[swanlee]

I'm an admitted bass head but not because I listen to rap or hop hop. I mainly listen to classic rock. I'm also a pretty big audiophile my home system runs around $25,000 with Lexicon, Bryston, Magnepan and Anthony Gallo components.

My goal for an IEM was to get as close to a home stereo sound on the go. My main problem with IEM's were lack of bass and very puny sounding. Most of them sound like am radio's compared to my home system.

Enter in the Super.Fi EB 5's, these have the bass and thump of a real stereo system, they do tend to lack warmth and are a bit muddy but they still sound pretty good. High and mids are not bad at all and I think these get a bad rap as people tend to dismiss them only for rap lovers. I've been fairly happy with them. I can listen to them and not completely miss my home stereo which no other IEM has been able to accomplish.

Today I got a pair of Atrio's. After reading here people have said they have good bass and a better more natural sound that the EB 5's.

So far so good. They do sound fairly warm out of the box and have good detail in the mids and highs. The bass is pretty good but a notch below the EB 5's and the mid range bass is lacking compared to them as well.

Also since the EB 5 wires are not directly connected to the actual speaker\armature of the IEM's micorphonics are much better with the EB5's.

The Atrio's are not bad at all and after burn in may be able to replace my EB5's they have the potential to sound like a real home stereo in your ears but I think the EB 5's do not deserve it's non audiophile label that some here give it.

The Atrio's definitely fit better and are MUCH smaller and more comfortable. They fit my ear so much better and I do not have to fuss with the fit like I have to on the EB5's.

So the Atrio wins so far on mids and high's but loses by a decent margin in bass and microphonics to the EB5's. The Atrio's fit better and would be better for mobile use. The Atrio's also have a better soundstage are more wide open in sound than the EB5's

If the Atrio's just had a touch more bass they would probably be perfect.

Of course they may hit that mark after more burn in.

My source equipment is an un amped Zune30 with an upgraded 100Gb hard drive using only lossless audio files alos using the acoustic EQ setting.

Since these two are considered the Bass champions in IEM I'm pretty much going to have to stick with both of them. It is a shame that an IEM maker can't come up with a better design to meet the needs of us who want a real home stereo sound in an IEM.

I simply could not deal with the lesser IEM's or earbuds with puny and inadequate bass like most of the ones I have heard.

Does anyone have a link to a good whitenoise file for burn in?

 

[Taikero]

EDIT: Whoever's looking for a bassy IEM, get the Atrio M5 and save yourself a lot of wallet grief.

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While I don't have the Atrio M5, the 5 EB has the potential (with some good software) to put out some of the most hard-thumping bass I think I've ever heard from a pair of headphones. I've made my head vibrate a few times while still cleaning up the "muddied" bass the 5 EB is famous for (Still can't 100% clean it up, but it can sound phenomenally better than it does normally), although I had to turn it down after a bit because it started to give me a headache.

I'd have to say I prefer the Image X10's overall sound to the 5 EB, as the bass is much, much cleaner and crisper. Using the same software I use with the 5 EB, I can get the same level of bass (actually, a fair bit higher than) the 5 EB offers with none to little "muddy" clean up required.

 

[ClieOS]

Atrio M5 need quite a bit of burn-in to reach its final sound signature. I'll suggest a run-in of at least 100hrs before making any decision of which fits you best.

 

[swanlee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClieOS /img/forum/go_quote.gif Atrio M5 need quite a bit of burn-in to reach its final sound signature. I'll suggest a run-in of at least 100hrs before making any decision of which fits you best.

How does the bass sound after burn in? These sound pretty good as is but a tad more mid range bass would do wonders on them. I know some others are seeing me say I want a little more bass on the Atrio's and thinking I'm a complete freak but I'm pretty used to the EB5's and I have two subwoofers in my main audio system. Proper bass to me is the foundation you build high end audio off of, without it and you might as well listen to AM radio.

I can't see how people deal with the puny bass of other IEM's seems your missing at least half the music with weak puny bass.

 

[ClieOS]

From what I can recall on my M5, there were more mid-bass in the beginning and there overall bass presentation wasn't well controlled and a bit muddy. After 50hrs or so that bass mid-bass quieted down a bit and the focus swifted toward lower, deeper bass. After 100 hrs or so the sound is more or less stable and the bass is better controlled and the muddiness is gone. I do appreciate both the quantity and the quality of M5's bass, but I won't be a basshead anytime soon. There is no account for taste.

 

[Usama]

Any updates on the burn in period? do the Atrio's come close in matching the Bass of the EB's?

 

[swanlee]

These have smoothed out after burn in, not a ton but they do sound smoother and more natural, I played a white noise file several nights in a row and have been listening to them every day.

In a word they don't completely match the bass of the EB's, but they do sound warm and natural and they do not lack in bass. You won't ever be like where is the bass with these.

What I did though is get a Fiio e3 portable amp and with the amp yes these have as good a bass as the EB's without an amp.

Yes that may be an unfair comparison but the EB's are alot more sensitive so the volume is much louder than the Atrio's. At a matched volume the Atrio's have just as good of bass.

So the Atrio's by themselves sound good but are not as loud as the EB's, a fiio e3 really makes the Atrio's sing as the fiio pushes mid range bass a little which warms up the atrio's. The Fiio E3 changes the EQ a bit and the Atrio are a tad recessed in midrange so these match up perfectly.

I have a fiio E5 on the way as a more permanent portable amp.

Overall Atrio+ Fiio e3 really sounds a ton better than the EB's

On there own the atrio's sound better but are not as sensitive and you have to drive them harder to get the same impact as compared to the EB's

 

[AmanGeorge]

Burn-in wave files: white noise, pink noise, frequency sweep, channel mix for white noise/pink noise/frequency sweep files

 

[Usama]

At this point, I really do not want to spend extra money to carry around something I don't want to.

Since I had the Etymotic's first, I am not going to take any chances with the bass; therefore, go with the UE super.fi 5 EB.

 

[swanlee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Usama /img/forum/go_quote.gif At this point, I really do not want to spend extra money to carry around something I don't want to. Since I had the Etymotic's first, I am not going to take any chances with the bass; therefore, go with the UE super.fi 5 EB.

Well the fiio e3 is only 10$ and it's not like the atrio really has less bass than the EB5's it is a different bass but the difference may be it's just not as sensitive an IEM so you would have to turn it up higher to get the same volume than the EB5's.

After using the EB5's for a few years I ended up much preferring the sound of the atrio's the EB5's can be harsh in treble and mid range and to forward in those area's as well while the atrio's has a natural relaxed sound with good deep bass.

 

[kelton49]

i have been a fan of the EB's for a while but for my commute they're getting annoying (too large and need adjusting, cable replacements due to wear and tear). i am about to pull the trigger on the m3's when they come out and was very curious how they compare, this was exactly what i was looking for, thank you very much for your opinions!

i agree with your sensitivity comment, i found the EB's almost over-the-top when amped (little dot mico) and flat eq. i'm hoping the atrios with the ibasso t4 will be a good match. btw, i recently bought some comply tips for the EB's, and MAN it puts the mid bass to a whole other level then with the stock silicone buds (though i was listening to only one ear, i'm waiting for a replacement cable from UE like many others), i'm not sure if that's a good thing.

based on your thread i'm pretty psyched now to hear the atrio's (i was also waiting for reviews on the apple IEM's since i'm using an iphone but 99% they can't compare).

 

[Usama]

The atrios are more expensive than the EB's, even the regular super.fi pro 5's are more expansive than EB's. It Sucks because then I may have been convinced to go with something that is more balanced.

 

[Usama]

I have convinced myself to go with the atrios, now it is time to go for some deal hunting. Are the M5's and M8's the same earphone, just different colour? Secondly, should I make sure I get the version 2?

Edit: I read on a different thread that the V2's offered an improvement on the high/treble and mid sound. Although, nothing was mentioned in regards to the low end.

 

[ClieOS]

M5 and M8 is the same 'phone with different color.

 

[Usama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClieOS /img/forum/go_quote.gif M5 and M8 is the same 'phone with different color.

Thank you. Looks like I will go with the M5, since it is black.