[Rman3008]

I'm looking to get a new IEM somewhere between 100 and 150 dollars to replace my CX 300.

What I like about the CX 300
- Good bass
- Comfort (use small tips)
- Low Impedance
- Takes a good beating (put it in pocket, no problem)
- 90 degree plug

What I didn't like
- Bad treble
- Problems with right earbud not working after a few months

Musical choice: mostly alternative rock and pop, some industrial rock,

Current choices: UE Super fi 5 Pro, UE Super fi 5 EB, Atrio M5, Denon C700, Westone UM1

I've researched a ton but I thought maybe you guys could help me out a bit more.

 

[NeObliviscaris]

I'd go the SF5 personally, altho comfort may be an issue, in which case UM1

 

[TKO]

I upgraded from the Sennheiser CX300 to the Super.fi 5 Pro and there was a very noticeable difference in sound (e.g. 2 separate drivers). I have problems with the fitting of them and have tried just about every mod and different tip to get them to fit better. Ended up buying some Comply T-400s and that seems to do the trick quite nicely.

Cheers.

 

[ZarakiSan]

Don't get the Atrio's and the Denons, because they don't havce replaceable cables!

I think SF5Pro is quite the defacto standard here.

 

[bashot]

I never got on the SF5 bandwagon. I had a set of SF3 and I hated everything about them - it pretty well turned me off UE. I think the C700 is a remarkable little set of phones with a good DAP (I liked them with the Sony NWZ series and Ipod classic). I found them too tinny and bright out of a nano until I got an amp. If you can find them for $100 they'll bludgeon anything else in that price range. I haven't tried the others on your list so this is biased and I wont 'vote' on it, but from what I've heard I consider the C700 the perfect upgrade from the CX300.

 

[Mush]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bashot /img/forum/go_quote.gif I never got on the SF5 bandwagon. I had a set of SF3 and I hated everything about them - it pretty well turned me off UE. I think the C700 is a remarkable little set of phones with a good DAP (I liked them with the Sony NWZ series and Ipod classic). I found them too tinny and bright out of a nano until I got an amp. If you can find them for $100 they'll bludgeon anything else in that price range. I haven't tried the others on your list so this is biased and I wont 'vote' on it, but from what I've heard I consider the C700 the perfect upgrade from the CX300.

just because u bought the sf3 which is the worst phone ue offers doesnt mean u have to bash sf5s which u didnt state you tried so dont bash something that you havent tried...one bad iem/hp made by one company does not necessarily reflect on the other iem/hp for other models from the same company...so dont just one product with another please =]

 

[bashot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mush /img/forum/go_quote.gif just because u bought the sf3 which is the worst phone ue offers doesnt mean u have to bash sf5s which u didnt state you tried so dont bash something that you havent tried...one bad iem/hp made by one company does not necessarily reflect on the other iem/hp for other models from the same company... so dont just one product with another please =]

I never said a single negative remark about the sf5 or any other phone that I have not heard. I thought I clearly stated that I never tried them or any other phone on the list and for that reason I didn't vote. In fact... I know I clearly stated it and only brought up the SF5s because I'm part of the minority that have not used them. If you try to read what I wrote I simply said that I like the C700s but they do have limitations. I took the time to decipher what you've written and I expect the same courtesy from you.

 

[dranoel4190]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bashot /img/forum/go_quote.gif I never got on the SF5 bandwagon. I had a set of SF3 and I hated everything about them - it pretty well turned me off UE. I think the C700 is a remarkable little set of phones with a good DAP (I liked them with the Sony NWZ series and Ipod classic). I found them too tinny and bright out of a nano until I got an amp. If you can find them for $100 they'll bludgeon anything else in that price range. I haven't tried the others on your list so this is biased and I wont 'vote' on it, but from what I've heard I consider the C700 the perfect upgrade from the CX300.

you should try the sf5pro. imo the sf3 and sf5pro have very different sound sigs. i really hated my sf3 but loved my sf5pro.


to op, if you really like the cx300 sound sig, my best bet would be the sf5pro. but the problem would be comfort. i wont recommend the atrio m5 since im not impressed with its highs. you might wana try the cx400 or 500. imo they are a worthy upgrade from the cx300. and you can get them cheap at $50

 

[bashot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dranoel4190 /img/forum/go_quote.gif you should try the sf5pro. imo the sf3 and sf5pro have very different sound sigs. i really hated my sf3 but loved my sf5pro.

The size and fit of the SF3s was a major reason for me disliking them ('hate' really is too strong of a word) and the SF5 look very similar so I avoided them. I probably would have tried them at some point to see why the sound is so highly praised had I not picked up E500s first (now sold - I've moved away from armatures for the time being). I'll stop derailing this thread now.

 

[Rman3008]

It seems like its down to 3 choices then: Super fi 5, Atrio M5 and C700.

For Super fi: do you think the comply tips would be good enough to make them comfortable?

For Atrio M5: I hear a lot of good things about it but that there isn't enough clarity and that it doesn't have as much power as the Super fi 5. What do you guys think about this?

For C700: I hear that this is also very uncomfortable and has a bad fit.

Sorry to play devil's advocate with all of these potential complaints. I just want to find the phone with the least amount of problems.

I'll look at this thread for another day or two and then I'll make my decision.

Thanks again.

 

[neoufo51]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rman3008 /img/forum/go_quote.gif It seems like its down to 3 choices then: Super fi 5, Atrio M5 and C700. For Super fi: do you think the comply tips would be good enough to make them comfortable? For Atrio M5: I hear a lot of good things about it but that there isn't enough clarity and that it doesn't have as much power as the Super fi 5. What do you guys think about this? For C700: I hear that this is also very uncomfortable and has a bad fit. Sorry to play devil's advocate with all of these potential complaints. I just want to find the phone with the least amount of problems. I'll look at this thread for another day or two and then I'll make my decision. Thanks again.

The Denon C700 are compatible with the Comply T400 tips. Use these and you'll be much more comfortable and have a much better fit. I haven't had a problem with either comfort or fit with my Denons but the T400 tips made my Denons a much much much better canalphone by far. I'm sticking with them for as long as they last.

I've listened to the SF5 and there's not much bass to it. Not nearly as bass adept as the C700.

I've owned both the Atrio and the Denons and I can tell you that the build quality on the Denon's is far superior and the sound is overall much more detailed than the Atrios with the expense of some bass. I'd say that the Denon's have about 85-90% of the Atrio's punchy bass, though.

 

[FarCry]

You can also get audio technica CK7 for 67.5$ (without shipping). I did and i am very excited

 

[ecclesand]

I found that the Denon C551 was a great upgrade from the CX300 for me. Much more detail and great punchy bass. Is it the BEST upgrade? Probably not, but for the $50 cost it was more than worth it.

 

[voicemaster]

I have yet heard in this forum anyone that said C700 has bad fit and very uncomfortable. I still say C700 (better treble) or C551 (better bass) is a good upgrade over CX300 (there really is no "best" in phone imo because what sounds good to you might not sounds good to others). Even someone here might not like the sound of HD650 which one of the "best" headphone here.

 

[natural_nut]

I came from the CX300/ EP630 line as well, and the sf5pros were on my list as well, and so were the C700s. I didn't try the C700s, but I did demo the sf5pros (and loved them btw) but I took the plunge on the C700s. And I don't regret a single bit! I listened again to the sf5s and I prefer the C700s high range.