Westone ES5

[aLm0sT]

To your earlier post:
 
Haven't heard the Monster MD's but I had the Golds which are said to have about the same amount of bass as the MD's. For me, the bass was too muh and I do consider myself to be a bit of a basshead. JH16 had a bit less for me.
The ES5 are supposed to have a lot less bass than the JH16, which makes it hard for me to imagine it sounding equivalent to the Monster MD's in that regard, maybe with BB on "II"?

JH16 and BB on "I" was equivalent to the Golds to me.
But that's just from memory.
 
Maybe the bass on the ES5 isn't that much less as everyone thinks it is!
 
 
Quote:

Indeed Arrow BB set to 'I' w/ the ES5's mids sound up your alley.  I'm almost tempted to try out the Digizoid to see if it really is all they say and not some old gimmick with a different name and package.

 
Yea I'd be interested in that as well. It's actually quite affordable, but I doubt that I'll ever need more bass than the Arrow provides.

 

 

[Anaxilus]

Don't get me wrong, the BB is great on the Arrow w/ the ES5 but IMHO it's not quite transparent and resolving enough to do the ES5 justice on the whole.  

 

[cooperpwc]

Quote:

Don't get me wrong, the BB is great on the Arrow w/ the ES5 but IMHO it's not quite transparent and resolving enough to do the ES5 justice on the whole.  

Stepdance, TTVJ Slim and Pico Slim are all very good with the ES5. (Stepdance may not allow for as quiet listening depending on your source and your tastes.)
 
 

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Stepdance, TTVJ Slim and Pico Slim are all very good with the ES5. (Stepdance may not allow for as quiet listening depending on your source and your tastes.)

I think I'm done w/ slim form factors.  I just like the Arrow package and will just wait for the generation 6 or 7 and upgrade.  Stepdance perhaps but at that form factor the Just Audio stuff is starting to appeal to me.  I do need to hear the Stepdance sometime even though it's not very stackable w/ that curved shell. 
 

 

[cooperpwc]

Hmmm.... I am not sure that Slim = Slim = Arrow. But big has its benefits no doubt. I love the Solo + Stepdance + ES5 but it is just toooo thick.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Hmmm.... I am not sure that Slim = Slim = Arrow.

It does in form factor and the other slims can't touch the Arrow there.  Those 'slims' aren't slim enough for me.  I also have no need for a marginal SQ upgrade being confined to a similar package when I can just go bigger and let the designer have more room to play.  Plus I'd like my next 'portable' amp to be able to drive my Orthos well if need be.
 
Edit - My mistake, the Pico actually is rather slim, not far off the Arrow at all.  Hmmm....
 

 

[uelover]

Quote:

I do need to hear the Stepdance sometime even though it's not very stackable w/ that curved shell.

I think that there are many people who attach Stepdance upside down to make use of its flat base.
I have just reordered Stepdance. The way it sounded with ES5 just keep coming back to me in my memory.
 
Wanted to get to Pico Slim for portability but I really have difficulty getting hold of Justin (which I think repair will be a headache if it ever spoil).
 
 

 

[b0ck3n]

@cooper: were you able to pick a favourite from the Stepdance and Pico Slim? I'm sorry if I missed it somewhere.

 

[Jazzyfi]

I got a pico slim 2 weeks ago and has been using it since. I'm pairing it with my Optimus 2X with poweramp since my iPhone was stolen.
I can confirm that it pairs really well with my ES3X. No hiss, unlike iQube (though not bothering me). I love the volume control. Quite neutral without any emphasis on high or low.

 

[cooperpwc]

Quote:

@cooper: were you able to pick a favourite from the Stepdance and Pico Slim? I'm sorry if I missed it somewhere.

Hey b0ck3n, that is indeed the question. Of course, this is specifically with the ES5. With the Beyer DT880/600s, it's the Stepdance all the way. 
 
I will hold off on a final conclusion at this point and probably for a while. The question, to be clear, is:  if the Stepdance's sound could be produced from a package the size and weight of the Pico Slim, with the Pico Slim's low volume control and battery life, which would be better? Given the actual disparities in usability, at least with the Solo, it's the Pico Slim all the way.
 
What I am thinking now is that the Stepdance manages to be both insanely smooth and also very fast - quite an accomplishment. It's sound is also a bit thicker and it synergizes very nicely with the wramth of the Solo's Wolfsen DAC. I also think that the Stepdance has a tiny bit more bass impact (although the Pico Slim's bass is well controlled and goes very deep).
 
The Pico Slim, on the other hand, has more treble energy and an even cleaner and more precise soundstage that synergises beautifully with the Solo's great imaging. It is also very fast (for example, compared with the TTVJ Slim) but maybe a bit less fast than the Stepdance. Still, that's quite an accomplishment given it's minimal power consumption.
 
Both are transparent and neutral, and neither is particularly warm.
 
That's where I am right now. I am thinking that probably the Stepdance will win out by being a bit fuller and more musical - a bit more of a full-size headphone sound. However, as a unashamedly technical listener, I find the soundstage of the Solo + Pico Slim to be highly compelling. It just sparkles. So it isn't black and white.
 
More to follow at some point.

 

[cooperpwc]

Quote:

I think that there are many people who attach Stepdance upside down to make use of its flat base.
I have just reordered Stepdance. The way it sounded with ES5 just keep coming back to me in my memory.
 
Wanted to get to Pico Slim for portability but I really have difficulty getting hold of Justin (which I think repair will be a headache if it ever spoil).

The Stepdance base is curved exactly the same as the top. It's symetrical. But I never found the curve to be a big problem.
 
uelover, if you get a chance to use an iMod with the Stepdance and ES5, that is a beautiful combination. (It is also not too big IMHO. It's the Solo + Stepdance that crosses over the line of portability IME.)
 
Buying a Pico Slim from Justin, i.e. ordering online, was no problem. He doesn't comunicate like Jan but the transaction was fine. If there is trouble, I assume that he would be there for you. He definitely prioritises his communications. 

 

[b0ck3n]

Hmm, perhaps the Stepdance is a better choice since I plan on getting the LCD-2 one of these days. Thanks.

 

[Jazzyfi]

For sure the stepdance will be a better choice if you want to drive non IEM phones.

 

[uelover]

Quote:

Quote:

The Stepdance base is curved exactly the same as the top. It's symetrical. But I never found the curve to be a big problem.
 
uelover, if you get a chance to use an iMod with the Stepdance and ES5, that is a beautiful combination. (It is also not too big IMHO. It's the Solo + Stepdance that crosses over the line of portability IME.)
 
Buying a Pico Slim from Justin, i.e. ordering online, was no problem. He doesn't comunicate like Jan but the transaction was fine. If there is trouble, I assume that he would be there for you. He definitely prioritises his communications. 

Will take another careful look on the Stepdance when it come =)
 
I won't be getting an iMod. I assume that Whipmod is similar (perhaps a little better). Mike has promised that mine should be shipped by this week so hopefully I will receive it in two weeks time. May need 1 month of burn in though.
 
I wanted to check with Justin the waiting time for Pico Slim because I just don't feel that comfortable ordering direct from the website without knowing what entails. The recent Whipmod incident had taught me to be more careful in this kind of thing and it is well-known that pico slim takes quite an extended period to be made.
 
I don't know how Pico Slim sounds though and am afraid that the internal lithium battery will die someday (limited lifespan). So, in a moment of decision, I went for the more powerful, cost effective and safe option of Stepdance.
 
Nonetheless, I am using my portable rig solely with ES5 so Pico Slim will fill in the need exactly with its sweet form factor and color (purple).
 
Hopefully the Whipmod + Fat Boy + Stepdance + ES5 will be a heavenly match.
 
Jazzyfi is getting the exact same rig but with Pico Slim as his amp.
 
Seems like we do have all the top end portable rig users here - Solo, iMod, Whipmod, Stepdance, Pico Slim (No Lisa III nonetheless)
 

 

[cooperpwc]

FYI when I ordered the Stepdance, I had Jan lower the Low Gain volume by 6db - the most that he was willing to do without potentially changing the SQ. (It did not affect the High Gain mode at all.) For me, it made a worthwhile difference to give me true low volume control with the iMod and ES5. It should therefore be useful with the iPhone line out too. To qualify this, I do listen more quietly than some and I also did not use that extra 6db all that often. But I was sure glad to have it.
 
The Solo is about 6db louder than the iMod (2 vrms instead of 1 vrms output) and so i have lost back that 6db advantage. Sometimes, lying in bed with some of my louder music, I really do wish that I could turn it down a bit more.
 
The Solo with an unmodified Stepdance would be just too loud IMHO.
 
No doubt, low volume controle with the ES5 is a tangible Pico Slim advantage compared to many amps.