Upgrading from Sharp MD33s

[DigDub]

i have the panasonic and the sharp too. to me, the panasonic sounds unrefined and very edgy. the sharp sounds smooth.

 

[Rodent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DigDub i have the panasonic and the sharp too. to me, the panasonic sounds unrefined and very edgy. the sharp sounds smooth.

Hmm, after some more testing, I think you're right. I wouldn't call the Panasonic's edgy, but they have a bit more treble and a bit less/weaker bass, not that much though. I think they Sharp's are a bit easier to drive too, or maybe it's just that they have a different balance.
I think voices sound a little less close with the Panasonic's also.
To notice this, I had to have one bud in each ear and switch between them very fast. I did try them in both ears so it's not a matter of different hearing.
I guess I prefer the Sharp's after this. Really couldn't tell the difference before though.

 

[daredevii]

Quote:

Originally Posted by h-man Hi, I know I will get flamed for saying this, but I far prefer the md33 to my er4p's. I have had both for quite a while now and the md33 certainly gets the most ear time whilst I am out and about. The er4p's certainly reveal more detail but I do find them somewhat fatiguing for prolonged listening. My advice is don't splash the cash on the expensive er4p's until you have had a good listen to them first.

My feelings exactly. And as far as the cord thing goes, it's not really a problem. Going through my amp, I don't need the adaptor but then the cord is too short. Anyway, any hassles with the cord are outweighed big time by the performance of these.

On another topic, another way to avoid microphonics although it looks a little silly (doesn't bother me) is to loop the left cord over your ear like you do with the Ety's.

 

[nakedtoes]

I just got my SHarp MD33 and this is my humble comparision between the Panasonic HJE50's and Sharp MD33S.. I am using the same sony EX71 large silicon sleeves that provides me with the best seal and comfort. Suprising they all fit well to sharp too.

Unamped:- The Panasonic ear bud has a much wider soundstage maybe because of the holes behind. It got abit lesser bass then sharp but higher mid bass. I personally feels that the sharp ear bud has a booasted bass while panasonic one has a tighter bass. The sharp's mid and high are about on the same level making the earbud natural while panasonic has a higher HIGH not that much like Grados but they sound really good for vocal. I hear to all kinds of music and thus i prefer the panasonic earbud as it is more fun to hear, and it is about 20 sing dollars cheaper then the sharp too.

Amped- When i pair them win XIn super mini, both earbud sound much better, with the panasonic earbud more refined and the most improvement in sound. It can also take higher volume of the amp while the sharp earbud sound distorted at high volume(maybe because of the spec)..

Both the sharp and panasonic are good in-ear bud, much better then sony, i am thinking of getting a pair of shure to compare too..

 

[renesis_au]

so the consensus is that the sharp md33's sound similar, hmm i might have to give up a tiny bit of sound quality for the convenience of having a short cord that is compatible with my player. i can guess at that price point, whichever way i go i'd end up relatively satisfied without spending the money for the ety's or the shures? thanks for everyones reply, and sorry for moving away from the topic.

 

[nakedtoes]

The panasonic ear bud takes much longer to burn in.. about 100hrs.. while sharp abt 50 hrs... the panasonic sound very harsh initanially while sharp got a metallic and boxy sound...

 

[cresny]

I've used the md33s for about a year. I've also had ety ER4s (w/Airhead amp), Koss KSC-35, and Beyer dt231, not to mention B&O A8 and Sony E-888. The md33s have had DigDub's mod for most of this time.

Compared to the Etys, the Sharps lose some of the famous detail, but provide much more satisfying bass, far greater comfort and convenience, and isolate well enough in planes. Most of all, the Sharps do not cause me anywhere near the fatigue the Etys did.

As for the other phones, they all have great qualities but cannot rival the md33s for comfort, sq, isolation AND portability (I define "portability" as: fits compactly into the auxiliary pocket of a smallish backpack and does not induce a great deal of ear sweat).

So, I agree the Sharps are an amazing bargain. They sounded great with my ihp-120; they sound great (and full) with my new ipog 4g which, as cited in another thread, does not require the 4-pole-to-3-pole extension cable, though I do find the unextended cord too short.

However, as good as they are with DigDub's mod, they are not perfect since they can break down somewhat handling truly demanding music (crescendos, complex istrumentations, etc.) and hence I, too, am wondering what might be a suitable upgrade, delivering the convenience, portability and sq, but with a tad more, um, headroom(?).

I doubt it can be found in a sub-$500 canal phone, if only for the comfort factor alone. I'm considering the sennheiser pcx-250. Any md33s fan have experience with these?

 

[w0lla]

Instead of using the 'long' extension cabel which comes with the 'buds (MD33s),
u could buy this one

http://www.audiocubes.com/product/Sh...ter_Cable.html