[james444]

From what I've gathered there isn't a whole range of different MA drivers available. The Grado GR10 is rated at 116dB / 32ohms which is pretty much the same as the e-Q7. So I think these too are quite likely sharing the same driver. 40 vs. 31ohms for the e-Q5 vs. e-Q7 is a significant difference (at least on paper), still my ears tell me these two have far more similarities than differences.
 
And yes, tolerance is really quoted at 25% on both spec sheets.

 

[ericp10]

Switch subjects a little bit @ James, I didn't know you heard the DDM?? Wow, you liked them uhn? I see you ranking..lol. They are pretty good dynamic drivers despite of the looks and fit. Or did I know and just forgot?
 
But what happened to the HJE900 in your rankings??
 
I like your ranking of them...lol
 
Quote:

From what I've gathered there isn't a whole range of different MA drivers available. The Grado GR10 is rated at 116dB / 32ohms which is pretty much the same as the e-Q7. So I think these too are quite likely sharing the same driver. 40 vs. 31ohms for the e-Q5 vs. e-Q7 is a significant difference (at least on paper), still my ears tell me these two have far more similarities than differences.
 
And yes, tolerance is really quoted at 25% on both spec sheets.

 

[goodvibes]

Quote:

From what I've gathered there isn't a whole range of different MA drivers available. The Grado GR10 is rated at 116dB / 32ohms which is pretty much the same as the e-Q7. So I think these too are quite likely sharing the same driver. 40 vs. 31ohms for the e-Q5 vs. e-Q7 is a significant difference (at least on paper), still my ears tell me these two have far more similarities than differences.
 
And yes, tolerance is really quoted at 25% on both spec sheets.

I suspect that the tolerance got lost in translation. All the Japanese sourced reviews say 5%. I would think if there was an update that perhaps 2.5% was viable but the cheapest sourced products wont vary 25%. Like I said, they build to a specific value so these are different though likely very similar regardless of tolerance. As for the Grado, it may or may not be the same but there's a lot more to it than impedance and Grado says  talks about proprietary, a unique diaphragm material and 3db less efficient which is really quite a lot from a technical standpoint. Of course how it's measured etc. also comes into play so who knows but I suspect them all somewhat unique. It's often difficult to differentiate marketing from fact.

 

[james444]

Quote:

Switch subjects a little bit @ James, I didn't know you heard the DDM?? Wow, you liked them uhn? I see you ranking..lol. They are pretty good dynamic drivers despite of the looks and fit. Or did I know and just forgot?
 
But what happened to the HJE900 in your rankings??
 
I like your ranking of them...lol

Well, it was Dimitri from Musica Acoustics who finally convinced me to try them. At first I thought what a letdown and agreed with those who had called them bass monsters with rolled-off highs. But I had a lot of time during my vacation and tried them with every single pair of tips I'd brought along. Here's what I posted in another thread about the outcome:
 
Quote:

IMO there are two requirements for a healthy relationship with the DDM:
 
First, you must not need isolation. Even with sealing tips there'd be only limited isolation, yet for the DDM to sound really good you need to wear them with extremely loose seal and therefore even less isolation.
 
Second, you should think of them as full-sized open headphone replacements instead of in-ears. Similar limitations apply. They aren't really suited for on-the-go. They may look a little bit goofy. They may not have the best comfort (though I have no complaints here). But on the other hand they offer giant sound in a tiny package. From bass texture to soundstage, out of all my IEMs, these are the ones which sound closest to full-sized open headphones (the FX700 are second). How about a full-sized headphone you can just shove into your jeans pocket? If you look at them this way, they are unrivalled.

 
I still rate them lower than the FX700 overall, but they are certainly among my very favourite phones.
 
As for the HJE900, I liked them, but dfkt liked them even more. So I just gave them to him at some point.

 

[kiteki]

Quote:

 
As for the HJE900, I liked them, but dfkt liked them even more. So I just gave them to him at some point.

The first time I read dfkt's review on the HJE900 I thought he was hyping a $79 product so much that he must have received a box full of gear from panasonic or technics or something.  Seems like he just borrowed your pair then, and dfkt <-> hje900 synergy is high.

 

[ericp10]

Interesting observations @ James. They are certainly up there near full cans sound (and the soundstage and layering of the sound is uniquely its own), but we flip flop on which sounds more like cans (I give the nod to the FX700 first).
 
The DDM is a beast. I can't wait to hear how the new version sounds with more extended treble. I hope the mids and bass don't suffer in that extension.
 
Quote:

Quote:

Switch subjects a little bit @ James, I didn't know you heard the DDM?? Wow, you liked them uhn? I see you ranking..lol. They are pretty good dynamic drivers despite of the looks and fit. Or did I know and just forgot?
 
But what happened to the HJE900 in your rankings??
 
I like your ranking of them...lol

Well, it was Dimitri from Musica Acoustics who finally convinced me to try them. At first I thought what a letdown and agreed with those who had called them bass monsters with rolled-off highs. But I had a lot of time during my vacation and tried them with every single pair of tips I'd brought along. Here's what I posted in another thread about the outcome:
 
Quote:

IMO there are two requirements for a healthy relationship with the DDM:
 
First, you must not need isolation. Even with sealing tips there'd be only limited isolation, yet for the DDM to sound really good you need to wear them with extremely loose seal and therefore even less isolation.
 
Second, you should think of them as full-sized open headphone replacements instead of in-ears. Similar limitations apply. They aren't really suited for on-the-go. They may look a little bit goofy. They may not have the best comfort (though I have no complaints here). But on the other hand they offer giant sound in a tiny package. From bass texture to soundstage, out of all my IEMs, these are the ones which sound closest to full-sized open headphones (the FX700 are second). How about a full-sized headphone you can just shove into your jeans pocket? If you look at them this way, they are unrivalled.

 
I still rate them lower than the FX700 overall, but they are certainly among my very favourite phones.
 
As for the HJE900, I liked them, but dfkt liked them even more. So I just gave them to him at some point.

 

[rawrster]

I wish I could have gotten that sound out of my loaner DDM even after trying them with a loose seal. It wasn't a bass monster like those with the mid bass hump but I never could hear much balance in the treble compare to the mids and bass.
 
I guess if the e-Q5 has the same size housing it would never be a main earphone for me but maybe something that goes along with many others. Lots of earphones out there lately..hard to make a decision on which one to get I'll wait until there are further impressions however.

 

[db597]

Is the fit of the e-Q5 and e-Q7 such a major issue for people with small ears? I'm buying online and have no chance to determine if they will fit my ears. Do a large proportion of people have fitting problems with Ortofons?

 

[kiteki]

Oh yeah I'm curious about that too, does the e-Q5 have the same size or smaller housings than e-Q7?  I think my canals are too small to insert the e-Q7 housing which I saw someone do in a pic.
 
db597 you can use a fat pen or something. 10mm in diameter or so.

 

[yello131]

Quote:

Is the fit of the e-Q5 and e-Q7 such a major issue for people with small ears? I'm buying online and have no chance to determine if they will fit my ears. Do a large proportion of people have fitting problems with Ortofons?

you are in japan? Why can't you audition them prior ordering?
one option is contact Dimitri from Musica acostics. he perhaps can help you and lend you one for testing. Have you heard of Dimitri?
 

 

[yello131]

Quote:

Oh yeah I'm curious about that too, does the e-Q5 have the same size or smaller housings than e-Q7?  I think my canals are too small to insert the e-Q7 housing which I saw someone do in a pic.
 
db597 you can use a fat pen or something. 10mm in diameter or so.

Kiteki, never replied to my email, have you settled your issue with MA?

 

[db597]

Yep, I'm in Tokyo but intend to buy online since that's always cheaper. Sales service in Japan is really superb, so I would feel guilty to try at a shop and then buy somewhere else. The sales people here are so attentive and accommodating that once you start the audition process, really feel bad not to buy it there. It's how I ended up with my ATH-ESW10... and also a whole set of Onkyo separates!
 
I'll try jamming a large pen into a ear...

 

[yello131]

Quote:

Yep, I'm in Tokyo but intend to buy online since that's always cheaper. Sales service in Japan is really superb, so I would feel guilty to try at a shop and then buy somewhere else. The sales people here are so attentive and accommodating that once you start the audition process, really feel bad not to buy it there. It's how I ended up with my ATH-ESW10... and also a whole set of Onkyo separates!
 
I'll try jamming a large pen into a ear...

I advice to contact Dimitri and ask to send you samples for audition or something. He probably will offer you best customer service then any online store. Price wise I am not sure but why not try.
 

 

[kiteki]

Quote:

Kiteki, never replied to my email, have you settled your issue with MA?

 
Not yet, I'll email them soon, thanks for the reminder.
____
 
For those interested, yello131 loves MA, even if they cost a bit more, he thinks it's worth it thanks to warranty support and premium service.
 
He thinks I should stop recommending other stores, and that I had a rare error with them which they will gladly fix if I contact them.
 

 

[yello131]

 
Quote:

Quote:

Kiteki, never replied to my email, have you settled your issue with MA?

 
Not yet, I'll email them soon, thanks for the reminder.
____
 
For those interested, yello131 loves MA, even if they cost a bit more, he thinks it's worth it thanks to warranty support and premium service.
 
He thinks I should stop recommending other stores, and that I had a rare error with them which they will gladly fix if I contact them.
 

Now everybody will know about me love affair with Demitry