[HatIsMyFriend]

Well I haven't heard the SE5U but there has been quite a few comparison to the Phantom, which is quite logical since the Phantom tuning was built upon the criteria of @flinkenick shootout that the SE5U had won. Nic has posted a comparison between the two both on the headphonelist and the shootout thread, can't seem to find it back though.

That is an unusual comparison. The Phantom, I have tried many times since launch, but every time it was simply horrible. The mids had this hollow timbre I couldn't understand how anyone would like, and nothing about it is reference; it's a V shaped sound. Timbre overall was strange.

Then someone told me to play the heaviest metal I've got through it, then I got it. Purely for metal, it has excellent cohesion with the unusual timbre. But nothing more, personally.

Still, that comparison is helpful. A warmer Phantom with warmer upper mids and smoother treble is... Just a classic, warm-neutral sound, unless he also meant that the SE5U is a gentle U. Surely, SE5U doesn't have Phantom's specific timbre.

 

[natemact]

That is an unusual comparison. The Phantom, I have tried many times since launch, but every time it was simply horrible. The mids had this hollow timbre I couldn't understand how anyone would like, and nothing about it is reference; it's a V shaped sound. Timbre overall was strange.

Then someone told me to play the heaviest metal I've got through it, then I got it. Purely for metal, it has excellent cohesion with the unusual timbre. But nothing more, personally.

Still, that comparison is helpful. A warmer Phantom with warmer upper mids and smoother treble is... Just a classic, warm-neutral sound, unless he also meant that the SE5U is a gentle U. Surely, SE5U doesn't have Phantom's specific timbre.

Horrible? K bud

 

[proedros]

Well I have a demo Phantom on the way. Otherwise I have had the SE5U for a long time and it compares to nothing that I know, and I have tried mostly everything. I am wondering if it is not a matter of silicone as well, because I have never owned other silicone IEMs. There is a mix of very slight warmth, without thickness, with great mids clarity, super treble extension with much sparkles and without any peak, great bass extension and sub bass rumble without much mid bass bump. Added to this the perfect imaging and very nice note weight and delineation creates a beautiful overall picture that I have not heard elsewhere.

let us know how you find Phantom - with the new EE 'no reshells' policy that makes a EE ciem hard to resell here, the now ''biting like dragons'' Greek custom tax charges and the bitter taste with the whole phantom/nic thing , i am very interested in getting SE5 (that is, when a rich uncle dies and leaves me 2K )

even if Phantom is 5-10% better (but is it?) i would still feel like se5 (being a EU company so no taxes , plus they still offer warranty transfer/reshell) is the best buy between the 2

price difference is another issue though , since se5 costs like 1800 euros , while Phantom could be purchased with as low as 1200 euros/1500$ come BF sales in November.....

been thinking lately of selling my NT6 (so there is 500 euros there if sold) since Zeus XR now takes all of my listening time

 

[Mimouille]

let us know how you find Phantom - with the new EE 'no reshells' policy that makes a EE ciem hard to resell here, the now ''biting like dragons'' Greek custom tax charges and the bitter taste with the whole phantom/nic thing , i am very interested in getting SE5 (that is, when a rich uncle dies and leaves me 2K )

even if Phantom is 5-10% better (but is it?) i would still feel like se5 (being a EU company so no taxes , plus they still offer warranty transfer/reshell) is the best buy between the 2

price difference is another issue though , since se5 costs like 1800 euros , while Phantom could be purchased with as low as 1200 euros/1500$ come BF sales in November.....

been thinking lately of selling my NT6 (so there is 500 euros there if sold) since Zeus XR now takes all of my listening time

I will let you know. Obviously it will be a demo version, and I usually think customs are quite different. And don't forget NT8....

 

[Mimouille]

Thanks for your input Mimouelle haha.. I've been reading your posts everywhere as I first bought an SEM-9, which is awesome and I am keeping regardless. And now I've seen you posting on this thread as well.

I was wondering if you could compare the two at all? And maybe say whether you think the silicone helps with isolation? Or if there are any other CIEMs I am missing that maybe I should look at? I'm looking for something with a natural / organic sound that is well built to provide maximum isolation.

Sorry for all the noob questions, I have never bought a CIEM before and its kind of hard since I can't just go to the store and compare them like with headphones...

Oups, just saw this post sorry. Do you mean compare S-EM9 and SE5u? Super different, S-EM9 is much less airy in the soundstage, but is quicker and more nimble, better with fast past music somehow. The mids are also warmer on S-EM9, thinner on SE5u, but also clearer. SE5u has more subbass and a different tone overall (though not opposites). The silicone will be more isolating, especially given the fact that the S-EM9 has a shallow fit.

 

[474194]

Well I have a demo Phantom on the way. Otherwise I have had the SE5U for a long time and it compares to nothing that I know, and I have tried mostly everything. I am wondering if it is not a matter of silicone as well, because I have never owned other silicone IEMs. There is a mix of very slight warmth, without thickness, with great mids clarity, super treble extension with much sparkles and without any peak, great bass extension and sub bass rumble without much mid bass bump. Added to this the perfect imaging and very nice note weight and delineation creates a beautiful overall picture that I have not heard elsewhere.

Awesome post! Tera Player vs. Chord Mojo w/ SE5U? Curious as I missed the boat with the SE5U during my TP tenure. And my brief Mojo tenure. hope 3s the charm.

 

[Mimouille]

Awesome post! Tera Player vs. Chord Mojo w/ SE5U? Curious as I missed the boat with the SE5U during my TP tenure. And my brief Mojo tenure. hope 3s the charm.

Hum...rarely use Mojo with it. Would have to compare.

 

[hamhamhamsta]

Phantom vs SE5U

Phantom both sounds horrible and exceptionally good at the same time. The first time I heard Phantom was in Socal Canjam. It was universal Phantom, it sounds bad. It's very veiled and muffled, I mean CA Andromeda sounds better. But then I thought Phantom is the culmination of the shootout, so it should not be that bad. Probably it was the condition of the meet, noisy etc and against my own better judgement, I ordered ciem Phantom. Long story short, I think universal Phantom suffered from wrong tips, noisy environment and iem not covering the whole ear.

Ciem Phantom in my opinion is better than ciem SE5U. For one, Phantom musical range sounds complete. If there are subbass in your music, you would "feel the rattles. Its not strong but you'll definitely feel it. SE5U is better in subbass, it rattles your skull type of bass(depending on cable).

Mids, Phantom is warm and sounds well with male as well as female vocals. It reminds me of Prelude, Prelude has amazing male vocals but horrible with females since its very warm. SE5U feels cold in comparison; it should be extremely neutral. Phantom can be considered emotional iem and would play well with bright dap like SP1000, Paw Gold and even WM1A or 1Z modded.

Phantom treble is quite amazing, its bright, high can reach really high for both males and females. I never heard Zeus XR, but I would imagine XR treble would be slightly better than Phantom. SE5U has no treble; I mean its there but you can't really hear it until its there.

Phantom ciem as a whole feels complete; nothing is lacking. It is perfect with Ares cable that comes with it. It is very musical, dynamic depending on your dap, very revealing, high resolution and clarity. Good soundstage. It is just satisfying. I can understand why some would consider this end game iem if there is such thing. And the amazing thing, it works well with lower bitrate, heck 70% of my music is320 bit mp3 with direct source on modded 1Z and I am happy with them. There is no need for me to meddle with eq at all. The timbre is spot on. Everything sounds as they should be, vocals, music instruments etc.

The only complain I have regarding Phantom ciem is the shells feel too thin, aka fragile. I don't think it is fragile as in it will break if it falls on the floor but stepping on them probably means game over.

Other than this, Phantom ciem is fullfilling and satisfying. I can use Phantom ciem for my everyday use but not SE5U. In my opinion Phantom probably has surpassed SE5U in sound quality.

 

[natemact]

Phantom vs SE5U

Phantom both sounds horrible and exceptionally good at the same time. The first time I heard Phantom was in Socal Canjam. It was universal Phantom, it sounds bad. It's very veiled and muffled, I mean CA Andromeda sounds better. But then I thought Phantom is the culmination of the shootout, so it should not be that bad. Probably it was the condition of the meet, noisy etc and against my own better judgement, I ordered ciem Phantom. Long story short, I think universal Phantom suffered from wrong tips, noisy environment and iem not covering the whole ear.

Ciem Phantom in my opinion is better than ciem SE5U. For one, Phantom musical range sounds complete. If there are subbass in your music, you would "feel the rattles. Its not strong but you'll definitely feel it. SE5U is better in subbass, it rattles your skull type of bass(depending on cable).

Mids, Phantom is warm and sounds well with male as well as female vocals. It reminds me of Prelude, Prelude has amazing male vocals but horrible with females since its very warm. SE5U feels cold in comparison; it should be extremely neutral. Phantom can be considered emotional iem and would play well with bright dap like SP1000, Paw Gold and even WM1A or 1Z modded.

Phantom treble is quite amazing, its bright, high can reach really high for both males and females. I never heard Zeus XR, but I would imagine XR treble would be slightly better than Phantom. SE5U has no treble; I mean its there but you can't really hear it until its there.

Phantom ciem as a whole feels complete; nothing is lacking. It is perfect with Ares cable that comes with it. It is very musical, dynamic depending on your dap, very revealing, high resolution and clarity. Good soundstage. It is just satisfying. I can understand why some would consider this end game iem if there is such thing. And the amazing thing, it works well with lower bitrate, heck 70% of my music is320 bit mp3 with direct source on modded 1Z and I am happy with them. There is no need for me to meddle with eq at all. The timbre is spot on. Everything sounds as they should be, vocals, music instruments etc.

The only complain I have regarding Phantom ciem is the shells feel too thin, aka fragile. I don't think it is fragile as in it will break if it falls on the floor but stepping on them probably means game over.

Other than this, Phantom ciem is fullfilling and satisfying. I can use Phantom ciem for my everyday use but not SE5U. In my opinion Phantom probably has surpassed SE5U in sound quality.

Thanks for the impressions on the Phantoms, like mine a lot too! Do you really consider those DAPs to be bright tho?

 

[flvtch]

Has anyone had issues with Spiral Ears accepting their mpression photos? I've just sent mine in and pray Grzegorz and the team accept them!

Has anyone cable upgraded the SE5Us?

Any other tips for my first CIEM too would be groo0vy!

 

[kubig123]

Congrats!
You won’t be disappointed, just remember that the silicon needs more care compared to an acrylic shell. Therefore make sure to follow the instructions.

As cable I love to pair with the 5U is the Effect Audio Leonidas, it’s not a cheap cable but it will increase the resolution and transparency. Another cable at the same level is the Beat Audio Lab Prima Donna.

 

[flvtch]

Congrats!
You won’t be disappointed, just remember that the silicon needs more care compared to an acrylic shell. Therefore make sure to follow the instructions.

As cable I love to pair with the 5U is the Effect Audio Leonidas, it’s not a cheap cable but it will increase the resolution and transparency. Another cable at the same level is the Beat Audio Lab Prima Donna.

Firstly, thanks for the rresponse. I have made note in regards to the maintenance of the silicone shells. I cleaned my SE535s routinely prior to their sale so I'll have no qualms about cleaning a bit of kit this important!

Secondly, I'll research the Effect and Beat Audio cables. I was looking at the Toxic Silver Widow as my entrée into the world of cables but I am a sucker for getting the best of the best - hence this CIEM purchase altogether.

How do the SE5Us compare with out CIEMs you've tried?

 

[Rollk2]

Phantom vs SE5U

Phantom both sounds horrible and exceptionally good at the same time. The first time I heard Phantom was in Socal Canjam. It was universal Phantom, it sounds bad. It's very veiled and muffled, I mean CA Andromeda sounds better. But then I thought Phantom is the culmination of the shootout, so it should not be that bad. Probably it was the condition of the meet, noisy etc and against my own better judgement, I ordered ciem Phantom. Long story short, I think universal Phantom suffered from wrong tips, noisy environment and iem not covering the whole ear.

Ciem Phantom in my opinion is better than ciem SE5U. For one, Phantom musical range sounds complete. If there are subbass in your music, you would "feel the rattles. Its not strong but you'll definitely feel it. SE5U is better in subbass, it rattles your skull type of bass(depending on cable).

Mids, Phantom is warm and sounds well with male as well as female vocals. It reminds me of Prelude, Prelude has amazing male vocals but horrible with females since its very warm. SE5U feels cold in comparison; it should be extremely neutral. Phantom can be considered emotional iem and would play well with bright dap like SP1000, Paw Gold and even WM1A or 1Z modded.

Phantom treble is quite amazing, its bright, high can reach really high for both males and females. I never heard Zeus XR, but I would imagine XR treble would be slightly better than Phantom. SE5U has no treble; I mean its there but you can't really hear it until its there.

Phantom ciem as a whole feels complete; nothing is lacking. It is perfect with Ares cable that comes with it. It is very musical, dynamic depending on your dap, very revealing, high resolution and clarity. Good soundstage. It is just satisfying. I can understand why some would consider this end game iem if there is such thing. And the amazing thing, it works well with lower bitrate, heck 70% of my music is320 bit mp3 with direct source on modded 1Z and I am happy with them. There is no need for me to meddle with eq at all. The timbre is spot on. Everything sounds as they should be, vocals, music instruments etc.

The only complain I have regarding Phantom ciem is the shells feel too thin, aka fragile. I don't think it is fragile as in it will break if it falls on the floor but stepping on them probably means game over.

Other than this, Phantom ciem is fullfilling and satisfying. I can use Phantom ciem for my everyday use but not SE5U. In my opinion Phantom probably has surpassed SE5U in sound quality.

Wow, thank you for your comparative input, it's very surprising! I own the SE5U and can't understand when you say they lack of treble as that frequency range is very refined and extended. Even when compared to the VE8 and the EM10 I can't say that. Could you please contextualize?

 

[sawrym]

Wow, thank you for your comparative input, it's very surprising! I own the SE5U and can't understand when you say they lack of treble as that frequency range is very refined and extended. Even when compared to the VE8 and the EM10 I can't say that. Could you please contextualize?

I think he means quantity, not quality. I understand because I had SE5 ref and then ultimate and I didn’t like the singature, it sounded not clear up top enough to make me apreciate those CIEMs to keep them.

 

[Big Kev]

Not sure if this has been posted, but I was interested in picking up set of SE5U's in the Classifieds, so contacted them, to enquire about the reshelling and was then informed of the following price increase - Base price of remould (without cables): € 275 + shipping - Thus, if the shipment is dispatched within EU the total we’d ask for (including shipment) is EUR575, that's a big increase.

Now that's a lot of money to spend reshelling some CIEMs that you've never heard before and not a price that I was willing to possibly lose, so I pulled out.

I always take into account the resale value of gear when buying them and after these increases, I think others considering buying a new pair of SE5's, may think twice.