[ANDEROAN]

I've found that jamming the Head-Directs large bi-flange tips way deep into my ears solved any fit issues, I know when they are seated in just right, is when I can push on them and the sound doesn't change, if it seems shallow or bass lite, and I can push on them and have a BIG improvement, then I know I have to wiggle them in more, I'm getting better at it though, finding the right angle and then getting them seated in just right!
 
as I'm always out and about with the 600s on, while walking my pooch! holds nice and secure, and even works wonders with the sound!! after trying out the stock tips, I found that they seemed to muffle up the sound, compared to H-D large bi-flanges!! loving these 600s for sure!!
 
now I am also considering an upgrade to its bigger bro the 1000, or the 7550? I'm really liking the reviews that I'm reading!!

 

[james444]

I've posted that some time ago, storing the Sonys like this makes them fit more securely:
 

 

[DigitalFreak]

Quote:

I've found that jamming the Head-Directs large bi-flange tips way deep into my ears solved any fit issues, I know when they are seated in just right, is when I can push on them and the sound doesn't change, if it seems shallow or bass lite, and I can push on them and have a BIG improvement, then I know I have to wiggle them in more, I'm getting better at it though, finding the right angle and then getting them seated in just right!
 
as I'm always out and about with the 600s on, while walking my pooch! holds nice and secure, and even works wonders with the sound!! after trying out the stock tips, I found that they seemed to muffle up the sound, compared to H-D large bi-flanges!! loving these 600s for sure!!
 
now I am also considering an upgrade to its bigger bro the 1000, or the 7550? I'm really liking the reviews that I'm reading!!

I'm also considering getting the MDR EX1000's in the near future. Everyone I've talked to on here has said if I like the 600's I'll be blown away by what the 1000's are capable of. I'm also curious what the new XBA-3 and XBA-4 might sound like and I'm hoping those two new models will make it to N. America sometime next summer. Overall I'm really impressed with Sony's vision as far as their IEM's go and hope the new XBA models they're releasing catches on amongst Head-Fi user's. Now if Sony would only step up and release a DAP that sounded killer I'd ask for my Sony fan boy membership card back. Face it right now Sony lacks any sort of real vision as far as their DAP's go. In my mind Sony should be the market leader in MP3 players and not Apple.

 

[Inks]

Sony DAPs are poor overall, even in sound. I do have hopes for the upcoming Z1000 model though, I think (and are hoping) it will be Sony's attempt to drive low impedance IEMs like their XBA4 (ridiculous 8ohm impedance). Sony DAPs really suck at driving low impedance IEMs, one of the worst. Makes no sense releasing the XBA4/3 when they'll sound horrible out of their Sony DAPs, hoping the Z1000 will cure that. 

 

[ericp10]

I don't think liking the EX600 will absolutely ensure that one will like the EX1000 or 7550. More than likely you will but no guarantee. Depends on your preferred sound signature. The three are similar, yet they aren't as similar in sound signature as some will lead those who haven't heard all three to believe. Tried as I may (and acknowledging it's great technically), I just couldn't get with the EX1000's sound sig. I liked the EX600's sound sig better, and I'm absolutely in love with the 7550's sound sig.

 

[unknown909]

do the ex600 have more bass than the cx500 or the ex85lp??

 

[unknown909]

hey how's the bass on these? do you think they have more bass than the ex85lp?

 

[DigitalFreak]

Quote:

I don't think liking the EX600 will absolutely ensure that one will like the EX1000 or 7550. More than likely you will but no guarantee. Depends on your preferred sound signature. The three are similar, yet they aren't as similar in sound signature as some will lead those who haven't heard all three to believe. Tried as I may (and acknowledging it's great technically), I just couldn't get with the EX1000's sound sig. I liked the EX600's sound sig better, and I'm absolutely in love with the 7550's sound sig.

True but what can I say I've always been a closet Sony fan boy.

I'm really itching to find out what the XBA-3 and 4 bring to the table. I can't help but wonder if the XBA-4 is Sony's answer to a bass head IEM. As for the Ex 1000's I think the upgrade is the next logical step. Damn you Sony you're taking all of my money

 

[ANDEROAN]

GGRRR! Hey DigitalFreak, I hear ya, yes the ex1000 or for me the 7550s aswell, what to do what to do? but in the mean time I'm enjoying the 600s, and in getting an Arrow 2.2g it has me rediscovering my setup ?, wwhhaa, well at least I'm discovering that less is more ?, or more or less, less hot treble, lol,
 
after giving the Arrow a couple of run thrus and also rexamining the role my Voyager plays ?, and in the end discovering that I'm not liking either ones synergy along with the 600s ?, I like what the Arrow contributes, as it brings some nice clearity and detail, but the Voyager adds some very nice color and a better soundstage ?, but in the end they both seem to contribute to the sibilant hot treble,
 
and I'm not liking the sound much after having to compinsate, one way or another, this cable that EQ. setting try this do that, add the ZO, more imp. less bass. take out the ZO add bass, try the contour, no ZO, flat setting. add the ZO, UGH!!! back and forth, ggrrrr,
 
in the meantime I learned that I'm liking the sound with just running the ZO off of the HO of the iPod classic 7th gen, and I'm liking it ALOT!! funny enough it has a very nice soundstage to the point where it's just as good as what the the Voyager can do, go figure, and along with the HO, I'm getting a much less sibilant almost non existant, and no more hot treble ?, wwhhhaa the, well I'm totally confused, nothing new there, lol,
 
its funny when I get a certain thing in my mind, as to what course is the best, (i.e. working at trying to stick with the LOD, but I learned I don't have the right amp to go along with the 600s easily effected treble ?, the ZO works great, almost perfect, but I'll have to upgrade to the v2 to be able to work it off of the classics LOD ? which should only be an even better sound)  and then work hard at achieving a you can't get to there from here scenario ?, lol, and its a long learning way between here and there ?, well at least its a long way between thinking that I know and then finding out that I DON'T know crapola, ugh, back to the drawing board, lol 
 
and so now I'm able to learn what will work better ?, well for now I'm sticking with what sounds the best with the 600s, and that is the ZO off of the HO, HOLY cashmolies it gives them a great clear clean nice thump to the bottom end and adds to the mids and the treble also, and without adding to the sensitive sibilant hot treble, along with that super great and clear soundstage of the 600s the ZO only takes whats great about the 600s and then adds to it, not tike the Voyager and the Arrow, they are tending to pick up and somehow add to the sibilant and hot treble, sort of turn a plowshare into a sword, or a sword into a plowshare, with the right equipment you can, do good or cause harm, or also just protect yourself? see now your just as confused along with me, lol, your welcome nothing to it ain't hard at all, lol, jk, 
 
the 600s are pretty great, in that it doesn't take a whole lot to get a GREAT sound from them, until I leaned that, I was dead set on getting the 7550s, for there reputation of being more mid centric and smoother treble right out of the box, but since my 600s are at a nice spot and I can haul around less gear ta boot, so I'm gonna sit back relax and enjoy!!!!!! yea right, NOT, lol,
 
and I always wondered what in the heck Kiteki was doing with not amping up her 600s, when and if she still has them, well by gollie now I know, and as I always have to learn the hard way, they don't need it in the least, as far as the Voyager and Arrow go, but I still would love to try out a TTVJ or Pico though, hhmmmm, just maybe they wouldn't effect the sibilant harsh treble, hhmmm i just wonder, well at least up to the point of throwing that wonderful little ZO into the mix, its got the BEST synergy for my EXs by far, gotta use at least one gadget to sweeten up the sound ?
 
???s, should I call it quits or try out a new amp, IEM, or source, to scratch that itch, and chase wraiths in the night trying to persue and achieve that all alusive perfect audio nirvana, your darn tootin I am, so moove over I got some more reading to do,
 
will it be the Leckerton, Pico, TTVJ, the T51, or a set of 7550s ? stay tuned while I try and make my next indecision 2011-12? but in the mean time I'm very very happy with the sound coming out of my ears,

 

[DigitalFreak]

Quote:

GGRRR! Hey DigitalFreak, I hear ya, yes the ex1000 or for me the 7550s aswell, what to do what to do? but in the mean time I'm enjoying the 600s, and in getting an Arrow 2.2g it has me rediscovering my setup ?, wwhhaa, well at least I'm discovering that less is more ?, or more or less, less hot treble, lol,
 
after giving the Arrow a couple of run thrus and also rexamining the role my Voyager plays ?, and in the end discovering that I'm not liking either ones synergy along with the 600s ?, I like what the Arrow contributes, as it brings some nice clearity and detail, but the Voyager adds some very nice color and a better soundstage ?, but in the end they both seem to contribute to the sibilant hot treble,
 
and I'm not liking the sound much after having to compinsate, one way or another, this cable that EQ. setting try this do that, add the ZO, more imp. less bass. take out the ZO add bass, try the contour, no ZO, flat setting. add the ZO, UGH!!! back and forth, ggrrrr,
 
in the meantime I learned that I'm liking the sound with just running the ZO off of the HO of the iPod classic 7th gen, and I'm liking it ALOT!! funny enough it has a very nice soundstage to the point where it's just as good as what the the Voyager can do, go figure, and along with the HO, I'm getting a much less sibilant almost non existant, and no more hot treble ?, wwhhhaa the, well I'm totally confused, nothing new there, lol,
 
its funny when I get a certain thing in my mind, as to what course is the best, (i.e. working at trying to stick with the LOD, but I learned I don't have the right amp to go along with the 600s easily effected treble ?, the ZO works great, almost perfect, but I'll have to upgrade to the v2 to be able to work it off of the classics LOD ? which should only be an even better sound)  and then work hard at achieving a you can't get to there from here scenario ?, lol, and its a long learning way between here and there ?, well at least its a long way between thinking that I know and then finding out that I DON'T know crapola, ugh, back to the drawing board, lol 
 
and so now I'm able to learn what will work better ?, well for now I'm sticking with what sounds the best with the 600s, and that is the ZO off of the HO, HOLY cashmolies it gives them a great clear clean nice thump to the bottom end and adds to the mids and the treble also, and without adding to the sensitive sibilant hot treble, along with that super great and clear soundstage of the 600s the ZO only takes whats great about the 600s and then adds to it, not tike the Voyager and the Arrow, they are tending to pick up and somehow add to the sibilant and hot treble, sort of turn a plowshare into a sword, or a sword into a plowshare, with the right equipment you can, do good or cause harm, or also just protect yourself? see now your just as confused along with me, lol, your welcome nothing to it ain't hard at all, lol, jk, 
 
the 600s are pretty great, in that it doesn't take a whole lot to get a GREAT sound from them, until I leaned that, I was dead set on getting the 7550s, for there reputation of being more mid centric and smoother treble right out of the box, but since my 600s are at a nice spot and I can haul around less gear ta boot, so I'm gonna sit back relax and enjoy!!!!!! yea right, NOT, lol,
 
and I always wondered what in the heck Kiteki was doing with not amping up her 600s, when and if she still has them, well by gollie now I know, and as I always have to learn the hard way, they don't need it in the least, as far as the Voyager and Arrow go, but I still would love to try out a TTVJ or Pico though, hhmmmm, just maybe they wouldn't effect the sibilant harsh treble, hhmmm i just wonder, well at least up to the point of throwing that wonderful little ZO into the mix, its got the BEST synergy for my EXs by far, gotta use at least one gadget to sweeten up the sound ?
 
???s, should I call it quits or try out a new amp, IEM, or source, to scratch that itch, and chase wraiths in the night trying to persue and achieve that all alusive perfect audio nirvana, your darn tootin I am, so moove over I got some more reading to do,
 
will it be the Leckerton, Pico, TTVJ, the T51, or a set of 7550s ? stay tuned while I try and make my next indecision 2011-12? but in the mean time I'm very very happy with the sound coming out of my ears,

Sounds like you're really having a crazy time experimenting. Take my advice dude the best setup is usually the simplest. I've also wondered what a MKII or an Arrow or a TTVJ Slim amp would do for my EX600's but the more I listen to them the more I realize they probably don't really need an amp. The EX1000's I can't say if they will need an amp or not because I've never tried it. I've run across a few people on here who say the EX1000's need a decent amp to get all the audio goodness out of them though and I emphasize that information is what others are saying not me. I don't like recommending anything unless I've personally tried it myself so whether the EX1000's will need amping as far as I'm concerned remains to be seen until I've bought them and experimented with them. I would still like to give the ZO amp a shot though. From what I understand that amp can belt out real crazy bass and it sounds like a great add on if you're a trance fan which I am.  I suggest you forget about all the amps throw some of your favorite music onto your DAP and enjoy the music on your EX600's. That is the point of this hobby after all to enjoy our music.
 
By the way the hot treble for me has smoothed out and practically disappeared. As for sibilance it's also smoothed out although I do notice the odd spike in the odd spot here and there on a song. I've also noticed sibilance completely disappears when I have a good quality recording so it may just be your source material and not your EX600's. I really don't like using the term burn in because I'm one of those people who think that if there's any real burn in it'll happen within the first hour and IEM's and headphones shouldn't need 50 100 or 200 hours of burn in to reach peak audio capability. All that aside I can't help but think there has been a smoothing over in my EX600's sound signature over the last few weeks. The only other time I've noticed a change in sound was when I first bought my DT1350's. When I first tried them they sounded overly metallic and tinny especially in the vocals. I decided to do an experiment and let them play through the night and didn't get back to them until mid afternoon the next day. The difference in sound made my jaw drop. Of coarse it could have just been a bad fit causing a bad seal. The DT1350's are known for being hard to get a good seal if you're not used to them. As for my EX600's I don't know maybe it's all just mental burn in and what I'm hearing is just placebo or maybe it has something to do with me swapping the tips out for my UE tips. You tell me personally my opinion is I don't know.
 
I'm going to try a little experiment this weekend. I haven't used the EX600's stock tips in a few weeks I think I'll try pulling my UE tips off and throwing the stock tips back on and see how much difference I notice in sound stage. I'll report back with my findings around Sunday or so.

 

[ANDEROAN]

 
Quote:

Sounds like you're really having a crazy time experimenting. Take my advice dude the best setup is usually the simplest. I've also wondered what a MKII or an Arrow or a TTVJ Slim amp would do for my EX600's but the more I listen to them the more I realize they probably don't really need an amp.     
 
Yep I just got around to figuring this out, keep it simple stupid, KISS,
 
The EX1000's I can't say if they will need an amp or not because I've never tried it. I've run across a few people on here who say the EX1000's need a decent amp to get all the audio goodness out of them though and I emphasize that information is what others are saying not me. I don't like recommending anything unless I've personally tried it myself so whether the EX1000's will need amping as far as I'm concerned remains to be seen until I've bought them and experimented with them. I would still like to give the ZO amp a shot though.  
 
and the ZO is a must and totally awesome, with its crazy bass, and it synergizes very nicely along with the 600s!! get a v2 so you can run it out of a line out, I have the ZO v1 running out of the HO of my 7th gen iPod classic, and its sounding very nice with NO more sibilant and overly bright treble!!
 
 From what I understand that amp can belt out real crazy bass and it sounds like a great add on if you're a trance fan which I am.  I suggest you forget about all the amps throw some of your favorite music onto your DAP and enjoy the music on your EX600's. That is the point of this hobby after all to enjoy our music.
 
By the way the hot treble for me has smoothed out and practically disappeared. As for sibilance it's also smoothed out although I do notice the odd spike in the odd spot here and there on a song. I've also noticed sibilance completely disappears when I have a good quality recording so it may just be your source material and not your EX600's. I really don't like using the term burn in because I'm one of those people who think that if there's any real burn in it'll happen within the first hour and IEM's and headphones shouldn't need 50 100 or 200 hours of burn in to reach peak audio capability. All that aside I can't help but think there has been a smoothing over in my EX600's sound signature over the last few weeks.   
 
I agree with burning in 100%, and the 600s have burned in nicely, the sibilant hot treble was coming from my Voyager and Arrow amps, they were adding it to the sound ? go figure, it hasn't been coming from the 600s for quiet a while now, and with simplifying my set up by pulling the amps out of the line-up, other than having the ZO hooked up!! where that issue was coming from stood out like a sore thumb! henceforth no more issue!! KA-SWEET!!
 
The only other time I've noticed a change in sound was when I first bought my DT1350's. When I first tried them they sounded overly metallic and tinny especially in the vocals. I decided to do an experiment and let them play through the night and didn't get back to them until mid afternoon the next day. The difference in sound made my jaw drop. Of coarse it could have just been a bad fit causing a bad seal. The DT1350's are known for being hard to get a good seal if you're not used to them. As for my EX600's I don't know maybe it's all just mental burn in and what I'm hearing is just placebo or maybe it has something to do with me swapping the tips out for my UE tips. You tell me personally my opinion is I don't know.  
 
TIPS and there FIT, make all the diference in the world, as to what you hear!! I can't emphasize this enough! I use Head-Directs large bi-flange tips jammed way into my ears!! and the bass, soundstage, and the sound in general fills out and comes to life, if it isn't then I know I haven't seated them just right!  http://www.head-direct.com/Products/?act=detail&id=33
 
I'm going to try a little experiment this weekend. I haven't used the EX600's stock tips in a few weeks I think I'll try pulling my UE tips off and throwing the stock tips back on and see how much difference I notice in sound stage. I'll report back with my findings around Sunday or so.   
 
and good luck with your trial and more trial, been there done that, when I tried out the stock tips they just wouldn't produce like H-Ds large bf tips do for me!!! it's anight and day diference for me, I look forward to what you find,

 
 

 

[akasan]

Current ex700 owner here.  I bought the ex700  years ago not long after they came out, couldn't understand why such an awful sounding headphone would cost so much money.  Left them alone.  Then one drunken night my Shure se530's (which I had just received two weeks before for warranty replacment) and my sony x1000 were removed from my pocket while sleeping/passed out.  I still had a few sony walkmans I could listen to but no acceptable headphones.  So I reached for the EX700's until I could wait till payday to get some decent headphones.  Was very displeased with the sound at first, but over the next few days, not sure if it was my brain adjusted to the sound or a change in the headphones themselves, but they opened up and are among the best sounding headphones I have owned.  Mids were not at the se530 level but close enough, highs were much better (with the shures I often raised the treble with the ex700 I actually lowered it,  there was sibilance/harshness but a slight dip on the second highest band on the eq took care of that.  Bass was much better than the shures IMO, deeper, could feel the sub bass, more detail.  And they seem to be made better than the Shure were, it's been almost a year since I've been been using them and no split/broken wires. 
 
anyway....What I really want to know, are the ex600's a noticeable upgrade from the ex700s

 

[DigitalFreak]

Well....as of right now it looks like I'm a believer in IEM tip rolling. I've been experimenting with my EX600's and UE700's for roughly around an hour now and the final results were rather interesting. Long story short I've gone back to the Sony stock tips because they gave not only my EX600's but also my UE700's by far a more dynamic sound. A few weeks ago when I first tried rolling the UE stock tips onto the EX600's I noticed a slight change in the sound. At first I just thought it was me nit picking and later I thought that maybe a bit of sound stage had been given up. Tonight after playing around with various tips on both my IEM's I've come to the conclusion that the Sony tips although less comfortable sounds by far better. The difference isn't sound stage but general dynamics, the mids seem more alive and the bass seems to have far more depth with the Sony stock tips. Drum hits have that little extra punch behind it and the bass seems lusher on the EX600's. When I decided to roll the Sony tips onto my UE700's the results were even more noticeable. The UE700 is known for having a bright sound signature with not a lot of clarity up top. With the UE stock tips the bass always seemed a little anemic but with the Sony stock tips the bass suddenly filled out more and the general sound seemed by far more dynamic. Drum hits hat that little extra punch behind it and the mids seemed to smooth out and have a slightly more center stage feel to them. Overall it was quite a nice surprise and I'm finding my UE700's a lot more appealing then I did with it's stock tips. Right now I'm shocked by my results. I never thought these Sony tips would out perform the UE tips the way they did. Now if these stupid things were just more comfortable to wear I'd be a happy head-fier.

 
UPDATE:
OK I've tried going stock Sony tips for the last 30 minutes and I just can't wear these #%&* things for more then 15 minutes before my ear canals begin to ache. I've also noticed some of the treble brightness is back so it's obvious to me the original UE tips were what tamed the treble. I've decided to go with a completely new tip and I've rolled the UE700 foam tips onto my EX600's. When I was playing around with tips awhile back I noticed the foamies although not as dynamic sounding as the stock Sony tips also sounded more dynamic then the standard UE white rubber tips I was using. I'm hoping these tips will be the final answer and give me the best of both worlds that being comfort and great sound. Ten minutes in and so far so good. My ear canals aren't killing me and seal seems to be holding. Treble energy seems nicely controlled mids sound nice and filled out and bass is there. Stay tuned to As The IEM Tip's Roll to see if everyone's favorite head-fier DigitalFreak has finally found Sony EX600 bliss.

 

[ANDEROAN]

hey DigitalFreak,
 
thats cool, glad you were able to learn something by comparing the different tips! always nice to discover whats under our noses, er, or on our ears, lol, tips and their fit! can make a BIG diference in what we hear, thats for sure, the only thing bigger is learning that there is sonething to learn about it first hand, lol,
 
I used to think that a tip was a tip and a fit was a fit, what could be the diference ? look out here comes the rude awakening, lol,
 
that moment came for me with getting my 262s, I discovered their large bi-flange tips, and when those made a BIG diference with the 262s, over any of the regular tips that I was trying to use, then I carried them over to the 600s, and hubba hubba hubba, they are NICE! a little better isolation, and more importantly a tighter more secure fit, over any of the stock tips for me, live listen and learn, tap your toes and whistle a tune, you just found a sweet spot!! lol,

 

[kiteki]

 
Quote:

[...]
will it be the Leckerton, Pico, TTVJ, the T51, or a set of 7550s ? stay tuned while I try and make my next indecision 2011-12? but in the mean time I'm very very happy with the sound coming out of my ears,

T51 is soooo 2009 now, I ordered the Teclast X19HD, it's a little powerful beast with hardware bass boost, and T59 should be released soon.
 
Epiphany Acoustics EHP-O2 (the portable objective2) is in pre-order phase right now, I ordered that one too.

 
 
Quote:

Current ex700 owner here.  I bought the ex700  years ago not long after they came out, couldn't understand why such an awful sounding headphone would cost so much money.  Left them alone.  Then one drunken night my Shure se530's (which I had just received two weeks before for warranty replacment) and my sony x1000 were removed from my pocket while sleeping/passed out.  I still had a few sony walkmans I could listen to but no acceptable headphones.  So I reached for the EX700's until I could wait till payday to get some decent headphones.  Was very displeased with the sound at first, but over the next few days, not sure if it was my brain adjusted to the sound or a change in the headphones themselves, but they opened up and are among the best sounding headphones I have owned.  Mids were not at the se530 level but close enough, highs were much better (with the shures I often raised the treble with the ex700 I actually lowered it,  there was sibilance/harshness but a slight dip on the second highest band on the eq took care of that.  Bass was much better than the shures IMO, deeper, could feel the sub bass, more detail.  And they seem to be made better than the Shure were, it's been almost a year since I've been been using them and no split/broken wires. 
 
anyway....What I really want to know, are the ex600's a noticeable upgrade from the ex700s

Same here, the EX700's can be a bit difficult to like, but when you like them, damn are they nice! They are the most love/hate IEM ever, better than SE535 at least that's for sure.
 
I could have stopped my IEM journey with the EX700 and CK10, I haven't advanced since then and they were both really enjoyable.
 
EX600 is fresher, easier to listen to, cleaner notes, increased soundspace... at first it was "wow, these are much better" like walking from a dusty church into a fresh garden, I'm mostly in the garden, but sometimes I go back into the church, the issue I have is if I'm in there for too long my ears start ringing, using the EX700 on a 10 hour plane trip is not a very pleasant experience!
 
I recommend trying decored Shure olive tips on the EX700, that improved the sound quality for me, and if you have an equalizer, lower ~1kHz a lot.
 
 
In the end, my advice is the EX600 is different enough to the EX700 to justify the EX600, but they're still two different kinds of Apple. The EX600 isn't completely perfect either, the soundspace is so distant at times they lack intimacy (imho) and the treble has a slight digital touch to it, especially "schhh" sounds, the EX600 has higher performance and articulation, but it has a higher "ink" factor to the sound too, whereas the EX700 is a bit more source transparent.
 
Instead of going from sour apples to red declicious, why not try dragonfruit? The Sony XBA-3IP will be released in Japan in three days, approx ~$200 USD.