Ant1
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2005
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I thought I'd share with you all my first impressions of the UE5.
Some facts so that you get the context:
I love bass, but I also listen to classical or jazz, etc... so I don't want an earphone that is bassy all the time, just so that it can handle and deliver bass when it's there.
I hate harsh mids and highs. I love them "hi-fi" smooth.
I was a professional music producer for many years. I do know my sounds.
I listen mainly to house music (read: "round", powerful bass, silky-smooth highs), chill music (Ibiza lounge, Cafe Costes, etc...), Jazz (Miles, Coltrane), classical (studied piano) and some World music (Souad Massi).
I was considering the Shure E4, the UE5 and the Shure E500. The bass-shyness, and mids over-emphasis that people comment about put them out of consideration for me, although I really like the way they look in black. The Shure E500 are just too expensive for me and I really wanted to see whether I can get satisfaction from something cheaper, something I learned with studio gear... I didn't consider the Westone UM2s because, not matter how they sound, I really don't like the way they look; I think they look like hearing aids. That, and I am not impressed with the finish that I saw in photos. I don't even want to mention the Etymotics...and those who like bass comment also on the Etys anemic bass output. Ain't for me, those....So the UE5 it is for me; bought them from one of Head-fi supporters: Earphonesolutions, and I recommend their service. Cannot fault it. Let's move on.
UE5 impressions:
First, looks: I like the new clear cables. Overal fit and finish is of a very good quality. The metal case is very cool, though not 100% practical to carry around. Still, better with than without. Earphones seemed quite big at first, but if you wear them "flip-floped", as suggested by one of the forum's contributor (sorry...name escapes me now), they sit almost completely flush, and they look ok. As a matter of fact, I would have never considered them before finding out this alternative way of wearing them; I could not get past the "carrot stick-sticking-out-of-the-ear" look. As I said, totally ok now when worn in this "new" way.
Sound: Seal, seal, seal! Not good impressions at first...Of course, I got them, and immediately I tried them on, expecting aural ecxtasy. Nada. No seal, no bass. After one day, though, you kinda get the hang of it. I tried all tips, changing them over and over again, trying to pick a difference. of course, at first, there is hardly any difference until you get the hang of getting the right seal. This is what I suggest: Stick with the medium tips that come installed on the earphones, unless you have abnormally big or small ear canal. Try to get a proper seal first, then find out which tip works for you, because you won't notice much difference until you get your seal right (don't panic, it's not hard; it's just not immediate, that's all, but anyone can do it). The method that works for me is to insert them in the ear, then wiggle them gently in a rotating motion while pushing them gently in. Now that I can get a good seal, I found that the larger silicone tips work best for me. The mediums were ok too, but as they're smaller, they tended to "slip out-of-seal" after a while. The larger ones do create a vacuum, and the sound is ...
Amazing!
Bass: I was using the Creative EP630s with my 5G iPod, and they are known for being quite bass-heavy, which I liked. However, the UE5PROS are in a different league altogether. The bass is there, comparative in quantity to, say, the EP630s, but very different qualitatively. Much fuller, detailed, so that you can pick up differences between an electric and synth bass for example, instead of just being aware of "lowness, down there, below, somewhere...something"... So I'm happy with the bass. More than happy in fact, and trust me, I like my bass. But ONLY if you get a good seal, so be prepared not to be b lown away the first day, or until you get the hang of it. This is so important!..
Mids/highs:I found the mids and highs quite smooth and revealing, not fatiguing. Instruments are well represented, and sound the way they should. Soundstage is average. I don't think these earphones are clinical though, in the same way that some in this forum describe the Etymotics, for instance. I know what "clinical" means and, even though a clinical sound is great in the studio to pick up, well, any detail in the mix, really, I would not listen to a clinical speaker, earphone or otherwise for pleasure because it's just boring. Music, to me, is to be enjoyed. As a small footnote, it's ironic that in a studio one uses clinical speakers and headphones so that resulting music does NOT sound clinical in your lounge room, car or in a club. So, to come back to my point, the UE5 pros are not clinical, but rather, engaging. They are made so that you enjoy your music, but they are true enough so that jazz sounds like jazz, and the same goes for classical. In short, I was satisfied with the tonal balance with a variety of music styles. Put it another way: when I listen to music, I don't want to be distracted by anything within the music. My brain knows how a piano should sound. As long as what I hear conforms to that, I am not distracted and be thinking: "hmmm...that piano kinda sounds like [insert whatever comment]" No. I want to get lost in the music, in the message of the composer; I don't want to analyse it. So if an earphone has the right tonal balance, the right details, and makes me forget that I listen to an earphone - becoming "transparent" - that's a good earphone to me. Sorry for the long-winded, philosophical talk, but I had to qualify what I meant by balanced and detailed...
That's it for the moment. Hope it helps a little.
Ant.
Some facts so that you get the context:
I love bass, but I also listen to classical or jazz, etc... so I don't want an earphone that is bassy all the time, just so that it can handle and deliver bass when it's there.
I hate harsh mids and highs. I love them "hi-fi" smooth.
I was a professional music producer for many years. I do know my sounds.
I listen mainly to house music (read: "round", powerful bass, silky-smooth highs), chill music (Ibiza lounge, Cafe Costes, etc...), Jazz (Miles, Coltrane), classical (studied piano) and some World music (Souad Massi).
I was considering the Shure E4, the UE5 and the Shure E500. The bass-shyness, and mids over-emphasis that people comment about put them out of consideration for me, although I really like the way they look in black. The Shure E500 are just too expensive for me and I really wanted to see whether I can get satisfaction from something cheaper, something I learned with studio gear... I didn't consider the Westone UM2s because, not matter how they sound, I really don't like the way they look; I think they look like hearing aids. That, and I am not impressed with the finish that I saw in photos. I don't even want to mention the Etymotics...and those who like bass comment also on the Etys anemic bass output. Ain't for me, those....So the UE5 it is for me; bought them from one of Head-fi supporters: Earphonesolutions, and I recommend their service. Cannot fault it. Let's move on.
UE5 impressions:
First, looks: I like the new clear cables. Overal fit and finish is of a very good quality. The metal case is very cool, though not 100% practical to carry around. Still, better with than without. Earphones seemed quite big at first, but if you wear them "flip-floped", as suggested by one of the forum's contributor (sorry...name escapes me now), they sit almost completely flush, and they look ok. As a matter of fact, I would have never considered them before finding out this alternative way of wearing them; I could not get past the "carrot stick-sticking-out-of-the-ear" look. As I said, totally ok now when worn in this "new" way.
Sound: Seal, seal, seal! Not good impressions at first...Of course, I got them, and immediately I tried them on, expecting aural ecxtasy. Nada. No seal, no bass. After one day, though, you kinda get the hang of it. I tried all tips, changing them over and over again, trying to pick a difference. of course, at first, there is hardly any difference until you get the hang of getting the right seal. This is what I suggest: Stick with the medium tips that come installed on the earphones, unless you have abnormally big or small ear canal. Try to get a proper seal first, then find out which tip works for you, because you won't notice much difference until you get your seal right (don't panic, it's not hard; it's just not immediate, that's all, but anyone can do it). The method that works for me is to insert them in the ear, then wiggle them gently in a rotating motion while pushing them gently in. Now that I can get a good seal, I found that the larger silicone tips work best for me. The mediums were ok too, but as they're smaller, they tended to "slip out-of-seal" after a while. The larger ones do create a vacuum, and the sound is ...
Amazing!
Bass: I was using the Creative EP630s with my 5G iPod, and they are known for being quite bass-heavy, which I liked. However, the UE5PROS are in a different league altogether. The bass is there, comparative in quantity to, say, the EP630s, but very different qualitatively. Much fuller, detailed, so that you can pick up differences between an electric and synth bass for example, instead of just being aware of "lowness, down there, below, somewhere...something"... So I'm happy with the bass. More than happy in fact, and trust me, I like my bass. But ONLY if you get a good seal, so be prepared not to be b lown away the first day, or until you get the hang of it. This is so important!..
Mids/highs:I found the mids and highs quite smooth and revealing, not fatiguing. Instruments are well represented, and sound the way they should. Soundstage is average. I don't think these earphones are clinical though, in the same way that some in this forum describe the Etymotics, for instance. I know what "clinical" means and, even though a clinical sound is great in the studio to pick up, well, any detail in the mix, really, I would not listen to a clinical speaker, earphone or otherwise for pleasure because it's just boring. Music, to me, is to be enjoyed. As a small footnote, it's ironic that in a studio one uses clinical speakers and headphones so that resulting music does NOT sound clinical in your lounge room, car or in a club. So, to come back to my point, the UE5 pros are not clinical, but rather, engaging. They are made so that you enjoy your music, but they are true enough so that jazz sounds like jazz, and the same goes for classical. In short, I was satisfied with the tonal balance with a variety of music styles. Put it another way: when I listen to music, I don't want to be distracted by anything within the music. My brain knows how a piano should sound. As long as what I hear conforms to that, I am not distracted and be thinking: "hmmm...that piano kinda sounds like [insert whatever comment]" No. I want to get lost in the music, in the message of the composer; I don't want to analyse it. So if an earphone has the right tonal balance, the right details, and makes me forget that I listen to an earphone - becoming "transparent" - that's a good earphone to me. Sorry for the long-winded, philosophical talk, but I had to qualify what I meant by balanced and detailed...
That's it for the moment. Hope it helps a little.
Ant.
