[depaulhifi]

I picked up a set of these nifty little buggers today on a whim/impulse. And I must say, for $250... wow... I am not impressed. At all. I did a decent amount of research on this unit and the E4c, and ultimately decided on the UE. Partially on the "below the Best Buy Consumer-type radar" factor and also I thought their sound would be moderately more appealing to me than the Shure.

I wanted a little more bass in my daily music, more than the splendid HD-280pro can deliver. I was really getting tired of having to push my 5g iPod to 90 some percent volume to get an entertaining output. And they're just so damn big, like a hardhat on either side of my melon... So I determined that an IEM would be the ticket.

The general consensus seemed to be that the sp5p was a slightly bass heavy unit and mated quite well with the 5th gen iPod. They are certainly easy to drive, and give me output equal to the Senns at max volume while only at half volume. Right now, the appreciation ends there.

I first tried them with the preinstalled medium flanges... meh... nothing special... had a sound that reminded me very much of a $30 pair of Sony cans I picked up almost ten years ago. Not much low end extension, overemphasised, nasal-sounding midbass, and midrange and treble not worth writing home about. They are not at all like I expected. Then I tried the foam dealies, they felt flimsy and I couldn't seem to get them in properly. Then I tried the dual flanges. I think this is what I will be using the majority of the time. Still, I am not at all wowed by these headphones. To me, they just have an overall sound that I find unpleasant. I think the Senns have more useable bass output, both in terms of quantity and quality. The bass is tighter, more defined, and definitely goes lower. (As we all know, they have never been a slouch in the low end extension department...) The midbass on the sp5p is sloppy and undefined and is the standout of the whole presentation.

I am very fond of their soundstage, but I think that may be all I care for.

I'm going to play them all night with System of a Down* Steal This Album!, which I used to break in my Senns over a few nights and was pleased with the results. If they don't straighten up and fly right, I might have to take them back and give the E4c's a whirl.

My question is this... did anyone else go through this during their first listens to them? Might they get more appealing with after use? This is my first real experience with an IEM.



*I don't listen to rock music much anymore, but I did have good luck with this disc when burning in my HD-280's.

Cheers lads.

 

[Comfy]

That doesn't sound at all like my experience with the UE super.fi 5 Pro.

Sounds like you might have a bad seal. I'd suggest you to try the medium sized single flanges again, and to follow the insertion recommendations.

An IEM shouldn't be compared to a full sized headphone, but it seems rather hard to believe that these could be worse sounding than the Senns you have.

Quote:

had a sound that reminded me very much of a $30 pair of Sony cans I picked up almost ten years ago.

Impossible.

Quote:

This is my first real experience with an IEM.

Must be the seal.

Quote:

I'm going to play them all night with System of a Down* Steal This Album!, which I used to break in my Senns over a few nights and was pleased with the results. If they don't straighten up and fly right, I might have to take them back and give the E4c's a whirl.

Break in doesn't do much for this kind of earphones. And as far as I've understood, the E4c's don't really excel in the bass department(?).

Check the seal. If that doesn't work, maybe IEMs just aren't your cup of tea?

Cheers,
Comfy

 

[markot86]

The perceived lack of bass IMO is prob. due to the fact that the super.fi uses balanced armature drivers instead of the dynamic ones you are use to. Because they don't literally move air, they do feel quite bass light at first listen. These do have a midbass hump however; no doubt about it.

Have you tried the trebble boost? IMO these cans were voiced for the trebble boost on the ipod; you might want to give that a spin; it certainly made a big difference for me.

I wouldn't worry about burn in; I didn't notice any on either my UM2's or super.fi pros; However, I would give it a week or so before you go and try the e4c's.

On first listen I wasn't very impressed myself; however, they grew on me quite a bit with the ipod trebble boost, so much so that I regret returning them for the um2's, which I thought would be better.

If you do end up trying the e4c's, I would strongly suggest getting those in addition to the super.fi's and then returning the one you don't like if your money allows it.

 

[mbgalg]

your reaction to the super.fi 5 pro's is contrary to the expert reviews that i have read and unlike my initial impression of these fine earphones. it sounds to me that you have rushed to judgement and that your hasty opinion might prevent you from truly enjoying a fine listening experience. my pair are only a few days old and they are my third adventure into higher end earphones. my advice to you is to take a deep breath, sit back, relax and open up your mind so you can objectively rate the ue's. if after a week or more you are not enjoying them then they might not be for you. i find mine to balanced, clean with the right amount of low end to suit me( i do love bass). good luck!

 

[danman81]

EB's

 

[apnk]

I agree with mbgalg, you are a IEM virgin give it some time.

 

[depaulhifi]

Comfy,

I don't think that the seal is the issue here, they feel sealed. I inserted them to the point where they won't go in any further. I pulled the top of my ear to ensure they were properly inserted and that I did in fact get a good seal.


mbgalg,

Believe me, I want to like these 'phones. I dropped $250 on them. I just paid rent, I'm hungry, and I just dropped $250 on portable headphones.

 

[biggulp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markot86 These do have a midbass hump however; no doubt about it.

what is meant by midbass hump?

 

[DRSpeed85]

Maybe ur a basshead. Try the EBs.

 

[titaniumx3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by depaulhifi I first tried them with the preinstalled medium flanges... meh... nothing special... had a sound that reminded me very much of a $30 pair of Sony cans I picked up almost ten years ago. Not much low end extension, overemphasised, nasal-sounding midbass, and midrange and treble not worth writing home about. They are not at all like I expected.

Quote:

Originally Posted by depaulhifi My question is this... did anyone else go through this during their first listens to them? Might they get more appealing with after use? This is my first real experience with an IEM.

Yes, this is exactly what I went through! Prior to the UEs I was using the Etymotic ER6i and my very first impressions of the UEs were shocking to say the least; huge midbass hump with muddled mids and recessed highs, a far cry from the clarity of the ER6i.

BUT...I went through a similiar experience with ER6i, so I gave it some time and almost a month later, the sound has cleared up considerably. Honestly the change is amazing; deep and punchy bass, smooth mids and very decent treble extension. I am told the balanced armature drivers in IEMs don't burn in, but something has definitely changed, because the UEs went from virtually unlistenable to very pleasant sounding.

Currently I'm using the bi-flange ear tips and can safely say the fit and sound is getting better everyday. Take the advice, give the IEMs some time!

 

[bangraman]

Because of their stickyoutness (er... yeah) and comparatively enormous ear tube bore diameter, they aren't the most stable of earphones in fit or in transit. I think they're about as good a choice you could have made for the money, but the Shures would perhaps fitted better initially. I suggest like everyone else experimenting with the fit. To get the 'seal' all you need to do is to find the optimum point of isolation.

 

[Big Fella]

Quote:

Originally Posted by depaulhifi I wanted a little more bass in my daily music, more than the splendid HD-280pro can deliver. I was really getting tired of having to push my 5g iPod to 90 some percent volume to get an entertaining output.

Download eupod and you can tweak your volume tags without any distortion (unless of course you do not use mp3gain)

My volume is set to +35 and I very rarely go over half way.

 

[jjcha]

Yeah, it takes time to get used to IEM... give it at least a few more weeks.

Though I will say, I often think the super.fi just plain suck compared to all the other IEM I've owned. Mainly for a lot of the reasons the original poster mentions - no treble, just a real lack of transparency all across the range, and overwhelming bass. Totally glossed over texture/detail to my ears. But there are plenty of other people with good ears and experience who disagree and like the super.fi.

Best regards,

-Jason

 

[depaulhifi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRSpeed85 Maybe ur a basshead. Try the EBs.

This is definitely not the case. I like well rounded, accurate, articulate bass. The bass out of the HD-280pro makes my mouth water. I was just looking for a tad more. I think I am a purist when it comes to truthful music reproduction. These are for portable use, so I don't mind indulging my inner 16 year old child...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Fella Download eupod and you can tweak your volume tags without any distortion (unless of course you do not use mp3gain) My volume is set to +35 and I very rarely go over half way.

I don't care for any signal modification of any sort. What comes in must come out un-altered. Plus I only use AAC.

 

[bangraman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjcha Yeah, it takes time to get used to IEM... give it at least a few more weeks. Though I will say, I often think the super.fi just plain suck compared to all the other IEM I've owned. Mainly for a lot of the reasons the original poster mentions - no treble, just a real lack of transparency all across the range, and overwhelming bass. Totally glossed over texture/detail to my ears. But there are plenty of other people with good ears and experience who disagree and like the super.fi. Best regards, -Jason

This is the relative impression I would get too. However what I believe is the case is that with the Super.Fi, you're actually hearing what a balanced armature driver sounds like if it competes head-on with dynamic drivers in terms of tonality.