[aluren]

Ok, i'm pretty new to this audio nirvana thing, as my sig says, i only have an ipod and the e3c. after coming to head-fi, i'm thinking of upgrading. (what a surprise there...) i've been contemplating on whether i should upgrade my earphones first or get a good amp. after reading alot about earphones (and i have a preference towards IEM's over cans), the e500 looks promising for its price. i thought about the UE-10pro's but they are too ridiculously expensive... (a mortgage payment for me). so rather than taking the plunge on it, i thought the $400 e500 sounds reasonable to my wallet. i also thought about getting an amp and after reading through the site, i found that the hornet is well received. i'm quite impressed with its size as well.

so this brings back to my question, should i get the e500 or the hornet? i probably will be getting one of them and hold off on the other for another year (or until i pass the cpa exam to reward myself!!

) so which would i benefit more from?

 

[Enverxis]

well as the shure representative said in the panel, that the E500 was aimed to sound good out of any source, if you are unhappy with the sound of your E3C perhaps changing to the E500 and then getting an amp later on might be the way to go.

 

[grawk]

I'd personally go with the E500. But then I don't find the hornet to be a good value. The portable amp market is quite competitive, and there are quite a few amps in the sub $200 price range that will equal or better the hornet.

 

[Alex M]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aluren should i get the e500 or the hornet? i probably will be getting one of them and hold off on the other for another year

You probably would want both eventually. If you are not getting them at the same time, I suggest getting the E500 first.

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex M You probably would want both eventually. If you are not getting them at the same time, I suggest getting the E500 first.

I second that.

 

[elnero]

No doubt about it in my mind, the E500's are the way to go. Based on my experience with them and how much better they are than the E4's I own I would say they'll be significant step up from your E3c's. IMO regardless of their being an IEM the E500's are a true high-end headphone, one that will sound great out of your iPod but you can also build a nice system around as well.

 

[aluren]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk I'd personally go with the E500. But then I don't find the hornet to be a good value. The portable amp market is quite competitive, and there are quite a few amps in the sub $200 price range that will equal or better the hornet.

could you mention some of them??

 

[grawk]

supermini, supermicro, pint, govibe, pa2v2 to name a few

 

[wolfen68]

Good headphones always first...E500's.

 

[fierce_freak]

I agree with wolfen68

 

[Borat]

aluren, my suggestion is to buy the Shure E500's first and enjoy them directly out of your iPod for a little while. You may be happy with this setup and never feel the need to upgrade anything else.

In August or so, there should be a summer meet in the Los Angeles area, most likely in Westlake Village if you are near. You will be able to check out several portable amps with your 5G iPod and your E500's if you come. Then you can make an informed decision whether or not you will need to acquire an amp, and which one you like the best.

 

[catscratch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk I'd personally go with the E500. But then I don't find the hornet to be a good value. The portable amp market is quite competitive, and there are quite a few amps in the sub $200 price range that will equal or better the hornet.

I'd have to disagree there. The Hornet is a terrific amp at the price. It's simply not a very neutral one, since it's rather forward in it's sound signature. It pairs very well with laid-back cans IMO, since it gives them a sense of drive and dynamics that they wouldn't have otherwise, at least not with any other $350 amp.

Back to the OP: Yes, wait for the E500. The e3c isn't going to radically change with any amp. The E500 will be in a different class, and you can always add an amp later once more spare change comes in.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

My order of what's best for money for sound quality:

1.) Source (adequate source, at least!)
2.) Headphones (go to the top!)
3.) Amp (first step: PA2V2; best value)
4.) Cable (least change of any other 3 listed above)

Of course, I must admit this is a very arguable order...

 

[MD1032]

Oh, you'll find the E500's the best solution for sure. The E3c's don't even remotely compare to the E500's, or the E4c's for that matter.

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Borat aluren, my suggestion is to buy the Shure E500's first and enjoy them directly out of your iPod for a little while. You may be happy with this setup and never feel the need to upgrade anything else. In August or so, there should be a summer meet in the Los Angeles area, most likely in Westlake Village if you are near. You will be able to check out several portable amps with your 5G iPod and your E500's if you come. Then you can make an informed decision whether or not you will need to acquire an amp, and which one you like the best.

yeah, it's always good to try headphones unamped before amping them...gives you a good idea of both the source's power/limitations as well as the headphone's sound out of them...

i do believe, however, that the early impressions with the e500 are that they sound dramatically better amped. you might want to use the e500 unamped for awhile and then get an amp later and see how the sound changes...