don't know how that translates to frequencies. Midrange?
Conclusions
The Apple IEMs aren't bad, they really aren't. They're slightly dark, can deliver good (both quality and quantity-wise) bass, and are fast and fun. On the downside, they don't isolate well, are microphonic, and are weak on the highs. They're less detailed than the ER-6i, but then the ER-6i are pretty darned good in the department. Remember, the ER-6i retails for $100, whereas the Apple IEM retails for $80 and come with an inline mic/volume control. (NB: Volume control does not seem to work with iPhone 3G and iPod Touch Gen 1.) I think the Apple IEM is a live option in the world of iPhone headphones. Etymotic's offering is much more expensive, for example. And the NuForce IEM might sound great, but if you're the kind of person who likes to keep the headphone white and pretty (and what's wrong with that?!) spending $80 on these ain't too shabby a decision. These aren't Skullcandys, nosiree. That said, none of us really buy headphones at MRSP, and unless the Apple IEMs are on sale, there might be other much better options especially if the mic/volume control is a non-issue.
Hope this helps.
Edit: New section on the case added.
Edit: New brief note on vocals added.
Edit: New section on fit added. Some notes on microphonics added.
Case
The Apple IEM comes with a pretty, compact case. Some winding up is required (think, the Sennheiser MX 90 VC case, but easier to use, smaller, and prettier), which can be a pain. The size is a double-edged sword. It's small and therefore more portable, but you really can't fit anything else (e.g., spare tips) in there at all. There's a separate, cute case for the tips, oddly. It's a hard case too, which is good for protective purposes, but I'm guessing it's not going to be pretty for long. Scratches, here we come! Anyway, the C551 case still takes home the prize for me.
Form
It's pretty alright. Classic Apple minimalism: White body, translucent white silicon tips (more on which later), grey sleeve where the body meets the cable, and shiny metal driver. The metal bits are a nice touch indeed. One complaint: These IEMs have relatively long, plastic "arms", and these are bit of a pain especially when putting them on. Which leads us to the question of fit.
Fit
My friend and I both have minor fit issues with headphones. If it matters, we're both Chinese and have relatively small ear canals. I use the baby blue triflanges for my ER-6i, for example. He can barely get the stock Apple IEM medium tips in, and failed to achieve a good fit. I can insert the medium tips, but again could not achieve a good seal. So, we both went for the small tips. This worked better for me than for my friend, for some reason. Anyway, one problem I only detected this morning, is that even with a good seal, the Apple IEMs aren't very secure. They tend to move and threaten to fall out of my ears, and they actually do fall out of my friend's ears. Now, this might be a fact about our ears rather than a bug in the design of the IEM, but should serve as a warning to those with small ear canals.
Comfort and Isolation
The stock silicon sleeves are very soft and comfortable. Much better than either the stock Denon C551 or Sennheiser CX300/400/500 ones. They're also less noticeable than my ER-6i blue (small) triflanges, but it's slightly unfair to compare the two tips, really. Unfortunately, the new Apple IEMs don't isolate very well. At 50% volume, I couldn't hear much music at all in the restaurant. I had to crank it up for 75% to make the music acceptably audible, and not even 100% would block out all of the noise. In fact, at 100%, the combination of the music blasting in my ears and the restaurants' patrons' chattering was just...noisy and aggravating. In comparison, at 50% the ER-6i attenuated noise sufficiently for me to enjoy my music. Things were better in the train, but I still noticed train-related sounds (e.g., screeching, rumbling, whirring) at 50%, when the ER-6i got rid of these sounds by abou 30%. Finally, they totally blocked out my friend's voice (normal speaking volume, 2 metres away, quiet apartment) at 50%, playing the intro of Thrice's Firebreather.
Cable and Microphonics/Bone Conduction
The cable is nice and thick, and is amenable to being stuffed in pockets without tangling up. Much better than the ER-6i in this regard. However, they're microphonic as hell (more so than C551, perhaps even more so than CX300), and you will not want to eat anything with these IEMs on. I didn't hear my own footsteps or heartbeat though, thank goodness. It's just the cable (e.g., rustling against shirt) and sounds that come from the head (e.g., chewing, tapping forehead). Also, these are not amenable to being worn around the ear, so a shirt-clip might be the way to go. [NB: I hadn't realized tht the CX300s were notorious for microphonics. From memory, the Apple IEMs are worse. Even if my memory is off, they're at best no better than CX300. Might be a dealbreaker for some.]
Sound
I suppose this is what most of you care about. First, perhaps by virtue of their relatively poor isolation and shallowness in the ear canal, they were not as loud as the ER-6i. As such, I turned them up a little bit when making my comparisons lest I misinterpret "louder" as "better". For my review/comparison, I listened to 6 tracks. These aren't my usual test tracks, but I only have my iPod with me at the moment.
First, jazz. I played O Tannebaum (from the Charlie Brown Christmas album) and immediately discovered that the Apple IEMs were darker than the famously neutral ER-6is. So, these are slightly dark IEMs, people. Relative to ER-6i, the Apple IEM lacked detail and had a tiny soundstage. I'll chalk that up as a limitation of the Apple IEM: Small soundstage, poor imaging. From memory, even my C551 had a larger soundstage, or at least better imaging. If this is independent of being dark in general, it's worth mentioning that the ER-6i's highs (e.g., hi-hat) are much crisper and clearer than the Apple IEM's.
Next, classical. The only decently ripped files I had was Handel's Messiah (McCreesh). Naturally, I played the Hallelujah chorus. My impression that the Apple IEM has a dark sound signature was confirmed here. Again, the Apple lacked detail relative to the ER-6i, and had weaker highs. However, I think I enjoyed the Hallelujah chorus more with the Apple IEMs! It was just more exciting. Make of that what you will.
Third, I put on Trans-Siberian Orchestra's The Lost Christmas Eve (from album of same title). This is an acoustic-ish piece. Once again, the Apple IEM's weakness in detail was evidenced, especially in the higher notes. Ditto with its limitations in terms of soundstage and imaging.
Fourth, rock. I had Queen of the Winter Night (from the album above) and Thrice's Firebreather (from the Alchemy Index Vol. 1 & 2) on for these. Firebreather's on the metal side of rock. The only thing I have to add with these genres is, unfortunately, an ambivalent comment. With Firebreather, the Apple IEM delivered tight, punch bass, which I missed after selling my C551s. So, an upper hand over ER-6i. But with QotWN, I thought that the bass was boomier. Of course, the Apple IEM could just be revealing the low quality of the file or recording, which the ER-6i didn't because it provided attenuated bass. So, I'm not sure about this. I enjoyed the darker sound of the Apple IEM more for this genre of music, but when I put my ER-6i back on, I was pleased to hear the much improved detail these provided.
Lastly, not a music genre per se, but just listening to some female vocals (e.g., Diana Krall, Sarah McLachlan), the vocals were more...forward (?) than the ER-6i. Or conversely, the ER-6i had recessed vocals. I don't know how that translates to frequencies. Midrange?
Conclusions
The Apple IEMs aren't bad, they really aren't. They're slightly dark, can deliver good (both quality and quantity-wise) bass, and are fast and fun. On the downside, they don't isolate well, are microphonic, and are weak on the highs. They're less detailed than the ER-6i, but then the ER-6i are pretty darned good in the department. Remember, the ER-6i retails for $100, whereas the Apple IEM retails for $80 and come with an inline mic/volume control. (NB: Volume control does not seem to work with iPhone 3G and iPod Touch Gen 1.) I think the Apple IEM is a live option in the world of iPhone headphones. Etymotic's offering is much more expensive, for example. And the NuForce IEM might sound great, but if you're the kind of person who likes to keep the headphone white and pretty (and what's wrong with that?!) spending $80 on these ain't too shabby a decision. These aren't Skullcandys, nosiree. That said, none of us really buy headphones at MRSP, and unless the Apple IEMs are on sale, there might be other much better options especially if the mic/volume control is a non-issue.
Hope this helps.
Edit: New section on the case added.
Edit: New brief note on vocals added.
Edit: New section on fit added. Some notes on microphonics added.
