warehouse
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2008
- Posts
- 63
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- 10
Quote:
I think that this is the first time someone has told me that I wrote an excellent post! Thanks for the comment and the vote of confidence for resiting the urge to buy the IE8s. I was really drawn in my the terms "airy" and "sound stage" which describes some of the things I like. Fortunately I dug out some of my old Ella Fitzgerald mp3s to sample and could confirm that the PFEs can have a decent sound stage. Although it's not my normal listening material, I'm amazed that music that was recorded some 40 years ago can sound so good. Sure it's not the pure clean digital sound of today's music, but the dynamic sound stage really makes you feel like you're there and the PFEs do not disappoint.
I know that you IE8 folks will be chiming in now to tell me how much I'm missing and please go ahead, maybe I'll pick them up later when my other needs change, but for now I'm going to try to be happy that I found the PFEs.
| This is an an excellent post, in terms of outlining why someone chooses a particular IEM, and I am pretty much in the same boat (which makes it resonate even more for me). I nearly pulled the trigger on the IE8s last night for $223. I had even sold off some gear to finance them. But then, as I looked over my current collection, I realized I had to put on the brakes. For one, I only own the Westone 3s cause I got them as a gift. To me, they are not the perfect IEM, but I am keeping them. I love the SQ from both the PFEs and the Yuin PK3s (and use them for different reasons, of course). The Image X10s fill a comfort use role, albeit a small one, for when I am on the go in a hurry and don't want to fuss with over the ear (plus, my wife likes them for when we travel cause they have those teeny ear gels). And finally, now I have the Monster Turbines as a review model (through the Monster program), and after a 15 hours of burn-in, they are sounding very, very good (and like the IE8s, they are a dynamic phone, with more bass emphasis and wide soundstage). So now I need the IE8s? Nope. I can understand if you use IEMs all day long and only have 1-2 pair, the Senns make sense. But for me, with so much to choose from, it's silly to stay on some "must get the best" path. Last night, I got out the Westones, the PFEs and the Turbines, took turns listening to some revealing, high-bitrate tracks on the Touch via LOD and through the Minibox, and realized, "This is some great sound, across the board." Almost forgot, when I am sitting at my desk at home, I have the Grados as well, which allow me to hear the phone, the doorbell, etc. So no real need for isolation when sitting in the office. Plus, with the Class D amp and excellent vintage speakers I have, music sounds pretty good in my office the old-fashioned way too. So warehouse, while my decision to skip the IE8 and stick with the PFE is somewhat different from yours, I know exactly where you are coming from. |
I think that this is the first time someone has told me that I wrote an excellent post! Thanks for the comment and the vote of confidence for resiting the urge to buy the IE8s. I was really drawn in my the terms "airy" and "sound stage" which describes some of the things I like. Fortunately I dug out some of my old Ella Fitzgerald mp3s to sample and could confirm that the PFEs can have a decent sound stage. Although it's not my normal listening material, I'm amazed that music that was recorded some 40 years ago can sound so good. Sure it's not the pure clean digital sound of today's music, but the dynamic sound stage really makes you feel like you're there and the PFEs do not disappoint.
I know that you IE8 folks will be chiming in now to tell me how much I'm missing and please go ahead, maybe I'll pick them up later when my other needs change, but for now I'm going to try to be happy that I found the PFEs.
