[oicdn]

I'm curious to see where this sits. Most people when doing a vs. just say "well, IEMS are more intimate" but it never really goes past that other than "Full sizers have a bigger soundstage"....I don't care about isolation or the lack there of, aesthetics, or size. Hell, not even easily driven.

So, does say a $1K headphone stand up to a $1000 IEM or am I way off base here?

Example, PS1, or Ed. 9 vs UE10 or UE11.

And I'm not talking necessarily those specific cans either, I'm talking in general, for the dollar, which is a better buy with SQ being the bottom and only line? Again BOTTOM line, at the end of the day....doesn't matter the road you took to get there (mods, custom iems, whatever), all that matters is, how it is.

 

[oicdn]

nothing?

 

[facelvega]

I'd say the ratio is generally about 2:1, in that you need to spend twice as much for a pair of IEMs as for full-sized headphones at the same level. However, a full-size headphone will always be fundamentally better than an IEM for a certain level of reality in that it uses the pinna and can allow controlled backwave back toward the ear.

 

[project_gt]

it's unnesessary to compary IME and Headphones just like F1 and Rolls RoyS

 

[wnmnkh]

For price per ratio performance.. IMO....

open fullsize > closed fullsize > IEM > earphones

 

[Torula Yeast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by facelvega /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd say the ratio is generally about 2:1, in that you need to spend twice as much for a pair of IEMs as for full-sized headphones at the same level. However, a full-size headphone will always be fundamentally better than an IEM for a certain level of reality in that it uses the pinna and can allow controlled backwave back toward the ear.

I personally agree with this statement, espcecially the second sentence.

BUT -- I'd also qualify that this can be very subjective, as I've traded posts here with those who prefer hands-down the way sound is delivered via IEMs vs. headphones.

Me, I prefer the involvement of the outer ear so much as to state that I value, say, the Grado SR125s over the Shure e530s, if all else is given as equal.

But, when I *do* take in such considerations as ability to block out exterior noise, I'll take my Shures onto the bus vs. my Grado GS1000s eleven times outta ten.

 

[oicdn]

So is it an environmental factor that determines which bottom line is better?

 

[krmathis]

I completely agree with 'facelvega'.
That a ratio of 2:1 can be used in most cases. Since full-sized headphones give a higher amount of sound quality for the money than IEM's.

 

[ab_ba]

Valuable discussion so far, folks. Thanks.

I only own SE530's and I have been considering buying HD 650's. Hoping for a bigger, more immersive sound (when at home, of course.) The 530's sound perfect, but somehow, tiny.

Anyone have experience with both? Will the HD 650's really sound twice as good? (They are around the same price right now, so if the 2:1 ratio applies, I should be in bliss...)

 

[jinx20001]

its been touted that the hd650 and se530 sound very alike, similar sound signature and may perform similar with the same music. you will get better detail presentation with the shures, as armatures usually display detail better. On the other hand the hd650 will give a wider soundstage with better overall immersion and give more impactful bass. are the hd650 twice as good as the se530?...i dont think so, but they are certainly good value for money.

you have got to remember the se530 are made to be portable, they are much smaller and tougher to make and much harder to tune hence the price. in the technology world smaller is always more expensive due to it being a more complicated process and difficult to achieve.

another example of this is desktops vs. laptops. the desktop will perform much better most of the time for cheaper but then again you cant pick it up and take it with you hence the complication and price of laptops.

 

[The D]

Imo my Triple Fi 10 Pros sound so much better than my AD700 which cost about half the price, so at least for me the 2:1 ratio does not work.

 

[SBD]

You can't really say the headphones sound better but they will sound a bit more "real". If you count grados, maybe 2:1 is a good estimate. If you think of it simply, sound comes out of both of them and you can kind of judge just by that image what the difference is per price.

 

[ab_ba]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinx20001 /img/forum/go_quote.gif its been touted that the hd650 and se530 sound very alike, similar sound signature and may perform similar with the same music. you will get better detail presentation with the shures, as armatures usually display detail better. On the other hand the hd650 will give a wider soundstage with better overall immersion and give more impactful bass. are the hd650 twice as good as the se530?...i dont think so, but they are certainly good value for money.

Yup, this makes sense to me: that two high-end headphones would sound similar. Seems to me the goal of a headphone is to render the actual recording as accurately as possible - the better the phones, the closer to perfectly transparent they should come. Thus, two good headphones should sound similar to one another.

Anyway, once my HD 650's arrive I'll weigh in with my own thoughts about that ratio!

 

[WindowsX]

Well, that depends on listener's experiences:
-bass lover (didn't meant to say loving bass is bad but most beginners like this most)
-music lover (listen to the taste of music you like)
-audiophile wannabe (journey to audiophile level where you're seeking for more details, soundstage, etc.)
-audiophile listening (where you subtled your preferences to audiophile level, ability to distungish between full instrument and lossy instruments)
-high fideility listening (where you seek for possibility to archive sound you believe it's most original to the nature)
-acoustic listening (where you seek for relaxed but yet surreal listening where your biases to taste of music tone are left off.)

More experiences, higher ratio. That's what I can say for now.

 

[rawashdeh]

This is interesting. I always thought that IEM's for a lower price would beat a full size can in details and bass ( maybe not soundstage though) due to it's Better seal and delivery. That's kinda why I am going from an akg 81 DJ to super.fi 5 pro's. Am I mistaken or maybe when you get to higher end cans it reverses?