[phink]

Only been listening for ~4-5 hours but sofar my first impressions are very good. They're being pushed by my iAudio X5.

Very clear, very balanced, very accurate and detailed.

My only problem with them is the low-end, and I'm trying to decide if it's worth switching to the EB's. Don't get me wrong, for someone who doesn't listen to a lot of hip hop, bass-heavy trance or DnB, these are awesome IEM's (best I've heard/owned) and I'd definitely recommend them from what I've heard of them. But for my own personal tastes, I'd like some more powerful bass response :-\.

The only thing is, I'm in love with the brightness and accuracy of these things and if possible I really don't want to sacrifice too much of the mid/upper range frequencies to satisfy my taste for bass heh, and I'm afraid that's what may end up happening if I opt for the EB's instead. Sooo I was hoping to get your opinions on the switch -- is it worth it IYHO?

 

[granodemostasa]

have you tried equalizing the dap to make the bass louder?

 

[phink]

Yeah, and that makes it a bit better until I start to turn the volume up and it starts clipping. The more I'm listening to them the more they're growing on me, definitely in love with these

. The bass is tight, not muddy at all and by normal standards, very nice imho. It's just a personal preferece with the music I listen to.

 

[titaniumx3]

I'd say its better to just get used to the sound rather then switch to the EBs. You'll go through the same process with the EBs if you get them; something else will either sound too much or too little. Trust me on this, the bass will slowly sound more powerful over time without anything physically changing; its all in the mind.

 

[Bunnyears]

Fwiw, I don't think that any headphone, and especially iems can deliver true bass. I listen to a lot of Mahler and his music is very bass heavy with all the tympany, tam-tams, and doublebass violins. Nothing, except maybe a very, very expensive speaker system can duplicate the large rolling sine waves. Then, when you start coming close, your furniture is shaking and the chandelier is rattling because there's no room in a 24 or 25 foot room for a wave with a 25 foot amplitude and a hundred foot wavelength (generated by those big kettle drums) to completely open up and if it did, it would probably blast my ears to kingdom come in such a small space. So, you have to realize that the only way an iem or any headphone is going to approximate this without doing serious damage to the ears is by decreasing the way the mids and trebles are delivered in order to alter your perception of what it sounds like.

 

[LaBreaHead]

"I'd say its better to just get used to the sound"

Titanium has touched on a key point. We read so many raves and pans on these forums that we might rush to judgment a little bit. The ear can adjust to whatever it's listening to ... and combined with a little management of expectations, a person would be able to appreciate his or her choice in time (unless it's total crap

). That's not to say some headpones/IEMs don't suit some people ... but I would guess that it would be difficult to tell for certain right away, in most cases.

At first I thought my Etymotics ER-6's were too bright and trebly ... but when I adapted to the lack of "phat" bass, I could appreciate their sound for what it is.

I realize this line of thinking runs counter to most of our threads on Head-Fi, as much of the fun comes from agonizing over and second-guessing our choices. Personally, I like following along as people spend a lot of money on cool stuff

, although Head-Fi has lightened my wallet a little more than it could afford, as well.

 

[granodemostasa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnyears Fwiw, I don't think that any headphone, and especially iems can deliver true bass. I listen to a lot of Mahler and his music is very bass heavy with all the tympany, tam-tams, and doublebass violins. Nothing, except maybe a very, very expensive speaker system can duplicate the large rolling sine waves. Then, when you start coming close, your furniture is shaking and the chandelier is rattling because there's no room in a 24 or 25 foot room for a wave with a 25 foot amplitude and a hundred foot wavelength (generated by those big kettle drums) to completely open up and if it did, it would probably blast my ears to kingdom come in such a small space. So, you have to realize that the only way an iem or any headphone is going to approximate this without doing serious damage to the ears is by decreasing the way the mids and trebles are delivered in order to alter your perception of what it sounds like.

agreed, Mahler is one of the major composers i listen to, Actually i'm listening to the last movement of his 3rd symphony right now.
this is why it's best to go to concerts-no headphone or speaker can match it.

 

[Jeff E]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phink Very clear, very balanced, very accurate and detailed. My only problem with them is the low-end, and I'm trying to decide if it's worth switching to the EB's. Don't get me wrong, for someone who doesn't listen to a lot of hip hop, bass-heavy trance or DnB, these are awesome IEM's (best I've heard/owned) and I'd definitely recommend them from what I've heard of them. But for my own personal tastes, I'd like some more powerful bass response :-\.

When my SF5P sound like you describe they are not seated properly. With a tight seal, these IEMs sound bottom heavy to me. How confident are you that these are well sealed?

If they are well seated, see if you can try them with an amp. I can't deal with the low end emphasis produced by the SFP5P and Hornet combination but it definitely would give you the "more powerful bass response" you seek.

 

[jSatch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phink Only been listening for ~4-5 hours but sofar my first impressions are very good. They're being pushed by my iAudio X5. Very clear, very balanced, very accurate and detailed. My only problem with them is the low-end, and I'm trying to decide if it's worth switching to the EB's. Don't get me wrong, for someone who doesn't listen to a lot of hip hop, bass-heavy trance or DnB, these are awesome IEM's (best I've heard/owned) and I'd definitely recommend them from what I've heard of them. But for my own personal tastes, I'd like some more powerful bass response :-\. The only thing is, I'm in love with the brightness and accuracy of these things and if possible I really don't want to sacrifice too much of the mid/upper range frequencies to satisfy my taste for bass heh, and I'm afraid that's what may end up happening if I opt for the EB's instead. Sooo I was hoping to get your opinions on the switch -- is it worth it IYHO?

Although some may argue this point, I find that all speakers, including balanced armature drivers as in the SF5Pro, flesh out a bit with break-in. Try running a music source through them even when you are not listening, for about a week or two. If you can resist listening for this period, you will notice a difference. Odds are you won't resist (and who could blame you), in which case it's like watching a plant grow. The incremental changes will not be perceptible.

I agree with the others here, stay with this one for a while first, especially as your tastes do not run to bass heavy hip-hop, etc. From what I’ve read, the EB model gives up a bit in detail. Personally, that is not sacrifice I would be willing to make.

Enjoy.

 

[dvdonly]

I've had mine for nearly a month now. From the time I got them, my impressions swung from "WOW!" to "Oh these are crap! RMA, RMA, RMA!"

What I have found is this: seal, fit and angle are of ultimate importance. It's taken me weeks to finally get the memory wire how I like it, to learn which tip is best and how to insert it to get the best seal, etc.

This has happened within the last 5 days. I use it 2x a day for 30 minute walks to/from work. These last five days I've marveled at how I even considered returning them. I couldn't be happier. trial and error, baby.

 

[max-9]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phink Only been listening for ~4-5 hours but sofar my first impressions are very good. They're being pushed by my iAudio X5. Very clear, very balanced, very accurate and detailed. My only problem with them is the low-end, and I'm trying to decide if it's worth switching to the EB's. Don't get me wrong, for someone who doesn't listen to a lot of hip hop, bass-heavy trance or DnB, these are awesome IEM's (best I've heard/owned) and I'd definitely recommend them from what I've heard of them. But for my own personal tastes, I'd like some more powerful bass response :-\. The only thing is, I'm in love with the brightness and accuracy of these things and if possible I really don't want to sacrifice too much of the mid/upper range frequencies to satisfy my taste for bass heh, and I'm afraid that's what may end up happening if I opt for the EB's instead. Sooo I was hoping to get your opinions on the switch -- is it worth it IYHO?

The EBs are my favorite IEM , I also power them with the X5 . The clarity and brightness of the EBs are similar to the pros ....however , the bass is huge and you need to eq to get the right recipie to fit your taste.
I think you would like them , When and if my EBs die I will RUN to get another pair.

 

[phink]

Thanks for all the replies

I'm gonna go with what the majority of you said and stick with them. I've had them in just about all day (to/at/from the gym, while working, right now lol) and the more I listen to them the more they're growing on me. Maybe one day if I hear a pair of EB's and decide the low end increase is worth sacrificing a little off the mids/high's, I'll consider switching but for right now I'm in no hurry. As of now these are definitely keeping me satisfied.

Thanks again!

 

[DougGreenberg]

I now own both EB's and Pros, and I think that if you want to own just one pair, it should be the Pros. The EB's are fun for music where you really want to concentrate on the bass and you don't mind that the higher frequencies are definitely recessed. The Pros have, in my opinion, quite adequate bass and provide a much more balanced sound with some sparkle in the upper frequencies that the EB's don't deliver.

 

[brian183]

Amp the X5 with an A47 amp and the bass will be there with no EQ. I use one with my E4's right now and I get all the bass I could want. I'm also about to receive a pair of .fi 5 pros and I'll be using the same setup. I can only imagine what it'll sound like. I'm probably going to sell either E4 or .fi 5 pro after intense listening. I only need one IEM but more than one grado.

 

[AngryFish]

I just picked up a pair of EB's about 2 weeks ago and while I was underwhelmed initially I tried the double flange tips and managed to get a great seal which produced a "to be expected" vast difference.

These are definitely the best IEM's I have tried to date. I auditioned a pair of pro's but unamped and driven by the iPod they lacked any low end punch.

I know there are many who will violently disagree with me on the subject of their sound quality; but for myself and for use out of an iPod with high quality mp3's in the Rock/Jazz/Trip-Hop genres they have proved themselves to be more than capable.