[HeadphoneAddict]

I find the bass to be the same with black or grey, but the mids and highs are tamer with the black filters. This results in turning up the volume knob to match the mid and high volume to where it was before, at which point the bass is greater.

I like them either way, and spent over a week at a time with each and I have the grey in them right now. I did buy an 8-pack of black and grey spare filters, as one of my 4 greys got squished in the case without ever taking it out.

 

[spacemanspliff]

You know Larry, your portable rig really needs to be renamed to backpack-able rig. lol

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spacemanspliff /img/forum/go_quote.gif You know Larry, your portable rig really needs to be renamed to backpack-able rig. lol

No, it's about the size of a softball, fits in one hand. It tends to stay in the car and come out with me when I am going to be at a place for a while without moving around. At the mall I only take my iphone and 16gb Nano with an IEM and no amp. I keep my Westone 3 and Phonak and Nano in my fleece vest pocket, and iPhone on my belt, so I don't need the iMod for walking around.

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chi2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can see your point. The (black filters fitted) Phonaks have great and precise bass, but lately I find myself sometimes preferring the fulness of the IE8s - depending on the genre of the music.

Still favor the PFEs over the W3s? Just curious, based on your post. Or did you sell them in favor of the IE8s?

 

[GreatDane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif I find the bass to be the same with black or grey, but the mids and highs are tamer with the black filters. This results in turning up the volume knob to match the mid and high volume to where it was before, at which point the bass is greater.

ding, ding, ding- We have a winner!

I agree and if you look at this graph(I know, I've posted it twice already), this reasoning/description makes sense...to me anyway.

I still don't hear any sibilance with the Grey filters and they aren't too bright for me...remember that I'm accustomed to ER4 which can be too bright with the wrong amp. Speaking of amps, I do agree that the PFE(with Grey filters) should not be paired with a bright amp. I recently bought the XM5 which is notably brighter than Pico...a bit too bright for PFE( but very nice with HD 650). Besides that, the Pico works its magic on the PFE mids...very sweet...I spent another 5 hours last night with this combo, and yeah, stayed up 'till 2 AM again-D'OH!

Tonight I'm promising myself a treat. I will be pairing the PFE with my WA3 for the first time...finally. It should be good considering how much I've liked it with ER4.

 

[chi2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Still favor the PFEs over the W3s? Just curious, based on your post. Or did you sell them in favor of the IE8s?

Yep. I do carry the three of them with me, but the W3 only have a chance to come into play when more isolation is needed than the two others can provide. During the last two weeks there was no need.

 

[tstarn06]

Same here. I use the W3s when I want the outside world completely sealed out, but still find the PFEs preferable SQ-wise (to my taste).

 

[communic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by epithetless /img/forum/go_quote.gif Black filters for me too (just got mine a couple days ago). I'm still trying to get a grip on their signature and whether or not it's for me. I love their detail and crispness but could do without the spots of sibilance that crop up with silicone tips at adequate volumes (and I can't tolerate foam tips with any earphone). Plus -- brace yourself -- I think I'd prefer more midbass. <gasp!> This leads me to conclude that I am no audiophile. Give me fun or give me silence. I will say the Image X10s are more to my liking at this juncture. On a side note, my un-burned-in IE8s are sounding pretty good except for their overwhelming amounts of slow, muddy midbass. So there is certainly such a thing as too much for me. Let's hope they tighten up as others have reported.

Glad you've got them and can see how silicone could give you a little bit of earache even with the black filters. Though I find this to be the case with only my old and very few new recordings. With foamies, I can't detect any spiked sibilance. I'm also baffled at how you cope with sibilance on X10's as they are definitely more offensive at equal vol. with silicon tips!

Would be interesting to hear your thoughts of how the IE8's compare to the PFE's as over the years I've noticed we share similar tastes and are both plagued by sibilance! I'm a little surprised the black filters do no have enough midbass for you, though I suppose with silicones they are still pretty transparent, with foamies midbass is definitely more apparent.

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by communic /img/forum/go_quote.gif Glad you've got them and can see how silicone could give you a little bit of earache even with the black filters. Though I find this to be the case with only my old and very few new recordings. With foamies, I can't detect any spiked sibilance. I'm also baffled at how you cope with sibilance on X10's as they are definitely more offensive at equal vol. with silicon tips! Would be interesting to hear your thoughts of how the IE8's compare to the PFE's as over the years I've noticed we share similar tastes and are both plagued by sibilance! I'm a little surprised the black filters do no have enough midbass for you, though I suppose with silicones they are still pretty transparent, with foamies midbass is definitely more apparent.

Have to agree on the harshness and the X10s vs. the PFEs with black filters. I was messing around last night and popped the X10s into the Minibox (had been listening to the PFEs with olives and silicone, and the gray filters, mind you), and the X10s (with the bi-flange sleeves) seemed more harsh at the same volume using the same tracks. Could have been the amp, I guess. But I don't think so. I also favor the PFEs over the X10s, as to me the former deliver much cleaner, clearer mids and highs and detail, without harshness. And I am happy with the bass, don't miss the X10 bass much.

 

[dfkt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreatDane /img/forum/go_quote.gif Tonight I'm promising myself a treat. I will be pairing the PFE with my WA3 for the first time...finally. It should be good considering how much I've liked it with ER4.

Should be really nice... they sound fine on my WA6 (but as I said before, they don't sound bad with anything, they are among the least picky IEMs I know of).

 

[jon77]

Does anyone know where I can get a quality right angle adapter for the 3.5mm jack of the Phonak? Preferably in the UK

 

[oarnura]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif I find the bass to be the same with black or grey, but the mids and highs are tamer with the black filters. This results in turning up the volume knob to match the mid and high volume to where it was before, at which point the bass is greater.

My sentiments exactly... I have even said as much before. I am in the Grey camp too.. I have listened to the black ones and like them too but not as much as the Grey ones.

 

[skeptic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreatDane /img/forum/go_quote.gif Tonight I'm promising myself a treat. I will be pairing the PFE with my WA3 for the first time...finally. It should be good considering how much I've liked it with ER4.

I love my WA3, but my understanding, per the comments on this site and the disclaimer on Woo's website, is that the WA3 (and OTL tube amps in general) are not well matched with low impedance phones.

Am I under a misimpression in this regard? I know the WA6 is supposed to do justice to low impedance, high current cans, and to a lesser extent the WA3+ has been modified to perform better than the WA3 with a low impedance load. But at 32 ohms, the pfe + WA3 seems an unlikely combo, given that this amp is generally thought to excel with Beyers (250Ω/600Ω) and full sized Senns (300Ω). I will be curious indeed to read up on the results of your undertaking.

 

[epithetless]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have to agree on the harshness and the X10s vs. the PFEs with black filters. I was messing around last night and popped the X10s into the Minibox (had been listening to the PFEs with olives and silicone, and the gray filters, mind you), and the X10s (with the bi-flange sleeves) seemed more harsh at the same volume using the same tracks. Could have been the amp, I guess. But I don't think so. I also favor the PFEs over the X10s, as to me the former deliver much cleaner, clearer mids and highs and detail, without harshness. And I am happy with the bass, don't miss the X10 bass much.

It's interesting...While I do find the X10 grainier and less clean than the PFE when it comes to edgy sibilants (with a bit more sssmearing going on), I don't find them spiking up as high. It's almost as if there's some sort of magical limiter dropping the dB down just enough to keep them from hitting too hard. With the PFE, the spikes seem to go higher at times (perhaps because the overall sound is so crystal clear and unshrouded by midbass). Still, I wouldn't classify the PFE as an excessively sibilant set of earphones, even to my sibilance-sensitive ears. It's certainly not as piercing as my (soon to be for sale?) W3 can be.

There's probably the familiarity factor working in the X10's favor as well...I've enjoyed its strengths and accepted its flaws for some time now, and its extra warmth and impact are hard to part with on my daily commutes. It may become the case that my PFE finds a place in quiet listening environments while my X10 continues to ably serve as on-the-go 'phones. I'm eager to see what the IE8 sounds like after a good round of burn-in, too...

 

[bernado]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jon77 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Does anyone know where I can get a quality right angle adapter for the 3.5mm jack of the Phonak? Preferably in the UK

You've got 2 options really - either an adaptor plug (I think you'll find quality is pretty much of a muchness with these) or an adaptor lead, where there does seem to be more scope for varying qualities. You'll find both types here - FEL Leads and Adaptors
I've never ordered from this site so can't vouch for the quality, but looking at their home page, they seems pro orientated.
Did you get your phones today? You like?