[Young Spade]

^ Mind if I put my input in also? I didn't go straight from the PFEs but the imaging and detail is a lot better on the UM3Xs. Coming straight from the PFEs to the Triples, the sound was a lot more open on the Triples and a lot more airy. (Just throwing that in there).

But you definitely get better imaging on the UM3Xs. Detail is better as well. I don't exactly remember how the soundstage differs but the sound signature between the PFEs and UM3Xs is somewhat similar.

 

[jonathan2486]

Oh yeah definately, I like to hear everybody's imput.

I guess all in all I'm just looking for a good all around sounding headphone. I'm not a musician or anybody too extreme, but I really am picky when it comes to my music. I like it to sound good. Maybe these phones are a little too high-end for my listening styles...I dont know. I have expensive taste and I like high quality things though, so naturally, I gravitate toward the high tier phones.

If the Westone 2s are like PFEs with more base, maybe I should consider those? I dont know.
I really like the sounds of the intimacy of the UM3X as described by Pianist. When I put my headphones in, I like to be alone with the music. But I dont want a headphone that is boring or flat sounding, which makes the E-Q7s more appealing from what I've read.

I was happy with my PFEs. I got clarity I hadnt heard before. I heard things in songs I didnt know were there. So if some of these phones are even better, I guess I'm in for a treat. My biggest complaint was always the bass. If a song hits, I'd like to feel it. I dont want it to be overbearing and ruin the rest of the music, but if a song has a heavy bassline, thats how I want to hear it.

 

[Young Spade]

Hmm well I haven't heard the e-Q7s but I hold Pianist's quote to high regard. I've read a lot about his e-Q7s from his earlier posts and I think they would be a little more exciting than the UM3Xs. I love them for the music I listen to (acoustic, classical) but while listening to rock it was a little too laid back :/

 

[Hsiu]

I will say W2, UM3x is pretty dark compared with PFE with quite strong bass quantity. W2 is kind of in between. if your source is on the bright side with less bass quantity, UM3X is perfect. but if the source has strong bass, W2 will be a better suit.

 

[Leavenfish]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathan2486 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was happy with my PFEs. I got clarity I hadnt heard before. I heard things in songs I didnt know were there. So if some of these phones are even better, I guess I'm in for a treat. My biggest complaint was always the bass. If a song hits, I'd like to feel it. I dont want it to be overbearing and ruin the rest of the music, but if a song has a heavy bassline, thats how I want to hear it.

I am curious as to if you tried EQ'ing to enhance the base a little with the grey filters. As the music is digital from the moment it is recorded, I've always felt (but don't know how it works for sure) once could simply EQ a bit if you wish more bass. From what I understand the black brings out the bass more.

 

[Young Spade]

^Yea the black brings out the bass/mids more from the start and reduces the treble a bit. I would say that you could EQ the bass up with the grays on and.... I would rather do that than EQ the treble up with the black filter on.

 

[jonathan2486]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leavenfish /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am curious as to if you tried EQ'ing to enhance the base a little with the grey filters. As the music is digital from the moment it is recorded, I've always felt (but don't know how it works for sure) once could simply EQ a bit if you wish more bass. From what I understand the black brings out the bass more.

I had the grey filters in for a very long time before I even remembered to try the black filters. And the black did help, with the black, you lose some of the detail, but the bass comes on a little stronger, which I liked. I've messed around with the EQ some, and maybe its the recording of the songs or something, but when I EQ the bass up some, it feels artificial and I start to hear distortion when it goes for the strong low notes. I will admit I do like more bass than the average person probably, but I am by no means a 'bass head.' Certain artists and certain genres have harder hitting bass than others and that's what I want to hear.

 

[Leavenfish]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathan2486 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Certain artists and certain genres have harder hitting bass than others and that's what I want to hear.

Understood. I am on a big Charles Mingus kick and of course he has his bass front and center of most recordings. On a flat or slight uptick in the bass, the sounds is actually acceptable on my stock Fuse buds.

I guess mostly that is what I am wondering with the Phonak's, grey filters and a little EQ of the bass. I hear different things from different people so maybe it just depends on what one likes.

 

[jonathan2486]

I did the grey filters with the EQ on my PFEs yesterday and have been listening to it since. I do like it a lot more than the black filters. That being said, maybe I'm just finding I'm more of a bass head than I thought

, cause I still find that beat doesn't quite have that "oomph" that I want, though much better and I could definitely deal with them if Phonak decides they want to replace them.

But......while I'm looking at new phones, would the E-Q7s or UM3X fix that, or should I start looking at something like the IE8s. I want more bass than the PFEs have got, but I really don't want to lose any of the clarity in the mids and highs.

 

[Young Spade]

^Then the UM3Xs/E-Q7s should fit the bill. From what I've read (and heard [UM3X]), the UM3Xs have a slightly laid back, more powerful sound signature. To my ears, they're pretty neutral except for a slight emphasis in the mids. A couple of notches moved in the EQ solves that problem for me.
But they do have a full bodied sound, much more so than the PFEs.

 

[Bilavideo]

It depends on what filters you used with your PFE. The lighter filters give the PFE an HF heavy sparkle reminiscent of the ER4x, but with an easier fit (I can't stand the lollipop design of the ER4x). The darker filters suppress HF, allowing you to crank higher and get better bass. When I switched to the darker filters, I was impressed at how well the PFE navigated both worlds. Its only limitation was the single-driver format, which required a tradeoff between great bass and great sparkle. On the other hand, when I ran the PFE through my M^3 with variable bass boost, I truly got the best of both worlds. I could use the lighter filters and then just crank up the bass boost and be in audio nirvana. I couldn't do that with the ER4P (which never really bassed up) or with the UM3X (which was already there, and which benefited nothing from amping).

Unamped, my favorite IEMs are the UM3X, whose only flaw is the use of single-bore filtration (using white filters for a single, combined sound tube). I've pulled the filters out to get the lost sparkle and found there to be no going back. Since I prefer the black olive tips (which absorb HF anyway), the UM3X really do it for me. I also liked the TF10s, once I found the right tip. The TF10 uses a dual bore approach, which lets it filter separately.

 

[Young Spade]

^You pulled the filters out of the UM3Xs to increase the treble response? Care to explain?

 

[jonathan2486]

Hmm sounds like some E-Q7s or UM3Xs are what I want. I'm at a loss now. I don't know whether to hope Phonak will replace my PFEs and I wont have to get new ones or whether I should hope they wont so I'll be "forced" to buy some new phones

 

[Young Spade]

Haha well I hope that they do fix them but I really hope you take a look at some new IEMs

They're both great phones and if you ever want some in depth commentary, feel free to shoot me a PM. And if you want some in depth info, I'd highly suggest looking up some of Pianist's posts on the Ortofons, he gives some really good insight of them against other top tier phones.

 

[jonathan2486]

Haha yeah I'm always looking at new phones though, I just never have the excuse to shell out the money. And okay yeah, you've been a big help, thank you very much. If I have more questions ill send you a message. I've been reading through the appreciation boards for both the E-Q7s and the UM3X. They offer a lot of advice and views and that kind of thing, which is helpful. My only problem is that the only phones I have to compare to are my PFEs. I haven't heard any of the other high end IEMs. Oh well haha. I'm sure I'd be happy with any number of these phones, it just comes down to picking one.