Shure SE425 vs Sleek Audio SA6 vs Sony EX600
Jul 9, 2011 at 7:45 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 18

atptsoi

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Which of these would you head-fiers get? I actually like a bit more bass without compromise to the treble though, I've heard these products one of the best at it's price and i'm in a huge dilemma on which one to get =/
 
Sleek Audio SA6 (Balanced Armature)
Sony EX600 (Balanced Armature?)
Shure SE425 (Dual Armature)
 
Im looking for a wide-ish soundstage with impacting bass as i'm a avid hiphop/rap etc. listener but I also occasionally monitor a stage so it kinda has to do both.
 
 
Thanks :)
 
Jul 9, 2011 at 7:18 PM Post #2 of 18
If Bass is a priority the EX-600 is definitely your best choice.
  And they aren't Balanced Armature, they are dynamics, which move air and generally much more heavier on bass.
 
Jul 9, 2011 at 10:01 PM Post #4 of 18
se425 is really neutral/flat and doesn't have much impact especially for sub kicks in hip-hop. I think I just helped you narrow it down to two
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Jul 10, 2011 at 2:22 AM Post #7 of 18
Bass is not weak at all in the EX600, and I'm what some would call a borderline basshead (some would say I'm a full basshead). 
 
Jul 10, 2011 at 1:40 PM Post #9 of 18
I'd say none of the above have any decent bass.
Sony is likely just as expensive and has probably the worst bass timbre of all dynamics known to me, which makes it slightly worse than SA6's. It also suffers from mid overload and those mids aren't even close in quality to ones put out by SA6.
 
Shure SE425 are pretty similar to SA6, however with worse bass timbre (than bass++) and slightly worse high end extension. Detailing is on similar level. However, SE425 are priced ridiculously high compared to SA6-R.
 
To reiterate: do not buy SA6. Do buy SA6-R or something entirely different.
 
Jul 10, 2011 at 1:59 PM Post #11 of 18


Quote:
I'd say none of the above have any decent bass.
Sony is likely just as expensive and has probably the worst bass timbre of all dynamics known to me, which makes it slightly worse than SA6's. It also suffers from mid overload and those mids aren't even close in quality to ones put out by SA6.
 


Have you actually heard the EX600?
 
I haven't heard the SA6 or SE425, but of all 21 phones listed in my sig, the Sony EX600 has some of the best bass response I've heard, with some of the very best timbre! Saying it "suffers from mid overload" is way off the mark - if anything, the mid-range might be considered slightly recessed (which I don't think it is, BTW). If you, in fact, have heard them, all I can say is you either had a (very) bad fit, a faulty pair (which is unlikely) or your concept of good sound is completely different to mine.
 
 
Jul 11, 2011 at 3:29 PM Post #14 of 18
Quote:
 
Have you actually heard the EX600?
 
I haven't heard the SA6 or SE425, but of all 21 phones listed in my sig, the Sony EX600 has some of the best bass response I've heard, with some of the very best timbre! Saying it "suffers from mid overload" is way off the mark - if anything, the mid-range might be considered slightly recessed (which I don't think it is, BTW). If you, in fact, have heard them, all I can say is you either had a (very) bad fit, a faulty pair (which is unlikely) or your concept of good sound is completely different to mine.
 


Actually I have, however I might have been exaggerating. The mid "overload" presents is a large ~3kHz hump. There's a minor amount of sibilance as well (noticeable as "hotter" sound). Maybe you're listening louder so the boost is less obvious or it's just my ears.
Bass is of course best of these three, they're dynamics after all, however it's nowhere near great. It's overly fast (yes, there is such a thing) and with not enough decay. GR07 beat the quality handily. It's good quantity though and there's not a lot midbass bleed, however it exists. Extension is ok. Soundstaging is pretty good, however the stage is a bit near and shallow.
 
They're pretty overpriced in many places. I see Amazon has for $150 - that's a good price, they're worth about that much. But here they're more to the tune of $250, which is unacceptable. (Brand markup like for Shure?) New Atrios are a better pick in my opinion at the lower price, the higher one and you can get IE8 or MTPG, which mop the floor with these in general.
(Note: IE8 at the lowest bass setting or +1. Anything above that is pretty much insane basshead mode.
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)
 
The other two are more for fans of absolute mid and highs accuracy at the cost in bass quantity and decay.
SA6 are the smoother and lower mid based (not boosted!) sound, pretty linear though and among the best bass for an armature (with the b+ or b++ filter), it can compete with some multiple BA IEMs. Extension is ok bass side for a BA IEM, not that great in highs. The sound is rich in harmonics, sounding lush or reverb-like. Soundstaging is great with very deep insertion, which is trivial, since they're tiny and tiny nozzle diameter. Their main issue was build quality, specifically the cable. The newer ones should have a good cable, SA6-R has different cabling as well (incl. IEM-side plugs and sockets), but might sport some sound changes.
 
Shure SE425 are pretty neutral sounding, slightly harsher than SA6 and colder, a bit worse bass decay, far less lush. The key selling point of those over SA6 would be build quality. Soundstaging is in my opinion slightly inferior to SA6, certain kinds of percussion steps too much forward. They're also more expensive. Comfort is IMO slightly inferior too.
 
Jul 11, 2011 at 3:37 PM Post #15 of 18
^ Well, we do hear things quite differently.
 
BTW, I'd take the EX600 over the IE8 any day - and I did enjoy the IE8s.  And I would pay $250 for the Sonys, too - better performers than quite a few $300+ IEMs.
 

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