[Rdr. Seraphim]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gilency /img/forum/go_quote.gif One of my favorite Bach's Cantatas is BWV 79. The clarity and separation of different choir voices and instruments, from organ to strings, from drums to the french horn is indeed one of the most beautiful music ever composed. The ES3X does not disappoint when it comes to presenting such complex music in such an enjoyable way. Listening to it is like a religious experience that stirs the soul. I am in heaven....

Which recording are you listening to? It's a fave of mine as well.

 

[gilency]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rdr. Seraphim /img/forum/go_quote.gif Which recording are you listening to? It's a fave of mine as well.

The Bach Edition with Peter Jan Leusink, Holland Boys Choir, Netherlands Bach Collegium, and Ruth Holton.
I also have several of Das Kantaten Werk with Concentus Musicus Wien, Leonhardt- Consort and Gesamtleitung Nikolaus Harnoncourt but not BWV 79. I like the latter more but don't have the complete cantatas except for the Bach's edition. Some of the CD's are not good, and I rather hear the Well Tempered Klavier with piano rather than harpsichord but can't beat the price. At any rate I have several versions of the Well Tempered Clavier, including Glen Gould's of course. Gould's humming is quite audible and might say enjoyable with the ES3X.
It is great to hear from fellow Bach's fans! I am telling you, the Cantatas sound wonderful with the ES3X!

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gilency /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Bach Edition with Peter Jan Leusink, Holland Boys Choir, Netherlands Bach Collegium, and Ruth Holton. I also have several of Das Kantaten Werk with Concentus Musicus Wien, Leonhardt- Consort and Gesamtleitung Nikolaus Harnoncourt but not BWV 79. I like the latter more but don't have the complete cantatas except for the Bach's edition. Some of the CD's are not good, and I rather hear the Well Tempered Klavier with piano rather than harpsichord but can't beat the price. At any rate I have several versions of the Well Tempered Clavier, including Glen Gould's of course. Gould's humming is quite audible and might say enjoyable with the ES3X. It is great to hear from fellow Bach's fans! I am telling you, the Cantatas sound wonderful with the ES3X!

Well, Bach is my favourite composer!

I have 2 versions of the Well Tempered Clavier - Glen Gould's and my favourite by Bernard Roberts (Nimbus Records 1999). I like both a lot, but the Roberts version, to these ears, allows this wonderful music to shine just a little more, taking centre stage more so than the performer himself. (Does that make sense?)

 

[Rdr. Seraphim]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_4321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, Bach is my favourite composer! I have 2 versions of the Well Tempered Clavier - Glen Gould's and my favourite by Bernard Roberts (Nimbus Records 1999). I like both a lot, but the Roberts version, to these ears, allows this wonderful music to shine just a little more, taking centre stage more so than the performer himself. (Does that make sense?)

I love the Gould version. I don't have the Robert's, but I'll see if I can find it. Lately, I've been downloading all my music, from HDtracks high resolution audiophile music downloads and http://www.highdeftapetransfers.com. These sites are pretty limited in what's available, but the SQ is fantastic. Otherwise, I just order the CD and use MAX for FLAC saves to my HD.

BTW, anyone got any good recommendations on an excellent USB DAC? My DNA Sonnett will be here next week (just in time for my out of town vacation

) and I'm looking for a companion DAC. I'm currently looking at the Cambridge DacMagic and Pico. (I can take this to the appropriate thread, but thought some of you might have some ideas too.)

 

[Rdr. Seraphim]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gilency /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Bach Edition with Peter Jan Leusink, Holland Boys Choir, Netherlands Bach Collegium, and Ruth Holton. I also have several of Das Kantaten Werk with Concentus Musicus Wien, Leonhardt- Consort and Gesamtleitung Nikolaus Harnoncourt but not BWV 79. I like the latter more but don't have the complete cantatas except for the Bach's edition. Some of the CD's are not good, and I rather hear the Well Tempered Klavier with piano rather than harpsichord but can't beat the price. At any rate I have several versions of the Well Tempered Clavier, including Glen Gould's of course. Gould's humming is quite audible and might say enjoyable with the ES3X. It is great to hear from fellow Bach's fans! I am telling you, the Cantatas sound wonderful with the ES3X!

I agree, I much prefer the piano to the harpsichord. I have the Gould as well, but will check out the Bernard (per Music_4321). I can never get enough of Bach, or Mozart (listening right now to his Little G minor symphony, Bruckner Orchestra Linz, Martin Sieghart, conductor), or..., well, you get the idea.

EDIT: BTW, the ES3X are very revealing of the recorded venue. Listening to Ivan Morevc playing Chopin's Nocturnes it almost too funny. You can hear when he's really emphasizing a part with his grunts, hiss's, and vocalizations.

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rdr. Seraphim /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree, I much prefer the piano to the harpsichord. I have the Gould as well, but will check out the Bernard (per Music_4321). I can never get enough of Bach, or Mozart (listening right now to his Little G minor symphony, Bruckner Orchestra Linz, Martin Sieghart, conductor), or..., well, you get the idea. EDIT: BTW, the ES3X are very revealing of the recorded venue. Listening to Ivan Morevc playing Chopin's Nocturnes it almost too funny. You can hear when he's really emphasizing a part with his grunts, hiss's, and vocalizations.

x 2 on the piano version. BTW, just remembered I actually have a 3rd version of it, by Daniel Barenboim, but it just doesn't do anything to me, sounds somewhat stale/ pale. On the Roberts' version Music comes first, and the masterful & mature -- no 'ego' interference -- performance by the player comes second - really outstanding.

Now, let's not get into Bach's Violin Sonatas & Partitas...

 

[Blutarsky]

Hey all, I got a chance to listen to all three flagship customs recently

I managed to get both pairs of another members (I wonder who) UE11 Pro and JH13 Pro crammed into my ears and of course I have my ES3X.

Caveats: Unfortunately since I did not have IEMs custom made for my ears in two cases I admit there may be a very large flaw in my methodology so take these impressions for what they are meant to be - my experience and opinion. That said - I do feel like I got great seals on each IEM and my experience with IEMs is extensive enough to convince me I heard what I needed to hear to evaluate my interest in these IEMs.

The UE11 Pro was my least favorite of the three. I heard a significant bass bump, they seemed colored and placed the listener further from the stage than the other two IEMs. I could see them being extremely enjoyable for some music genres like classic rock but not so for others.

The JH13 Pro were a tiny bit disappointing only because my expectations were very high after I had read such great reviews. I found the bass to be excellent, amazing really, the highs to be nice but not great and I was surprised to hear the mids sounded more than a bit dull/recessed. The soundstage was very large and more forward than the UE11 Pro. Another surprise was that I had to turn the volume of the player up to roughly 60% for comfortable listening (at a similar level to the other IEMs) during the session and could have gone to roughly 75% w/o it being too loud. The UE11 Pro and ES3X approached the same level of volume at roughly 30% of the players volume capacity. Overall, the JH13 Pro sounded very nice, maybe approaching great but the explosive bolts on my socks failed to detonate.

Comparatively, among the three, the ES3X seem much more accurate in reproduction and more balanced across the frequency range to me than the other two IEMs. While I have seen the ES3X described here as forward, they are more forward then the JH13 or certainly the UE11 Pro. I would describe them as having an onstage presence - they give me the impression I am onstage during the performance. Overall I find the ES3X to be equally enjoyable for classical, jazz, acoustic and rock. I also would say that the bottom line is that if I could keep only one of my current headphones, I'd choose the ES3X. I could not say that for the other two IEMs.

For a comparative reference, my favorite two headphones (I own) are a recabled (SAA) balanced and modified Grado HP1000/HP1 and a highly modified pair of Grado HF-1 with PS-1 drivers and Moon Audio silver dragon cable. During the listening sessions with the IEMs I listened to selections from Diana Krall "Very Best of", Donald Fagen "Morph the Cat", Eva Cassidy "Live at Blues Alley" and Five for Fighting - "Live Session" in high bitrate or AIFF un-amped from my iPhone 3G.

 

[gilency]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blutarsky /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey all, I got a chance to listen to all three flagship customs recently I managed to get both pairs of another members (I wonder who) UE11 Pro and JH13 Pro crammed into my ears and of course I have my ES3X. Caveats: Unfortunately since I did not have IEMs custom made for my ears in two cases I admit there may be a very large flaw in my methodology so take these impressions for what they are meant to be - my experience and opinion. That said - I do feel like I got great seals on each IEM and my experience with IEMs is extensive enough to convince me I heard what I needed to hear to evaluate my interest in these IEMs. The UE11 Pro was my least favorite of the three. I heard a significant bass bump, they seemed colored and placed the listener further from the stage than the other two IEMs. I could see them being extremely enjoyable for some music genres like classic rock but not so for others. The JH13 Pro were a tiny bit disappointing only because my expectations were very high after I had read such great reviews. I found the bass to be excellent, amazing really, the highs to be nice but not great and I was surprised to hear the mids sounded more than a bit dull/recessed. The soundstage was very large and more forward than the UE11 Pro. Another surprise was that I had to turn the volume of the player up to roughly 60% for comfortable listening (at a similar level to the other IEMs) during the session and could have gone to roughly 75% w/o it being too loud. The UE11 Pro and ES3X approached the same level of volume at roughly 30% of the players volume capacity. Overall, the JH13 Pro sounded very nice, maybe approaching great but the explosive bolts on my socks failed to detonate. Comparatively, among the three, the ES3X seem much more accurate in reproduction and more balanced across the frequency range to me than the other two IEMs. While I have seen the ES3X described here as forward, they are more forward then the JH13 or certainly the UE11 Pro. I would describe them as having an onstage presence - they give me the impression I am onstage during the performance. Overall I find the ES3X to be equally enjoyable for classical, jazz, acoustic and rock. I also would say that the bottom line is that if I could keep only one of my current headphones, I'd choose the ES3X. I could not say that for the other two IEMs. For a comparative reference, my favorite two headphones (I own) are a recabled (SAA) balanced and modified Grado HP1000/HP1 and a highly modified pair of Grado HF-1 with PS-1 drivers and Moon Audio silver dragon cable. During the listening sessions with the IEMs I listened to selections from Diana Krall "Very Best of", Donald Fagen "Morph the Cat", Eva Cassidy "Live at Blues Alley" and Five for Fighting - "Live Session" in high bitrate or AIFF un-amped from my iPhone 3G.

That goes along with what I heard at CanJam in LA. They sounded great but not like the descriptions I read in their thread. The one sound that knocked my socks off at CanJam were the Omegas. It was mas first time with electrostatics and it was quite an experience!

 

[Rdr. Seraphim]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blutarsky /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey all, I got a chance to listen to all three flagship customs recently I managed to get both pairs of another members (I wonder who) UE11 Pro and JH13 Pro crammed into my ears and of course I have my ES3X. Caveats: Unfortunately since I did not have IEMs custom made for my ears in two cases I admit there may be a very large flaw in my methodology so take these impressions for what they are meant to be - my experience and opinion. That said - I do feel like I got great seals on each IEM and my experience with IEMs is extensive enough to convince me I heard what I needed to hear to evaluate my interest in these IEMs. The UE11 Pro was my least favorite of the three. I heard a significant bass bump, they seemed colored and placed the listener further from the stage than the other two IEMs. I could see them being extremely enjoyable for some music genres like classic rock but not so for others. The JH13 Pro were a tiny bit disappointing only because my expectations were very high after I had read such great reviews. I found the bass to be excellent, amazing really, the highs to be nice but not great and I was surprised to hear the mids sounded more than a bit dull/recessed. The soundstage was very large and more forward than the UE11 Pro. Another surprise was that I had to turn the volume of the player up to roughly 60% for comfortable listening (at a similar level to the other IEMs) during the session and could have gone to roughly 75% w/o it being too loud. The UE11 Pro and ES3X approached the same level of volume at roughly 30% of the players volume capacity. Overall, the JH13 Pro sounded very nice, maybe approaching great but the explosive bolts on my socks failed to detonate. Comparatively, among the three, the ES3X seem much more accurate in reproduction and more balanced across the frequency range to me than the other two IEMs. While I have seen the ES3X described here as forward, they are more forward then the JH13 or certainly the UE11 Pro. I would describe them as having an onstage presence - they give me the impression I am onstage during the performance. Overall I find the ES3X to be equally enjoyable for classical, jazz, acoustic and rock. I also would say that the bottom line is that if I could keep only one of my current headphones, I'd choose the ES3X. I could not say that for the other two IEMs. For a comparative reference, my favorite two headphones (I own) are a recabled (SAA) balanced and modified Grado HP1000/HP1 and a highly modified pair of Grado HF-1 with PS-1 drivers and Moon Audio silver dragon cable. During the listening sessions with the IEMs I listened to selections from Diana Krall "Very Best of", Donald Fagen "Morph the Cat", Eva Cassidy "Live at Blues Alley" and Five for Fighting - "Live Session" in high bitrate or AIFF un-amped from my iPhone 3G.

Blutarsky, thanks for your impressions, which are perhaps the most comprehensive to date re the three top tier IEMs. Good caveat re the fit, and that may have something to do with the SQ. It's interesting to me that some are finding these differences, just that, differences. There may indeed be areas that the JH13's excel at, and we'll be interested to read HPA's more exhaustive review.

My thoughts re the JH13 thread is that it sounds and resembles the ES3X thread. Like twylight said, "There are some seriously strong statements in this thread..."

 

[gilency]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rdr. Seraphim /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree, I much prefer the piano to the harpsichord. I have the Gould as well, but will check out the Bernard (per Music_4321). I can never get enough of Bach, or Mozart (listening right now to his Little G minor symphony, Bruckner Orchestra Linz, Martin Sieghart, conductor), or..., well, you get the idea. EDIT: BTW, the ES3X are very revealing of the recorded venue. Listening to Ivan Morevc playing Chopin's Nocturnes it almost too funny. You can hear when he's really emphasizing a part with his grunts, hiss's, and vocalizations.

Same here,. Bach, Mozart and Beethoven are listened to on a daily basis. Funny, I frequently go to bed listening to Chopin. Nocturnes, preludes and waltzes. Love them all. Perhaps its because I grew up listening to him, Rubenstein is my all time favorite to interpret them, although I like Horowitz and also Kissin, amongst others.

 

[gilency]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_4321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif x 2 on the piano version. BTW, just remembered I actually have a 3rd version of it, by Daniel Barenboim, but it just doesn't do anything to me, sounds somewhat stale/ pale. On the Roberts' version Music comes first, and the masterful & mature -- no 'ego' interference -- performance by the player comes second - really outstanding. Now, let's not get into Bach's Violin Sonatas & Partitas...

I don't have Barenboim's version but I am surprised you don't like his CD. I listened to him once at a concert performing with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. If you see him live, his piano playing is like raindrops in a quiet night. Almost brought tears to my eyes.
I think I mentioned before that my ES3X are the best sleeping pill. Chopin puts my mind at ease at night, almost like lullabies, again perhaps because its sound is so familiar to me. I play piano (not a virtuoso, but do ok) and have played several of his waltzes and nocturnes in my day.

 

[Terminus Est]

Thanks to this thread I took the plunge and ordered a pair. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that active duty military get an excellent discount... when all is said and done I'll be $650 out of pocket.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rdr. Seraphim /img/forum/go_quote.gif Blutarsky, thanks for your impressions, which are perhaps the most comprehensive to date re the three top tier IEMs. Good caveat re the fit, and that may have something to do with the SQ. It's interesting to me that some are finding these differences, just that, differences. There may indeed be areas that the JH13's excel at, and we'll be interested to read HPA's more exhaustive review. My thoughts re the JH13 thread is that it sounds and resembles the ES3X thread. Like twylight said, "There are some seriously strong statements in this thread..."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blutarsky /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey all, I got a chance to listen to all three flagship customs recently I managed to get both pairs of another members (I wonder who) UE11 Pro and JH13 Pro crammed into my ears and of course I have my ES3X. Caveats: Unfortunately since I did not have IEMs custom made for my ears in two cases I admit there may be a very large flaw in my methodology so take these impressions for what they are meant to be - my experience and opinion. That said - I do feel like I got great seals on each IEM and my experience with IEMs is extensive enough to convince me I heard what I needed to hear to evaluate my interest in these IEMs. The UE11 Pro was my least favorite of the three. I heard a significant bass bump, they seemed colored and placed the listener further from the stage than the other two IEMs. I could see them being extremely enjoyable for some music genres like classic rock but not so for others. The JH13 Pro were a tiny bit disappointing only because my expectations were very high after I had read such great reviews. I found the bass to be excellent, amazing really, the highs to be nice but not great and I was surprised to hear the mids sounded more than a bit dull/recessed. The soundstage was very large and more forward than the UE11 Pro. Another surprise was that I had to turn the volume of the player up to roughly 60% for comfortable listening (at a similar level to the other IEMs) during the session and could have gone to roughly 75% w/o it being too loud. The UE11 Pro and ES3X approached the same level of volume at roughly 30% of the players volume capacity. Overall, the JH13 Pro sounded very nice, maybe approaching great but the explosive bolts on my socks failed to detonate. Comparatively, among the three, the ES3X seem much more accurate in reproduction and more balanced across the frequency range to me than the other two IEMs. While I have seen the ES3X described here as forward, they are more forward then the JH13 or certainly the UE11 Pro. I would describe them as having an onstage presence - they give me the impression I am onstage during the performance. Overall I find the ES3X to be equally enjoyable for classical, jazz, acoustic and rock. I also would say that the bottom line is that if I could keep only one of my current headphones, I'd choose the ES3X. I could not say that for the other two IEMs. For a comparative reference, my favorite two headphones (I own) are a recabled (SAA) balanced and modified Grado HP1000/HP1 and a highly modified pair of Grado HF-1 with PS-1 drivers and Moon Audio silver dragon cable. During the listening sessions with the IEMs I listened to selections from Diana Krall "Very Best of", Donald Fagen "Morph the Cat", Eva Cassidy "Live at Blues Alley" and Five for Fighting - "Live Session" in high bitrate or AIFF un-amped from my iPhone 3G.

Excellent post Bluto - your best so far!

Rdr. - I encouraged, nudged, nay pushed the Bluts to post his thoughts as I think the more posts about it the better. What he did not mention was that he also tried the "alien" ES3X and his own fitted ES3X at a previous encounter and found the sound to be similar, despite the one pair of ES3X not being made for his ears. I think that renders his impressions of the other two customs more valid.

I don't want to give away too much of my review before it is done - but having spent more time with the JH13Pro I would like to add that in my opinion the midrange of the JH13Pro does become a little more magical like those of the ES3X, but only after you have used them for a while. And certainly not immediately after listening to the ES3X.

And that's all I have to say for now.

PS: the pet names for Blutarsky were assigned to him by Pendles, not me...

 

[Sinocelt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif What he did not mention was that he also tried the "alien" ES3X and his own fitted ES3X at a previous encounter and found the sound to be similar, despite the one pair of ES3X not being made for his ears. I think that renders his impressions of the other two customs more valid.

Indeed. A very important little piece of information!

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't want to give away too much of my review before it is done - but having spent more time with the JH13Pro I would like to add that in my opinion the midrange of the JH13Pro does become a little more magical like those of the ES3X, but only after you have used them for a while. And certainly not immediately after listening to the ES3X. And that's all I have to say for now.

Grr.

Well, at least it means you got your pair back.

 

[Rdr. Seraphim]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif Excellent post Bluto - your best so far! Rdr. - I encouraged, nudged, nay pushed the Bluts to post his thoughts as I think the more posts about it the better. What he did not mention was that he also tried the "alien" ES3X and his own fitted ES3X at a previous encounter and found the sound to be similar, despite the one pair of ES3X not being made for his ears. I think that renders his impressions of the other two customs more valid. I don't want to give away too much of my review before it is done - but having spent more time with the JH13Pro I would like to add that in my opinion the midrange of the JH13Pro does become a little more magical like those of the ES3X, but only after you have used them for a while. And certainly not immediately after listening to the ES3X. And that's all I have to say for now. PS: the pet names for Blutarsky were assigned to him by Pendles, not me...

Glad you pushed 'im Larry. I agree that more posts will flesh out a better picture of the characteristics of these top tier IEMs. Bluto's got a discerning ear, that's apparent. I was, maybe, leaving some leeway for additional comments I knew would come. I'm not sure if the folks in the JH thread are following the ES3X thread, but passion is abounding, much as it is here! However, nothing I've read so far has moved me onto the diving board. Reading between the lines in some of the posts, there seems to be a hint of reservation re the midrange. I think the folks at Westone get a lot of input from musicians, which probably explains their continued success. Interestingly, my loudspeakers were designed by a musician (with an engineering background) as well.

BTW, I now have several hundred hours on my Pico/ES3X combination. I have to say, things have mellowed to an extent that I find the synergy pretty remarkable. I'm not sure which has mellowed more, the ES3X or the Pico, but the highs seem to have been set free. They are more relaxed, more natural. This is especially apparent on cymbals and violin. If there was an area that I might tweak a tiny bit, it would be the bass. Not the mid-bass which is as close to perfection as I've heard. Rather, it's the sub-woofer terrain, say the 25Hz - 40Hz range. I have the DNA Sonnett on it's way, and I'm hoping that it will provide a different perspective. What is your experience using the ES3X with your reference amps? I'm especially interested in the Woo products.