[jterp7]

my personal experience with the 5pros initially left me with a bad taste. I had two that failed within 2weeks due to the housing cracking, mind you that I did not take these outside and always placed them in the case when done. With the 2nd RMA it seems to be fixed and with foamies the bass destroys the e3c that got me into headfi in the first place.

Personally, with all the comparisons in here of e4 vs 5pro shows that it'd be a lateral move for you. I think you'd be better off sticking with shure and upgrading to e500s or something of that nature. Make sure you find a local place that allows you to compare or at least try, my local guitar center only had 5pros when I bought them about 2 years ago unfortunately so I never really gave the e4s a chance, though I would have liked to.

 

[jmpage2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by indigo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually, you can get E500's off ebay from bobsound at $260 with shipping, I know a lot of head fiers did that. He comes and goes though and when he does appear, his stock sells out in a few hours literally. Alternatively, search the For sale column. SFPs can be had for about $150 from Amazon or about the $110 mark used here.

I have to admit now that I'm intrigued by the E500/E530. Do they drive well enough unamped?

X-mas is coming up and my wife is always saying how she never gets to buy me tech gifts.

 

[indigo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmpage2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have to admit now that I'm intrigued by the E500/E530. Do they drive well enough unamped? X-mas is coming up and my wife is always saying how she never gets to buy me tech gifts.

Personally i just got mine today and it drives pretty well unamped from an Ipod Touch. From what I've read here, it drives even better with an amp, and I have one plus an ipod line out dock on the way.

As I said in another post, I feel the E500s are not as forgiving as the E4s or the SFPs. They tend to sound fairly ordinary on 128kbps mp3s while the E4s and the SFPs tend to have a positive impact on such recordings. Also you can hear the ipod hiss due to the sensitivity of the E500s.

Having said all that, these are the best IEMs I've ever heard unamped, and they sound perfect for me and the sound signature I was looking for. The vast majority of feedback on these phones are more positive than negative.

I've just got to stop reading these forums comparing them to Triple.fis, UE 11s, Crossroads etc etc. ...maybe stay away for a few years till the next best thing comes along or my wallet recovers or my wife starts talking to me again (she stopped this week).

 

[jmpage2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by indigo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Personally i just got mine today and it drives pretty well unamped from an Ipod Touch. From what I've read here, it drives even better with an amp, and I have one plus an ipod line out dock on the way. As I said in another post, I feel the E500s are not as forgiving as the E4s or the SFPs. They tend to sound fairly ordinary on 128kbps mp3s while the E4s and the SFPs tend to have a positive impact on such recordings. Also you can hear the ipod hiss due to the sensitivity of the E500s. Having said all that, these are the best IEMs I've ever heard unamped, and they sound perfect for me and the sound signature I was looking for. The vast majority of feedback on these phones are more positive than negative. I've just got to stop reading these forums comparing them to Triple.fis, UE 11s, Crossroads etc etc. ...maybe stay away for a few years till the next best thing comes along or my wallet recovers or my wife starts talking to me again (she stopped this week).

The hiss might bug me. I also have an ipod touch and find that sonically it is inferior to my 5G iPod even though it should sound better (better DSPs). Maybe Apple will be able to improve the performance through a firmware update.

Everything I listen to is either LAME APS or LAME APX encoded, so everything averages 192kbps or better... I've held off on re-encoding my stuff in lossless since the iPod only supports Apple Lossless and my Slimserver does not.

I'll keep my eyes peeled for more deals on the E500s, maybe that bob guy hasn't sold the last of them yet.

 

[jmpage2]

I notice that the E500 is pretty much impossible to find now, with just the SE530 revision now available.

Any other sources on the E500 that are a cost savings vs. the new model?

How often does this eBay guy sell these cans?

 

[indigo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmpage2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I notice that the E500 is pretty much impossible to find now, with just the SE530 revision now available. Any other sources on the E500 that are a cost savings vs. the new model? How often does this eBay guy sell these cans?

Over the last two weeks, he came on twice, and both times sold out of his stock (8 sets or so) within a few hours. Alternatively, search for them used in these forums (that's how I got mine).

I actually find the touch better sounding than the 5G, a bit clearer, crisper bass.

 

[only500made]

Quote:

You might want to look into the Atrio M5 for warm sound at similar price. I think it's even bassier than the sf5pro and the treble is pushed back a bit. Many people like it but be cautious that it might sound too warm and bassy to you.

yes, yes and yes. this is why i sold my M8s. I found it wayyyy to warm for me not to enjoy my music anymore. If you like a warm sig, then thats for you, but i cannot really understand on how it wins over the SFP5s other than bass like other people said. imo, its better in every aspect. itll be just a matter of what sound you're looking for.

 

[robinclp]

if you want an upgrade from e4c why not consider full-sized headphones or iems with more than 1 driver...

i seriously don't see the point of you getting another single driver iem...

i'm starting to enjoy my e4c's now after 3-4 months of hating it... i realised i need to get a tight seal without getting the earpiece too close to the eardrums... that's why i'm using the largest clear ear tip now

 

[jinx20001]

i personally upgraded from the e4c to ultimate ears and it was an upgrade, they matched the highs of the shures and smashed the bass to another level, giving power, seperate clean sound ( if a little boomy!) and to my ears it was a good upgrade for less money.

ofcourse its all about what you want more, the shures give a cleaner midrange and sharper highs but the ultimate ears is a much better all round set of earphones, not the most comfortable and uglier than the shures but certainly well built and great cable (removeable, thats whats great

)

bass may be overpowering for some but it does add impact and feeling to music, whatever your choice, enjoy

 

[jinx20001]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro /img/forum/go_quote.gif Huh?? I am trying to help the OP!!! While this forum is about opinions, saying SFP is a "drastic downgrade" to E4 is erroneous info and I guarantee ALL those that have owned both would agree. That was the key point of my rebuttal. If someone posts erroneous info I may challenge it to possibly save someone from spending 100's of dollars needlessly. Chill out!! As a side note they'd be more apt describe SFP's as bright, not muffled. A CX-300 or a SF-EB sounds muffled but certainly not a SFP. Jeez...listen to what you are saying before you type.

agreed, too many people complain about earphones because they simply arent a fan, i also dont find the 5 pro muffle but indeed pretty bright! brighter than the e500 by a tad, but that isnt saying better sounding, i honestly think the 5 pro give a much rounder sound

 

[jterp7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robinclp /img/forum/go_quote.gif if you want an upgrade from e4c why not consider full-sized headphones or iems with more than 1 driver... i seriously don't see the point of you getting another single driver iem... i'm starting to enjoy my e4c's now after 3-4 months of hating it... i realised i need to get a tight seal without getting the earpiece too close to the eardrums... that's why i'm using the largest clear ear tip now

5pros are dual driver..the key to IEMs is getting that good seal, without it, the bass suffers considerably. Personally I've found with both shures and UE is that foamies work best since they conform to whatever shape your ear is

 

[mamboman]

I am keeping both my 5 Pro and the E500!