[Arjisme]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jleewach /img/forum/go_quote.gif [...] jackass [...] idiot [...] <offensive mom joke> [...]

Holy ****, jleewach! You are way out of line.

 

[mark2410]

did you amp the er4?

 

[jleewach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arjisme /img/forum/go_quote.gif Holy ****, jleewach! You are way out of line.

My apologies, perhaps that was a bit out of line. I've just been reading some of that guy's other posts, and he has quite a knack for crapping on other prople's comments so I decided to insult his mom. Anyway, back to headphones...

I havent yet amped my er4p's, but to me, they sound pretty perfect w/o the amp. I guess adding the amp to the mix improves the bass dept? Maybe I'll hook one up to it & see how I like it.

 

[musicmind]

Thanks again Pianist, your impressions of each one makes the ranking more useful.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pianist /img/forum/go_quote.gif Here's how I would rank the IEMs that I heard so far in terms of all-around SQ: 1) Westone 3 or Shure SE530. I am still undecided at the moment which one is better for sound quality. The Shures are more true to the original recordings overall I think, but Westone 3 is also such a fun IEM to listen to and has better treble and bass extension than the Shures. 2) Sleek Audio SA6 - a fantastic IEM overall. Not quite up there with SE530/W3 in terms of dynamic range and separation, but detail and accuracy are excellent. I especially love how beautiful the midrange is on these and the clarity is the best I've heard in any headphone to date. and: Jays Q-jays - heard them briefly. Loved the clear and very detailed sound. Excellent balance across the spectrum, with some slight emphasis on treble. Good dynamics and separation (better than on SA6) Good imaging, but soundstage is very limited in size (not a big flaw for me) 3) Sennheiser IE8 - a bit of a love and hate relationship with this one for me. I loved the full, spacious sound and lush details, as well as good overall accuracy and speed of this IEM. However, I thought that the sound is a bit unbalanced for it to be truly enjoyable - the bass can be overpowering at times and the mids and highs are just a tad too laid back IMO. 4) UE Triple.fi - great bass, great treble. Somewhat unnatural sounding and unbalanced though - has some crossover overlapping issues in the upper bass/low mids area (BIG flaw to my ears!) Blurry midrange (another serious flaw, but this is more of a matter of personal taste). The overall presentation is a tad too dry/sterile for my tastes. Tied with: Etymotic ER6 - Yeah, believe it or not, but I only really like them when amped though. In terms of overall balance, it blows away UE Triple.fi IMO and has detail and clarity that's about on par with the very best universals. Soundstage is bigger than on Q-jays and imaging is also very good. Not quite as sophisticated sounding as the very best - can sound a little thin at times and lacks dynamic range compared to the best. A seriously good IEM for the money in my book though. Other possible tiers for 4th place are Shure SE310, Senn IE7, and Shure E4 and Westone UM2 Ok, I've heard a few others, but I do not own them, so can't really compare them. I just know that they are not as good sounding to my ears as the above mentioned ones. But, here, I'll try to rank them, based on memory: 5) Senn IE6 6) UE Super.fi 3, Super.fi 5 Pro, Head-Direct RE1 7) Senn CX400/500, Head-Direct RE2 8) Westone UM1 and Shure E3 9) Shure E2 and Senn CX300 10) JVC Marshmallow And of course remember that these ratings are HIGHLY subjective.

 

[mark2410]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jleewach /img/forum/go_quote.gif My apologies, perhaps that was a bit out of line. I've just been reading some of that guy's other posts, and he has quite a knack for crapping on other prople's comments so I decided to insult his mom. Anyway, back to headphones... I havent yet amped my er4p's, but to me, they sound pretty perfect w/o the amp. I guess adding the amp to the mix improves the bass dept? Maybe I'll hook one up to it & see how I like it.

seriously amp them, little cheapy E5 makes such a difference to the er4

 

[cn11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thatwunguy /img/forum/go_quote.gif well i know that this opinion is not very well regarded and I have received some flack in the past for talking negatively of the almight PFE (read: sarcasm). Well, I just recently heard the scl3 that my good friend purchased when his scl4 had been back-ordered by musician's friend for, literally, 2 months. So, i gave them a listen with some black foams and was VERY impressed. I found them to be surprisingly clear and smooth. As a bass lover, I typically find bass-lite headphones rather boring with the ad700 and scl3 as exceptions. To me, the scl3 have a great soundsignature for jazz and acoustic music. They seem to be laid back whereas the PFE are more in-your-face and, I don't much like an in-your-face sound from neutral-leaning can and earphones. I like in-you-face and warm or laid-back and neutral.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fyu /img/forum/go_quote.gif were you in that giant PFE vs se530 thread? It's funny when the PFE gets negative reviews people have to come out and defend it. I find that it edges the scl4 in overall sound quality. Though I still perfer the scl4 in "fun" quality.

X3.... and it's the same Phonak supporters that keep hassling people. By comparison, it's nice that IE8 owners don't feel the same need to attack other people for not liking the IE8.

 

[bossnass15]

for me,

For short analytical listens:
1. W3
2. IE8

For Long enjoyable "just listen to the music" listens:
1. IE8
2. W3

 

[ghost87]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cn11 /img/forum/go_quote.gif X3.... and it's the same Phonak supporters that keep hassling people. By comparison, it's nice that IE8 owners don't feel the same need to attack other people for not liking the IE8.

They won't attack you, if you simply agree with them. It's called bullying.

Some of their over-the-tip praise / claims are comical pertaining to the PFE's, but you have to understand where it is coming from.

The PFE's are a good IEM for entry, mid level. No, they are not close to the likes of se530, IE8, W3, Triple.fi ect...

The PFE's are good in a $100-$125 price range

 

[mark2410]

ooooh ghost87 you know they are going to come burn your house down now, such blasphemy wont be tolerated by them

 

[ghost87]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 /img/forum/go_quote.gif ooooh ghost87 you know they are going to come burn your house down now, such blasphemy wont be tolerated by them

Alot of our Phonak bullies are probably kids, thus they don't really know what they are talking about.

There has been a number of forum members who haved PM'd me directly about the the Phonak bullies. People are clearly recognizing the BS occuring.

To be honest though, as of late, some of these bullies are posting more sincere and accurate impressions. Maybe calling these people out have worked to change things

 

[cn11]

I sure hope you're right about that....

...and now to keep on topic, the PFE doesn't make my list.

 

[antonyfirst]

My rankings vary from time to time, anyway they could go like:

1-Apuresound Etymotic ER4P
2-Westone 3
3-Klipsch Image X10
4-Triple.fi 10 Pro
5-Apuresound recabled ER4S
6-Head-Direct RE0
7-Etymotic ER4P
8-Shure SE530
9-Etymotic ER4S
10-"Westone ES-recabled" Super.fi 5 Pro
11-Altec Lansing iM716 (depodded to 41 Ohm)
12-Head-Direct RE1

 

[toughnut]

Tony, your list missing one contender, IE8

For my preference:
1. IE8
2. TF10P
3.
4.
5. SA6
6. UM2
7.
8. mylar X3
9. KSC75
10.
11.
12. PK2

 

[cn11]

I suppose mine would look something like this:

1-Sennheiser IE8
[Awesome bass impact & detail, very good treble resolution, fantastic soundstage, plus all this in a very efficient and laid-back warm earphone (the signature I happen to prefer)]

2-Triple.fi 10 Pro
[Very strong impactful bass, wonderful treble detail and resolution, great soundstage too- just couldn't get seal to be maintained (if I could have, it would have been far and away my favorite multi-armature IEM)]

3-Monster Turbine
[Many of the strengths of the IE8- seems like its little brother, good soundstaging, good treble, fantastic bass impact, rugged construction and ease of use]

4-Klipsch Image X10
[Very good bass weight and detail, nice detailed and warm treble, decent soundstage, great isolation- build quality was an issue for me...cable stop ripped on first pair]

5-Westone 3
[Okay bass (a noticeable notch below the IE8 and Atrio), awesome treble detail and resolution (although sibilant often), unbelievable instrument spatial placement but overall soundstage width well short of IE8- ultimately couldn't live with them for the sibilance issues]

6-FutureSonics Atrio v.2
[Some of the best bass you can get in an IEM, good treble detail (it can get harsh sometimes- but not as much as the W3's), slightly narrow soundstage but with good placement- mids were the biggest drawback in that they were rather recessed from the rest of the range]

7-Denon AH-C700
[Very good bass weight and impact (up there close to the Turbines), very nice treble detail, mids and soundstage- they just lack a bit of refinement in mids and ease of listening once you upgrade to some of the top tier IEM's]

8-Sleek SA6
[Mediocre bass, nice treble detail and mids, okay soundstage- a great first attempt at a start-up IEM but had some build issues too, I look forward to their future releases]

9-Denon AH-C551
[Bass is very good (probably a little better than their bigger brother, the 700's), treble and mid detail is also good but can get to be a bit strident over long listening sessions- a very good mid level quick use canal phone (maybe this means it shouldn't be listed in the 'top IEM's', oh well)]

 

[davidhunternyc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cn11 /img/forum/go_quote.gif 1-Sennheiser IE8 [Awesome bass impact & detail, very good treble resolution, fantastic soundstage, plus all this in a very efficient and laid-back warm earphone (the signature I happen to prefer)] 5-Westone 3 [Okay bass (a noticeable notch below the IE8 and Atrio), awesome treble detail and resolution (although sibilant often), unbelievable instrument spatial placement but overall soundstage width well short of IE8- ultimately couldn't live with them for the sibilance issues]

I own the IE8's and had an extensive side-by-side comparison with the Westone 3. I completely concur with the above comments. Both of these IEM's are more similar than dissimilar to me, but often in these comparisons, people want to know what the differences are and so the differences tend to be overemphasized. The achilles heel of the IE8, if there is one, will be the fit for some people. The IE8 sits fairly shallow in the ear canal and doesn't isolate as well as the W3. The fit is perfectly fine for me however. The achilles heel of the W3, if there is one, is the sibilance. I do not find the sibilance problem with the W3 as bothersome as some others here, but knowing that my IE8's don't have this problem at all, I do not think I could live with the W3. Though both IEM's are quite neutral, I believe that the IE8 is warmer than the Westone 3 with the W3 being brighter. In absolute terms, I do prefer the IE8's. The fact that here in the U.S. you could purchase the the IE8 for half the price of the W3 makes the decision a no-brainer for me; get the IE8.