Ortofon EQ7: BA driver at HEART, DYNAMIC driver in SPIRIT
Feb 25, 2011 at 9:25 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 26

pinoyman

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ORTOFON EQ7.

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THE REVIEW:
 
 
Build Quality: (you be the judge)

thick cloth covered cables.
hard plastic for the jack and y-splitter.
thin rubber cable from splitter to phone.
machined aluminum housing.
classy and expensive looking black box with very nice to touch foam covers inside.
black leather case for the eartips and iem filters.
some japanese instruction manual.


SONIC CHARACTERISTIC:

This iem is popular by having the TUBEY characteristic,
with excellent definition in vocals.

I have decided to take some word from the AUDIO TERM GLOSSARY, under SOUND SCIENCE SECTION, to describe the sound of the ortofon eq7.

here:

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[size=x-small] Airy - Spacious. Open. Instruments sound like they are surrounded by a large reflective space full of air. Good reproduction of high frequency reflections. [/size]
 

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[size=x-small] Articulate - Intelligibility of voice(s) and instruments and the interactions between them.[/size]
 

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[size=x-small] Attack - The leading edge of a note and the ability of a system to reproduce the attack transients in music.[/size]
 

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[size=x-small] Breathy - Audible breath sounds in woodwinds and reeds such as flute or sax. Good response in the upper mids or highs.[/size]
 

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[size=x-small] Dynamic - The suggestion of energy and wide dynamic. Related to perceived speed as well as contrasts in volume both large and small.[/size]
 

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[size=x-small] Liquid - Textureless sound.[/size]
 

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[size=x-small] Open - Sound which has height and "air", relates to clean upper midrange and treble.[/size]
 

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[size=x-small] Wet - A reverberant sound, something with decay. Opposite of Dry.[/size]
 

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[size=x-small] Speed - A fast system with good pace gives the impression of being right on the money in its timing.[/size]
 






MY DESCRIPTION OF THE SOUND:

The Ortofon EQ7 is a very special iem with a hard to explain sound characteristic.
It is a highly detailed iem, very energetic-dynamic in nature with fast transient and special articulation in voice yet theres a lightness and density in music, youll be submerged by the liquidness and wetness and airiness to its music presentation.

The definition in voice is just...one of a kind.
It deserves a special mention in its sonic character.
In all of my iems, this is the best when it comes to artist's voice.
In a song, KAILANGAN KO'Y IKAW by REGINE VELASQUEZ, Regine's voice is oozing with honey-like-sweetness in her voice.

there is a special quality to it.
its like...the voice has the right ingredient to sound real.

My vortex, an iem with a lush mids, this ortos can define the voice with excellent texture and definition while comparing both, the vortex would sounded like muffled and veiled.
the ue700's presentation maybe true also, but it lacks the right thickness and melodies as the ortos.
the panny's vocal is just right.


Like i said, theres lightness and density to this iem.
its light. its airy. 
i cannot say that this is rich sounding iem...NO.
its not.
its not hearty like the AS CHARMS earbud or the balanced YUIN pk1.
its like a light bread.
with the right softness. 
cooked lightly.
too much youll get the bread burned.
too hard, it will be too toughed.

there's elasticity to it.
like the YUIN PK2's characteristic.
its fast.
it can change instantly in just a flick from fast to slow paced music.
if its slow music, it will induced you to sleep.
if its fast music, it will give you a lot of energy to make you tap your hands.
it moves you.
it has an impressive speed.
nothing like it.
its where all my iems struggle hard (from my ue700 to klipsch s4)
its where it failed some of my gears...i got muddy sound.


its airy.
and a lot of it.

the midrange is very wet, liquid and very tube like.

to all the readers...try listening to ESPERANZA SPALDING's PONTA DE AREIA.
the first 20sec of that music is a good example of how to clearly define the MIDS of this ortos.
on how liquid and wet it is...
very similar to be tube-like sound.
try it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9sN3ySkkz0

well about the bass.
ill try GO GIRL by PITBULL.
its fast. energy is comparable to the dynamic iems.
its not overly emphasized here.
not ie8 like.
moving now to I KNOW YOU WANT ME, the bass is satisfying enough with the right density and speed, with enough deepness. 
its giving only enough dynamic bass, but not as like the big bass of myvortex.
only satisfying.
not too much.
not too little.

another important reminder...this iem is hissy.
it hisses to most of my songs when nothing is playing yet at the very first second...its sssssssss...like that.
then...its gone when the music plays.

it is very effortless to give you the best to your music.
it never gets tired of giving you the dynamism.

the highs are very smooth.
i have to disagree with many reviews...that this sounded warm.
NOPE. not to me.
its bright with a touch of tube, liquidness and wetness.

the highs are smooth as my mx980 earbud.
its similar, but amount may differ.
at first i find this to be sibilant.
i dont know...it is in contrast in most reviews ive read about this iem.
get the right fit, and youll loose that sibilance. (maybe at first try only, before mental burn in)
its not ear piercing at all, but smooth and close to heavenly feeling of mymx980.

if panny is excellent in timbre and guitras, ortos is excellent with slow and fast paced music, very good in wind and strings (classical music). 
and i would also like to add that...every note in pianos here is excellent.

if there is something i would like to add to the ortos, the build should be more better than the case...or the box...actually, it doesnt help in the sound at all.
maybe they could do a jack that can be reversed back to straight and angled just like the one with the mx980.

the housing is already good looking...so nothing more to mention there.

and...i like the sound.
a lot.
its new to me.
its sibilance free unlike the panasonic hje900.

i wont say that this is better than the panasonic.
no.
the panasonic shines in his own way.

if theres something id like the ortos to be..
id like it to add more a little pinch of salt and a dash of pepper.
where id like the sound more rich.
like i said above, there's an elasticity to the music.
its fast.
i want it more to be more decayed.
to stay a bit longer.
because of its sonic character, some tracks seem to be delicately done.
but some were like its being chased...

this is a quality iem.
and everyone might agree to me.
the technology is just one of a kind.
there are few who do this kind - moving armatures.


there maybe few iems out there, like the BA (dual) ue700, or the famous triple fi 10 (triple driver) but it cant match some characteristics of a moving BA (ortos).
same as to dynamics.

going back to dynamics, not all performed BA-like.
so either you get a simple dynamic/ or a dual dynamic/ or a single/dual/triple/quad BA drivers...

why not try a hybrid?
something that would give you TWO WORLDS in ONE.
its not something like the same BA or DYNAMIC that you purchase EVERYDAY.


it would be new to your ears.

and that's the promise it could give you.




IS THIS THE BEST UNIVERSAL IEM?
NO.
nothing such exist.
it would only be excellent to you if you value the iem and learn to love its weakness.

this iem is recommended to those who value detailes and vocals.
recommended for those who own a set of a BA driver (no matter what the numbers are) and a dynamic (no matter if its single or dual).

if you have a BA.
a DYNAMIC.
it wouldnt hurt to have another one - MOVING BA.

you'll not only add one more to your collections but..
you'll also get to try another different kind of FLAVOR.

to end this...
is it really worth it.
i believe its a YES.
the experience it could give you is one of a kind, its refreshing - being a moving BA.




ORTOFON EQ7.
B.A. AT HEART, DYNAMIC IN SPIRIT.
 
Feb 25, 2011 at 9:26 PM Post #2 of 26
 
PICS:
the packaging
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the black box
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what's inside
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the iem
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the braided cloth covered wire
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the jack
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[size=0.85em] « Last Edit: 24 February 2011, 10:52:43 by mbc0528 »[/size]
 

 
Feb 25, 2011 at 10:45 PM Post #4 of 26
thanks bro.
i can say that this is a very good iem.
worth it!
 
if you tried ba driver iems.
or
dynamic drivers.
 
you should also try this one!
L3000.gif

its a hybrid.
 
Feb 26, 2011 at 1:01 AM Post #5 of 26
It also might help if you posted in the correct section of the forums, like I mentioned the LAST time you created a review thread. This is the "Portable Audio" section, not IEM's. You have a great grasp of the English language, surely you can understand the appropriate placement of said review by reading: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/list/103
 
Feb 26, 2011 at 1:20 AM Post #6 of 26
sir, can you help me transfer it there?
or should i just delete it and create new?
im sorry... i didnt notice about my current placement.
 
im willing to follow rules and regulations.
 
Feb 26, 2011 at 1:29 AM Post #7 of 26
Your not new, you choose to do as you please. Contact a mod via PM and ask for assistance. We all follow rules,...simple as that.
 
Feb 26, 2011 at 1:48 PM Post #10 of 26
This is an excellent review! Makes me want to get the e-Q7 again.
 
Feb 26, 2011 at 2:25 PM Post #12 of 26
Quote:
you should get this and compare it side by side to the e-Q5, quite intriguing..

 
Oh, I would love to. And to ER4 as well. If I had the money.
 
 
Feb 26, 2011 at 4:06 PM Post #13 of 26
Congrats @pinoyman, love your review! Heartfelt and at times poetic, it's always refreshing to see someone disregard conventions and just create their own thing.
smile_phones.gif

 
Feb 26, 2011 at 5:11 PM Post #14 of 26


Quote:



done.
thanks sir.
 


Quote:
Congrats @pinoyman, love your review! Heartfelt and at times poetic, it's always refreshing to see someone disregard conventions and just create their own thing.
smile_phones.gif



 
oh thanks for reading my work james.
would you care to read another review that i would do if my miles davis tributes arrived?
lol...
 
Quote:
This is an excellent review! Makes me want to get the e-Q7 again.


i say, go and get one again.
if youre missing an iem from the past, it mean...its a good iem!
 
thanks for reading my work sir.
 
Feb 26, 2011 at 10:10 PM Post #15 of 26
Interesting review. The eq-7 sounds nothing like a dynamic driver iem, though. It sounds like an armature iem, which is what it is. It sounds nice, I liked it and I'm glad I got to listen to it, but it's nothing like a dynamic driver iem. In fact, if people didn't know anything about the driver, I don't think anyone would really say anything about "having some properties of a dynamic".
 

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