[Doorbell]

I got these in today and so far i'm not really impressed. I feel like they focus more on vocals and lack bass and mids. Will proper burn in fix my issues with these headphones? I'm starting to think I should have waited for the Shure 215 which I originally wanted.

 

[KimChee]

Burn in won't change the sound signature if that's what you don't like.  I had a set they were good, but not for me so I sold them.

 

[seanmo]

I had them and returned them to amazon asap...very underwhelming iems

 

 

[Doorbell]

I kinda feel like they sound better straight out of my iphone compared to out of the E7 connected to my computer.

 

[sari0n]

That's a weird description, usually mids=vocals so focus on vocals would mean forward mids.
Anyhow, Etymotic earphones are always known to be very bass light and usually are more focused in the upper end.  The MC5's are supposed to be the most neutral out of all of ER's headphones which probably means that they are also the most boring.

 

[ClieOS]

MC5 is certainly not as neutral as the ER4S, and ER4S sounds much lively than MC5. It is just that the MC5 has one of the driest and soulless presentation of any Etymotic.
 

 

[murano]

If I recall correctly, the MC5 bass is decent if you can get a good seal with the triple flange tips.
 
However, the MC5's can be sibilance monsters with poorly mastered material.  Clieos' description of "soulless" presentation fits like a glove.
 
Most positive comments seem to be from users who primarily listen to classical.

 

[Doorbell]

Well I'm gonna try to burn them in and see if that changes anything. For the most part I like them but they don't really impress me like I thought they would. These are my first in ear headphones that I've spent more than 30 dollars for.

 

[supersleuth]

Quote:

Most positive comments seem to be from users who primarily listen to classical.

I plead guilty.
 
They don't sound "soulless" to me at all, but simply neutral; they just stay out of the way and don't call attention to themselves. I like to listen to music, not equipment. While I still very much enjoy my Grado SR80s (whose presence-region response peak can give a "realer than real" feeling to some recordings, especially of chamber music), the Ety is quite obviously more accurate to ears accustomed to live classical music.

 

[garysohn]

I bought these.  So far they sound pretty much as Clieo says.  The foams really cut off HF. The triple flanges set too deep in my ears. Not comfortable. I will try Shure Olive as he suggested. I don't know what size to get, S or M or L.  I don't know if the filters that come with the MC5 IEM would cut down on the fatiging sound. Heck I don't know how to even install them.  they came with a screw driver, bit I'll be darn if I saw any directions in the package.

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

I bought these.  So far they sound pretty much as Clieo says.  The foams really cut off HF. The triple flanges set too deep in my ears. Not comfortable. I will try Shure Olive as he suggested. I don't know what size to get, S or M or L.  I don't know if the filters that come with the MC5 IEM would cut down on the fatiging sound. Heck I don't know how to even install them.  they came with a screw driver, bit I'll be darn if I saw any directions in the package.

If you are using the blueish tri-flange, then you probably want small Shure olive. If you are using the white tri-flange, then mid sized is probably your best bet. Check this out for a size reference.
 
There should already be a set of filter pre-installed on the MC5, so you don't need to change it for a while.

 

[garysohn]

Small it is in then.  I subscribed to the linked thread. You're quite a valuable resource ClieOS, thank you. 

 

[attenuated 3db]

The sound of the Etymotic MC-5s is very dependent on the seal you achieve with your ear canal.  I have had a pair since last year, and realized that I just wasn't using them that much because the deep insertion was too much trouble compared to my Koss PortaPros.   But I go the noisiest gym in the world, so yesterday I got them out for the first time in months, and took care to wet the large tri-flange earpieces with saliva before carefully twisting them into each ear.  And a good fit makes all the difference in the world, especially on the low end of the frequency spectrum, which is non-existent without a tight seal.   And the nice thing is that they don't get all sweaty like my PortaPros do, and they block out the horrendous din of the gym's in-house audio-video system.  But no one will ever confuse them for bass monsters, that's for sure.

 

[planx]

you may not be impressed by the MC5, but i was. Very impressed by the precision and detail created by the MC5. The ironic thing is, i returned it for the HF5

 

[GeneralSmirnoff]

The HF5's focus more on the mids and highs. They lack in bass however it is very punchy