[GadgeHead]

IE-5 High Fidelity In-Ear Style Headphones

How is this phone? Dual BA driver, can they compared to SE420?

 

[i_don't_know]

I doubt anyone here has them, but they sure do look interesting!

Maybe get them and tell us how they are?

 

[VoLTaG3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GadgeHead /img/forum/go_quote.gif IE-5 High Fidelity In-Ear Style Headphones How is this phone? Dual BA driver, can they compared to SE420?

Maybe a Phonak Audeo "hype" stealer????

 

[koven]

looks pretty cool.. u should get them and give us a review

 

[mark2410]

gonna wager they dont get too close to the 420, im sure if they did we would have heard about it. i have seen these things show up here a couple of times with someone asking about them but i dont ever recal anyone actually saying they had a pair.

buy them and do a review

 

[i_don't_know]

Someone with well-trained ears and a good IEM collection should get these to do a review and comparison.

 

[mark2410]

oh no, dont be looking at me when you say that in any case its a us company wont sell to me (i think anyway, not checking and tempting myself)

 

[Hooran]

Here's a mini review of the IE5s that I did awhile ago. I stopped listening to them (and most IEMs in general) once my fullsize headphones started to arrive. In the end, I still prefer the sound of my TF10 as well as my Altec Lansing UHP336 (similar to Super.fi 3) to the TSC IE5.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/t...e-iems-407379/

 

[ChroniCali]

Looks a lil bit like a W3.

 

[shigzeo]

I'm the type who likes at least a decent looking phone and those are a bit too long and slug like to really turn me on

 

[average_joe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VoLTaG3 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Maybe a Phonak Audeo "hype" stealer????

Or another place to share how the se530s beat everything else with yellow foam

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hooran /img/forum/go_quote.gif Here's a mini review of the IE5s that I did awhile ago. I stopped listening to them (and most IEMs in general) once my fullsize headphones started to arrive. In the end, I still prefer the sound of my TF10 as well as my Altec Lansing UHP336 (similar to Super.fi 3) to the TSC IE5. http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/t...e-iems-407379/

Thanks for dredging that up for us.

And I guess Sennheiser had to go with the 6, 7, and 8 because the IE-5 was already taken!

 

[mark2410]

Quote:

Originally Posted by average_joe /img/forum/go_quote.gif Or another place to share how the se530s beat everything else with yellow foam

MEOW, lol

 

[Photofan1986]

x2 lol He's beginning to become a famous figure around here. Where is talked about the se530, you'll see him for sure ^^

 

[VoLTaG3]

Lol.....

 

[ljokerl]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I didnt want to start a new one. I just received my tSc IE-5s ($42 on sale a week or so ago) and the first thing I noticed is that the left channel is much queter than the right. Thats obviously a defect, but aside from that these are still nothing stellar.

First thing I noticed: the isolation is quite good. I don't have much to compare them to, and with a half-dead channel I really dont want to, but for the sake of anyone thinking of buying them, I will. I will use the Soundmagic PL30s as a guide since quite a few people on here own or have tried them.

They are significantly less punchy than my Soundmagic PL30s, my Lenntek Sonix, and the 1st gen V-Moda Vibes i've owned. The highs and mids are quite good, but not stellar. Bass is clear, but lacking in quantity (and I'm no basshead-the PL30 is plenty bassy for me). I must say that while these are very accurate without being cold. These also dont seem to benefit at all from the fiio E5. If anything, they lose detail at the upper end.

The PL30s also fit better, as these are quite long. The build quality is mediocre at best. The plastic is molded poorly, with large gaps inbetween the two halves of the earphone. They are no match for the metal of the Sonix or V-Modas. They seem durable, aside from the obvoius defect - the cords are thick but plasticky. Unlike the rubberized ones on Yuin and Soundmagic products and the stellar nylon-sheathed cord on the Lenntek Sonix, these DO tangle. They also promintently feature a large gaudy (imo) tSc logo in four different places, which makes me think of Skullcandy for some reason. Unlike skullcandys, though, these are packaged in a crummy cardboard box (and plastic insert) with a few different-sized silicone tips and a set of yellow foamies, with a carrying case, cord wrap, and keychain ring. Tri-flange tips are mentioned in the user manual but are nowhere to be found. Accessories are great, but they cost nothing to make and you also get all these things with $20 PL30's (as well as some earhooks and bi-flange tips that are included).

This has turned into a mini-review, which was not my intention. I guess the only thing left to do is say how the good the customer support is when I return these things. Oh and add some pics below.

With all of the packaging and accessories:

Closer up:

With my sansa and fiio:

Final Word (for anyone still reading): These are NOT worth the $120 they cost regularly. If mine werent defective, they MIGHT be worth $42 if isolation is a prime concern. I think I will return these for a refund and buy NE-7Ms or ADDIEMs instead.

Edit: I have given these another 50 or so hours of burn-in over the weekend. The mids and highs have developed nicely, retaining their original clarity but expanding in quantity. The bass has not increased, contrary to my expectations. I am still waiting (3 days now) to hear back from tSc about my return request.

Edit2: In case anyone cares or uses this info for reference, I waited for 8 business days (and 3 attempts to contact them by email) before contacting tSc by phone. They said that an RMA number was created, but it was sent to the wrong email address due to a typo. Who does RMAs by hand, anyway? Regardless, I am done with that now and the phones are on their way back.