manuvajpai
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2009
- Posts
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Hello all!
I have always been interested in the ongoing discussions on IEMs vs. Full-sized cans. There are pros and cons of each approach pertaining to soundstage vs. intimacy, details vs. timbre. The important point is that the realism provided by any audio reproduction equipment is dependent on so many factors that it gets nearly impossible to associate it with just a few primary ones. Even if you consider some to be vital, subjectivity knocks in there goes your scientific conclusion. In due consideration of this issue, all the conclusions that I'll be deriving are IMHO and not universal.
Note: This being my first official review I am sure that there are a lot of faults in the ensuing lines. Also, English is not my mother tongue and so I request you to pardon me on that front.
History
My musical journey began with cheap buds and el-cheapo stereos, considering the rest is a bit difficult to procure in my country at not-so-exorbitant prices. The tinny sound produced by these system was never satisfying and there was always something missing in it. Then one day I saw a magazine aimed at audio-enthusiasts on a newsstand and the curious me decided to pick it up. Needless to say the impressions it left on my teenage mind was deep and dangerous, for it would lead me to wallet-wearing Head-fi eventually.
In my sophomore ears I got introduced to head-fi and then it took on as some sort of obsession, although I was penniless at that time. Well, it was easy to discover that forum lurking can be just as much fun as listening to equipment (and very bad if you just bought your equipment and found out its flaws from others). Then one day I had suddenly had in my possession a pristine pair of ATH-AD700s. I still remember being impressed with its detailed and airy presentation, but equally unimpressed by its slightly laid-back nature. And heaven forbid if I even bring out the issue of those recessed upper-mids. My later purchase of a Xonar essence STX wasn't able to revive them from their sins. But, it was an enjoyable experience nevertheless. Now that date is around 2 years old and I believe that I am finally experienced enough with them to present some observations on them.
Some months later I found myself in need of a good pair of portable cans/IEMs. I was leaning towards RE0s because I already felt cheated by one not-so-neutral can and wanted to take the most neutral approach. But in the end considering my musical taste (mostly rock with some jazz) I decided to settle for RE2. As I discovered these are also bass light but they have beautiful mids and slam if you amp them properly.
Sadly, now I am looking forward to a new purchase and am eagerly awaiting my first stipend
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Gear and Tracks
Audio Technica AD700
Head-Direct RE2
Asus Xonar Essence STX with 2*LT1358 in I/V and using built-in headphone amp
Apple Ipod Classic 6g w/o external amp
FLAC sources for Xonar and 320kbps CBR MP3 for IPod
Pink Floyd: TDSOTM, Animals, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, Echoes - The Best of Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here..
Radiohead: OK Computer, In Rainbows, The Bends
Patricia Barber - Cafe Blue
Debussy - Claire de lune
The Who - Who's next
....
The focus will be on some key tracks of the above which highlight either a strength or weakness of the two cans.
Sound
The observations hold true for both sources, although IPod sounds a lot more compressed and grating than the xonar.
Soundstage
Well since it is AD700 the first thing that should be considered is the immense soundstage. My pick - I am thoroughly unimpressed. The sound travels all round your head but it feels more like it is enveloping it rather than expanding into the outside world. On the other hand the sources of sound are clearly restricted to be inside the head in case of RE2 but at least it doesn't create a mush out of it. This observation is clear on both the Ipod Classic and the STX. It appears that there is a physical limit to the soundstage depth on the AD700, or it could be that I am just averse to its magical prowess in the department. RE2, however, cannot win because of its 2D soundstage.
Winner - AD700
Instrument separation
Although AD700 has a somewhat artificial soundstage, its instrument separation is by far better than RE2. The poor old IEM struggles in this department because of its intimacy and although manages a decent showing, is no match for the larger presentation of the AD700 which allows for easier instrument placement in the image. The more 2D soundstage of RE2 reduces its chances in this arena.
Winner - AD700
Details
AD700 wins this hands down. Clearly the more resolving of the two. However its sound-signature can play games with you if your details reside in the upper mids, which is somewhat recessed.
Winner - AD700
Lows
IMHO both are somewhat lacking in impact but AD700 has slightly more of bass in quantity. AD700 bass has no overhang but it feels kinda mushy and weak. RE2 on the other hand has low quantity but a nice slam. Some instruments can be inaudible on RE2 but whenever they are, they are presented palpably. Rock tracks like Karma Police clearly show of these weaknesses of both.
Winner - RE2 (certain winner with slight bass boost)
Mids
I vastly prefer the RE2 mids here. Although there is definitely an emphasis for them in this region, leading to sibilance sometimes. Not many people tend to agree but IMHO AD700 clearly have recessed upper mids, which leads to somewhat hollow sounding male vocals. That alone should be enough to warrant a win over them in this case, considering my musical tastes. However, AD700s bring a enigmatic intimacy to female vocals which is enjoyable in jazz and pop music. That however, is not enough to make bring them back in the lead in this case. RE2s are simply magical with guitars and considering what people say about their similarities with Grado, I know what my next cans are. It is not so great for Piano, however. The slightly honky character added by its mids is not welcome here.
Winner - RE2 (AD700 for classical music)
Highs
AD700 are immensely more extended (open cans vs. IEMS) but their treble is somewhat gritty and harsh compared to RE2 treble. This is evident with cymbals and high-hats and is highlighted quite well every time Floyd's "Time" begins (no pun intended) with its ringing alarm clocks. It seems to be a tie between airiness and smoothness in this particular case. There is a noticeable sizzle in the AD700 highs which people may or may not like.
Winner - Tie
Conclusions
For rock music I'd definitely prefer RE2s over AD700. The soundstage/details advantage that they have over the RE2 is not worth the weird mid coloration IMHO. However, the coloration is pretty sweet and makes up a good case for the can as far as female vocals are concerned. Although RE2 is beautiful in its mids it simply cannot match a full-sized can in terms of soundstage. However it is brilliant for rock and acoustic instruments alike. Although it loses to AD700 when piano and other instruments asking for accurate timbre are introduced. All in all, both are great budget instruments but the problem lies in the fact that both have been hyped to cater to an overlapping audience - rock music per se. This is where I would vote for RE2 to be the winner. If your musical interests involve classical music then AD700 would be a better choice because of the (sometimes) honky mids of RE2. If you are looking for all-round cans then my vote goes to AD700s in this case.
PS - RE2 is heavily tip-dependent like many IEMs. HD biflanges bring out their upper mids and treble and make them amazing for rock with great slam. The olives make them lose their beautiful mids and make them muddled.
I have always been interested in the ongoing discussions on IEMs vs. Full-sized cans. There are pros and cons of each approach pertaining to soundstage vs. intimacy, details vs. timbre. The important point is that the realism provided by any audio reproduction equipment is dependent on so many factors that it gets nearly impossible to associate it with just a few primary ones. Even if you consider some to be vital, subjectivity knocks in there goes your scientific conclusion. In due consideration of this issue, all the conclusions that I'll be deriving are IMHO and not universal.
Note: This being my first official review I am sure that there are a lot of faults in the ensuing lines. Also, English is not my mother tongue and so I request you to pardon me on that front.
History
My musical journey began with cheap buds and el-cheapo stereos, considering the rest is a bit difficult to procure in my country at not-so-exorbitant prices. The tinny sound produced by these system was never satisfying and there was always something missing in it. Then one day I saw a magazine aimed at audio-enthusiasts on a newsstand and the curious me decided to pick it up. Needless to say the impressions it left on my teenage mind was deep and dangerous, for it would lead me to wallet-wearing Head-fi eventually.
In my sophomore ears I got introduced to head-fi and then it took on as some sort of obsession, although I was penniless at that time. Well, it was easy to discover that forum lurking can be just as much fun as listening to equipment (and very bad if you just bought your equipment and found out its flaws from others). Then one day I had suddenly had in my possession a pristine pair of ATH-AD700s. I still remember being impressed with its detailed and airy presentation, but equally unimpressed by its slightly laid-back nature. And heaven forbid if I even bring out the issue of those recessed upper-mids. My later purchase of a Xonar essence STX wasn't able to revive them from their sins. But, it was an enjoyable experience nevertheless. Now that date is around 2 years old and I believe that I am finally experienced enough with them to present some observations on them.
Some months later I found myself in need of a good pair of portable cans/IEMs. I was leaning towards RE0s because I already felt cheated by one not-so-neutral can and wanted to take the most neutral approach. But in the end considering my musical taste (mostly rock with some jazz) I decided to settle for RE2. As I discovered these are also bass light but they have beautiful mids and slam if you amp them properly.
Sadly, now I am looking forward to a new purchase and am eagerly awaiting my first stipend
Gear and Tracks
Audio Technica AD700
Head-Direct RE2
Asus Xonar Essence STX with 2*LT1358 in I/V and using built-in headphone amp
Apple Ipod Classic 6g w/o external amp
FLAC sources for Xonar and 320kbps CBR MP3 for IPod
Pink Floyd: TDSOTM, Animals, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, Echoes - The Best of Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here..
Radiohead: OK Computer, In Rainbows, The Bends
Patricia Barber - Cafe Blue
Debussy - Claire de lune
The Who - Who's next
....
The focus will be on some key tracks of the above which highlight either a strength or weakness of the two cans.
Sound
The observations hold true for both sources, although IPod sounds a lot more compressed and grating than the xonar.
Soundstage
Well since it is AD700 the first thing that should be considered is the immense soundstage. My pick - I am thoroughly unimpressed. The sound travels all round your head but it feels more like it is enveloping it rather than expanding into the outside world. On the other hand the sources of sound are clearly restricted to be inside the head in case of RE2 but at least it doesn't create a mush out of it. This observation is clear on both the Ipod Classic and the STX. It appears that there is a physical limit to the soundstage depth on the AD700, or it could be that I am just averse to its magical prowess in the department. RE2, however, cannot win because of its 2D soundstage.
Winner - AD700
Instrument separation
Although AD700 has a somewhat artificial soundstage, its instrument separation is by far better than RE2. The poor old IEM struggles in this department because of its intimacy and although manages a decent showing, is no match for the larger presentation of the AD700 which allows for easier instrument placement in the image. The more 2D soundstage of RE2 reduces its chances in this arena.
Winner - AD700
Details
AD700 wins this hands down. Clearly the more resolving of the two. However its sound-signature can play games with you if your details reside in the upper mids, which is somewhat recessed.
Winner - AD700
Lows
IMHO both are somewhat lacking in impact but AD700 has slightly more of bass in quantity. AD700 bass has no overhang but it feels kinda mushy and weak. RE2 on the other hand has low quantity but a nice slam. Some instruments can be inaudible on RE2 but whenever they are, they are presented palpably. Rock tracks like Karma Police clearly show of these weaknesses of both.
Winner - RE2 (certain winner with slight bass boost)
Mids
I vastly prefer the RE2 mids here. Although there is definitely an emphasis for them in this region, leading to sibilance sometimes. Not many people tend to agree but IMHO AD700 clearly have recessed upper mids, which leads to somewhat hollow sounding male vocals. That alone should be enough to warrant a win over them in this case, considering my musical tastes. However, AD700s bring a enigmatic intimacy to female vocals which is enjoyable in jazz and pop music. That however, is not enough to make bring them back in the lead in this case. RE2s are simply magical with guitars and considering what people say about their similarities with Grado, I know what my next cans are. It is not so great for Piano, however. The slightly honky character added by its mids is not welcome here.
Winner - RE2 (AD700 for classical music)
Highs
AD700 are immensely more extended (open cans vs. IEMS) but their treble is somewhat gritty and harsh compared to RE2 treble. This is evident with cymbals and high-hats and is highlighted quite well every time Floyd's "Time" begins (no pun intended) with its ringing alarm clocks. It seems to be a tie between airiness and smoothness in this particular case. There is a noticeable sizzle in the AD700 highs which people may or may not like.
Winner - Tie
Conclusions
For rock music I'd definitely prefer RE2s over AD700. The soundstage/details advantage that they have over the RE2 is not worth the weird mid coloration IMHO. However, the coloration is pretty sweet and makes up a good case for the can as far as female vocals are concerned. Although RE2 is beautiful in its mids it simply cannot match a full-sized can in terms of soundstage. However it is brilliant for rock and acoustic instruments alike. Although it loses to AD700 when piano and other instruments asking for accurate timbre are introduced. All in all, both are great budget instruments but the problem lies in the fact that both have been hyped to cater to an overlapping audience - rock music per se. This is where I would vote for RE2 to be the winner. If your musical interests involve classical music then AD700 would be a better choice because of the (sometimes) honky mids of RE2. If you are looking for all-round cans then my vote goes to AD700s in this case.
PS - RE2 is heavily tip-dependent like many IEMs. HD biflanges bring out their upper mids and treble and make them amazing for rock with great slam. The olives make them lose their beautiful mids and make them muddled.
