Tight thumpin bass in canal phone for iPod

[johnnylexus]

I know there are several threads on this, but I want to focus in on whether I should buy the E3c's.

I have been listening to my ER4P's for several years through my iPod at the gym. I am an expert at getting a great seal. The bass just doesn't cut the mustard.

I am willing to sacrifice some of the ETY's clarity for a more visceral bass experience. I listen mostly to a lot of rock, alternative and even nu-metal while at the gym.

Can the E3c's deliver in this area? I don't really want to fork out twice the money for the E5c's (which I'm guessing are better at both bass response and clarity of mids and highs).

Please help!!!

p.s. I have the Sony EX71's and they are just too muddy for me.

 

[ProdeeK]

just get the Shure E5c's and ull be real happy. and theres about 2 sites that are sellin them for 350 $$ (around there)

ill post one: http://www.proaudiosuperstore.com/

 

[go_vtec]

E3c has a lot more midrange details and bass details than EX71, but I find E3c muddier than EX71 w/ respect to upper frequency. Once you get used to E3c's sonic signature, it wasn't too bad and quite enjoyable. However E3c made my Senn HD650 w/ tube amp sounded sterile and treble heavy (as if I was listening Grado SR-325 on solid-state amp w/ treble boost at maximum by comparison).

May be my lifetime addiction to Sony phones did a permanant demage to my listening preference?

I would serious recommend trying E3c before buying one (or buy from a place with good return policy) if you find EX71 muddy!

-Mike

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnylexus I know there are several threads on this, but I want to focus in on whether I should buy the E3c's. p.s. I have the Sony EX71's and they are just too muddy for me.

 

[iamdone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnylexus E5c's (which I'm guessing are better at both bass response and clarity of mids and highs).

The E5c is better is bass and mids but definately not the highs and details. It looks like you need to jump up to the UE-5c to achieve this.

edit: Sorry, this is compared to the ER-4P not the E3c.

 

[lindrone]

Well, to clarify, E5c has better midrange, and equal amount of highs to the E3c, and much better bass. Some other people has been trying out the Westone UM2's as well.

 

[insomniac]

If you're after bass, you could also try the Shure e2c. While not as clear in the highs as the e3c, they offer more impactful bass in my opinion. Plus they're cheaper than everything else mentioned so far.

 

[johnnylexus]

OK, if the impactful bass of the ETY4P's is a 2, and a Beyerdynamic DT770 is a 10 (haha), how does the impactful bass of the E3c's and the E5c's rate on that scale?

 

[raif]

I disagree with the comment about the e3c being muddy. I own both the sony ex71 and the e3c and have done quite a few comparisons.

To me, muddy means the details of the sound run together destroying the nuances and separation of the music. The e3c has a softer treble range where the details aren't as sharp as say, the ety 4s, but they don't mishmash together like the ex71 does with its lower region. The ex71 has the trademark sony treble region, which tends to sound like its detailed to some, but to me just sounds like harsh treble. Maybe lack of resolution in the highs would be a better description of the e3c, but in the case of digital sound, I never find that to be a problem, just kinda like anti-aliasing.

As for the original question. I think the e3c blows away the ety when it comes to a full sounding lower midrange/ upper bass. The problem is that it stops at the upper bass. I believe the lower bass to be still stronger than the ety but because of the "hump" it tends to sound a little lite when listening to a song that drops really low.(like gangsta rap)

 

[JiPi]

Or just spend ~$160 on Ety ER6i when they are available. They are supposed to be enhanced especially for the iPod, especially in the bass area is what I read. Do a search on them!

 

[lindrone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnylexus OK, if the impactful bass of the ETY4P's is a 2, and a Beyerdynamic DT770 is a 10 (haha), how does the impactful bass of the E3c's and the E5c's rate on that scale?

E3c has good bass through the mid-bass, but the low-bass roll-off is pretty evident. Good enough for most pop genres of music, but for other music where deep bass is often present, it's not so desirable. That's why a lot of people say E2c is better in that department, but E2c is certainly not as clear as the E3c.

Anyway, otherwise, I would rank them, based purely on impactfulness (not counting other various factor such as tonality, detail, texture and such):

E3c => 5
E5c => 8

 

[doctorjuggles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lindrone E3c => 5 E5c => 8

Having previously owned the E3s, and currently owning the E5 and the DT770s, I'd have to agree with lindrone, although I can't comment on the ER4 being at 2.

 

[baies]

"Can the E3c's deliver in this area?"
- NO, most likely not.

People will give you a wide range of answers to this question because of ear shape, fit, source, music type, and sound preference. But the general consensus is that the E3 bass is weak when connected to a portable player.

If you have one of the new more powerful Ipods or if you use a portable amp then the answer may change to YES.

Most portable units do not have enough power to provide deep bass to canalphones like the E3's. An amp solves this shortcoming but if you add up the cost then you may as well buy an E5.

(or even better, keep your ER4P's and just get an amp)

 

[bangraman]

It seems your only option is the E5c and higher.


Between the E3c, the extension (although not the response) is more or less the same and in a broad sense, the general sonic characteristics are the same. The E3c achieves a slightly bigger mid-bass through the design differences and the same design differences result in some tradeoffs in the high end, and a midrange boost which seems to be pronounced with certain tips. All this will relatively speaking give you a sound that's more low-boosted and also will cut through background noise (which as you're aware is still evident when using the silicones) better but at the same time not giving the same feeling of resolution as the Etys. The lowest frequencies will however sound more or less exactly the same on the E3c and ER-4.

 

[terrymx]

the sharp hd-md33s, costing the almost same price as the ex71, have a lot of bass without having the details being muddied out like. you have to use the extension cord, since its a 4pole design, which end up to be a bit long.