[jSatch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stmpjmp When the market consists of $15 buds all the way up to $1k+ customs, Id say they fit more in the low end than the mid or high. Even looking at just the Ety line, they dont really sniff top end. Doesnt mean I dont love 'em. Im just honest with myself about what they are and are not.

I consider the low end those phones that use standard drivers. Examples- Senn CX300, Shure e2c, etc. I think balanced armature drivers are much faster offering a very fast transient response (not to be confused with treble response) that translates into better articulation. As the iM716s compare better with the e4c and ER4s than the e3cs and ER6s, I think they might be in the mid-end.

I guess low is just how you define it.


Quote:

Originally Posted by stmpjmp Wide range of sources s out there Yours might kill your ears at top end, mine doesnt. The other thing to consider is efficency and inefficiency dont just mean how LOUD they get. Some of my sources could blow my ears out easily but that doesnt change the fact that at normal listening levels, my IEMs arent getting the juice they need to truly sing. Again, its not a bash on the iM716s. Heck, Im more than likely getting a second pair. But they are what they are, low to (depending on your scale) low-mid fi IEMs that crush anything at their price point. That doesnt make them as close to perfect as people seem to be swearing though.

Totally agree.

These phones are not perfect. Nothing is, regardless of price. Designers have to pick their battles depending on the sound compromises they want to deal with, or not deal with.

There are faults that have been well documented regarding these phones, not that they are always consistent

. But, at the price, they are ridiculously good. And yes to your earlier comment- these are not reference phones. But in my mind, and ears, they show the deficiencies of the DAP, and not the other way around. Home stereo is a whole different world.

Later Bro-

 

[3lusiv3]

What's the bass like on iM716's?

 

[TheMarchingMule]

A bit overwhelming at first, but after half a minute your ears get used to it. So fun with metal and pop

 

[brokenwallet]

Are you sure about that? I don't experience any overwhelming bass with my 716s.

This is where my opinion is at the moment about the 716s. When the switch is on HD, straight out of my flash player, it has slightly more mid-bass presence than my hd-201 unamped. But it does not miss the impact of drum beats (which imo is a big issue with hd-201 out of portables). A bit bright for my personal taste though.

With the switch on BASS, it's noticably more boomy (as in echo, not much more bass slam). Maybe because it is a bit bright, that it masks some of the bass? I haven't come to a conclusion on that yet, but it's definitely not overwhelming bass.

The bass on these are overwhelming only if you adjust eq or have additional bass boost on the amp or source. Or maybe i don't have a good seal? I doubt that. It's not going in any deeper than it is now, yes even after i tug my ear as in the instructions.

Either of my KSC-35 or EP-630 with bass boost, now those are overwhelming bass. From my flash player the 630 actually sound good, enough bass to not make it worth amplifying (not saying the amp doesn't improve the sound, just saying there's enough bass without).

 

[Old Dave]

Bottom line imho; great phones for the price. Wish they were more efficient. Clear Etymotic highs and surprisingly good, tight bass.

 

[enoch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jSatch Something to think about with >$200 phones. All, with the notable exception of the iM716 parental unit, the ER4S, run multiple drivers. Multiple drivers require crossovers. Crossovers (XO) result in impedance and phase anomalies. Not good. Phase correction at the XO freq by adjusting spacing between the drivers cannot be accomplished in tiny IEMs as they can in room speaker units. Thus, you will very likely end up with delay between the drivers within the XO region. As the tiny XO will likely be first order (6 db/octave), that region will be very wide. This delay will be perceived as room reflections, which can be a very pleasant artifact. But musical purity? A single driver is a purist approach, and for good reason. Just something to think about before you drop $200+. I thought the iM716s a great deal at $119. Still do. Can't see dropping any more using a DAP as a source any more than I would pop open a good bottle of wine for a McDonalds meal. (And yes, DAP = McDonalds) just my 2 cents (because I'm cheap )-

However, the distance between drivers is negligable as far as phase shift goes. They are nearly on top of each other and should produce results similar to Kef's Uni-Q design.

 

[jSatch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by enoch However, the distance between drivers is negligable as far as phase shift goes. They are nearly on top of each other and should produce results similar to Kef's Uni-Q design.

Welcome back enoch!

It is my understanding that the XO introduces this anomaly, even if the acoustic centers of the drivers are aligned. I believe this phase effect is dependent upon the XO utilized and the freq at which the XO is designed to operate at.

All else being equal, the lower the freq of the XO, the longer the wave generated and the more offset required for correction. For a 2-way room speaker with a 1st order XO at say 2 to 3 kHz, it wouldn’t be very much. There is a formula to calculate this, which I found surprisingly good when compared to actually ‘field’ testing. The problem may come with little IEMs. To offset alignment by say ¾” beyond acoustic center alignment in a room speaker, no problem. For an IEM- not so easy, although with some simple engineering, it can be done. But crossing over to the 'bass' driver lower in the freq range, that would be more problematic.

 

[jSatch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brokenwallet Are you sure about that? I don't experience any overwhelming bass with my 716s. .......... Or maybe i don't have a good seal? I doubt that. It's not going in any deeper than it is now, yes even after i tug my ear as in the instructions.

The iM716s have substantial bass, when the souce material does.

I've had the opportunity to try out several DIY foamies. I've heard rearkable differences by just changing the foamies from the open-cell, stock PVC (or DIY PVC) to polyurethane foamies. And the stock foamies are better than the silicon flanges. And yet, all had a good seal.

No, bass is not overwhelming, but is substantial when it is on the source. At least it is for me.

 

[ShaftedTwice]

Actually just got them yesterday

Well, I can't really comment too audiophile-ly as I own only the KCS-75s and the EP-630s, but anyway.. I thought that the treble was well-defined and really clear. The bass, as many of you were commenting on, is surprisingly really good IMO. It is not sloppy at all, but rather tight and has a nice kick to it.. I'm really lovin these 'phones for $69.99, can't beat it.

 

[poiuy]

I really like these IEMs a lot. I haven't tried any others apart from briefly trying out a UM1, and I'm pretty sure they beat out the UM1. For their price, isolation, and portability, I love them - they respond well to hardware EQ using rockbox on a 5g ipod, and do sound better amped with my TBH.

I don't find them very inefficient - just over half on my ipod.

Just thought I'd offer up my love for these phones - have had them for two months now and probably the best bang for my buck along with an MS1 for $60.

 

[jSatch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by poiuy I really like these IEMs a lot. I haven't tried any others apart from briefly trying out a UM1, and I'm pretty sure they beat out the UM1. For their price, isolation, and portability, I love them - they respond well to hardware EQ using rockbox on a 5g ipod, and do sound better amped with my TBH. I don't find them very inefficient - just over half on my ipod. Just thought I'd offer up my love for these phones - have had them for two months now and probably the best bang for my buck along with an MS1 for $60.

Yup, 1967Cutlass (Thread: "Ask me anything about the im716 (comparisons too)") owns the UM1s and had a similar opinion. He details the differences of the two phones.

Happy listening!