[brschmid]

been out of the headphone game for a while, PX200's are starting to annoy me now, want something smaller and easy to conceal.

did some reading, but can't figure out if they are supposed to be amped or not.

so what i am thinking is one of these:
UM1
E2C
ER6i

I will be using them with my Zen Vision:M or Philips GoGear 1630 (Finace would like a pair as well) No amps will be useds, so i am thinking low impedence would be good.

I like a rich full sound, at least as rich and full as possible. after listening to my Vision:M + Millett + K271's the other evening, the PX200's seem bland, lacking a lot of the bass (i don't want loud boomy bass either, but bass is good)

what would be good for me then, remember, unamped

 

[richpjr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brschmid been out of the headphone game for a while, PX200's are starting to annoy me now, want something smaller and easy to conceal. did some reading, but can't figure out if they are supposed to be amped or not. so what i am thinking is one of these: UM1 E2C ER6i I will be using them with my Zen Vision:M or Philips GoGear 1630 (Finace would like a pair as well) No amps will be useds, so i am thinking low impedence would be good. I like a rich full sound, at least as rich and full as possible. after listening to my Vision:M + Millett + K271's the other evening, the PX200's seem bland, lacking a lot of the bass (i don't want loud boomy bass either, but bass is good) what would be good for me then, remember, unamped

I have a pair of E2Cs and can not use them for more than an hour before my ears started aching. I bought a pair of the much more comfortable E4Cs and can use them much longer. Having said that, I usually only use them at the gym and on airplanes.

 

[azncookiecutter]

Used both the E2Cs and ER-6i, and E2Cs have a much warmer and bassier sound signature than the Etys. The Etys midrange sound slightly dry, making some music sound a bit lifeless. The E2Cs can't touch the ER-6i highs, but should be more suited to you, since it is much more full. Both do not require an amp.

 

[Gino]

My last cans were PX200s. I've since switched to Altec Lansing IM716. They sound a lot better and have decent output. They are not up there in terms of headroom, but I will take sound quality over loudness any day.

I also heard these in a prototype tube head amp and it was simply amazing. Very deep bass and quite open sounding. Search the forum for the review of the IM716.

 

[raisin]

The shure is definitely the bass monster out of that trio.

 

[milkpowder]

Get the E4c and never look back.

 

[gremlin]

It really depends on how much you want to spend. The UM1 has a much more balanced signature the the E2C. The E4C is way pricier, out of my range for the kind of listening I do with my headphones.

 

[brschmid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gremlin It really depends on how much you want to spend. The UM1 has a much more balanced signature the the E2C. The E4C is way pricier, out of my range for the kind of listening I do with my headphones.

I am not looking for a Bass monster

I want something balanced that will still have bass if i choose to listen to rap or dance type music, will the UM1 work for that?

btw: i see you are from one of my favorite areas in the country, hoping to move out there is about 1 year

 

[LaBreaHead]

You're already upgrading -- I think what Milkpowder is suggesting (E4C's) makes a good point. Why stop at an "interim" level if you're going higher sooner or later, anyway? (After all, you are on Head-Fi.) I really like my E3C's (a possible "compromise" pick for you?), but the E4C's are supposed to be much better -- at a price, though.

If cost is an issue (and if it isn't for most of us, maybe it should be), the UM1's have gotten numerous good write-ups, and I can vouch for the surprisingly good sound (and tiny low-profile form factor) of the Etymotics. The Ety cables seemed flimsy to me at first, which is why I "side-graded" to a pair of Shure E3C's, but I've read only one really negative thing about the Ety cables in these forums, and I really like/appreciate them now. Also, the earpiece cables hang straight out of the ear; looping the other brands' cables over the ears is not that big a deal, but the Etymotics are somewhat simpler in that regard (probably not much of an issue). With foamies, the Etymotics are quite easy to put in and take out; with flanges, they go in deeper and can take several more seconds to get out. The Etymotics isolate particularly well.

Edit: While "full, rich sound" didn't seem possible to me when I got the Etymotics Er-6's (I didn't know about the "i" version, or maybe they weren't available yet -- the "i" is supposed to be bassier and easier to drive), I've adjusted my ears' expectations and have gotten to appreciate that, yes, there is bass there -- just not "rock concert" massive levels of bass. With a good fit and seal, even bass-heavy stuff sounds quite good. The fit determines a lot, however -- probably with any IEMs.

By the way, I saw/held a Zen Vision:M at Fry's Electronics yesterday -- quite impressive ... it's the size of my 2G 10GB iPod for Windows (which has been put out to pasture by other players I've gotten). It's by no means "fat" -- the 5GB iPod has just gotten slimmer. I hope it's sounding great for you.

 

[Anarchy965]

Such crystal clear and well balanced sound is enough to win my vote. And they have pretty tight bass too. I listen too punk rock(NOFX, Rancid, Bad Religion, Offspring, Bombshell Rocks, Madball, H2O, etc.) and rock(Pink Floyd, Authority Zero, Korn, Static-X, etc.) and metal(Metallica, SOAD, etc.) with these and the bass is pretty sufficient. I'm a little biased though cuase they were my first decent 'phones(cans IEM's or otherwise). BTW, the Ety's are the smallest IEM's available i think.

 

[brschmid]

cost is part of the concern, we are trying to pay for our wedding this fall...

also, they will be strictly for portable duty, which usually is just walking to class, working around the apartment, otherwise i don't really use it much. but the Vision:M is incredible, i heard a 5G ipod and it doesn't even sound close to this.

I might look into the ER6i's as i am guessing they will have a more full and rich sound than these PX200's i am currently using.

Anarchy,
i listen to mostly what you have typed out there, so thanks for the feedback

 

[warpdriver]

The e2c will be a much warmer sounding phone. The ER6i has decent enough bass but the E2C will be a more full sounding can (but less clear IMO)

 

[brschmid]

maybe i will pick up a pair of the e2c's at best buy and try them out, if i don't like them i can just return them easier than somewhere online (even though returning at best buy is a hassle)

 

[wirbeltier]

a few bucks more and you can step one class up with the sf pro5. fun, rocking, fast and lots of dry and deep bass for metal an electronica...

 

[brschmid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wirbeltier a few bucks more and you can step one class up with the sf pro5. fun, rocking, fast and lots of dry and deep bass for metal an electronica...

those are like 200? like i said i won't be using my portable enough to justify that kind of money, and the fiance definetly won't be.

how would the Super-fi 3's sound?