[jermng]

Hearing 2 ES5s go dead in such a short time doesn't give me much confidence .... I love the sound of the ES5s and I'm praying hard it doesn't happen to mine - especially not after the warranty period ... 
 
Anyway guys, when you get your ES5s back, let us know what they say about it - the causes of the breakdown, if they care to mention.

 

[Joe-Siow]

Hmm... Another unfortunate soul after my case.
Sounds like it's not such an isolated case now.
 
I shall be pressing for an explanation when my ES5 is back then.

 

[Joe-Siow]

Sidetrack a little.
 
OMG~~~
Yuin PK1 sounds so darn good!!!
Thank god my friend lent it to me as a backup earphone. 

 

[Anaxilus]

My ES5 universal demo impressions here.

 

[3X0]

This might be a strange question, but has anyone compared the ES5 with the Grado HF-2 (I think HeadphoneAddict would be best equipped for this comparison)? Very frequently when I read ES5 impressions I find some sense of WOW factor. I have friends who said they would pay "at most $300 for these" upon listening to JH16 demo versions, yet would gladly plunk down the $450 for the HF2s sheerly for the incredibly fun response. The HF-2 has this kind of WOW factor, which is why I keep them because they really impress the heck out of people (including non-audiophiles). I've had friends prefer them to the HE-5 and great hordes of arguably better cans.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

This might be a strange question, but has anyone compared the ES5 with the Grado HF-2 (I think HeadphoneAddict would be best equipped for this comparison)? Very frequently when I read ES5 impressions I find some sense of WOW factor. I have friends who said they would pay "at most $300 for these" upon listening to JH16 demo versions, yet would gladly plunk down the $450 for the HF2s sheerly for the incredibly fun response. The HF-2 has this kind of WOW factor, which is why I keep them because they really impress the heck out of people (including non-audiophiles). I've had friends prefer them to the HE-5 and great hordes of arguably better cans.

 


I'd say there really is no comparison. The ES5 have a sense of immersion in the performance due to their clarity and transparency that the HF-2 can't match. The HF-2 are a fun but colored headphone that boosts the bass, offers more forward mids, and put up a slightly grainy treble with a lower treble/upper mids coloration that isn't all that neutral (more esily heard after listening to a friend's HP-1000 and then switching to the HF-2.)

I would take the ES5 over most full size phones, and they could be my one and only phone to keep me happy if I had no choice but to sell all the rest.

 

[3X0]

Quote:

I'd say there really is no comparison. The ES5 have a sense of immersion in the performance due to their clarity and transparency that the HF-2 can't match. The HF-2 are a fun but colored headphone that boosts the bass, offers more forward mids, and put up a slightly grainy treble with a lower treble/upper mids coloration that isn't all that neutral (more esily heard after listening to a friend's HP-1000 and then switching to the HF-2.)I would take the ES5 over most full size phones, and they could be my one and only phone to keep me happy if I had no choice but to sell all the rest.

 
I suspected exactly that huge difference in level of refinement. I was simply curious if the level of engagement was comparable, though you've addressed that nicely as well. Thanks

 

[TCD1975]

Very cool. How much do HHA charge for the ES5?

 

[TCD1975]

Oh, that's a little bit less than I was expecting, which is nice to know.
 
HHA don't have the ES5 listed on their website, for some reason, but they've got the ES3 listed at £940 so I assumed the ES5 would be a lot more than that.
 
I'm assuming that when you say £950 that includes the custom artwork as well. That sounds like a really good deal. The only other place I've seen the ES5 listed in the UK has them priced at £1000 without artwork.
 
Anyway, enjoy and lets us know your thoughts.

 

[goodvibes]

I bet the failures is a new product thing where it's an easily corrected problem that didn't show up in preproduction samples. Very unlikely to be an ongoing issue but I will also be interested in hearing what they say happened.

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

 
Thanks, HHA sell them for £950 which is just over $1400.

It's actually closer to $1,500 ($1,478) than "just over $1,400, ie they cost over 50% more in the UK than in the US.
 
On the other hand, the ES5 cost £38 ($59) more than the ES3X (http://www.handheldaudio.co.uk/pages/moreinfo.asp?divitype=c&cat_id=252&pic=&root_name=Westone&pr_id=2209), whereas in the US they cost $100 more.

 

[Tronz]

I'm glad I live in the US.

 

[Sinocelt]

Quote:

I'm glad I live in the US.

Except for food, I buy most everything from the States, because even with shipping costs and custom duties, it's still cheaper than buying locally. Even local brands (Asus, Acer...) are 30% more expensive than in the States.

 

[Saintkeat]

HPA! i went through 59 pages just to find your review! guessing it ain't up yet.
 
on another note, i'm from singapore too, any idea where i could have a listen to a pair of demos?
 
I emailed Janice at thinking group about this and here's what she had to say.
 
"ES5 is custom-made earphone, so will not have demo set for customer to try on it due to different ear shape."
 

 

[darknessproz]

I got the same reply from her. It makes the choice really tough, as i am debating between the UM Miracle and the ES5. I'm going to test the miracle today, and it will be hard to justify buying the ES5 without hearing how it sounds like beforehand. The ES5's are really tempting though, mostly due to the soft tips.
 
Quote:

HPA! i went through 59 pages just to find your review! guessing it ain't up yet.
 
on another note, i'm from singapore too, any idea where i could have a listen to a pair of demos?
 
I emailed Janice at thinking group about this and here's what she had to say.
 
"ES5 is custom-made earphone, so will not have demo set for customer to try on it due to different ear shape."