catscratch
Headphoneus Supremus
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- Sep 29, 2004
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***This is NOT a review! Just some long-winded first impressions.***
Well, the ES2's landed yesterday, but yours truly was far too exhausted to say anything about them. Today, though, things are looking better, so I'll speak up. I've listened to them out of the X5, amped and unamped, but I've yet to try them with anything better than that. However, it was the X5 that they were meant to be paired with, and perhaps a PCDP, and these observations are, at least to me, more relevant, then observations out of a $$$ system (but I'll post that too). I can upload pictures if they're wanted, but really, you've all seen custom IEM's before, especially clear translucent ones, and this is just more of the same.
I ordered them from the Ear Plug Super Store. In retrospect, that probably wasn't a good idea, since I ended up paying $650 for the monitors + $50 for the impressions and another $20 for the doctor's visit, and some pocket change for shipping costs. Had I ordered directly from the audiologist, the impressions would probably have been included in the price, and I may have had a discount on top of that. However, I do have to say that EPSS service was quite good, and they answered all my questions quickly.
Included in the package were the monitors, the typical black Westone case, a Westone T-shirt (hey... freebies! Who am I to refuse?), and a cleaning kit of sorts. There was no carrying pouch or convenience accessories of any kind like the ones included with most Shures.
Fit and construction:
The monitors themselves are constructed out of a hard clear acryllic material, except for the sound tube that extends into your ear, which is made out of a softer material. I wouldn't really call it "soft," and it does feel like a drill bit in your ear unless it's perfectly positioned. The drivers seem to be the same ones as in the UM2 (and Westone verified this), however, they are positioned differently. The UM2's drivers are parallel to each other, while in the ES2, the treble driver is slightly offset from the bass driver, and points directly down the sound tube (hmmm, maybe pictures aren't so unnecessary after all). The monitor is dual bore for most of the length, and has two separate earwax filters in each bore. However, both bores empty into the soft sound tube, so I don't know if this is, in fact, a "true" dual-bore design. The cord is exactly the same as the UM2, with one exception (well, two exceptions actually): there is a "memory wire" segment similar to the one on the E5c, and the cord is detachable from the earpiece. The detachability is good, the memory wire is a pain. But, I'll get to that later.
The ES2's have a pretty low profile. They are larger than the UM2 but fit more snugly, and don't protrude as much out of the ear. Comfort is pretty good, I guess, but I can't claim that they "disappear" when they're properly inserted. I'm definitely aware that there's something lodged in my ears. The seal in my right ear feels a bit tighter than in the left, however, the seal doesn't break when I move my jaw, and I haven't had any "pressure buildup" problems, which I've read about. I'd say a refit isn't necessary. Getting them inserted correctly, though, is a pain. The sound tube isn't all that soft, as I've said, and tends to scrape the ear canal mercilessly until it's properly seated. I probably have to get the hang of inserting them correctly. The UM2 was definitely easier to put in.
Cable noise isn't an issue... mostly. The cable itself doesn't cause any noise, but the memory wire segment does. Since I wear glasses, it tends to rub against the sides of the glasses, and that does make a whole lot of noise. This is only a problem when walking around.
Sound:
They are not what I expected. Well, let me restate that. On some issues, they are not what I expected, while on others, they pretty much delivered what I thought they would.
The biggest surprise was their tonal balance. I've read that they were brighter than the UM2. Well, they certainly are brighter than the UM2 with the Comply tips, which squelch treble unmercifully, but they're definitely warmer than the UM2 with the Shure foamies or flex sleeves. They're much warmer than the UM2 with Ety tri-flanges turned bi-flange.
They're the first IEM that I've ever seen that isn't tonally deficient in one way or another. The UM2 is too rolled-off in the treble while still being harsh in the lower treble. The E4 is harsh in the lower treble and lacking in bass; the ER-4P/S is even harsher and even more lacking in bass. The ES2 is nicely extended in both directions, and is very well balanced from the bass to the mids to the treble. It's not as dark as the HD600 but it's definitely on the warm side overall.
The sound is pretty forward. This is not a Sennheiser-style presentation by any means. I think the Grado camp would be happy with these. I don't have any Grados to compare them to, unfortunately, but the SR-404 is pretty forward, and the ES2 is even more forward, so I would say that it's a lot closer to the Grado territory than to the Senns.
Their detail is really impressive. In fact, it's almost overwhelmingly impressive. There is substantially more detail than the UM2, and even more detail than the E4 and ER-4P/S. The Ety's, and to a lesser extent the Shures, have a very detailed high end, but the detail doesn't seem to extend into the midrange or deep bass. There are definitely details in the midrange and bass that are resolved by the SR-404 that the Ety's and Shures leave out. The ES2's, on the other hand, resolve details that the SR-404 leaves out, not to mention the Etys and Shures, so I guess they're pretty damn detailed. And all of this is out of the lowly X5! In the detail department, they remind me a lot of... the Qualia 010. They're not nearly as extended in both directions, but listening to the ES2's, you have the same sensation that there's nothing left in the recording that they're not picking up.
Likewise, their speed is very impressive. When the sound stops, it stops on a dime, and starts up just as fast when it has to. I haven't made any direct comparisons with the SR-001 and SR-404 yet in the speed department though, so I'll save that for later.
Textures are rendered pretty well. Bass isn't quite as textured as it is on the electrostats, but that's not the fault of the ES2, but rather the extraordinary quality of the electrostats. On the HD600, bass sounds like some low frequencies, or more precisely, like a good system reproducing good bass. On the SR-404 and SR-001, bass sounds exactly like the instrument that was used to create it. If it's bass guitar, it sounds like a bass guitar. If it's an upright, it sounds like an upright, with all of the woody texture and acoustic reverberations that usually accompany it. The ES2 doesn't quite texture bass like that, but it's definitely better than the HD600. The bass is very deep, very tight, and yet pretty strong. There's no bloat, and it doesn't overwhelm any frequencies, but it doesn't feel lacking at any point either. I'd say that this is some of the best bass that I've heard out of a headphone, but not the best. That I'll leave to the HE90 and the 010. The rest of the frequency spectrum handles textures very well - vocals feel very real, and cymbals have as much shimmer as the X5's decidedly bad treble reproduction allows.
Soundstage seems to be about the same as the UM2 sizewise, but imaging is a lot sharper. Instrument separation is very much Ety-like, but without the compressed soundstage that the Ety's have. Once again, I run into the limitations of the X5 here, which does tend to flatten out the soundstage next to better players. When I try them with the Rega or a good PCDP, I'll be able to talk more about their imaging and separation.
Overall, they do present a very interesting sonic combination. They're definitely warmish in terms of tonal balance, but they're very quick and crisp. Warmth is usually associated with some degree of liquidness and organic fluidity. Well, there's none of that here. The sound is very sharp, very concise, and almost too crisp, if there is such a thing. Together with the forwardness, this makes them very engaging, but a bit fatiguing. Add to that their astonishing detail and very revealing character, and you get a headphone that can get really fatiguing with harsh or sibilant material. This has nothing to do with brightess - they're really not all that bright.
I really can't compare them with any of my other headphones, because they're very different. I expected more or less an improvement on the UM2, but this is a very different beast altogether. The UM2 has this whole creamy coloration thing going that tends to blur all the edges together, while the ES2 is more or an Ety-like sharp sound, but tonally balanced and without the harshness or soundstage compression that usually accompanies it. If I had to make a comparison with any phones that I've auditioned... the closest would be the Qualia 010. The ES2 doesn't extend as far in either direction, so it won't give you the skull-rattling sub-bass that the Qualia is capable of, nor will it give you the stratospheric highs. But it does have a lot of the same remarkable detail, quickness, and sense of tonal balance. I really wish I had a Qualia lying around to compare them to, but oh well - there's always the next meet.
Anyway, I like these. A lot. Hell, I could see myself selling off everything else in my collection if I had to. I don't think the ES2's are better than the SR-404, but they're not so far behind that I couldn't live with them as a primary phones. I like them more than the HD600 and the SR-001, and the UM2 or E4 don't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with them. The improvement over universal-fit IEM's really is substantial.
I'll post more thoughts when I have them. Wait, that sounded bad... Uh, I'll most more when I have time. Yup. That's it
Actually, I'll do a full review in a few weeks.
Well, the ES2's landed yesterday, but yours truly was far too exhausted to say anything about them. Today, though, things are looking better, so I'll speak up. I've listened to them out of the X5, amped and unamped, but I've yet to try them with anything better than that. However, it was the X5 that they were meant to be paired with, and perhaps a PCDP, and these observations are, at least to me, more relevant, then observations out of a $$$ system (but I'll post that too). I can upload pictures if they're wanted, but really, you've all seen custom IEM's before, especially clear translucent ones, and this is just more of the same.
I ordered them from the Ear Plug Super Store. In retrospect, that probably wasn't a good idea, since I ended up paying $650 for the monitors + $50 for the impressions and another $20 for the doctor's visit, and some pocket change for shipping costs. Had I ordered directly from the audiologist, the impressions would probably have been included in the price, and I may have had a discount on top of that. However, I do have to say that EPSS service was quite good, and they answered all my questions quickly.
Included in the package were the monitors, the typical black Westone case, a Westone T-shirt (hey... freebies! Who am I to refuse?), and a cleaning kit of sorts. There was no carrying pouch or convenience accessories of any kind like the ones included with most Shures.
Fit and construction:
The monitors themselves are constructed out of a hard clear acryllic material, except for the sound tube that extends into your ear, which is made out of a softer material. I wouldn't really call it "soft," and it does feel like a drill bit in your ear unless it's perfectly positioned. The drivers seem to be the same ones as in the UM2 (and Westone verified this), however, they are positioned differently. The UM2's drivers are parallel to each other, while in the ES2, the treble driver is slightly offset from the bass driver, and points directly down the sound tube (hmmm, maybe pictures aren't so unnecessary after all). The monitor is dual bore for most of the length, and has two separate earwax filters in each bore. However, both bores empty into the soft sound tube, so I don't know if this is, in fact, a "true" dual-bore design. The cord is exactly the same as the UM2, with one exception (well, two exceptions actually): there is a "memory wire" segment similar to the one on the E5c, and the cord is detachable from the earpiece. The detachability is good, the memory wire is a pain. But, I'll get to that later.
The ES2's have a pretty low profile. They are larger than the UM2 but fit more snugly, and don't protrude as much out of the ear. Comfort is pretty good, I guess, but I can't claim that they "disappear" when they're properly inserted. I'm definitely aware that there's something lodged in my ears. The seal in my right ear feels a bit tighter than in the left, however, the seal doesn't break when I move my jaw, and I haven't had any "pressure buildup" problems, which I've read about. I'd say a refit isn't necessary. Getting them inserted correctly, though, is a pain. The sound tube isn't all that soft, as I've said, and tends to scrape the ear canal mercilessly until it's properly seated. I probably have to get the hang of inserting them correctly. The UM2 was definitely easier to put in.
Cable noise isn't an issue... mostly. The cable itself doesn't cause any noise, but the memory wire segment does. Since I wear glasses, it tends to rub against the sides of the glasses, and that does make a whole lot of noise. This is only a problem when walking around.
Sound:
They are not what I expected. Well, let me restate that. On some issues, they are not what I expected, while on others, they pretty much delivered what I thought they would.
The biggest surprise was their tonal balance. I've read that they were brighter than the UM2. Well, they certainly are brighter than the UM2 with the Comply tips, which squelch treble unmercifully, but they're definitely warmer than the UM2 with the Shure foamies or flex sleeves. They're much warmer than the UM2 with Ety tri-flanges turned bi-flange.
They're the first IEM that I've ever seen that isn't tonally deficient in one way or another. The UM2 is too rolled-off in the treble while still being harsh in the lower treble. The E4 is harsh in the lower treble and lacking in bass; the ER-4P/S is even harsher and even more lacking in bass. The ES2 is nicely extended in both directions, and is very well balanced from the bass to the mids to the treble. It's not as dark as the HD600 but it's definitely on the warm side overall.
The sound is pretty forward. This is not a Sennheiser-style presentation by any means. I think the Grado camp would be happy with these. I don't have any Grados to compare them to, unfortunately, but the SR-404 is pretty forward, and the ES2 is even more forward, so I would say that it's a lot closer to the Grado territory than to the Senns.
Their detail is really impressive. In fact, it's almost overwhelmingly impressive. There is substantially more detail than the UM2, and even more detail than the E4 and ER-4P/S. The Ety's, and to a lesser extent the Shures, have a very detailed high end, but the detail doesn't seem to extend into the midrange or deep bass. There are definitely details in the midrange and bass that are resolved by the SR-404 that the Ety's and Shures leave out. The ES2's, on the other hand, resolve details that the SR-404 leaves out, not to mention the Etys and Shures, so I guess they're pretty damn detailed. And all of this is out of the lowly X5! In the detail department, they remind me a lot of... the Qualia 010. They're not nearly as extended in both directions, but listening to the ES2's, you have the same sensation that there's nothing left in the recording that they're not picking up.
Likewise, their speed is very impressive. When the sound stops, it stops on a dime, and starts up just as fast when it has to. I haven't made any direct comparisons with the SR-001 and SR-404 yet in the speed department though, so I'll save that for later.
Textures are rendered pretty well. Bass isn't quite as textured as it is on the electrostats, but that's not the fault of the ES2, but rather the extraordinary quality of the electrostats. On the HD600, bass sounds like some low frequencies, or more precisely, like a good system reproducing good bass. On the SR-404 and SR-001, bass sounds exactly like the instrument that was used to create it. If it's bass guitar, it sounds like a bass guitar. If it's an upright, it sounds like an upright, with all of the woody texture and acoustic reverberations that usually accompany it. The ES2 doesn't quite texture bass like that, but it's definitely better than the HD600. The bass is very deep, very tight, and yet pretty strong. There's no bloat, and it doesn't overwhelm any frequencies, but it doesn't feel lacking at any point either. I'd say that this is some of the best bass that I've heard out of a headphone, but not the best. That I'll leave to the HE90 and the 010. The rest of the frequency spectrum handles textures very well - vocals feel very real, and cymbals have as much shimmer as the X5's decidedly bad treble reproduction allows.
Soundstage seems to be about the same as the UM2 sizewise, but imaging is a lot sharper. Instrument separation is very much Ety-like, but without the compressed soundstage that the Ety's have. Once again, I run into the limitations of the X5 here, which does tend to flatten out the soundstage next to better players. When I try them with the Rega or a good PCDP, I'll be able to talk more about their imaging and separation.
Overall, they do present a very interesting sonic combination. They're definitely warmish in terms of tonal balance, but they're very quick and crisp. Warmth is usually associated with some degree of liquidness and organic fluidity. Well, there's none of that here. The sound is very sharp, very concise, and almost too crisp, if there is such a thing. Together with the forwardness, this makes them very engaging, but a bit fatiguing. Add to that their astonishing detail and very revealing character, and you get a headphone that can get really fatiguing with harsh or sibilant material. This has nothing to do with brightess - they're really not all that bright.
I really can't compare them with any of my other headphones, because they're very different. I expected more or less an improvement on the UM2, but this is a very different beast altogether. The UM2 has this whole creamy coloration thing going that tends to blur all the edges together, while the ES2 is more or an Ety-like sharp sound, but tonally balanced and without the harshness or soundstage compression that usually accompanies it. If I had to make a comparison with any phones that I've auditioned... the closest would be the Qualia 010. The ES2 doesn't extend as far in either direction, so it won't give you the skull-rattling sub-bass that the Qualia is capable of, nor will it give you the stratospheric highs. But it does have a lot of the same remarkable detail, quickness, and sense of tonal balance. I really wish I had a Qualia lying around to compare them to, but oh well - there's always the next meet.
Anyway, I like these. A lot. Hell, I could see myself selling off everything else in my collection if I had to. I don't think the ES2's are better than the SR-404, but they're not so far behind that I couldn't live with them as a primary phones. I like them more than the HD600 and the SR-001, and the UM2 or E4 don't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with them. The improvement over universal-fit IEM's really is substantial.
I'll post more thoughts when I have them. Wait, that sounded bad... Uh, I'll most more when I have time. Yup. That's it
