[sicksugar]

Hello,

I currently use Ety ER4P's and my previous earphones were the Sony 888's.
I'm considering getting a pair of super.fi's since i'm not satisfied with the ER4P's - they're indeed very detailed, but i find the sound lacking in bass and not very lively. The 888's however, have too much bass and are too muddy and undetailed. After listening to the ety's i can't even use the 888's for a minute.
I've been reading many good comments here on the super.fi 5 PRO, but saw nothing about the 5EB version.

How would you compare the two, and what would you recommend according to my previous experience detailed here?


Thanks.

 

[rx7_fan]

There's so many reviews written up about it, use the search tool.

 

[tucker71]

I'm getting the EB's for my birthday (next month) so, I can join the fray after I've had them for a few days.
That is...of course...if I don't just cave in and purchase the UE-Hybrid instead.
Damn you, Ulimate Ears!!

 

[CodeGuy]

The only comment that I can make, having not heard the EB, but owning the Pro, is that you would have to be a major bass head in order to want more bass than the Pro is capable of providing. If this is you, by all means buy them and give us all a review. I beleive Jasper wrote a review that included the EB and the bottom line was that you would have to want bass to the exclusion of about all else to enjoy the EB. However, all of us value different things in music, so by all means go for what you think will put a smile on your face. After all, isn't that what all this is about ?

 

[albau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CodeGuy The only comment that I can make, having not heard the EB, but owning the Pro, is that you would have to be a major bass head in order to want more bass than the Pro is capable of providing. If this is you, by all means buy them and give us all a review. I beleive Jasper wrote a review that included the EB and the bottom line was that you would have to want bass to the exclusion of about all else to enjoy the EB. However, all of us value different things in music, so by all means go for what you think will put a smile on your face. After all, isn't that what all this is about ?

Agree. Even with Pro I can't imagine anyone craving even more bass. On Pro it's already sometimes boomy, not really textured and overshadows treble. I would suspect EB making this much worse. Why pay hi-fi prices for this type of Extra Bass when you can get same thing for a whooping $150 less escapes me.

 

[Jasper994]

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=126604

 

[crazyfrenchman27]

The lower midrange sounds smeared with the UE5 EB because of the dramatic emphasis on bass.

It also could be a result of poor crossover on the dynamic driver and balanced armature driver.

The only thing I'd ever use them for is dance/club music, trance, and rap.

For those genres, however, the EB's offer exceptional club realism. Big, farty, ear-drum popping bass that I've certainly never experienced except at a club.

-Matt

 

[BRBJackson]

Agree with the above. Unless you crave bass above all, and don't give a wit about the rest of the spectrum, you'll likely find the EB's are too much. I could see maybe having them as a 3rd or 4th set of phones, but otherwise the novelty may wear off pretty quickly. 5 minutes of audition time was plenty for me

Then again, I'm not a basshead.

 

[sicksugar]

Well, i don't think i'm much of a basshead, but many people here admire the Ety ER4P's which to me have much too little bass, so i just fear the super.fi pro's would turn out to be the same, which is why i'm checking to see what's the concensus regarding the EB's vs. Pro's..

I have a serious problem, that here in Israel, getting IEM's or good headphones in general is really hard. What most stores are selling is DJ headphones from Sony for full size, and for in-ear it's either the ****tiest sony's or the MDR-W08 if you like a bow around your head. I only know one store that carries Grado's and Sennheisers, and these are i would think about 3 times as expensive as in the U.S. and there's another store that has the EX-71SL's which are rediculously expensive.
So in getting quality earphones, i rely mostly on reviews and opinions here. I don't like the ety's and so far the sf pro's seem like a pair that will suit me just great.


Thanks!

 

[albau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sicksugar Well, i don't think i'm much of a basshead, but many people here admire the Ety ER4P's which to me have much too little bass, so i just fear the super.fi pro's would turn out to be the same, which is why i'm checking to see what's the concensus regarding the EB's vs. Pro's..

Being myself from Aretz I undertsand

I listened to ER4p and have Shure E4c and Super.fi 5 Pros. E4c have a somewhat deeper bass than ER4p. And Super.fi 5 Pros have a lotta more bass than E4c. In over-ear headphones I would compare Super.fi 5 Pros bass amount, quality and overbearing relation to other ferquencies to something like Koss SportaPros or Sony V6 (though overal 5pros are certainly better phones than these two).

 

[sicksugar]

Albau, what are you doing over in the states? we're short of manpower here, you know

j/k

anyway, would you say the 5pro's are well-detailed, or is the bass overbearing and totally destroying the detail? do you prefer the E4C in its detail and in general?


Thanks.

 

[albau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sicksugar would you say the 5pro's are well-detailed, or is the bass overbearing and totally destroying the detail?

I would say that overal 5pros are more detailed than E3c which I also had and the bass is far from "totally destroying the detail". But on certain tunes (not all or majority) bass indeed overshadows detail especially in treble. In most cases boosting via EQ treble and mids opens up detail. In general I found that 5pros have trouble with certain fast electronic and metal music when a lot is going on simulatneously in all frequencies (e.g. Manson's cover of "Personal Jesus", most of Metallica and Deep Purple). In those cases 5pros tend to severely lump everything together loosing separation and sound kinda veiled. But on the other hand music that was mastered with ballance and instrument separation to begin with like most of blues, jazz, Lucinda Williams, Stones, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd is revealed by 5pros with detail rivaling E4 and with unrivaled by E4 spaciousness.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sicksugar do you prefer the E4C in its detail and in general?

Thing is I totally mentally understand and reflect upon sampling that except for soundstage and certain bass tightness E4 are superior in most technical aspects (detail, balance, neutrality, clarity) and are much more consistent across musical generes. And still when listening to 5pros I can't help but just getting more pleasure and simply "basking" in music flow which I rarely achieve with E4.

But I should put an important disclaimer that I use IEMs not for critical listening of serious music (for that I have K-501 and Creek amp at home) but for jumping around at a noisy gym and during tedious train commute.

Other important factor is that I think that 5pros are more suitable for portable use, especially with iPod, becuase they're more sensitive, have lighter and shorter cord, easier to put in/out and they substantially compensate for iPod bass defficiency.

 

[CodeGuy]

Yeah, I tend to agree. For pure portable use, I really like the 5 pro. Especially out of the IPod. Adds some much needed bass. Now bear in mind though, that the bass on the E4 is no slouch. Just depends on what you want. E4 is technically a better phone I think, but the Super.fi Pro is very forgiving of digital formats, easy on the ear canals, has a big smooth sound, and is easy in, easy out for portable use.