Sleek SA6: Can I do better for $200?
Oct 28, 2008 at 4:28 AM Post #31 of 45
Quote:

Originally Posted by ljcii /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Do they really have that?


How many IEMs have more soundstage than the Sleeks? The SE530 is certainly one, then you have the really high end phones like the Superfi 11 and the ACS T1, but that's about it.

Ok, maybe saying that the Sleeks have one of the best soundstage of any IEM is not accurate, but they certainly have a very good soundstage.
 
Oct 28, 2008 at 11:50 AM Post #32 of 45
Well, as usual, no solids conclusions
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Oct 28, 2008 at 7:49 PM Post #33 of 45
The Sleeks really don't have much a soundstage to them. Compared to other armature based phones, they sound a little airier but not by much. The Sony's are very very airy and their soundstage is very close to a good set of full sized phones. It is extremely noticeable. Heck, the Klipsch Custom-2s I've recently sold on here, those had a bigger sound and bigger soundstage than the Sleeks but it was very noticeable that the sound was very very very close to the center of you head instead of the impression of sound being outside of your head, around you. To achieve that sound Klipsch had to compromise on the higher frequencies as well thus explaining the evident congestion that could be heard. More like a veil though, the details were there, they just were not crisp.
 
Oct 28, 2008 at 8:10 PM Post #34 of 45
Soundstage on the Sleeks is very dependent on the tips you use and the canal depth. With foamies, which usually are inserted deeper, the soundstage is collapsed and it loses dynamics. With the double flange, preferably sealed at the very entrance to the canal, the soundstage is increased and the snap in the upper frequencies is back.

I have owned the Sleeks since they were first released and do not particularly like their sound with any tips other than the double flange.
 
Oct 28, 2008 at 8:14 PM Post #35 of 45
What provides a wide/airy soundstage but with really good isolation?
 
Oct 28, 2008 at 8:14 PM Post #36 of 45
Quote:

Originally Posted by dookiex /img/forum/go_quote.gif
The Sleeks really don't have much a soundstage to them. Compared to other armature based phones, they sound a little airier but not by much. The Sony's are very very airy and their soundstage is very close to a good set of full sized phones. It is extremely noticeable. Heck, the Klipsch Custom-2s I've recently sold on here, those had a bigger sound and bigger soundstage than the Sleeks but it was very noticeable that the sound was very very very close to the center of you head instead of the impression of sound being outside of your head, around you. To achieve that sound Klipsch had to compromise on the higher frequencies as well thus explaining the evident congestion that could be heard. More like a veil though, the details were there, they just were not crisp.


What are you using now if not the Sleeks nor Custom-2s?
 
Oct 28, 2008 at 8:24 PM Post #37 of 45
Quote:

Originally Posted by schneller /img/forum/go_quote.gif
What provides a wide/airy soundstage but with really good isolation?


To be honest, wide/airy soundstage and IEM are two terms that don't mix. You have varying degrees of narrow soundstage until you hit the UE11, sort of. To me, the Sleeks do a better job at airiness that just about every IEM I've heard, sometimes even more so than the UE11.
 
Oct 28, 2008 at 8:34 PM Post #38 of 45
Yeah EyeAMEye. That's an issue with me. To get a seal I need to insert most in-ears relatively deep into my ears. Great seal by you really get that music jamming straight into your brain feeling. In the case of the Etymotics, I had to cut off the smallest flange on the triple flanges so that they wouldn't tickle so much in my ear. The Sleeks were a bit better in this sense but the sound to me was lacking. I picked mines up when they first came out and after about a month, sold them as they were just not worth the $250 I had initially plopped down for them.
 
Oct 28, 2008 at 8:39 PM Post #39 of 45
Quote:

Originally Posted by dookiex /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I picked mines up when they first came out and after about a month, sold them as they were just not worth the $250 I had initially plopped down for them.



I most likely would have done the same if I had to insert the flanges deep. It loses a good deal when it's inserted deeper. Adds a bit of bass but sacrifices high end, dynamics and soundstage. Not worth the trade off.

I get the tickle sensation as well, which is the downside to the double flange tip for me. That's why I went customs and probably won't ever go back, even though Duncan's impressions of the Senn IE8 are tempting
tongue_smile.gif
 
Oct 29, 2008 at 11:48 AM Post #41 of 45
One more bump...
 
Oct 29, 2008 at 1:04 PM Post #42 of 45
Quote:

Originally Posted by dookiex /img/forum/go_quote.gif
The Sleeks really don't have much a soundstage to them. Compared to other armature based phones, they sound a little airier but not by much. The Sony's are very very airy and their soundstage is very close to a good set of full sized phones. It is extremely noticeable. Heck, the Klipsch Custom-2s I've recently sold on here, those had a bigger sound and bigger soundstage than the Sleeks but it was very noticeable that the sound was very very very close to the center of you head instead of the impression of sound being outside of your head, around you. To achieve that sound Klipsch had to compromise on the higher frequencies as well thus explaining the evident congestion that could be heard. More like a veil though, the details were there, they just were not crisp.


I'm getting confused of sound-stage here.
Isn't sound-stage = to the sound being outside of your head, extremely realistic?
so how could the sound-stage be good hen the sound was inside of your head?
 
Oct 29, 2008 at 3:46 PM Post #43 of 45
Quote:

Originally Posted by ljcii /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I'm getting confused of sound-stage here.
Isn't sound-stage = to the sound being outside of your head, extremely realistic?
so how could the sound-stage be good hen the sound was inside of your head?



Yeah that's what I was wondering too. Airiness isn't a sole factor in determining soundstage, it's just a side product of having strong soundstage, mids and highs. I haven't heard the EX700 but hasn't ClieOS rate both of them to be the same in soundstage? In any case the Sleeks certainly have a lot of soundstage., at least for an IEM. Did you use the Bass+ port? Cause it's that port which really releases the soundstage.
 
Oct 29, 2008 at 3:50 PM Post #44 of 45
This is what soundstage means. People seem to change it from time to time.

Soundstage also refers to the depth and richness of an audio recording (usually referring to the playback process). According to audiophiles, the quality of the playback is very much dependent on how one is able to pick out different instruments, voices, vocal parts, etc. exactly where they are located on an imaginary 2D or 3D field. This can enhance not only the listener's involvement in the recording but also their overall perception of the stage.
 
Oct 29, 2008 at 4:25 PM Post #45 of 45
ClieOS also can't stand listening to them for more than 15 minutes which myself and a few other EX700 users tend to not agree with as much on. The soundstage is definitely NOT comparable between the SA6 and the EX700s. The EX700s has a much better soundstage that also feels airy. It's what a good pair of full sized phones would sound like. The SA6s did not have that quality to them, the details were excellent on the SA6s but the bass was anemic and the sound felt like it was emitting from the center of your brain instead of the sense of hearing sound coming in around you. BIG difference. ljcii, you hit the nail on the head, thus I said that the soundstage wasn't all that great on the SA6 while it was excellent on the EX700s.

By the way, those ports, I've tried all the ports that came with mines and the difference in sound was quite minute. That airiness that came along with using the Bass + port, it also created a less refined bass response and did not really add much in the bass impact department (where it actually really counts, for example, Etymotic's actually have very accurate and ample bass but they are lacking impact thus the overall sound become sterile and cold). A pair of phones can hit all the notes perfectly but you have to listen to it as a whole, this includes warmth in the sound, if there's a lack of warmth, you're really missing a big part of your music.

It's funny how ClieOS' review of in-ears has become the standard as to which many head-fiers have followed. I've tried and owned many pairs of in-ears and full sized phones and I'll tell you this right now, I sold many of them and quite a few are in storage, the reason I bought them initially was due to the reviews on Head-Fi. I've grown old and wiser and now only look at what's coming out and I dare to experiment with new phones and equipment regardless of the reviews on Head-Fi because if I was to go by reviews on Head-Fi, I would end up with even more equipment that I don't really enjoy.
 

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