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PortaPro's vs Canalphones?

Jun 28, 2005 at 11:59 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 8
khollister

khollister

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This is probably going to seem like a pretty goofy question, but...

I am currently llistening to my iPod with Koss PortaPro's. I am considering getting some IEM's (Shure/UE/Westone) and after reading all of the reviews & comments, I still can't put everything into perspective. Namely, when everyone talks about the E5c & super.fi5Pro being bassy & warm, will I agree with this characterization compared to PortaPro's? While I could certainly use something with more openess and "air" and a little tighter bass, I do not want something that sounds a lot "leaner" or sterile. since I do not where to try any of these things, I want to try an get in the ballpark before buying.

Just for calibration, the non-portable rig is Rega Planet, Cardas, HR-2 & HD600's. Again - great sounding, but wouldn't want anything any leaner or brighter.

Thanks

Keith
 
Jun 29, 2005 at 11:26 PM Post #5 of 8
"the e4c sounds a lot better to me than the porta pro with an ipod in all respects."

Does this mean you belive the PortaPro is too warm/wooly and the E4c is more neutral, or that the E4c is actually similar to the PortaPro in bass & midrange body?

Another data point - I recently replaced my 1G 10GB iPod with the 60GB color. They sound significantly different to me. The old one was certainly a little overly warm & dull with the PortaPros unamped. The new one is more open, has tighter bass (with more extension) and sounds closer to neutral to me. It also has a little more "edge" May still be in some sort of breakin of the iPod electronics.

Based on the average of the E4c comments I've seen, I had the impression that they were leaner/brighter than the E2 or E3's. I also assumed this would put them to the bright side of the Koss. I recall some posts complaining that the E4's were pretty bass light. Of course I also recall some raving about the bass. I do NOT want an overly analytical sound.

For the curious, I rip with EAC on my old PC and then convert to 224b ACC in Itunes on my Mac.
 
Jun 30, 2005 at 12:23 AM Post #6 of 8
khollister,

i use a 60 gb photo ipod too & find the e4c bass pretty good & tight. but i use the line out via a pocket dock with a hard wired moon audio blue dragon cable & an sr-71 amp. the e4c is not as detailed as the ety er4s but it has more bass. i personally prefer the ety er4s for it's detail over bass. the porta pro sounds kinda unpleasant to me. it has more bass than the e4c but it is not better & if the porta pro is more detailed it is harsh for me to listen to & it seems sonically unbalanced, imo. maybe the highs are harsh or something. i have not been abe to listen to it long enough to pin it down. i find the porta pro very fatiguing & the e4c sounds more natural & relaxing & i can listen to it. the porta pro is edgy to me where the e4c is warm but not especially detailed like the ety & it has good tight bass. i did some comparitive listening last night with both cans in my ipod rig. the conclusion is i am going to give away the porta pro, keep the e4c as a backup for the ety 4s & try a px100 as a substitute for the porta pro for non-canal phone portability. also, the porta pro is also 1/4th the street price of the e4c. i just can't listen to the porta pro at all whereas the e4c is very enjoyable. i have never heard any of the other shure eXc's so i can not comment on them.
 
Jun 30, 2005 at 12:49 AM Post #7 of 8
Stevieo -

Thanks for the details. I have a pocketdock on order, and while I have an HR-2 for my HD600's, I just bought a used Airhead to play with for the portable - not ready to spring $400 for the SR-71.

Keith
 
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