[Richdel]

I am a noob to the world of audiophile headphones. Spent the last month reading all I could here, and took the plunge on a mSeed Spirit portable amp this past week. I have been using a Creative Zen Plus 4GB Flash player as my source, with a pair of Koss Sportapro's as headphones. The Sportapro's are my running headphones, but have been doing double duty while I try and decide on what IEM I want to purchase. I narrowed it down to 3, UE SP5, Atrios M5/M8, and the Q-jays. Because of the fit issues, I have scratched the UE SP5's off the list. That leave me with just the M5 and Q-jays.

I know I will probably purchase both eventually, but I need to purchase one to start with. I think I would like to purchase the Q-jays, but I am not sure if they are finally shipping. I haven't seen too many reviews from those who claim they are purchasing as soon as they are available. SQ and comfort are primary cooncerns, more so then $$$. I listen to Classic Rock, ABB, Gov't Mule, DTB, and other types of electric blues. Are the Q-jays a good fit for this type of music? Maybe the M5's? Not a basshead, but do like to hear a tight bassline prominent in the music. Are either of the above a good match with the mSeed? I wish we had a local head-fi shop where I could testdrive all the cans that are mentioned at this site, but we don't.

Any and all help appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Inks]

Of the two, there seems to be no real winner. Both are considered to function differently, Q-jays are more detail revealing, while the Atrios have a warmer sound (prominent bass) without losing a lot of clarity. The fit of the q-jays seems to be better, but they are more fatiguing,sound wise. Whereas the Atrios are praised for not having a fatiguing sound that most armatures have.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...t=q-jays+atrio

Thread above might, help. I also suggest using the search function next time, info you seek can be found by searching.

 

[cooperpwc]

Of course, if you can afford both and $$ aren't the issue, you might skip both and buy Westone 3s. I have never heard the Atrios but I've heard the q-Jays and Westone 3s and the latter are remarkable for an IEM. They have a big can sound.

Having said this, who know when the Westone 3s will be available... Jays told me that I can get the q-Jays from their Hong Kong distributor right around now (or so they said in an email a couple of weeks ago). I'll probably get the q-Jays since they are great value, available, and I also found them to be incredibly comfortable and easy to use.

 

[ENT]

I have not tried the q-jays, but I was in your situation about 2 weeks ago. I ended up going with the M5s and could not be happier, absolutely love them. I like bass however - and ever after burning them in for awhile they definitely hit the deep bass and leave nothing to be desired (bass wise). I am sure either way you'll enjoy your choice - and no one can differentiate between two except yourself so maybe just try them both!!

 

[LaBreaHead]

The M5's aren't bassy at the expense of other ranges ... if the bass is there, they'll convey it. But they're not like sticking rumbling subwoofers in your ears on songs that don't require it. And they are certainly sonically nonfatiguing. I'm certainly very happy with mine.

The Jays look great ... the two would be different in the way that a Harley Davidson (M5s) would be different from a Ducati (Jays). Just different ways of going about the same function.



__________________________
Phones (in order of purchase):
Sony MDR71, Sony MDR51, Etymotic ER6, Panasonic RP-HJ50, Shure E3C, Koss PortaPro 2, Creative EP630, Etymotic ER6i, Sennheiser PX-100, Sennheiser HD555, Future Sonics Atrio M5

 

[athenaesword]

lol i'm caught in the same fix bro and i feel ya.

hurts like hell not being able to decide which to get. driving ya nuts ain't it? same as you. good luck making up your mind cus i know i haven't.

now just to add to your misery, over the past 2 weeks i started to think of the denon ah-c700 over the m5s as well. so i'm warring between the denons and qjays. they seem to be doing pretty well. all of the m5s and a little more. heh.

 

[Caribou679]

lol! I sometime have "attack of the best" symptom and I try to let it pass.

I own a M8 and very happy with them. Then I read about the Q-jays and the C700 and they have something "a bit better" in this aspect and the bass is this and mid-treble that...

I am sure in the 3 iems mentionned here you will find "Nirvanna or the Holy Grail" for you.

I could change for another pair but ...I feel the bug is leaving me...

 

[Aevum]

i had to make the same choice last week when i decided to stop using my Mylarone X3´s, in the end after examening everything, the thing that tilted me towards the M5 was a private conversation with one of the head-fi members who tested the q-JAYS and compared them to his own M5, and he thought that the M5 was slightly better,

btw, just to avoid confusion, the M8 is blue with a black ring, the M5 is black with a blue ring, internaly its the same headphone, the M3 on the other hand is a draconian looking IEM that futuresonics use to make

 

[Caribou679]

which one did you get, the M5 or M8?

have you received them yet?

regards,

 

[athenaesword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aevum /img/forum/go_quote.gif i had to make the same choice last week when i decided to stop using my Mylarone X3´s, in the end after examening everything, the thing that tilted me towards the M5 was a private conversation with one of the head-fi members who tested the q-JAYS and compared them to his own M5, and he thought that the M5 was slightly better, btw, just to avoid confusion, the M8 is blue with a black ring, the M5 is black with a blue ring, internaly its the same headphone, the M3 on the other hand is a draconian looking IEM that futuresonics use to make

who was this incredible gentlemen/lady who managed to save you from the insanity of indecision?

maybe i should talk to him/her myself ^^ or you could tell me how did he/she convince you.

 

[Richdel]

Thanks for the input.
Yeah after all the reading I have done, I was pretty sure
both the Atrios and Q-jays camps would have their sides
well represented. I see there are others struggling with the
same decision. I also looked at the SE500 that have been popping
up on the net for ~250.00, but the deeals seemed so hit and miss that
I just ruled them out. I just wish there was a larger sampling of
review for the Q-jays, since thats where I tend to lean.

cooperpwc: the westones do sound as though they are going to
be a terrific headphone, but again for me is the wait. If I knew that 30 days from now they would be available, I would keep on with the Sportapros.
But so much seems to hang in the air.

athenaesword: yeah, I had read where folks were really digging the denons.
For me, I felt like I had finally narrowed the search, and didn't even
bother to look and read any further. Now, maybe I need to...

 

[athenaesword]

hmm i don't have much clout to giving a review right now but from reading the qjay/denon individual reviews these past weeks. all i can gather is that the qjay supporters are pretty neutral about their product. more of a "alright they're not bad" kinda feel, as compared to the more "i love these phones!" denon lot.

but that's just what i've gathered. might be wrong.. i myself am looking to more fun phones, and the denons seem to be it. i'm really attracted by the form factor of the qjays though.. so... am still undecided. i'll get to audition the qjays in 2 days time so i'll see what i think of them then

one of my consolations for getting the denons over the qjays now is that pricewise, they're already cheaper, and not likely to drop any further since they've been out for quite some time now.. the qjays on the other hand, r relatively new to the market, and probably will see a price dip within the next half year or so. it's never really worth it getting a first edition product as the price would be very much subject to market response

 

[athenaesword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cooperpwc /img/forum/go_quote.gif Of course, if you can afford both and $$ aren't the issue, you might skip both and buy Westone 3s. I have never heard the Atrios but I've heard the q-Jays and Westone 3s and the latter are remarkable for an IEM. They have a big can sound. Having said this, who know when the Westone 3s will be available... Jays told me that I can get the q-Jays from their Hong Kong distributor right around now (or so they said in an email a couple of weeks ago). I'll probably get the q-Jays since they are great value, available, and I also found them to be incredibly comfortable and easy to use.

how do we purchase from the hongkong distributor? would it be priced the same as audiocubes? i believe audiocubes ships from hongkong as well so not sure if it'd be much of a difference.

and the answer TS's doubts about shipping, yes they've shipped.

 

[tstarn06]

Just wanted to chime in on this, since I own both the Denons and the M5s. I initially got swept up in the "Denon is a better M5" thing, but the more I go back to the Atrios, the more they appeal to me. I know some folks who favor the Denons might think I am bonkers, but I seem to have to adjust the EQ on the Denons on some cuts (due to mids/highs being a little too bright for me), but head to head, the Atrios handle the same songs just fine. Agree with all the comments about the Atrio bass signature, it's not boom-box, it's just very effective, smooth, effective bass that pleases the ear.

Anyway, I am not even looking at the q-Jays (enough already!!!), especially because the Yuin PK1s (ear buds) are my overall favorite portable phones (when using an amp). If no amp, I still have the M5s and, yes, even the Denons (which I was thinking about selling, but just can't make the move because I want to give them a better chance). Also, I moved to the Shure orange foam tips for the Denons (thanks HeadphoneAddict) and that has helped comfort-wise. That was another issue for me, the Denon silicone tips bother my ears, but the foamies do not. The Atrios, with the Shure olives, are very, very comfy, especially for IEMs.

 

[cn11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richdel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the input. Yeah after all the reading I have done, I was pretty sure both the Atrios and Q-jays camps would have their sides well represented. I see there are others struggling with the same decision. I also looked at the SE500 that have been popping up on the net for ~250.00, but the deeals seemed so hit and miss that I just ruled them out. I just wish there was a larger sampling of review for the Q-jays, since thats where I tend to lean. cooperpwc: the westones do sound as though they are going to be a terrific headphone, but again for me is the wait. If I knew that 30 days from now they would be available, I would keep on with the Sportapros. But so much seems to hang in the air. athenaesword: yeah, I had read where folks were really digging the denons. For me, I felt like I had finally narrowed the search, and didn't even bother to look and read any further. Now, maybe I need to...

Or you could pick up a set of the Denon AH-C700 from Amazon now for the wait! You can hardly do better for $132. Amazing canalphones- great for quickness...so easy to put in & get situated.

I plan on waiting a while too to read the reviews come in on the Westone 3... but after a while I think that will be my next addition.