[bernado]

I'm looking to upgrade my E2c's (Kramer modded). They are to be driven by my Cowon D2 which does lack a bit of bass thump and is known to have a generally bright presentation. So I need some sympathetic phones which bigs up the bass, but in a punchy and not boomy kind of way, whilst managing to maintain the detail in the upper mids and treble but with a smooth presentation (if that's not a contradiction). I want to go unamped and hopefully the high output of the D2 should help me out here. Ideally < $200.

Thanks

Bernado

 

[Spyro]

Ha! Isn't this what everyone wants?

Id say E530 but that is above your price so Super Fi Pro's. They will sound much improved and more refined and detailed than E2's yet you still get the big, full bassy sound.

 

[steviebee]

No experience of them, but the Atrio M5? Super Fi Pro too -I really want to hear those!

 

[dmo]

Until very recently I had a pair of Future Sonics EM3's which IMO did exactly what you desire with the D2. I really loved those relatively cheap IEM's. As they are no longer available, I'd second steviebee's recomendation of the Atrio's, which I understand are a significant improvement on the EM3's and which I myself intend to invest in in the near future!

Also, I imagine upgrading from the E2c's to any $100-$200 IEM will be a pleasing experiance. I really didn't like the E2's.

 

[robm321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ha! Isn't this what everyone wants?

True - I don't think there is an IEM short of the UE10 which I haven't heard that does it all.

The Shure E500/530 does the bass and mids like you want, but the highs leave something to be desired. Ety ER4s does the highs and mids to some degree, but no bass slam (Xin Supermini amp adds some). The Shure E4cs might get you very close at a reasonable price, but could use a bit more bass.

 

[subfocus]

Another vote for the Atrio M5 . I feel they may well have the sound signature you are looking for in an IEM .

 

[rbui]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro /img/forum/go_quote.gif Id say E530 but that is above your price so Super Fi Pro's. They will sound much improved and more refined and detailed than E2's yet you still get the big, full bassy sound.

second that. super.fi 5 pros are a huge improvement over E2Cs. If I needed IEMs for under $200, I would buy these again without blinking an eye (they're $169 at earphonesolutions)

 

[bernado]

Thanks for the suggestions. I guess I have asked for a lot for the price. I suppose I want to be able to take some of the toppyness of the D2 off without losing too much detail. I prefer musicality to in your face digital information (I was brought up on vinyl) so I could live hapily with a softer presentation. I was thinking about the super.fis but I've heard they do hiss somewhat with the D2 and some say they are lacking bass, although that maybe down to a poor seal if experience with my Shures is anything to go by. On a purely practical level how easy is it to get a decent fit with the Atrios? I'm hoping to be able to avoid using foamies as they don't seem to last that long and lets face it, look pretty grim when hung round the neck, displaying the contents of your ears to all!

 

[subfocus]

The Atrios can be used with the supplied black bi-flanges (my personal choice), if you aren't that keen on the flesh coloured foamies. The most popular choice though seems to be the washable , long lasting Shure black foamies (sometimes reverse fitted), which can be ordered fairly cheaply via Idealsound on Ebay. There are also various other options available if really needed (eg. Complys ) An added benefit is that you can also wear the M5's with the memory wire over the ear (like the Shure E500) I find this helps to give an even better fit (there's some pictures of this fit buried somewhere within the main M5 thread). You may have to experiment a bit, or you might just be perfectly happy with the first type of tip you try , its all down to personal preference; but I don't think its anything to be too concerned about with the Atrios. You may also want to search out (assuming you haven't done this already of course) a really thorough and informative Head-Fi review on the Atrios done by TBONNER . Just to help you decide if their sound signature is for you or not.

 

[dmo]

Check out this review on anythingbutipod. Some interesting comments on the fit, isolation and hiss issues, and illudes to being tested on a D2

http://www.anythingbutipod.com/archi...-m8-review.php

 

[brattmoore]

Beyer DTX50 !!!

 

[bernado]

Thanks for the advice. Sound like the Atrios could be worth a look providing I don't have to get involved with foamies. As of today I've just ditched my E2s and gone back to my old creative 630s due to the stupidly short lifespan of the Shure foamies, which were the only tips I could find that gave an acceptable sound with the E2s. I considered making my own but decided life's too short.
Funny thing is the Creatives sound better than I remember

 

[Bisco82]

beyer dtx50 X2