[Ordeith]

The preamble:

This is my first post and I want to thank everyone here for taking the time to read and help each other, and I hope to be a part of this community for a while, and maybe someday have enough knowledge and experience to help others with their choices.

Last weekend I went on a roadtrip, and as soon as I set foot in my friend's car I noticed something very odd. The music really just sounded...incredible. He had an Alpine deck (I forgot the model number) with Focal speakers and some kind of "powered subwoofer". The listening experience for the next few hours was euphoric. I can't describe to you (though you all probably know this feeling) what I felt listening to music on that system. There was no distortion, it was clear, there was ample bass, but not the kind of bass that drowns out the subtle beauty of the other ranges. It was almost like losing my virginity.

Anyway. I realized I can't create such an experience with home audio, and do it the way I want it to be done (I'm still a student). But I would like to go "all out" on a portable audio solution. A friend of mine just bought the Super.Fi 5 pro earphones (canalphones?, I didn't know such a thing existed). I'm trying to find something that can bring me the same experience, in a portable fashion, that listening to music on that car stereo did. I listen to everything, from requiem masses to hip-hop to video game music, and would like a) some kind of mp3 player that can produce great sound quality (nothing huge, I used to own a minidisc player and it was so light and tiny I have problems imagining the convenience in carrying something like a nomad jukebox...) and b) the canalphones to match - as they appear to be much less 'clunky' than any of the sennheisers I've looked at. I tried a pair of hd-242's I believe and while they are reasonably light and the sound was pretty good, I can't imagine wearing them for long periods of time.

Thanks in advance, for those who find the post long winded and rambling, I'm just trying to give you guys a feel for who I am, instead of just producing a "tell me what to buy" sterile post.

 

[AndyKatz]

Hi Ord,

Welcome aboard.

What a wonderful epiphany you seem to have had. One downside of headfing is that we often lack the opportunity to turn our friends on to the wonders of mobile high fidelity.

What sort of budget did you have in mind, and are you dedicated to the notion of IEMs?

They don't work for everybody, but they are versatile and offer great bang for the buck.

One of the great things about Headfi is the range of possibilities that's revealed here. Whatever your tastes or needs or budget there's something high-end available to match.

Andy

 

[nikongod]

take your wallet, hold it in the hand you normally use to control your mouse.
in your other hand push up firmly from your chair and swiftly grab your jacket off the back. turn away from your computer and RUN LIKE HELL.

sorry about your wallet.

 

[FSF]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikongod sorry about your wallet.

Second post. Not bad, guys.

 

[GreatDane]

I recommend spending as much as possible on some good IEMs.

 

[Ordeith]

The budget allocated for this (the portable end) is about 700 usd.

In addition to that I'm going to be buying those Klipsch promedia 5.1 Ultras for my computer as my emergency home solution, as I cannot afford to get a great amp and speakers just yet.

With the aforementioned 700 usd, I'd like to yes, get something "In ear", because a) they should be really light, b) hopefully not too 'intrusive' a feel in the ear (I've used some cheap earbuds in my day that chafe and aren't too comfortable). I'm hoping that roughly 700usd can get me a decent portable mp3 player and some nice in ear phone solutions, like the canalphones I mentioned that my friend bought, earlier. He complains that the sound reproduction on his ipod isn't great, so I haven't gone over to test out the canalphones just yet.

Thanks for the warm welcome AndyKatz!

 

[jjcha]

At that price range, why not consider the Shure E500 and the upcoming UE triple.fi 10 Pro?

Both are new products and are in the $400 ballpark range. To some degree they are relatively new and are untested - but I have no doubt in my mind that they will both justify their pricetags.

Good luck, welcome to head-fi, and as with everyone else, sorry about your wallet.

Best regards,

-Jason

 

[Computerpro3]

Look into the westone ES2. IF I had $700 to blow on a portable that's what I'd get.

 

[Meyvn]

The Shure E500s get incredible reviews here for canalphones, but honestly, IMO, canalphones will always be inferior to full-sized cans. Portably, I can't imagine it getting better than the AKG K81DJ. I've heard the Sennheiser HD25-1 is really good (if not better) too, but I haven't heard them myself. If you want the best experience possible, full-sized is the way to go; the "clunk" you refer to is, IMO, worth it.

 

[jjcha]

I think there is a time and place for portable full sized cans, such as the K 81DJ. I have owned a fair number of them, including the HD25-1 and my ATH-ES7. I do take issue though regarding sound quality.

Have you owned any of the higher-end IEM? While I don't find IEM match the quality of the true high-end cans (HD650, K 701, K 1000 etc.), I do take issue that the midline portable closed cans offer superior sound quality. Explicitly, I find the E4c, E5c are superior in sound quality to the HD25-1, K 81DJ, K 181DJ, ATH-ES7.

Incidentally, I find the HD25-1 with the right cable upgrade outperforms everything else in this category based on direct side-by-side comparisons with the ATH-ES7 and K 181DJ. But I prefer the sonics of my ATH-ES7.

But IEM do, and always will, suffer from an "in-your-ear" sound effect. Some handle this better than others. As a result I would also agree that there are times I would rather listen to a full-sized portable can (my ATH-ES7 or HF-1 fills that function right now) over a "better" IEM, including my custom molded ones.

But I find it hard to recommend the HD25-1 or K 81DJ over the E4c or E5c, much less E500 for anyone interested in an IEM based solely on sound quality. I've been on this quest for a long time (for the best portable full-sized can), and it's still not fulfilled, despite the HD25-1, K 181DJ and ATH-ES7 being pretty good. They're just not there compared to my IEM.

Best regards,

-Jason

 

[bungle]

Quote:

a) some kind of mp3 player that can produce great sound quality (nothing huge, I used to own a minidisc player and it was so light and tiny I have problems imagining the convenience in carrying something like a nomad jukebox...)

Is the mp3 player included in the $700? Also, since you want it light, does that mean you don't want an amp? Clarifying that will help refine the suggestions.

With that budget, especially being new to this, I would suggest getting a couple of different portable cans. The isolation of IEMs isn't always practical, so you might want something open for times where you need awareness. In fact, with that budget, you could get a player and most of the oft-recommended chaper portables (iM716, KSC-75, PX100, K81DJ) and still have money left over. Then you could evaluate what sound you like and what features you desire and go from there.

 

[feh1325]

the best first step into the portable audio world is to make sure you have high quality files.

make sure you import using high bitrates.

files are way more important than sources, headphones, amps, cables etc

 

[Ordeith]

Okay, thanks for all the responses.

Regarding:

1) Files: This influences the player I intend to buy (which is to be included in the budget). There don't seem to be many that can play FLAC, but I hear Apple is releasing a new series of toys soon, maybe they will have FLAC support?

2) Cans: I'm not sure what it is about them, but I just can't get used to the feel. I owned a headset for my pc (Over the ear style, logitech) and I literally couldn't wear it for anything longer than an hour without having my ears ache from the strain.

Which leaves me with:

3) There is an insane deal going on right now on the Super Fi.5 EB, and although I read (thanks for the suggestion) the review on the UE triple.fi 10 Pro on this site, I can't spend one thousand usd on those at the moment. I have no idea where you saw them for 400, which is far less than the msrp. I'm going to be trying out the Super Fi.5 EBs or pros, and the Shure e5c I think, to keep things within reason (in terms of budget). The problem now seems to be in finding an adequate player which can play the filetypes I want, and is both small/light for convenient use (I.e, something I can use while jogging or biking.

On that last note, regarding the amp, in the review of the UE triple.fi 10 on this site I believe the reviewer stated something like:

"I would've been happy with just them as they were until I tried them with an amp". I've never used one before, but if it can significantly alter my listening experience, and not be more than a paperweight clipped to my shirt or something, I'd be intersted in it.

Thanks again for all the replies guys, everything seems to be coming together - except for the fact that a lot of stores don't seem too eager on letting people try their canalphones, heh.

 

[Spadge]

I don't think any new Apple player will support FLAC. They have their own lossless format (ALAC I think it's called).

I can't help you with the rest of your questions as I'm not experienced enough... good luck though

Paul

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ordeith Okay, thanks for all the responses. Regarding: 1) Files: This influences the player I intend to buy (which is to be included in the budget). There don't seem to be many that can play FLAC, but I hear Apple is releasing a new series of toys soon, maybe they will have FLAC support? 2) Cans: I'm not sure what it is about them, but I just can't get used to the feel. I owned a headset for my pc (Over the ear style, logitech) and I literally couldn't wear it for anything longer than an hour without having my ears ache from the strain. Which leaves me with: 3) There is an insane deal going on right now on the Super Fi.5 EB, and although I read (thanks for the suggestion) the review on the UE triple.fi 10 Pro on this site, I can't spend one thousand usd on those at the moment. I have no idea where you saw them for 400, which is far less than the msrp. I'm going to be trying out the Super Fi.5 EBs or pros, and the Shure e5c I think, to keep things within reason (in terms of budget). The problem now seems to be in finding an adequate player which can play the filetypes I want, and is both small/light for convenient use (I.e, something I can use while jogging or biking. On that last note, regarding the amp, in the review of the UE triple.fi 10 on this site I believe the reviewer stated something like: "I would've been happy with just them as they were until I tried them with an amp". I've never used one before, but if it can significantly alter my listening experience, and not be more than a paperweight clipped to my shirt or something, I'd be intersted in it. Thanks again for all the replies guys, everything seems to be coming together - except for the fact that a lot of stores don't seem too eager on letting people try their canalphones, heh.

 

[bungle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ordeith 1) Files: This influences the player I intend to buy (which is to be included in the budget). There don't seem to be many that can play FLAC, but I hear Apple is releasing a new series of toys soon, maybe they will have FLAC support?

Stock - doubtful, though Apple has its own lossless codec. Rockboxed iPods and iRivers can play FLAC. iAudio has a lot of devices that play FLAC with the stock firmware. iAudio also has good OGG support. You should consider that, on most players, many people would probably be hard pressed to hear the difference between FLAC and high-bitrate mp3 or ogg files. Even if you can, the fact that FLAC takes more space and usually drains the batteries more quickly may force a reconsideration.

http://flac.sourceforge.net/links.html#hardware

I don't own an amp, but I don't think any are smaller than the lightweight flash players available today (based on pictures I've seen). Some maybe comparable to a larger, hard-drive player. It depends on how loose your definition of portable is whether carrying a player and an amp is acceptable.