[Nightslayer]

Yeah in Jazz it excels.. with the caveat that it doesn't present the music as it actually is. Frank Sinatra's baritone-tenor-ish voice sounds more like a cross between a tenor and an alto. Pianos sound a lot brighter than they actually are, and et cetra. But on the contrary I find these headphones wonderful with Classical music, because orchestral instruments seem to be less affected by this timbre-change that the earphones bring about. The instrument separation in a symphony is. Well. Very interesting to hear, in the least

 

[ethan961]

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[lazybum]

@nightslayer
 
I think you may be right. I find myself listening to my classical collection a lot more with these phones and neglecting my pop/rock songs. Maybe thats why.
 
But i think its also very dependent on the source (as in the mastering)? Ive realized that the vocals on some of my pop collection sound especially thin and harsh. But its all fine with some of the other albums (especially for jazz). E.g. Diana Krall's love scenes. Maybe its the way some of the pop songs are mastered?
 
Anyhow, this is where rockbox's equalizer comes into handy . I use it to remove a peak around 6.3Khz and boost the lower end especially the lower mids by 1db or 2 for a fuller sound. With this setting the sq is somewhat more consistent across all my songs. (perhaps more forgiving?)

 

[slaters70]

I actually found the treble harsh using the stock flanges, which are short like the olives. But when I moved to a deeper tip, in my case, the Ety triple-flanges (large), the DBAs sounded like an entirely different animal re vocals, highs, cymbals, etc. I really believe source is important, but as with the SM3s, the DBAs need a certain type of tip to really hit their stride. I don't think I am alone on thinking along those lines, and I also am not averse to using my J3 or Touch EQ if I feel the bass is lagging the other frequencies. But that's just me. Now, I never hit a thin/harsh patch with any of my tracks, and I listen to a wide range of genres, jazz and classical included. Just a suggestion (trying a different tip).

 

[lazybum]

Sadly my ear canals won't let long tips in haha.
Ill have to continue my search for better tips. Meanwhile rockbox's EQ will do the job

 

[slaters70]

The Etys are a bit different in that the sound tube starts deep inside the largest flange, so the much of the large flange covers the driver and provides the seal, so the two smaller flanges are really more like a dual flange tip. To me, they make the perfect tip, but I understand that triples can be annoying. For example, I had to sell my CK10s because the Shure triples, the only tips that reduced treble, were too large with that phone. Anyway, the Etys are a little different in they are less invasive. I just bought two extra pair from a HFer who tried a pair (you have to buy 5 at a time) and his ear canals were too large, which is another potential problem. For me, lucky I guess, any IEMs that seem harsh (W3s and W2s as well) were tamed by triple flanges.

 

[weibby]

Actually FA stuff were never designed to be accurate.
Its more for the fun factor - put it on and go with the flow.
 
I've realized this with Eterna when I first got it, and has some nostalgia with my SF5p but when I change my mind set and allowed myself to journey with the music presentation, it was extremely enjoyable.
 
Of course those who are looking for near accuracy, and by near accuracy i mean not even 99% but 70% and above should look else where, though i understand that for musicians/recording engineer, its hard to switch back to a consumer mind set - occupational hazard i guess lol.

 

[Bart1981]

Hmmm reading the reviews I begin to doubt if this is the right IEM for me...
I think the RE0 had to little bass in it (to balanced). But what I make out of the reviews of the DBA-02 is that it doesn't have much bass either...
Is this right or am I completely wrong now?

 

[rawrster]

@weibby: that's partly the reason I never got the Eterna. Although the DBA 02 isn't too bad in that regard and from my assumption more accurate than the rest of their lineup. I kinda wish I had the chance to listen to the Eterna for an audition to see what they are about but no big deal as I wasn't going to buy them anyway.
 
@Bart1981: these are no bass monsters by any means. They are fairly neutral.

 

[ethan961]

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[slaters70]

I agree, with the tips I use, I don't find the DBAs inaccurate or off kilter when listening to tracks I've heard over and over. I have a special HP audition list, about 30 tracks in all, from a wide range of music, and the DBAs do practically every track justice. I do like the added tweak of the machbass on the J3, but even with the straight up Zune, which has no EQ, the DBA bass is not weak, just balanced with the rest of the spectrum.

 

[rawrster]

I agree. I use the uDAC and clip+ on these and both are good. The uDAC does add some bass but very enjoyable and never found anything lacking on the clip+ either but if I did (which I don;t) I could always EQ the bass up. They more or less suit my signature and at under $200 good on my wallet as well

 

[slickooz]

Anyone can compare Tf-10 to DBA? Say they were both 160, which one would you pick?

 

[Nightslayer]

Quote:

If I'm not mistaken, your Westones are the UM1s right? I don't mean to offend you or poke holes in your opinions (which you are very entitled to), but maybe you're just used to the darker UM1s with the more rolled off highs. I think that if one of them were to be correct, my bet would be on the DBAs. Heck, LFF masters audio for a living and he says they're spot on.
Give it a few more days and your brain will adjust to the different sound. After listening to anything for a while, everything else sounds different than what you are used to.
 
The UM1 is intended for stage monitoring, not really accurate reproduction of music, so it was intentionally designed to be coloured. The sound signature is that which appeals to performing artists in the circumstances of a live performance. If you want to hear things exactly as intended, IEMs such as the ER-4P are benchmark. My guess is the DBA-02 is closer to the ER-4P on that scale based on what others have said.
 
The real test is to use them exclusively for a week or so then go back and see what the difference is. If you still prefer the other at that point, then you know that one of them isn't your cup of tea.

Haha hmmm I'm trying to base the sound I hear from my earphones off what I hear in RL (e.g. concerts and live shows) and do a comparison, instead of A/B-ing against my previous UM1s. And if you look at the ER4P which you're benchmarking your clarity and accuracy on, it has a frequency curve of at most +/- 1db along most frequencies until you get to the highs, and although that may indicate a flat response, that doesn't really give a neutral sound, because due to psychoacoustics what our ears perceive as neutral is actually slightly imbalanced towards the lower frequencies. The DBA does actually have a sound signature which reminds me very much of the ER4 which I've auditioned before, which may be preferable to some of you but I was just commenting that the sound reproduction may not be perfectly spot on

 

[lazybum]

Quote:

Haha hmmm I'm trying to base the sound I hear from my earphones off what I hear in RL (e.g. concerts and live shows) and do a comparison, instead of A/B-ing against my previous UM1s. And if you look at the ER4P which you're benchmarking your clarity and accuracy on, it has a frequency curve of at most +/- 1db along most frequencies until you get to the highs, and although that may indicate a flat response, that doesn't really give a neutral sound, because due to psychoacoustics what our ears perceive as neutral is actually slightly imbalanced towards the lower frequencies. The DBA does actually have a sound signature which reminds me very much of the ER4 which I've auditioned before, which may be preferable to some of you but I was just commenting that the sound reproduction may not be perfectly spot on

Oh haha i browsed through that link you posted. But im wondering if it is more applicable to to speaker systems? Because the closed design that the iems have will likely result in the bass being more prominent as compared to the open air system of speakers?