austonia
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2002
- Posts
- 3,392
- Likes
- 16
just got some shure E2C I bought from the F/S forum, prompting me to compare the stuff on my desk
source : Nomad Zen, various albums/styles, all ripped with EAX/LAME alt-preset (these are not Kazaa crap).
4. MX500 ($10 - $20)
I used to think MX500 were good 6 months ago. well, I'm about to throw them away this moment. I havn't messed with them in awhile, using KSC-35's for portable. Listening to the MX500's now, they are absolutely terrible. muddy, smeared sound.
3. Shure E2C ($70 - $100)
definately better than the MX500's. Clearer. But I was dissapointed with the audio quality right away. they are a little difficult to put on, but once on, they stay on securely, and no microphonics. thick durable cords. you wrap the cord over your ears and tighten the slack behind your head. good seal, no problem. sound... well, its less than what I feel is "good enough to use regularly" meaning, i'm not going to keep them. the have less resolution than ety's and it sounds a little "confusing" in comparison. they just don't sound very musical or realistic, i mean it sounds like I'm listening to a recording. But looking on the package, they seem more intended for live musicians, not audio nuts. isolation is respectable (nearly as good as ety), so maybe they would be more acceptable in a noisy environment. they just don't sound "good" to me - they are a step up from the MX500, and decent build quality, but not really enjoyable for criticle listening. They are relatively cheap... but I guess I'm used to something better now, like...
2. Etymotic ER4S ($200 - $300)
I got these things used, less than a month ago, and have about 15-20 hours using them off and on. immediately you will notice how high resolution they are. and there is little visceral bass. but, I've come to *really* like them, i can make out lyrics that were just jibber-jabber to me before. vocals sounds so clear and clean on these things. "Microphonic" noise has been a problem for some people, but I've got them rigged up with clips on the wire from each driver, so they clip to my collar. eliminates all microphonics and I can head bob and move around with no noise at all, nice! the one clip that comes standard is terribly uneffective at reducing the microphonics by itself. OK, so ety's do cost 3 times as much as the E2C, but its a different league. In comparison, the ety's are crystal clear, and considerably more musical and realistic. everything, like guitar plucks and foot taps, can be heard on recordings. they do take some getting used to, having stuff jammed up your ear, but get used to it, and it's well worth it. these are my top choice for portable headphones, especially for noisy places since they are completely isolating. To top it off they are very portable, as I can fit the both drivers, all the clips and cords in a altoids tin.
1. Koss KSC-35 ($30)
these have been my favorite open-type portable headphone for a long while now. The KSC-35 can fit in any pocket and you hardly know they are there, tough too. The Koss-35/PortaPro have a good mix of clarity, midrange, and visceral bass. I find them enjoyable cheapies, but the bass does seems to be ever-present (especially next the ety's). They are still very enjoyable and can put out some amazing lows for electronic beats, drums and such. So, i would say a bassy accentuation that goes well with certain kinds of music, but could be unwanted in others. vocals are decent with good extension, but, they still sound like a recording next to the Etymotics. So, I'd take the Ety's every time I want to hear a beautiful voice like Norah Jones, but I'll take the Koss 35 for when I need some of Aphrodite's Drum n Bass. basically, you can't have it all with these phones, but for the size and price, these are unparelled.
well, thats all
source : Nomad Zen, various albums/styles, all ripped with EAX/LAME alt-preset (these are not Kazaa crap).
4. MX500 ($10 - $20)
I used to think MX500 were good 6 months ago. well, I'm about to throw them away this moment. I havn't messed with them in awhile, using KSC-35's for portable. Listening to the MX500's now, they are absolutely terrible. muddy, smeared sound.
3. Shure E2C ($70 - $100)
definately better than the MX500's. Clearer. But I was dissapointed with the audio quality right away. they are a little difficult to put on, but once on, they stay on securely, and no microphonics. thick durable cords. you wrap the cord over your ears and tighten the slack behind your head. good seal, no problem. sound... well, its less than what I feel is "good enough to use regularly" meaning, i'm not going to keep them. the have less resolution than ety's and it sounds a little "confusing" in comparison. they just don't sound very musical or realistic, i mean it sounds like I'm listening to a recording. But looking on the package, they seem more intended for live musicians, not audio nuts. isolation is respectable (nearly as good as ety), so maybe they would be more acceptable in a noisy environment. they just don't sound "good" to me - they are a step up from the MX500, and decent build quality, but not really enjoyable for criticle listening. They are relatively cheap... but I guess I'm used to something better now, like...
2. Etymotic ER4S ($200 - $300)
I got these things used, less than a month ago, and have about 15-20 hours using them off and on. immediately you will notice how high resolution they are. and there is little visceral bass. but, I've come to *really* like them, i can make out lyrics that were just jibber-jabber to me before. vocals sounds so clear and clean on these things. "Microphonic" noise has been a problem for some people, but I've got them rigged up with clips on the wire from each driver, so they clip to my collar. eliminates all microphonics and I can head bob and move around with no noise at all, nice! the one clip that comes standard is terribly uneffective at reducing the microphonics by itself. OK, so ety's do cost 3 times as much as the E2C, but its a different league. In comparison, the ety's are crystal clear, and considerably more musical and realistic. everything, like guitar plucks and foot taps, can be heard on recordings. they do take some getting used to, having stuff jammed up your ear, but get used to it, and it's well worth it. these are my top choice for portable headphones, especially for noisy places since they are completely isolating. To top it off they are very portable, as I can fit the both drivers, all the clips and cords in a altoids tin.
1. Koss KSC-35 ($30)
these have been my favorite open-type portable headphone for a long while now. The KSC-35 can fit in any pocket and you hardly know they are there, tough too. The Koss-35/PortaPro have a good mix of clarity, midrange, and visceral bass. I find them enjoyable cheapies, but the bass does seems to be ever-present (especially next the ety's). They are still very enjoyable and can put out some amazing lows for electronic beats, drums and such. So, i would say a bassy accentuation that goes well with certain kinds of music, but could be unwanted in others. vocals are decent with good extension, but, they still sound like a recording next to the Etymotics. So, I'd take the Ety's every time I want to hear a beautiful voice like Norah Jones, but I'll take the Koss 35 for when I need some of Aphrodite's Drum n Bass. basically, you can't have it all with these phones, but for the size and price, these are unparelled.
well, thats all
