electro house
New Head-Fier
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- Apr 10, 2007
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I spent approximately 6 hours listening to a lot of IEMs and a few headphones at the Headfi meet (SF Bay Area April 2007), and thought I'd share this - this may be helpful for anyone in a similar situation as me. My goal was to find the best sounding IEMs and closed-ear portable headphones at the meet (to my ears, of course).
Criteria: Under $200. SQ. Strong build. Dependable. SQX2. Model has to be present at meet to win.
Sound Source: Cowon D2. Mostly flat EQ, but did test how IEMs responded to EQ changes.
Genre prefs: Electro House (hello), rock of various varieties (skilled musicians a criteria there), trance, techno, classical, R&B/Soul, then sometimes I need important chill time and mix in slower songs with female vocalists that have particularly beautiful soulful (imho) voices.
IEM Competition listened to:
Shure: Almost the entire line of Shure under $450: e2c, e3c, e4c, the newer se210, 310.
Westone: um1, um2, Westone 3.
Ultimate Ear: EB, Superfi.5, Triple.fi
V-Moda: Vibes
JBL: 220
I was shocked that Superfi.5's sounded clearly "better" to my ears than all of the above, even the more expensive models listed (To prove I'm not Superfi rep or something, I thought the 5's actually sounded better than Superfi's very own new model, the ~$400+ Triplefi's.)
The totality of factors made the Superfi.5's the clear winner to my ears: the clarity, separation, soundstage, and great SQ from lows, to mids, to highs. The Superfi's were consistently picking up artifacts in my recordings that the others missed (these recordings were recorded for the most part at good quality levels). The 5's also responded well to EQ adjustments. I could change the settings and the 5's would begin to take on the characteristics of other models of headphones. Heh, it is like having more than one model IEM, when you get tired of this sound, alter the settings and its like having a new, different IEM. I was shocked at the range of adaptability in this model. Yes I know this isn't an audiophile factor -- but just noting that the 5's responded very well to adjustments. Some of the other IEMs seemed to be oblivious - they didn't respond nearly as much to such changes.
The reason my tests took so long is that I listened to each of the IEMs an average of 15 minutes or so. I wanted to hear them all: same day, same source, same genre and quality of recordings. This proved to be a very productive method for me, personally. Yes, it took all day, but I walked away with something I really love. This would have taken weeks to do via ordering them online or going to various stores (which really isn't doable).
I was also surprised I could come away with a clear winner. Almost always in such comparisons, I'll come to the conclusion "Well the Shure does this better, but UM does this better, then Superfi does this better. But not today. I found a clear winner to my ears.
Headphones:
Criteria: SQ. Under $200. Portable. Strong Build. Closed ear. SQ. When you pump up the volume, how well does the headphone respond? Does it unravel, or say oh yeah, give me more? Model has to be present at meet to win.
Competition listened to:
AKG K81DJ. (And a bunch of $600+ headphones, but they are huge - not portable and over the price limit so can't put them in here). Winner: Sennheiser HD25-1. This wasn't even a fair comparison in so many respects (81's = $70, while HD25's = $200). Oh well. HD25-1's were the winner; they were the best model I was able to find present at the meet-- wish I was able to listen to more.
Bottom Line: Superfi.5 Pro impressed on so many levels, and I purchased a set - the reps gave me an awesome deal and threw in a lot of freebies. I have the HD25-1's on order. Yep, this all terribly subjective and and unscientific. I'm just sayin' if you are trying to put together a short list of IEMs and closed-can headphones and your funky criteria is close to mine above - put these 2 models on your short list of models you need to listen to prior to pulling the trigger.
That money I spent on the Superfi's is one of my most enjoyable purchases in a long time. As I type this - these Superfi's are giving me goosebumps. I haven't had those goosebumps in a long time, never on this level with IEMs. Heh, perhaps thats the best statement I can make to sum it up: You want to feel goosebumps and your hair standing on end a little when you listen to your favorite music? Give the Superfi.5's a try.
Side note: If your budget is more like $120, do try the Superfi EB -- well if you like tons of bass. But they ain't bad for that price, even if you are not a bass head (which I'm not...I just like that feeling good SQ can give you.)
Okay, flame away.
Criteria: Under $200. SQ. Strong build. Dependable. SQX2. Model has to be present at meet to win.
Sound Source: Cowon D2. Mostly flat EQ, but did test how IEMs responded to EQ changes.
Genre prefs: Electro House (hello), rock of various varieties (skilled musicians a criteria there), trance, techno, classical, R&B/Soul, then sometimes I need important chill time and mix in slower songs with female vocalists that have particularly beautiful soulful (imho) voices.
IEM Competition listened to:
Shure: Almost the entire line of Shure under $450: e2c, e3c, e4c, the newer se210, 310.
Westone: um1, um2, Westone 3.
Ultimate Ear: EB, Superfi.5, Triple.fi
V-Moda: Vibes
JBL: 220
I was shocked that Superfi.5's sounded clearly "better" to my ears than all of the above, even the more expensive models listed (To prove I'm not Superfi rep or something, I thought the 5's actually sounded better than Superfi's very own new model, the ~$400+ Triplefi's.)
The totality of factors made the Superfi.5's the clear winner to my ears: the clarity, separation, soundstage, and great SQ from lows, to mids, to highs. The Superfi's were consistently picking up artifacts in my recordings that the others missed (these recordings were recorded for the most part at good quality levels). The 5's also responded well to EQ adjustments. I could change the settings and the 5's would begin to take on the characteristics of other models of headphones. Heh, it is like having more than one model IEM, when you get tired of this sound, alter the settings and its like having a new, different IEM. I was shocked at the range of adaptability in this model. Yes I know this isn't an audiophile factor -- but just noting that the 5's responded very well to adjustments. Some of the other IEMs seemed to be oblivious - they didn't respond nearly as much to such changes.
The reason my tests took so long is that I listened to each of the IEMs an average of 15 minutes or so. I wanted to hear them all: same day, same source, same genre and quality of recordings. This proved to be a very productive method for me, personally. Yes, it took all day, but I walked away with something I really love. This would have taken weeks to do via ordering them online or going to various stores (which really isn't doable).
I was also surprised I could come away with a clear winner. Almost always in such comparisons, I'll come to the conclusion "Well the Shure does this better, but UM does this better, then Superfi does this better. But not today. I found a clear winner to my ears.
Headphones:
Criteria: SQ. Under $200. Portable. Strong Build. Closed ear. SQ. When you pump up the volume, how well does the headphone respond? Does it unravel, or say oh yeah, give me more? Model has to be present at meet to win.
Competition listened to:
AKG K81DJ. (And a bunch of $600+ headphones, but they are huge - not portable and over the price limit so can't put them in here). Winner: Sennheiser HD25-1. This wasn't even a fair comparison in so many respects (81's = $70, while HD25's = $200). Oh well. HD25-1's were the winner; they were the best model I was able to find present at the meet-- wish I was able to listen to more.
Bottom Line: Superfi.5 Pro impressed on so many levels, and I purchased a set - the reps gave me an awesome deal and threw in a lot of freebies. I have the HD25-1's on order. Yep, this all terribly subjective and and unscientific. I'm just sayin' if you are trying to put together a short list of IEMs and closed-can headphones and your funky criteria is close to mine above - put these 2 models on your short list of models you need to listen to prior to pulling the trigger.
That money I spent on the Superfi's is one of my most enjoyable purchases in a long time. As I type this - these Superfi's are giving me goosebumps. I haven't had those goosebumps in a long time, never on this level with IEMs. Heh, perhaps thats the best statement I can make to sum it up: You want to feel goosebumps and your hair standing on end a little when you listen to your favorite music? Give the Superfi.5's a try.
Side note: If your budget is more like $120, do try the Superfi EB -- well if you like tons of bass. But they ain't bad for that price, even if you are not a bass head (which I'm not...I just like that feeling good SQ can give you.)
Okay, flame away.