[readux]

Hey Head fi!
 
Just started using this site and lovin the community.
I'm pretty new to the IEM scene as I've only owned the shure SE210 which to me sounded great, but as many people on the site say there is much more out there to be heard.
I've been planning on buying the SE425s since they look awesome and are built like a tank, but was wondering if there really is THAT much of a difference between single and double drives.  Do realize that I am by no means an audiophile, I just love music and not really sure if the extra 200 will be worth it.
 
THANKS

 

[3602]

You take the Ety ER-4. This thing nails 80-95% of the frequency band with one driver. However the world of headphones is an exponential one, as if you want that extra 5% sound quality, you double the driver, hence almost doubling the price for marginal SQ increase.
Yes my argument is flawed. It is late and I am quite tired. However my point is, you need to decide whether paying for another driver is worth what little increase.

 

[readux]

Hmm is it really that small of a increase?
5% seems ridiculous for the 100% price increase

 

[Photofan1986]

I think it's not that easy.
First, we have to make a difference between dynamic and balanced armature driver. I consider that a (good) single dynamic driver can cover the whole spectrum very efficiently (from rumbling bass to sparkling highs). Whereas a single BA iem has to make some kind of compromise, and very often, the compromise is made at the expense of extension on both ends (eg. Shure SE210, UE3, ...) However, there are some single BA iems which do a great job (like the ER-4, Phonak PFE...) representing the whole spectrum with nice extension. What they do not have is a good weight in the bass department, but that's a very personal opinion. Someone looking for a balanced, detailed sound does not necessarily need a multi driver iem. What multi driver iems allow is to tailor the sound to the manufacturer's liking more easily.
For instance, my three drivers SM3 have a warm soung sig, but they also have a very decent bass weight and decay, very detailed and forward mids and "endless" highs. Try that with a single BA.
Other manufacturers have mode other choices, and you have to chose the one you like best.
 
Do I consider the increase in quality to be around 5% (from my experience, from SF3 to SF5pro at the time)? Well, probably more than that, as the SF5pro did more things right.
But my next iem was a single dynamic driver iem, the IE8, and the "difference" between them and the SF5pro was bigger than the transition from the SF3 to the SF5p. (It's not a matter of number of drivers, really.) The difference came from the different technology used, and the completely different sound sig,which was probably more to my liking.
I would not be surprised to hear someone say that he/she prefers a single dynamic driver iem like, say, the cheap Fischer Audio Eterna, to a much more expensive, technically better, ER-4.
 
 

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

Hmm is it really that small of a increase?
5% seems ridiculous for the 100% price increase

Here comes the first lesson in audio world. Today's topic: Law of Diminishing Return.
 

 

[DJGeorgeT]

and it is also not always that simple. The fischer audio DBA-002 was retailing for about $160, a dual BA IEM that according to many, sounds incredible and even better than the ER4. It is out of stock; otherwise, I would be all over it.

 

[readux]

Thanks
 
I've already made the purchase for a pair of SE425s!
Getting them in a day and really pumped to test them out

 

[socrates63]

Enjoy your new IEM.
 
There is a significant audible difference going from the SE200s to SE400s.