[epithetless]

Quote:

Originally Posted by communic /img/forum/go_quote.gif Havn;t used the phonaks outside yet but I do think I will miss the midbass hump as I do believe it to be an essential component to pleasurable listening when the ambient air isn't still but detrimental when it is.

Communic, when you get a chance to use your Phonaks outside, I'd love to read your thoughts on them in that setting (to see if your predictions hold true).

 

[tstarn06]

Interesting perspective, and not at all a surprise. I can understand someone preferring the Audeos over a top tier universal IEM. In fact, I may someday feel the same. Not right now.

As I noted, with tinkering (tips, EQ), the W3s sound pretty awesome to me. There is a reverberation factor (is that warmth?) that is missing with the Audeos. But I can completely understand preferring the Phonak sound signature over that, based on preference. Do you think you got the best sound from the W3s? Just curious. No doubt you did, but it can take time to "find" it. Agree that sometimes you don't feel like having to do that. But since my wife bought me the W3s, I felt I had to give them a very, very fair, thorough audition. Glad I did.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Confispect /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well I guess I’m a 'precise listener' because to me the Phonaks beat the Shure530's and the W3's just my personal opinion. I have a friend who has the W3 we traded for a week. I go to get my Phonaks he says their better and asks can he keep them.....So I’m not the only one I disagree with Headphoneaddict to me the W3's are not superior I used to like the mid bass hump in phones in general. But the Phonaks changed all that it sounds clean and punchy....and true. The Phonaks can do bass just needs the black filters or a little eqing....The bass is extremely punchy even when you turn EQ it up it sounds clean without over clouding the mids or the highs. It sounds clean and clear I like the fact it does not sugarcoat stuff. If the record does not sound good then you will hear just had bad it sounds. If it sounds good you will be smiling the whole time you’re listening to it. Bad records wow I felt like shooting metallica for one of their bad sounding songs (Not going to mention which one). Anyhow, I feel as if the Phonaks are better then say the Shures530s,W3's I mean they won Editors review plus if you take a look at Martins spreadsheet they were rated higher then the Shure530's. (By the way me listening with no filters, I guess is just my perference....I agree with all the opinions on this way of listening. They sound overly bright indeed, but I agree with whoever said that sound without the filters is moredetailed.... .)

 

[mambo5]

i think changing the filters is a pain. Can anyone comment on the filters? or how often to replace them?
or is it like the er6i where you rarely have to change to filters?

 

[tstarn06]

On the issue of outdoor use, I tried using the Audeos last week on a train, but they sounded overwhelmed by outside noise. I switched to the W3s. But today, for the first time, I tried the medium silicone stock sleeves and made sure I had a good seal, and with the Touch and no amp, they held up very well with the sounds (traffic, sirens) of the Independence Mall neighborhood, where I live. So I guess the seal I got with the foamies was not a good one, cause they do isolate well. I also had to crank the Touch up to about 80 percent, which was not ear damage loud, but loud enough to overcome the city sounds.

Quote:

Originally Posted by communic /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd have to agree, most iems including dynamic and armature based ones are not so indifferent that a comparison is not warranted even going to the extent of stating what is better dependent on the particular owners preferences. If you were going to compare W3's to Senn HD800's then that would be something different all together! Going back to the Phonaks, I am indeed a bit of a basshead at heart but most if not all of my iems have had copious midbass in comparison, even the pretty much transparent x10's. There is something quite alluring about the clean bass with the Phonaks. I used to think clean bass came hand-in-hand with low punch for iems based on the few I have used with those qualities. The phonaks do indeed dispel that previous thought as they do pack a punch so to speak. If you are not indeed a midbass whore then I can see why some people may prefer the phonaks to the w3's or similar midbass accentuated iems. Havn;t used the phonaks outside yet but I do think I will miss the midbass hump as I do believe it to be an essential component to pleasurable listening when the ambient air isn't still but detrimental when it is. Oh and @ tsarn, I didn'y bother using the included T130s but put on a fresh pair of T100 slims as I wasnt sure I would like the audeos as I thought they mght sound too sterile so wanted to have all tips unused in case I was going to return/sell them. Might try the T130's at a later date but they look similar in size to T400 shorts and if so are slightly more uncomfortable than the T100's albeit at the expense of a slightly better seal.

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mambo5 /img/forum/go_quote.gif i think changing the filters is a pain. Can anyone comment on the filters? or how often to replace them? or is it like the er6i where you rarely have to change to filters?

I agree that the filter changing is kind of annoying (the process, not the fact it exists). But I doubt they will have to be changed as much as the er6i, which as I recall, at least for me, seemed to need a lot of filter changing. Not the same with the im716s, which are similar. Just the er6is.

 

[Confispect]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Interesting perspective, and not at all a surprise. I can understand someone preferring the Audeos over a top tier universal IEM. In fact, I may someday feel the same. Not right now. As I noted, with tinkering (tips, EQ), the W3s sound pretty awesome to me. There is a reverberation factor (is that warmth?) that is missing with the Audeos. But I can completely understand preferring the Phonak sound signature over that, based on preference. Do you think you got the best sound from the W3s? Just curious. No doubt you did, but it can take time to "find" it. Agree that sometimes you don't feel like having to do that. But since my wife bought me the W3s, I felt I had to give them a very, very fair, thorough audition. Glad I did.

Hmmm I see I just appreciate the precise feel of it. Nothing added to the music spectrum and nothing taken away from it. It feels as if this is the way the music was meant to sound. That’s why bad recording sound worse and good recording sound...better. I used to like the warmth that headphones added the Shure530's being one of them along side the W3's. They do add to it. I agree there’s particular warmth there but I noticed that certain 'added' part due to some phones missing in the Phonaks as well.

But I believe the result to taking out this added warmth that was never there in the first place on the recording is excellent. That’s why the filters were included....to add the warmth to a certain extent. That is why I prefer to listen to them without filters. Cleaner sound, louder, more detailed, lose some quantity, and gain some quality. Eqing does wonders play with it to get the detail you want.

On the filter side of things it's not annoying to me even when I do find the use for them. I don't constantly change between the grey and the black. Why? I don't see any need for this inconvenience. When I felt the need to use filters I would put them in then listen to my music. Unless I was testing to see which I preferred over the other. Clean issues with the filters does not seem to pose as a problem. They see to stay clean even when my friend returned the phones caked with earwax. The earwax somehow managed to stay on the tips it didn't even reach the insides of the in ear.

(Side note: When ever listening without filters earwax is still not a big dilemma because of the way the phones were constructed. The hole that the music emits from is about a centimeter or two deep inside the actual phones due to a sort of resting spot created for the filters to sit on. Meaning earwax would get caught on the edges or the phone or around the hole, not go down the hole. Concerning filter replacement I don't think they will need to be replaced in a while even if you dirty them up (Highly unlikely) then you can listen to them without the filters. The filters are a necessity to change the way the sound is perceived. Therefore, you don't really have to use them....

)

 

[ngsm13]

Mine will be here tomorrow...

Curious to hear them and compare to my iM716's... will be using RB'd Sansa e270 to test.

nG

 

[Ricey20]

Anyone have any thoughts about using these as a workout IEM? Would there be problems with sweat going into the cover you take off to change the filters?

 

[tstarn06]

Should be good workout phones.

 

[MGbert]

Just wondering... I looked all over the Phonak website (ot thought I did) and found no clue about the "SAVE10" code. I'm grateful that someone posted it here, but I feel a bit like a dunce. How did you guys find out about it?

 

[i_don't_know]

Google.

 

[GreatDane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricey20 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyone have any thoughts about using these as a workout IEM? Would there be problems with sweat going into the cover you take off to change the filters?

I agree, they would make a fine workout IEM. I've used several different IEMs for high movement activities and I rarely have issues with keeping a proper seal.

I think the silicone ear guides will help unless you find them uncomfortable. I've decided to use them because it helps me get a good fit/seal. I'm using the medium silicone tips.

If you have a good seal I can't imagine sweat getting past the tips, into your ear. The only way that I can see there being a problem is if you often remove the IEM and reinsert while you're sweating. Even so, I think you'd have to be sweating like a garden hose to "flood" into the filter area.

To change filters you simply remove the silicone/foam tip and the filter is revealed. It really is a simple process as long as you have steady hands. I've changed my filters 4 times so far experimenting between Grey and Black and they're still in perfect condition. Be sure to read the manual where it describes the removal/installation process.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

My point of comparisons is trying to place where the Phonak sit relative to other universal IEM. The only IEM I have heard that I like more than the Phonak are my custom IEM and my Westone 3, with the Image X10 and Nuforce NE-7M closely below that. I'm not sure any of the others are worth messing with anymore. That is meant as high praise for the Phonak.

To me, the Phonak do some things better than the Image X10 and other things just as well, and I would prefer them more than the X10 in general because of the uncolored bass and lower mids, and more extended treble. This is important because I felt the X10 were better than the stock SE530 and Triple.fi 10 Pro, as well as most other universal IEM costing less. What I am looking for in an IEM is the ability to be exquisitely transparent and get out of the way of the music, with natural tone, and power and conveyance of the real performance. Previously I thought that in an IEM that experience could only be obtained by the UE11 Pro, based on reports I've read. Then I got my Westone 3 and that changed.

I feel my Westone 3 are at the top of the heap with a fully immersive and involving transportation into the performance, and sounds as impressive as an Edition 9 but in an IEM package (with iMod/Vcaps/Pico). They can be almost mesmerizing like the Edition 9, and you get lost in the performance until the CD is over. They bring the weight and presence of the performance to me. Live performances can have a visceral effect on the listener, and the Westone 3 are the first universal IEM to bring me that full size power and intensity. I knew that was the case when I heard them the first time in Oct 2007, during a visit to Westone when I brought my SE530 with me and compared the two.

As others have stated, with the wrong earphone tips, the wrong ear position or the wrong source/amp the W3 can have an over-bearing bass. For others that can result in sibilance instead, or both. But I think the majority of W3 listeners feel the way I do, and I understand that not everyone does - that is why we have choices. Some people gravitate toward HD650 and others gravitate toward K701, some to the Edition 9 or to the Stax SR-007. We'll never solve that argument about which is better. Same with IEM.

Back to the Phonak. After listening to them since Friday, so far I feel the Phonak belong in the top tier Universal IEM, alongside the likes of Image X10, SE530, Triple.fi 10 Pro, ER4, and only beaten by the Westone 3 (or my custom IEM). For those not planning to spend $400 on an IEM, I see no point in spending $300 on SE530 or Triple.fi, when the Phonak can be had for half that cost. The SE530 were very transparent but lacked treble extension, and the Triple.fi had strong bass and treble, but lacked transparency to me. I don't have specific complaints about the Phonak Audeo yet, although I may find something later, but for now they are my "go to iPhone IEM with mic". If anything happens to them I will be happy to use my NE-7M as backup without complaint as well.

 

[Laokid18]

Thanks for your thoughts HeadphoneAddict, The only other iems I had were the SE310s and The Phonaks best them in almost every aspect.

 

[jonathanjong]

Wow, this is like the longest-running post I've started. Crazy. I don't even own a pair of these.