[Redmetal1897]

I'm guessing many have gone through the confusion that I'm going through now 

 The orto's liquid mids vs the re262's lush mids, the orto's clarity and unique presentation vs the re262's realistic timbre and engaging presentation... it's a very tough choice, I don't know if I can justify keeping both especially since the FX700's are on the horizon, that would bring my IEM count to 5 and one full sized headphone.
 
So I'm asking users of both, which one do you prefer? Which one did you keep and why? I know at the end of the day it all comes down to my ears, but it would be interesting to hear the reasons you guys made as it may point out something I haven't noticed or realized yet! 

 

[mywallethurts]

i keep both depending on my mood. ortos for classical and acoustic and rock. 262 for techno/electronic/house

 

[Inks]

I say wait for the FX700s and make a decision then. Choose the one that will contrast it more for your taste, I personally think it's going to be the EQ5. 

 

[Redmetal1897]

Quote:

i keep both depending on my mood. ortos for classical and acoustic and rock. 262 for techno/electronic/house

interesting! I actually found that the timbre for the re262 for acoustic guitar was more realistic than the orto's! Was there a reason you picked the orto's over the re262 for acoustic? Same for rock, the upper mids can tend to be a bit to harsh for me, but with the re262 it was music. In fact my choices are quite the opposite I actually use the orto's for trance/techno/lounge and the re262 for acoustic and rock 

 


Quote:

I say wait for the FX700s and make a decision then. Choose the one that will contrast it more for your taste, I personally think it's going to be the EQ5. 

I think you may be right...I'm also waiting on my Ibasso T3 to see how that affects the sound quality of the re262. 

 

[mywallethurts]

i guess we have different tastes
regardless i think it is best to keep both
re262 is more musical so it fits better on slow house/rnb type of music

 

[james444]

Quote:

I say wait for the FX700s and make a decision then. Choose the one that will contrast it more for your taste, I personally think it's going to be the EQ5. 

Sound advice, except I'd rather wait a few weeks while keeping an eye on EX1000's street prices and maybe go for them instead of the FX700. From what I've read about the RE262 and how I hear the EX1000 they should be right in the middle between these and the e-Q5, possibly making them both dispensable. Of course I could be wrong about the Sonys, but within a few weeks we'll likely have more feedback on them anyway.

 

[Redmetal1897]

Good advice james. Do you think it will take a few weeks though? Do street prices really drop that quickly? The sony's haven't made their way Canada-side as far as I'm aware, otherwise I'd give them a try!
Quote:

Sound advice, except I'd rather wait a few weeks while keeping an eye on EX1000's street prices and maybe go for them instead of the FX700. From what I've read about the RE262 and how I hear the EX1000 they should be right in the middle between these and the e-Q5, possibly making them both dispensable. Of course I could be wrong about the Sonys, but within a few weeks we'll likely have more feedback on them anyway.

 

[Inks]

Yeah I'll wait for a Canda release to keep it safe (use return policy), because you may get that harsh/sibilance issue some experience. I know that's one of the main reasons I consider it at all. 

 

[Redmetal1897]

Yea I see the 700's on the sonystyle.ca store, but the 1000's aren't up yet.
 
Got my Ibasso T3, even though its a cheap amp it brings out the treble of the re 262's better. I'm quite sure I'm not imagining things, I volume matched and ab'ed for quite awhile.

 

[mvw2]

I don't own the e-Q5, but I do own the e-Q7 and the RE262.  These are very different earphones.  The RE262 driver is godly, but the presentation of sound isn't balanced.  The E-Q7 in my case is much better balanced, but the sound isn't as good.  At the end of the day?  It's a tough call.  The RE262 driver is probably the best you'll ever hear in the next 5 years.  the E-Q7 however offers a little more robust and engaging presentation that will be less accurate but more enjoyable.  However, if enjoyment was all I was looking for, I'd lean towards the Triple.Fi 10.  Frankly the Triple.Fi 10 is one of the most mindlessly fun earphones on the market while retaining great sound quality and refinement.
 
I think it really comes down to what you're looking for.  At the end of the day, I pick my CK100 for what I own.  However, comparing the E-Q7 in my case and the RE262, they're a relative toss-up for what they offer.  I would also include the RE252, the Triple.Fi 10, and UM3X in the mix too.  Really all of these high end products aren't specifically completely better than the other.  Rather they just offer different things.  The better choice ends up being simply a matter of personal preference.  For some products there are pretty set lines as in this group of products is a definite step above this other group of products.  However, many of these high end ones are just too comparable.  They are all good enough in their own ways to really have it come down to personal preference.

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

Good advice james. Do you think it will take a few weeks though? Do street prices really drop that quickly? The sony's haven't made their way Canada-side as far as I'm aware, otherwise I'd give them a try!

 

 
If EX700 is of any indicator, I'll say it will take about a year for EX1k to reach a more acceptable street price, another 6 months for it to be decent, and totally crashed to the ground by the end of 2nd years.
 

 

[james444]

Sonystyle prices aren't street prices in my book. Where I live the EX700 is still €360 from Sony, but €230 - €270 from the big online sellers. The current Sonystyle price for the EX1000 is $500, so let's just wait and see what happens when they hit Amazon and such, that's what I meant.

 

[Pianist]

Neither. I would suggest that you keep your DBA-02. It blows both RE262 and e-Q5 out of the water. A much more accurate, technically capable sound.

 

[mvw2]

Quote:

Neither. I would suggest that you keep your DBA-02. It blows both RE262 and e-Q5 out of the water. A much more accurate, technically capable sound.

Ha...haha...HAHAHA! What?!?!
 
Accuracy and capability are two things the DBA-02 falls flat on its face with.  It has a moderate lack of both dynamic range and articulation of note..  It's a great tool but it's a pretty lackluster musical device.  Frankly I like the DBA-02's treble driver.  I think it's really cool in how it presents sound.  The frequency response is basically ruler flat too despite for how strong it sounds.  The bass driver can't compete though.  It really did need something more robust and powerful.  It doesn't share the presence nor hold sensitivity and starts rolling off before you're even in the the bass region.  The bass driver is also very lean in note lacking a lot of thickness/articulation.  I see it as a great tool because it's engineered to show you a lot of information, but the information is not presented in a balanced nor really musical manner.  It's actually quite "noisy."  The dynamic compression does bring the quiet sounds forward and makes the earphone pretty revealing, but compression realistically is a bad thing.  At best, you want a limitless dynamic range.  You want the sound just there, not forced there.  The lack of texture/articulation means it can't flesh out details well.  The drivers have good speed, but without texture, lots of the in-between information is lost.  Sound stage is one thing that goes pretty quickly from this, and the DBA-02 is not great at all for that.
 
I really have no interest in arguing with you, but frankly a statement like that just blows me away.  The DBA-02 is good for the price for people that want that particular sound signature, but beyond that, so many earphones are technically and comprehensively better, including the cheaper RE-ZERO and Custom 3.  The DBA-02 drivers are not even top level.  What they actually do isn't on par with a LOT of the other good BA earphones on the market.  Yes, the speed is a good wow factor for the DBA-02.  The treble aggressiveness is too.  But once you get past that, they really don't offer much more and really start to seriously lack in many areas.  In a way, I view the DBA-02 like I did the RE0.  It was a good effort but fundamentally flawed with very specific limitations.  At the end of the day I will HAPPILY take the RE-ZERO, every day of the week.  That's exactly why I sold my DBA-02.  It wasn't as good as my cheaper earphones.

 

[james444]

 
Quote:

Neither. I would suggest that you keep your DBA-02. It blows both RE262 and e-Q5 out of the water. A much more accurate, technically capable sound.

 
Sigh - two things I've learned from my epic journey through IEM wonderland:
 
First, among top tiers there's no such thing as IEM A blowing IEM B out of the water. Differences are subtle and personal preference will tip the scales towards one or the other.
Second, far too many IEMs are all being called "accurate" but sound nothing alike if you actually A/B them. "Accurate" is humbug, just use "suites my taste" instead.