[catscratch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romanee If you're loving the original Hornet -- Don't be unfaithful! Don't Fool Around! Be Happy! After all -- the original is so warm, close and -- how do you say, Très Intime -- no? Yes? (pardon my lousy French)

I definitely like the ES2 with the original Hornet. It sounds ever so much like a more forward and engaging HD650. A very good combination for rock and dance music, and not bad at all for smaller acoustic ensembles where soundstage doesn't matter. Large orchestral works... well, we have a problem there, but I suppose with the M Hornet, they would be quite good.

The ES2 changes it's sound signature an awful lot depending on what you plug it into, though. Much of the combo's sound is due to the Hornet's rather colored sound signature, as opposed to the inherent sonic characteristics of the ES2.

I still maintain that it is far too sensitive for general high-end use. For instance, with the Hornet there is far, far too much gain even on the Low setting when the combo is used with high(er) output sources like the MicroDAC. The minimum volume where the two channels are equal is right on the edge of what I would consider a comfortable listening level, if not above it. The combo does sound terrific, but I have no choice but to blast my ears off if I want to listen to it

I'll have to send the Hornet in to Ray to set the Low setting to unity gain.

 

[spoot]

wakeride74, those are the hottest IEM's i've ever seen. that like the set-up i dream of having. athough at the moment a student's budget will only allow me up to the UM2. On that subject, I went and auditioned the UM2's yesterday. The local distributor also does gig rentals so i was able to test out a pair that was sufficiently burnt in. And let me just say wow. they are so much better than any other IEM's i've tried. way better than the e2c, e3c, spf5pro, and any of the sony canal phones. I do believe i will be picking up a pair soon. Ouch my wallet... Maybe someday i can afford the upgrade to es2's

~Newt

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by animalsrush How does it sound with AE-1. I have AE-1 set to lo-gain and i am curious about ES2's performance ..

The AE-1 I have is high-gain, but I'll listen again tomorrow and let you know what I hear. Any preferred music/styles/musicians/groups/tunes/disks...?

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch I definitely like the ES2 with the original Hornet. It sounds ever so much like a more forward and engaging HD650. A very good combination for rock and dance music, and not bad at all for smaller acoustic ensembles where soundstage doesn't matter. Large orchestral works... well, we have a problem there, but I suppose with the M Hornet, they would be quite good. The ES2 changes it's sound signature an awful lot depending on what you plug it into, though. Much of the combo's sound is due to the Hornet's rather colored sound signature, as opposed to the inherent sonic characteristics of the ES2. I still maintain that it is far too sensitive for general high-end use. For instance, with the Hornet there is far, far too much gain even on the Low setting when the combo is used with high(er) output sources like the MicroDAC. The minimum volume where the two channels are equal is right on the edge of what I would consider a comfortable listening level, if not above it. The combo does sound terrific, but I have no choice but to blast my ears off if I want to listen to it I'll have to send the Hornet in to Ray to set the Low setting to unity gain.

Oh, right. The MicroDAC has really high level output! Without it the Hornet, at low gain, plays at only 2 or 3 notches above zero! Hmmm. We should find out if Ray can do anything about that.

 

[animalsrush]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romanee The AE-1 I have is high-gain, but I'll listen again tomorrow and let you know what I hear. Any preferred music/styles/musicians/groups/tunes/disks...?

I listen to various styles : Rock (Pink floyd,Rush, Zeppelin,Pixies) , Alternative( Nirvana, Pear Jam), Metal (Metallica,Tool) , Western Classical ( Tchaikovsky), Vocal based Hindi music , Trance ( Paul van Dyk) .. I prefer music little bit on bassy side ..

Thanks for doing this...

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by animalsrush I listen to various styles : Rock (Pink floyd,Rush, Zeppelin,Pixies) , Alternative( Nirvana, Pear Jam), Metal (Metallica,Tool) , Western Classical ( Tchaikovsky), Vocal based Hindi music , Trance ( Paul van Dyk) .. I prefer music little bit on bassy side .. Thanks for doing this...

Been too busy today for much, but on a few brief comparisons the AE-1 has a very pronounced hiss with the ES2. It does have a wide a open soundspace, but regarding bass it has a pronounced mid-bass thump, while the "M" Hornet's bass is a bit deeper with a bit more impact. Soundstage width and dimension seem to be somewhat recording-dependent and I haven't pinned it down yet. The Hornet does have a "fuller" sound and very good width, while the AE-1 is very wide and sometimes airier than the Hornet, but sometimes the center area seems a bit threadbare.

I have to do a lot more listening to sort it out, but the hiss is pronounced even at zero volume, while the Hornet has zero hiss.

 

[animalsrush]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romanee AE-1 has a very pronounced hiss with the ES2.

Is this coz of the hi gain AE-1 and ES2 are very sensitive. Will adding resistance help. I have a lo gain version of AE-1 and i don't get hiss at all with um2s

 

[catscratch]

Not sure where else to post this, so I thought I'd resurrect this thread with a short comparison.

I just got my hands on the E500, and I do have to agree with what has been said in regards to the ES2 vs the E500. Now, it's far, far too early to post definitive opinions as to which one is better, but based on early listening, to my ears the ES2 is clearly superior. The E500 has a significant advantage in soundstage, provided one likes a more laid-back sound, as it does sound quite a bit laid-back next to the ES2. The latter is more forward and doesn't have the same soundstage width, though it has similar depth and height. Detail to me seems to be about the same for both, though the ES2 sounds fuller and detail is somewhat obscured by the foward mids and the huge bass (next to the E500, anyway). I suspect that the ES2 has slightly better inner detail retreival, but I'll have to listen much more to determine that for sure. Where the ES2 really pulls ahead, to my ear, and where the E500 really lacks, is in fullness. The E500 still has that same "canalphoney" sound signature that I've heard from the ER-4P and the E4c. Admittedly, it is by far the best iteration of that sound signature that I've come across, but next to it, the ES2 sounds like a full-size headphone. It's simply fuller, more present, more dynamic, more, well, "there." Instruments seem to occupy much more space than they do with the E500, which sounds a bit thin by comparison, and they seem to have much more solidity. Also, the ES2 seems to be a bit more refined especially in the upper mid and lower treble, where the E500 is fairly steely (unamped). On the plus side for the E500, it does have a very good midrange in it's own right, very transparent and very reminiscent of the E4c, and it's bass is very tight, deep, and not lacking in quantity at all, as it was with the ER-4P and E4c.

Well, that's about it for now. I'll have to listen much more. I like the E500 a lot, though it's from the ER-4P/E4c school of sound (detail first), which I like less than the UM2/E5c/ES2 school of sound (fullness first). But, it is the best universal-fit that I've come across, that's for sure.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Thank you for this thread. It seems Westone is picking up the ball that UE dropped slowly over time in terms of custom support and fitting.

If I like the Koss sound sig (KSC75, to be exact), will I like the ES2?

 

[jdimitri]

Got ear impressions today, boys..
I'll send them off tommorow and soon i'll join the ever growing ES2 crowd

Mine will be black/black (to match my hair, i don't want it to look like a hearing aid)
Or.. do you have any other suggestions for colour?
Oh and to the current owners, do you think i should order a spare cable?

Thanks to Romanee, wakeride74, digihead and powerhound23 for all your help and responses to my pms

(really what i'm saying is.. damn you, why were you so helpful??)

My student wallet is pretty much non-existant now.. thanks?

 

[Electric_Mofo]

I think you should go for the Transluscent red with black cable, it always looks the best IMO. Are you getting them from a Westone distributer or from Westone because I don't want to get them done through the UK dealer because I need them sent to a location in America. And waiting for them to be made here pretty much ruins my plans.

 

[jdimitri]

Like this one?
http://www.sgheadphones.net/index.php?showtopic=6221
I'm trying to make it as invisible as possible.. looks like black's my only option, my skin colour changes all the time
No.. that did not sound weird

 

[wahlau88]

Hi all, first post here.

Have been a lurker ever since my sony xp 71s ( i think thats what they are) got destroyed. The rubber protecting the cable has basically disintegrated. I run alot, (i sweat profusely), that plus the humidityof being in Asia means it's time for new IEMs.

Was thinking of the shure E500 or the new triple fi pros but after readin this post I think I will be trying a pair of es2. Just wondering how durable the cables and the soft silicon bit in the ear are with regards to sweat? Don't want them going soft (or worst) on me after 3 months of exercise which is what happened with the sonys.

Great site, thanks for the help.

 

[jdimitri]

As much as i'd like to say get them (or any iems)..
I say don't use iems for exercising
Not only they make your footsteps and breath sounds very loud, when sweat gets into it, it stops working for a while
Cable is pretty durable though

I don't really need amazing sound for exercising, so KSC75s do just fine for me
But if you're using them for just walking around..

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch Not sure where else to post this, so I thought I'd resurrect this thread with a short comparison. I just got my hands on the E500, and I do have to agree with what has been said in regards to the ES2 vs the E500. Now, it's far, far too early to post definitive opinions as to which one is better, but based on early listening, to my ears the ES2 is clearly superior. The E500 has a significant advantage in soundstage, provided one likes a more laid-back sound, as it does sound quite a bit laid-back next to the ES2. The latter is more forward and doesn't have the same soundstage width, though it has similar depth and height. Detail to me seems to be about the same for both, though the ES2 sounds fuller and detail is somewhat obscured by the foward mids and the huge bass (next to the E500, anyway). I suspect that the ES2 has slightly better inner detail retreival, but I'll have to listen much more to determine that for sure. Where the ES2 really pulls ahead, to my ear, and where the E500 really lacks, is in fullness. The E500 still has that same "canalphoney" sound signature that I've heard from the ER-4P and the E4c. Admittedly, it is by far the best iteration of that sound signature that I've come across, but next to it, the ES2 sounds like a full-size headphone. It's simply fuller, more present, more dynamic, more, well, "there." Instruments seem to occupy much more space than they do with the E500, which sounds a bit thin by comparison, and they seem to have much more solidity. Also, the ES2 seems to be a bit more refined especially in the upper mid and lower treble, where the E500 is fairly steely (unamped). On the plus side for the E500, it does have a very good midrange in it's own right, very transparent and very reminiscent of the E4c, and it's bass is very tight, deep, and not lacking in quantity at all, as it was with the ER-4P and E4c. Well, that's about it for now. I'll have to listen much more. I like the E500 a lot, though it's from the ER-4P/E4c school of sound (detail first), which I like less than the UM2/E5c/ES2 school of sound (fullness first). But, it is the best universal-fit that I've come across, that's for sure.

So you're saying that the ES2 is even fuller than the E500? Do they sound realistic, or is it a sort of smoothed-out, coloured sound that is sort of different to how it would really sound in real life? Are they detailed enough throughout the whole frequency range (especially bass) for large symphonic works? If they're like the UM2s (good, but slightly uncontrolled bass, lack of detail/definition in the mids and highs, though sweet sounding), then that's a big no-no for classical symphonic and ensembles or even solo/accompanied violin.

Hmm... interesting indeed. I don't find the E500 that analytical at all. In fact, they're smoother and more musical than they are analytical! The bass is usually thicker than it's supposed to be in real life. Would the ES2 be neutral enough to accurately reproduce complex music like large orchestras? The E500 are great for less complex music like jazz, solo classical, small ensemble classical, vocals and rock, but don't perform that well with complex large ensemble music. Crystal clear sound is what I'm looking for (maybe UE10Pro are better then).