Observations going from Super.fi 5 Pro to E500

[ZugZug]

My first post here but I have been lurking for a while on this forum. Both decisions - Super.fi 5 and E500 - are results of reading on many posts here.

First, I must say that I had trouble initially adjusting to even SF5P (coming from Sony SA1k, which are very bright) thinking that they just don't have that bass everyone is talking about. I tried different tips, no luck. Then I learned about FS mod. And that did it. It's quite possible though that a breakthrough in burn-in/break-in occured at the same time (later on that).

I still considered them slightly uncomfortable. And, besides, you know ... that infinite quest for perfection once you get sucked into IEM craze...

So, I figured, E500 is my next step. Got the pair and ... disappointment. If I put medium rubber tips, the bass is there (but, boy, do the SF5P sound bassier in comparison!) and isolation is good but soundstage is nowhere to be found and highs are bad. I mean totally - cymbals are just noise. If I put slightly smaller tips, highs and soundstage come back but I lose isolation and there is no bass. Only clear medium tips appeared to be a compromise of sorts. Still worse than SF5P.

I decided to check burn-in/break-in theory and left my DAP with E500 connected for entire day (D2 has a nice battery time).

Just yesterday I tried E500 again and did several tests against SF5P. The amount of change in E500 is incredible. Although the highs are still rolled off slightly (compared to SF5P), they are better. Bass is more powerful too (but not up to SF5P). I returned to medium rubber tips too. It looks to me that burn-in/break-in for IEMs does exist (perhaps some improvement in flexibility of moving end of armature and in diaphragm).

So... I like both IEMs and going to use them interchangeably. My only complaints now are:
- can I get rid of that funny smell on SF5P wires? It's really irritating
- I like memory inserts on SF5P and want to have something similar on E500. Anyone knows of the mod for this (like some sort of coil wire to put on it or some wrap, or whatever)?

Oh, and thanks for all interesting advice and discussion on this forum - very informative.

 

[PiccoloNamek]

Burn-in for IEMs does not exist. Shure has even stated so themselves when asked about this concerning their own IEMs.

 

[lt.milo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek /img/forum/go_quote.gif Burn-in for IEMs does not exist. Shure has even stated so themselves when asked about this concerning their own IEMs.

thats strange, I've actually never heard that before.

 

[Indygreg]

most say it does not exist. However, I believe it does to some level. It made a difference in the UM2's I had.

Some say it does exist, including earphonesolutions.com

 

[laxx]

I think they do for the E500's. I put them on when I first got them and hated it. Left them playing for quite some time on my home rig and when I revisted, it was alot better. I still have my gripes about them, but they've improved enough for me to enjoy listening.

 

[nfsu]

Burn-in for E3s does exist. Straight out of the box they don't play well (midrange only, no bass and highs at all). After about 50 hours of playing they started to play normally. Also a friend of mine compared new E3s to used about 1 year E3s. Difference was quite big actually.

 

[PiccoloNamek]

Quote:

I think they do for the E500's. I put them on when I first got them and hated it. Left them playing for quite some time on my home rig and when I revisted, it was alot better. I still have my gripes about them, but they've improved enough for me to enjoy listening.

And how do you know it was burn-in? Perhaps your brain was just getting used to the new sound.

 

[kyoshiro]

my e4s have burn ins

 

[Indygreg]

my take on it.

I had SF.5's for a while - loved their sound from moment one (did not even know of the concept of burn in). I got some UM2's . . . not very impressed at all. I would go back and forth with the SF.5 and UM2's - UM2 sounded under water and really not good. I left them on pink noise for a day or two, came back. First SF.5 - loved them. Then UM2 - was amazed at how they sounded, nearly as good as the SF.5. Before the burn in I would say I liked them 10% as much. The concept of my ear's learning their signature in that example does not make any sense to me. I just did not listen to them much. And they did not start to get better, it was like night and day.

 

[ZugZug]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek /img/forum/go_quote.gif And how do you know it was burn-in? Perhaps your brain was just getting used to the new sound.

I said that is how it looked/felt to me. Notice that both times I compared the sound to SF5P and I just left E500 for burn-in without actually using them in the mean time - how would my brain adjust to them then?

I do think that psychological perception is a factor. But the difference cannot, in my opinion, be attributed to only that factor.

Anyway, I was sort of hoping to get some ideas on the questions I put in my original post.

 

[ZugZug]

I'd like to add that with FS mod for SF5P I have less isolation than with E500. You all know probably how with high isolation you skip a step once in a while when walking. Happens with E500 but not with SF5P for me. So SF5P seems better for walking/jogging. And with less isolation, bass boost is a real helper on the street. E500 seems more appropriate for listening at home, on the plane, bus or train. Hence why I am going to use both.

 

[PiccoloNamek]

How long did you listen to them before letting them burn-in? You said you let them burn-in for a day. Is your memory good enough to remember exactly how they sounded before your burn-in attempt? Perhaps you merely expected them to sound better, so they did?

As for your questions, I never knew the wires on the 5 pro had any smell, especially considering that the wires were on my ears, and not under my nose. For the second question, you can always tape a piece of stiff wire to the cord and use it that way.

 

[mirumu]

Balanced armatures are quite a different technology to other drivers out there and at the size it would seem unlikely burn in would have much effect if any at all. Certainly Shure have said burn-in has no effect on their IEMs as PiccoloNamek mentioned, I remember reading that myself. My experience with my E5Cs and E500s has also shown no indication of any burn-in effects either. At the current point in time I'm inclined to believe Shure that burn-in doesn't exist for their IEMs.

 

[DJShadow]

Yeah theres no burn-in with IEMs, of the physical kind at least. Only your mind getting used to the sound will be the psychological burn-in. With full sized headphones burn-in will change the characteristics (more bass, wider soundstage etc)-no such thing occurs with IEMs.

 

[thread]

I owned the SF5Pro for 2-3 months before upgrading to the E500. I did something I probably shouldn't have: sell the 5Pros just before receiving the E500s. I now know this to be a warned against "head-fi mistake."

I felt that while the 5Pros were quite bass-heavy, the E500 is more balanced across the spectrum. This means not over emphasizing the bass, but still allowing it to really kick in when the music calls for it. I also feel the E500 has more detail overall.

The bud ergonomics of the E500 is much better than the 5Pros IMO... much improved from all of UE's Super/Triple.fi earphones! What sucks about the E500, though, is the cable. We really need a cable mod of some kind.

[... time passes ...] I just tried wrapping a pipecleaner around the wire. Not tightly, but enough so the wire stayed... candy cane style. It worked pretty well, but all I have is white ones, and they look really stupid. Maybe if you had black pipecleaners... or even just the wire... how about a paperclip?