DJ AudioPhile
Banned
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2009
- Posts
- 60
- Likes
- 0
Okay, Where do I start? These little pieces of audio joy are just amazing.
My previous earphones were the Sennheiser CX300 and Skullcandy Ink'd. I know, very crappy earphones. I was doing a lot of research on Hi-Fidelity audio products. At that time I never knew they incorporated Hi-Fidelity audio into earphones. I always thought it was in full size headphones and speakers costing $500+. I then stumbled across these babies. Soo many reviews I read were praising these earphones wonderful sound quality and that justifying the high price of $500. I then bit the bullet and ordered them from Amazon for $290. Upon ordering these earphones I was expecting to be completely blown away by the sound quality once I receive them.
The anticipation when waiting for these earphones was so ridiculous I kept checking the UPS shipping progress on their website. Oh was the wait annoying. This is the reason I generally hate online shopping. The day finally came!! UPS knocks on my door I jump up in glee and answered the door and signed for my package and....You guys already know. I then proceeded to un-package these earphones like I was opening a first AID kit to help someone in their injury. My first thought was the nice casing these earphones came in. It really made me feel like I really spent my money wisely. I then held them in my hands...They were such a beauty. The light was just glistening off of then like a diamond. I never knew they were so shiny. Shure really hit home on the aesthetics of these earphones. They actually looked expensive. I then looked at the amount of tips that was included with the package. I was astonished soo many tips came with this earphone. Shure really wanted to make sure you got a good seal. Usually with every earphone I bought I always used the sleeve that was pre-installed on them because they were medium and happened to fit me good. I did the same with my Shure SE530's. I then compressed the foam as stated everywhere and pulled my ear out and put them in and waited 30 seconds for the foam to expand in my ear creating a seal....I then found my favorite song play on my Zune 120gb....
The first thing that popped into my head was "It sounds clearer...but not $500 clearer" Immediately I thought I was ripped off. 1 week later I then realized something. My songs were all encoded in 192kbps and lower. I then learned more about lossless audio quality. I then re-ripped all of my songs into lossless quality and decided to also change the foam tips from medium to large because the medium wasn't big enough for some reason. As the large foam expanded in my ears the isolation sky rocketed and it felt like I was under water. I then began to listen to my song re-ripped to lossless..........I literally began to drool onto my lap. The sound was so effortless yet detailed. It couldn't have been coming from earphones, it just couldn't just have. The bass was so tight and deep yet fast enough to keep up with songs like Drum and Bass or Techno. The midrange was so clear. Let me restate that...The midrange was so precise. I have never heard vocals so correctly done. Voices sound as if the artist were shrunk and crawled into your head and started singing. I can hear every exhale and inhale. It added a whole new element to the music. The treble was so natural yet crisp and detailed with very far extension. Even when the volume has been cranked up these earphones maintain the sound with absolutely no distortion. Every other earphone or speaker I've heard begins to distort when the sound is increased. There is 3 drivers (1 tweeter and 2 subwoofers) in each earpiece which is the primary reason for such clarity across each frequency and no distortion as the volume increases. I kept reading reviews upon where people said these earphones have a rolled off treble. This means the volume of the treble as it goes up in the frequencies decreases. I personally do think the treble is a bit recessed in the extreme upper treble area. This was done to reduce listening fatigue because I personally never heard earphone with so much detail and clarity yet still while sounding natural. Most earphones boost the treble to sound as if it is detailed when truly it is not and this comes across as a ear sore within 10 minutes of listening. The treble on these earphones sound as if you would hear it in real life.
These earphones really need a worthy source to make you think the are a bargain at $500. Here's why. My friend is an audiophile and is into home audio not portable audio as he thinks that is not true fidelity. I later changed his mind with my Zune 120gb and Shure SE530 combo. He recommend I go visit the audio store nearby us I never knew of. He said they have a ton of high end audio equipment you can demo before you buy. So I went there with my Shure SE530's and Zune 120gb. I walked in a was completely astonished at the price of some of the equipment in here. We're talking about AMPS and DAC's costing $1,000+. I came across the DAC and AMP setup costing about $3,000 that had an 1/4" earphone input jack. I could demo it!!! Oh crap!!! My Shure SE530's has a 1/8" jack and I forgot my 1/8" to 1/4" converter. I was in luck though the salesman went into the back of the store and brought back a 1/8" to 1/4" converter. I then plugged my Shure SE530's in and turned the volume all the way down to prevent my eardrums being blasted down my throat when I hit play. I hit play and slightly raised the volume to get some sound.....OMG.....I kid you not....I nearly fainted right there and then in the middle of the store. The sound was absolutely and positively the best thing my eardrums has had the pleasure of vibrating to. Sure it was music I never heard before but the instruments sounded so realistic and alive it seemed as if there was band in the store playing in front of me. The sound stage well expanded outside of my head. The sound was literally flowing around my head as if there was speakers circulating my head. I was amazed!! Right there I was disappointed in how the crappy the Zune sounded in comparison to this $3,000 source. What do you expect? I'm comparing a $250 product to a $3,000 products. On the Zune the earphones lost their spacial sound. Also everything sounds less vivacious and exciting. it's still listenable though.
Here is a run down on how I think these earphones handle every frequency.
Bass:
The bass is tight, deep, punchy, super fast and natural. I hear no bass roll off whats so ever. I have run bass test on these earphones and 20hz sounds just as powerful as a 80hz tone. The bass is not the big boomy bass often heard from cheap car subwoofers or clubs. This bass is tamed and blends in perfectly with the music.
Midrange:
In my opinion and many others the main reason to buy these earphones. The vocals spring to life as if the artist are actually in your head. Guitars sound so life like. Every other earphone or headphone I have tried seems muddy in the midrange compared to these.
Treble:
Not in your face but has a more natural approach to give you a life like treble experience. The detail is all there as well as the extension. To my ears I find the treble crisp when needed to be. The treble kindly compliments the midrange and makes for a more smooth and luscious sound most earphones simply can't reproduce without sounding harsh and unnatural somewhere.
Soundstage:
Amazingly wide and open when I plugged it into that super high end source. Instruments and vocals were surrounding me like a wall of music. On any other portable device I've tried it on the soundstage significantly closes in more towards the head but is still more expansive than any other earphone I've heard.
The rubber strain relief in the right earpiece is beginning to tear away from the unit. I am beginning to learn that this is also another problem with these earphones. I have not experienced any cable failure at since me owning this earphone for a year. I also heard Shure fixed the cables for all 2008 models and up. My Shure SE530's are a 2008 model so that may be the reason for no cable cracking or tearing.
I wouldn't call these earphones nuetral as in every frequency has the same volume intensity. The bass and midrange are flat but the treble does in fact roll off buuut this gives you a natural sound since you will never hear treble so pronounced an in your face in real life. If you want an earphone with a completely flat response I recommend you look elsewhere.
Pros:
* Stunning sound quality did I mention stunning?
* Nice stylish look.
* Feels durable.
* Comes with a lot of accessories.
* Backed by Shure's 2 year warranty.
* Complete steal at $300.
* Most natural sound I've heard.
* NO listening fatigue
* Great noise isolation
Cons:
* Portable devices won't really show you the true capabilities of these earphones. Shure promotes the use of the earphones with portable devices.
* Treble has a slight roll off
* Not completely nuetral and true to the source.
* This earphone tends to fall apart after awhile. ( Rubber strain relief will or may tear away from the earphone )
Thanks for reading and hoped you enjoyed my experience as well as the review of these wonderful earphones!
My previous earphones were the Sennheiser CX300 and Skullcandy Ink'd. I know, very crappy earphones. I was doing a lot of research on Hi-Fidelity audio products. At that time I never knew they incorporated Hi-Fidelity audio into earphones. I always thought it was in full size headphones and speakers costing $500+. I then stumbled across these babies. Soo many reviews I read were praising these earphones wonderful sound quality and that justifying the high price of $500. I then bit the bullet and ordered them from Amazon for $290. Upon ordering these earphones I was expecting to be completely blown away by the sound quality once I receive them.
The anticipation when waiting for these earphones was so ridiculous I kept checking the UPS shipping progress on their website. Oh was the wait annoying. This is the reason I generally hate online shopping. The day finally came!! UPS knocks on my door I jump up in glee and answered the door and signed for my package and....You guys already know. I then proceeded to un-package these earphones like I was opening a first AID kit to help someone in their injury. My first thought was the nice casing these earphones came in. It really made me feel like I really spent my money wisely. I then held them in my hands...They were such a beauty. The light was just glistening off of then like a diamond. I never knew they were so shiny. Shure really hit home on the aesthetics of these earphones. They actually looked expensive. I then looked at the amount of tips that was included with the package. I was astonished soo many tips came with this earphone. Shure really wanted to make sure you got a good seal. Usually with every earphone I bought I always used the sleeve that was pre-installed on them because they were medium and happened to fit me good. I did the same with my Shure SE530's. I then compressed the foam as stated everywhere and pulled my ear out and put them in and waited 30 seconds for the foam to expand in my ear creating a seal....I then found my favorite song play on my Zune 120gb....
The first thing that popped into my head was "It sounds clearer...but not $500 clearer" Immediately I thought I was ripped off. 1 week later I then realized something. My songs were all encoded in 192kbps and lower. I then learned more about lossless audio quality. I then re-ripped all of my songs into lossless quality and decided to also change the foam tips from medium to large because the medium wasn't big enough for some reason. As the large foam expanded in my ears the isolation sky rocketed and it felt like I was under water. I then began to listen to my song re-ripped to lossless..........I literally began to drool onto my lap. The sound was so effortless yet detailed. It couldn't have been coming from earphones, it just couldn't just have. The bass was so tight and deep yet fast enough to keep up with songs like Drum and Bass or Techno. The midrange was so clear. Let me restate that...The midrange was so precise. I have never heard vocals so correctly done. Voices sound as if the artist were shrunk and crawled into your head and started singing. I can hear every exhale and inhale. It added a whole new element to the music. The treble was so natural yet crisp and detailed with very far extension. Even when the volume has been cranked up these earphones maintain the sound with absolutely no distortion. Every other earphone or speaker I've heard begins to distort when the sound is increased. There is 3 drivers (1 tweeter and 2 subwoofers) in each earpiece which is the primary reason for such clarity across each frequency and no distortion as the volume increases. I kept reading reviews upon where people said these earphones have a rolled off treble. This means the volume of the treble as it goes up in the frequencies decreases. I personally do think the treble is a bit recessed in the extreme upper treble area. This was done to reduce listening fatigue because I personally never heard earphone with so much detail and clarity yet still while sounding natural. Most earphones boost the treble to sound as if it is detailed when truly it is not and this comes across as a ear sore within 10 minutes of listening. The treble on these earphones sound as if you would hear it in real life.
These earphones really need a worthy source to make you think the are a bargain at $500. Here's why. My friend is an audiophile and is into home audio not portable audio as he thinks that is not true fidelity. I later changed his mind with my Zune 120gb and Shure SE530 combo. He recommend I go visit the audio store nearby us I never knew of. He said they have a ton of high end audio equipment you can demo before you buy. So I went there with my Shure SE530's and Zune 120gb. I walked in a was completely astonished at the price of some of the equipment in here. We're talking about AMPS and DAC's costing $1,000+. I came across the DAC and AMP setup costing about $3,000 that had an 1/4" earphone input jack. I could demo it!!! Oh crap!!! My Shure SE530's has a 1/8" jack and I forgot my 1/8" to 1/4" converter. I was in luck though the salesman went into the back of the store and brought back a 1/8" to 1/4" converter. I then plugged my Shure SE530's in and turned the volume all the way down to prevent my eardrums being blasted down my throat when I hit play. I hit play and slightly raised the volume to get some sound.....OMG.....I kid you not....I nearly fainted right there and then in the middle of the store. The sound was absolutely and positively the best thing my eardrums has had the pleasure of vibrating to. Sure it was music I never heard before but the instruments sounded so realistic and alive it seemed as if there was band in the store playing in front of me. The sound stage well expanded outside of my head. The sound was literally flowing around my head as if there was speakers circulating my head. I was amazed!! Right there I was disappointed in how the crappy the Zune sounded in comparison to this $3,000 source. What do you expect? I'm comparing a $250 product to a $3,000 products. On the Zune the earphones lost their spacial sound. Also everything sounds less vivacious and exciting. it's still listenable though.
Here is a run down on how I think these earphones handle every frequency.
Bass:
The bass is tight, deep, punchy, super fast and natural. I hear no bass roll off whats so ever. I have run bass test on these earphones and 20hz sounds just as powerful as a 80hz tone. The bass is not the big boomy bass often heard from cheap car subwoofers or clubs. This bass is tamed and blends in perfectly with the music.
Midrange:
In my opinion and many others the main reason to buy these earphones. The vocals spring to life as if the artist are actually in your head. Guitars sound so life like. Every other earphone or headphone I have tried seems muddy in the midrange compared to these.
Treble:
Not in your face but has a more natural approach to give you a life like treble experience. The detail is all there as well as the extension. To my ears I find the treble crisp when needed to be. The treble kindly compliments the midrange and makes for a more smooth and luscious sound most earphones simply can't reproduce without sounding harsh and unnatural somewhere.
Soundstage:
Amazingly wide and open when I plugged it into that super high end source. Instruments and vocals were surrounding me like a wall of music. On any other portable device I've tried it on the soundstage significantly closes in more towards the head but is still more expansive than any other earphone I've heard.
The rubber strain relief in the right earpiece is beginning to tear away from the unit. I am beginning to learn that this is also another problem with these earphones. I have not experienced any cable failure at since me owning this earphone for a year. I also heard Shure fixed the cables for all 2008 models and up. My Shure SE530's are a 2008 model so that may be the reason for no cable cracking or tearing.
I wouldn't call these earphones nuetral as in every frequency has the same volume intensity. The bass and midrange are flat but the treble does in fact roll off buuut this gives you a natural sound since you will never hear treble so pronounced an in your face in real life. If you want an earphone with a completely flat response I recommend you look elsewhere.
Pros:
* Stunning sound quality did I mention stunning?
* Nice stylish look.
* Feels durable.
* Comes with a lot of accessories.
* Backed by Shure's 2 year warranty.
* Complete steal at $300.
* Most natural sound I've heard.
* NO listening fatigue
* Great noise isolation
Cons:
* Portable devices won't really show you the true capabilities of these earphones. Shure promotes the use of the earphones with portable devices.
* Treble has a slight roll off
* Not completely nuetral and true to the source.
* This earphone tends to fall apart after awhile. ( Rubber strain relief will or may tear away from the earphone )
Thanks for reading and hoped you enjoyed my experience as well as the review of these wonderful earphones!
