[sirnice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmmmmm Who else has tried both and preferred the um2? I had the 5pro's and um2's when I bought the e4c's (because I was curious). Now the um2's are sold and I don't use the 5pro's. Obviously I much prefer the e4c to the um2 and 5pro. The um2's bass is impressive, but I think the e4 is better in all other ways. The biggest problem with the um2, imo, is the recessed highs. Whenever I would switch from full headphones -> um2's, I was always disappointed (even when boosting the treble as much as 7db). I had to wait 20 or so minutes to 'forget' what the headphones sounded like before I could be ok with the um2's. This is not true with the e4c's, which have much better treble. I have actually found myself choosing to listen to the e4c's at home, which I didn't expect. I use the 'acoustic' eq on my ipod, and I don't think the bass is lacking in any sense. Also, the guy who I sold my um2's had the e4's. After he got them, he said he also preferred the e4's. The e4's are just the most balanced canalphone out there, imo. Now if you are a basshead, then the um2's are the way to go. If you want a balanced presentation, the e4's are better.

Sup Jmmmmmp, I bought the UM2 off Jmmmmp (great person to deal with btw).
Yes, I prefer the E4 over the UM2. The clarity on the E4 is much better than the UM2 and the bass is very controlled and tight while the UM2 has more bass but lack overall clarity in the music. I would say the UM2 has a much warmer sound compared to the E4 sometimes kinda dull because it's lack of clarity in the vocal/Mid range. Another thing that I didn't like about the UM2 is the hissing when no sound is coming out. I was told because it's so sensitive and easy to drive, it picks up noise easier (i.e cheap built-in amps on my iPod/shuffle perhaps). No hissing from the E4C. At the same volume setting the UM2 is louder than the E4C so I'm assuming the E4C require more power to drive it.

Hey jmmmmmp (or anyone welling to let me borrow a pair), you wouldn't happen to have a pair of HD600/650 or even hd595 headphones I can try out would ya? Hows the SQ on these headphones compare to the E4C. I'm looking to buy a pair soon for home listening. I don't like inserting and removing my E4C all the time.

 

[Jmmmmm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imyourzero You can always EQ the UM2s to bring out the treble while still keeping that full, rich bass. Works quite well.

I did not find that to be true. No matter what eq'ing I gave the um2's, they never had the smooth, detailed treble of the e4's. Eventually the um2's treble becomes harsh and more sibilant, and even using treble booster (5db boost), I still found the high end lacking, comparatively. Maybe the treble was there, but the detail was missing. Or maybe the detail was there, but the treble was missing. Whatever it was, it wasn't enough for me. I tried to convince myself to like the um2's and keep them, but whenever I put the e4's in, it was like a breath of fresh air. If I had been able to get e4 treble/detail out of the um2, I definitely would have kept them, since I really like their form factor and comfort.

You probably can't get um2 bass out of the e4 either, though.

sirnice - I just moved, so I'm no longer near you. Check out meyer emco, they carry some of the higher end senn's. I also found some grados at a couple random little home stereo places. I find regular headphones more enjoyable than canalphones in general, so I think getting a pair for home is a good idea.

 

[CaptainChet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warpdriver I'd take the UM2's over the E4's, they sound better to my ears than the E5 does. I think both the UM2 and E4 could use some mild EQ in the upper end to bring out some of the highs, but the impact of the bass over the E4's is unmistakeable.

The UM2 for me are by far the best of the bunch that I have tried (see sig). Now with the custom molds ($100) they are getting even better.

I find they sound good with all kinds of music, at least the kinds I listen to. Also, I'm using a Zen Micro and the combination works really well. I'm going to have to run into an Apple store and try an Ipod, just to see if the player is making a small or large difference.

 

[johnmatrix]

The bass of the um2 is nice and it does tend to cover up the highs. However, I believe all the treble is there.

The comply tips are very comfortable, but they recess the treble. I use mack's soft foam to replace the tips and I find I get more impact on the bass and more treble.

 

[vranswer]

Clearly, do not buy the E4s. Your posts indicate your predilection toward bass-headism, to which Shure E4 phones do not cater. Make no mistake, I LOVE my E4s, and agree completely with most of Jmm's posts above. But they do not groovalize (although with the exception of when I plug them into my Sony NW-E507 w/'plus 2' bass boost).

I still prefer the E5s over the UM2s, because of balance of sound and tightness of bass response. I HATE sibilance, so UM2s tended to wear me down quite a bit.

 

[The Monkey]

Are the E4's good for extended listening?

 

[Nights_85]

Also remember the performance of the UM2 is very tip dependant, right now I can bare with using the ety biflanges while I consider to get the custom molds or somehow sell my pair. So there's also a chance you may not get the sound you want by just using the comply tips

 

[Imyourzero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmmmmm I did not find that to be true. No matter what eq'ing I gave the um2's, they never had the smooth, detailed treble of the e4's. Eventually the um2's treble becomes harsh and more sibilant, and even using treble booster (5db boost), I still found the high end lacking, comparatively. Maybe the treble was there, but the detail was missing. Or maybe the detail was there, but the treble was missing. Whatever it was, it wasn't enough for me. I tried to convince myself to like the um2's and keep them, but whenever I put the e4's in, it was like a breath of fresh air. If I had been able to get e4 treble/detail out of the um2, I definitely would have kept them, since I really like their form factor and comfort. You probably can't get um2 bass out of the e4 either, though.

Jmmmmm,

I also found that the treble, when EQed to bring it out, was not as smooth as it could be. However, I didn't mean to imply anything about the quality of the treble, only the quantity. You can certainly bring the treble out by using an EQ, but you're right, it won't sound like that of the E4. It does help to make the UM2s less dark and veiled sounding, though. I found a slight treble boost to be absolutely necessary when using the Comply tips, because otherwise things like cymbals were anywhere from recessed to barely audible. Then I'd put my ER-4Ps back in and ahhhh, the treble was back! But <gasp>, what happened to the bass? Going from the UM2 to the ER-4P is like going from the DT 770 to the K501!

That's why I like the E4. It is more balanced than either the UM2 or ER-4P/S in my experience, having more treble than the UM2 and more bass impact than the Etys. The E4 is certainly nowhere near as harsh/shrill/fatiguing as the Etys, either. If I could wish for one thing it would be a bit more bass, as I found that using the EQ to boost the low end didn't help that much (as with the Etys). The only thing that has worked for me is using the bass enhancer on my iAudio 5. I don't know how, but it adds a LOT of low end to the E4s without any audible distortion. With the bass enhancer kicked up a few notches, the E4s come fairly close to the UM2s in terms of bass quantity (from what I can remember, anyway--it's been a few months since I've had the UM2s).