Wildcard30
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It sounds like a fit issue to me. I would suggest getting new impressions open mouth this time and have your audiologist send them back to Westone.
Westone ES5
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dj nellie
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I'm very surprised that you have to crank up the volume with the ES5, especially with the Touch as your source. I don't know what the impedance of your FiiO E7 is, but I'm finding the ES5 to be much more sensitive than any IEM I've ever heard, including the JH16. Basically, that translates into an extremely high noise floor, hiss with certain sources, and huge jumps in gain even with slight tweaks of the volume pot on my SR71-b/HM-801 or any other source/amp I have.
How much time have you spent listening to/running in the ES5? The treble definitely seemed a bit muffled and artificial-sounding to me in the first few hours, but it really clears up. And how is your fit both loose and causing aches? For the loose fit, you can always have them add a bit more width to the tips so that it seals better.
How much time have you spent listening to/running in the ES5? The treble definitely seemed a bit muffled and artificial-sounding to me in the first few hours, but it really clears up. And how is your fit both loose and causing aches? For the loose fit, you can always have them add a bit more width to the tips so that it seals better.
The Big Sleep
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Seems like what Im thinking too, I kind of figured this would happen with the closed-mouth impressions.
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The treble is actually one of the better aspects as far as I can tell, but like I said, unless I turn the thing way up in volume it just sounds distorted and dull for the most part.
THe fit isn't "loose" per se, but rather that if I move my jaw or even my head they feel like they're slightly losing seal and I end up pushing them back in. The achy part is probably a combination of me trying to really get them in tight (and them not fitting properly in the first place) and having to blare the music to get the sound adequate.
spazz
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I don't have mine yet, but I'm crossing my toes for next week. You should have to crank up the volume with iem's. Actually, you should be lowering the volume because they are in your ears.
As for fit issue, the ES5's are meant for on stage performance. They shouldn't be coming loose when you open your jaw. Maybe that is why you are having sound issues also because of the deal.
When I use my Shure SE535's with custom plugs, they never fall out of my ears, even when I'm eating.
As for fit issue, the ES5's are meant for on stage performance. They shouldn't be coming loose when you open your jaw. Maybe that is why you are having sound issues also because of the deal.
When I use my Shure SE535's with custom plugs, they never fall out of my ears, even when I'm eating.
Anaxilus
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I believe my burn-in on these phones has reached their completion as of a few days ago. I can now pop them in and get a consistent sound I expect to receive. They no longer open up after 15-20 minutes, the veil no longer lifts, the clarity and detail are spot on and precise compared to other phones I reference. Unfortunately my full review and comparison will be delayed due to a small hiccup. Therefore I decided to post some evolving impressions I made during a conversation w/ Kunlun. I don't think he'll mind.
Till then, I've contacted Westone to resolve my hiccup and will wait till that is resolved prior to making further judgement. I will say I'm still listening to them as I write this because, even as is, they are still the most enjoyable and capable IEM I have.
To Kunlun:
"No I'm waiting on a few things before I do the review of the ES5. I plan on doing a comprehensive review and a comparison w/ the DBA-02 and IERM (demo), perhaps the UE18 (demo) also. My fit is perfect but the right side has a few driver position issues. The sound tubes are angled more toward the side of the shell causing the right soundstage to be congested w/ a loss of resolution. The left side sounds perfect w/ tremendous detail, separation and all that. Despite the issues w/ the right side the presentation is realistic and powerful. It's the closest thing to a cross between my DBA and MDs yet but just a minute fraction short of the treble sparkle, clarity of the DBA top end and likewise the MD's low end extension and boom. That may or may not be a good thing on both accounts. It's basically what the SM3 was billed to be. BA precision w/ DD richness and body but taken to another level.
The ES5's detail surpasses anything I've heard so far in an IEM and I'm noticing things unheard on my headphones and speakers. It's a very unique sound signature. It has all the detail you could extract from a recording but the presentation is fun and engaging, like a live performance rather than listening to a music track on some form of media. I used to feel that way about my DBAs but the ES5 destroyed them last night. For the first time, they sounded just like another IEM after listening to the ES5. The only issue I have so far is the timbre of snares and Helter Skelter percussion impact. Sometimes the impact is there and kicks you in the butt, other times you could swear there should be more. I'm having to reevaluate what I think some of my records should sound like w/ regard to impact and snares before I can come to a conclusion. What's weird is the demos bass impact was incredible but definitely above neutral. Fireworks sounded like a combat zone IRL and sometimes I thought my spine was going to get knocked out my back. The actual custom is more neutral but sometimes the bass driver shows itself. Kinda confusing. I think the dual bores and vinyl tips might have something to do w/ it.
Apart from those issues instruments sound as real as anything I've heard. Strings, Woods, Horns, Guiros, etc are amazingly lifelike. When you hear an instrument you actually see it in your mind if you know what I mean. It's more than just timbre but a precise image and fully resolved audible picture of the instrument. I consider it a transcendent audio experience that only the ES5 has given me. For example the Guiro. With other phones you hear the stick grating the ridges and you think that sounds right and wooden. With the ES5 you hear the stick itself scraping the edge of each ridge and how it is being held in the hand w/ paint scraping off as it's being played. Don't know how else to describe it. There is just a vivid reality to the sound with a soundstage that doesn't piss me off like the SM3 but is perfect for precision and placement.
Depth might be a touch too far back for my tastes on certain tracks. I have one track of waves crashing on the beach with a ship in the background blowing its horn. The ES5 muffles the horn a bit but the placement sounds accurate like it is further off toward the horizon. My other phones like the DBA render the horn more clearly but it sounds more in front of me which logically should be wrong unless the ship beached itself. So I'm having to reevalute some of my tracks w/ the ES5. I guess that makes them pretty good if I have to reconsider whether what I'm hearing is accurate or not.
FYI, it took my ES5 two weeks of burn-in. Boy did they go through an up and down period. Out of the box I wanted to listen to my $75 Xcapes more. It's been a crazy ride getting them to become what I remembered from CES. A few people did warn about burn in on these though.
Have to say the MG6Pro sounds intriguing. A silicone version sounds awesome but I worry that would be the wrong material choice for a DD custom.
Btw, the isolation on the ES5 is the best I've heard yet and I went on a trip yesterday and had them in my ears for more than 9 hours straight, no prob. That included eating lunch and maintaining seal. I got a great fit."
Note - I'm beginning to think some of the discrepancies I hear with some percussion is related to increased depth of soundstage on those particular tracks. Not quite sure if that's right yet as I'm essentially listening one eared. Not able to form a conclusion about that level of detail and accuracy yet.
Till then, I've contacted Westone to resolve my hiccup and will wait till that is resolved prior to making further judgement. I will say I'm still listening to them as I write this because, even as is, they are still the most enjoyable and capable IEM I have.
To Kunlun:
"No I'm waiting on a few things before I do the review of the ES5. I plan on doing a comprehensive review and a comparison w/ the DBA-02 and IERM (demo), perhaps the UE18 (demo) also. My fit is perfect but the right side has a few driver position issues. The sound tubes are angled more toward the side of the shell causing the right soundstage to be congested w/ a loss of resolution. The left side sounds perfect w/ tremendous detail, separation and all that. Despite the issues w/ the right side the presentation is realistic and powerful. It's the closest thing to a cross between my DBA and MDs yet but just a minute fraction short of the treble sparkle, clarity of the DBA top end and likewise the MD's low end extension and boom. That may or may not be a good thing on both accounts. It's basically what the SM3 was billed to be. BA precision w/ DD richness and body but taken to another level.
The ES5's detail surpasses anything I've heard so far in an IEM and I'm noticing things unheard on my headphones and speakers. It's a very unique sound signature. It has all the detail you could extract from a recording but the presentation is fun and engaging, like a live performance rather than listening to a music track on some form of media. I used to feel that way about my DBAs but the ES5 destroyed them last night. For the first time, they sounded just like another IEM after listening to the ES5. The only issue I have so far is the timbre of snares and Helter Skelter percussion impact. Sometimes the impact is there and kicks you in the butt, other times you could swear there should be more. I'm having to reevaluate what I think some of my records should sound like w/ regard to impact and snares before I can come to a conclusion. What's weird is the demos bass impact was incredible but definitely above neutral. Fireworks sounded like a combat zone IRL and sometimes I thought my spine was going to get knocked out my back. The actual custom is more neutral but sometimes the bass driver shows itself. Kinda confusing. I think the dual bores and vinyl tips might have something to do w/ it.
Apart from those issues instruments sound as real as anything I've heard. Strings, Woods, Horns, Guiros, etc are amazingly lifelike. When you hear an instrument you actually see it in your mind if you know what I mean. It's more than just timbre but a precise image and fully resolved audible picture of the instrument. I consider it a transcendent audio experience that only the ES5 has given me. For example the Guiro. With other phones you hear the stick grating the ridges and you think that sounds right and wooden. With the ES5 you hear the stick itself scraping the edge of each ridge and how it is being held in the hand w/ paint scraping off as it's being played. Don't know how else to describe it. There is just a vivid reality to the sound with a soundstage that doesn't piss me off like the SM3 but is perfect for precision and placement.
Depth might be a touch too far back for my tastes on certain tracks. I have one track of waves crashing on the beach with a ship in the background blowing its horn. The ES5 muffles the horn a bit but the placement sounds accurate like it is further off toward the horizon. My other phones like the DBA render the horn more clearly but it sounds more in front of me which logically should be wrong unless the ship beached itself. So I'm having to reevalute some of my tracks w/ the ES5. I guess that makes them pretty good if I have to reconsider whether what I'm hearing is accurate or not.
FYI, it took my ES5 two weeks of burn-in. Boy did they go through an up and down period. Out of the box I wanted to listen to my $75 Xcapes more. It's been a crazy ride getting them to become what I remembered from CES. A few people did warn about burn in on these though.
Have to say the MG6Pro sounds intriguing. A silicone version sounds awesome but I worry that would be the wrong material choice for a DD custom.
Btw, the isolation on the ES5 is the best I've heard yet and I went on a trip yesterday and had them in my ears for more than 9 hours straight, no prob. That included eating lunch and maintaining seal. I got a great fit."
Note - I'm beginning to think some of the discrepancies I hear with some percussion is related to increased depth of soundstage on those particular tracks. Not quite sure if that's right yet as I'm essentially listening one eared. Not able to form a conclusion about that level of detail and accuracy yet.
goodvibes
Headphoneus Supremus
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I bet the odd dynamic thing has to do with the channel inequity and not the tips unless one is deforming slightly on insertion. I hope your discovery is a one off or helps all future models to not have the same issue. Good find.
Kunlun
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No worries, I've already posted your contact info on truckstop bathrooms across the country, so we're even.
drez
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nice review anaxilus. Personally I am really keen to try the unique melody miracle once I save up some money, but that will be some time off...
i have waited over three weeks since my order and am still waiting!
Anaxilus
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Sweet, I appreciate you sharing your clients w/ me.
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Thx. I would definitely wait for Joker to get his Miracle first unless you are dead set.
dj nellie
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Just did a comparison between ES5 and JH16 on Dr. Dre's "Nothin But a 'G' Thang". I know, I haven't exactly been using audiophile-quality recordings, but maybe some of the exaggerated levels and effects of the songs I've chosen will accentuate some of the differences between the IEMs.
I was struck by how thick and impactful the bass kicks are in this song with the ES5, so I wanted to see how the JH16 compared. The JH16 doesn't render the bass hits with as much thump or texture, instead they seem to have more of a low-bass underpinning. Seems like the ES5 might have more of a mid-bass emphasis. Also, Dre and Snoop's raps seem much more distant on the JH16 than they do on the ES5. But I'm not saying that their vocals were aggressively forward on the ES5, they actually sounded about where they should be--not in my face, but forward enough so that they are one of the more prominent features of the mix (as they should be).
To me, the ES5 provides the more engaging presentation on this song, but the JH16 might be more strictly neutral, with a better balance between low and mid-bass and a less forward midrange. However, I'm starting to think that the JH16's midrange errs on the side of thinness, whereas the ES5's midrange errs on the side of fullness. The more I compare them, the more I think the JH16s are slightly too distant and polite, and the more I enjoy the ES5's signature.
I'm still planning on writing a full review of these 2 great IEMs, but I'm not sure whether to get the tip on my right JH16s extended. My ES5s have shown me that my right JH16 tip is just too short to produce as full a sound as on the left. The fit problem isn't causing a dramatic decrease in sound quality, as far as I can tell, but it would be fairer to compare them with tips that fit equally well.
On another note, the demo UE Reference Monitors blew me away at the New York meet. In a brief audition, I felt like they were easily better than my ES5 and JH16 in terms of clarity and spaciousness. I never thought I was the type of listener to enjoy a perfectly flat frequency response, but if that's what the UERM have, then maybe that's actually what I prefer. It didn't sound analytical or dry at all; it just sounded like a transparent window into the music, where I wasn't focused on anything sticking out or lacking.
I was struck by how thick and impactful the bass kicks are in this song with the ES5, so I wanted to see how the JH16 compared. The JH16 doesn't render the bass hits with as much thump or texture, instead they seem to have more of a low-bass underpinning. Seems like the ES5 might have more of a mid-bass emphasis. Also, Dre and Snoop's raps seem much more distant on the JH16 than they do on the ES5. But I'm not saying that their vocals were aggressively forward on the ES5, they actually sounded about where they should be--not in my face, but forward enough so that they are one of the more prominent features of the mix (as they should be).
To me, the ES5 provides the more engaging presentation on this song, but the JH16 might be more strictly neutral, with a better balance between low and mid-bass and a less forward midrange. However, I'm starting to think that the JH16's midrange errs on the side of thinness, whereas the ES5's midrange errs on the side of fullness. The more I compare them, the more I think the JH16s are slightly too distant and polite, and the more I enjoy the ES5's signature.
I'm still planning on writing a full review of these 2 great IEMs, but I'm not sure whether to get the tip on my right JH16s extended. My ES5s have shown me that my right JH16 tip is just too short to produce as full a sound as on the left. The fit problem isn't causing a dramatic decrease in sound quality, as far as I can tell, but it would be fairer to compare them with tips that fit equally well.
On another note, the demo UE Reference Monitors blew me away at the New York meet. In a brief audition, I felt like they were easily better than my ES5 and JH16 in terms of clarity and spaciousness. I never thought I was the type of listener to enjoy a perfectly flat frequency response, but if that's what the UERM have, then maybe that's actually what I prefer. It didn't sound analytical or dry at all; it just sounded like a transparent window into the music, where I wasn't focused on anything sticking out or lacking.
googleli
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I have finally found the true strength of the ES5, compared with my 18 Pro. It sounds really good on some bad recordings which I found too backwards on the UE18 Pro.
I use my UE18 Pro almost exclusively on audiophile vocal recordings, and the 18 Pro does sound more neutral yet retaining all details in those tracks. On the other hand, I find that out of the ES5, the vocal sounds too forward on most audiophile recordings, to a point that the mid is so prominent that some details are lost, and I feel fatigued after prolonged listening. But then I tried the ES5 on recordings which I previously thought were simply bad recordings - and the ES5 really shines - those music now sounds balanced and all and the vocal comes out more.
I wish there were one pair of customs to rule them all, but it looks like you have to match different customs not only with different kinds of music, but also the way they record a particular kind of music.
I use my UE18 Pro almost exclusively on audiophile vocal recordings, and the 18 Pro does sound more neutral yet retaining all details in those tracks. On the other hand, I find that out of the ES5, the vocal sounds too forward on most audiophile recordings, to a point that the mid is so prominent that some details are lost, and I feel fatigued after prolonged listening. But then I tried the ES5 on recordings which I previously thought were simply bad recordings - and the ES5 really shines - those music now sounds balanced and all and the vocal comes out more.
I wish there were one pair of customs to rule them all, but it looks like you have to match different customs not only with different kinds of music, but also the way they record a particular kind of music.
Anaxilus
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Funny I had the opposite experience during burn-in. More modern compressed recordings sounded overbearing at times that I had to keep it to only well mastered pre-90's materia. As of now, everything sounds great and I don't discriminate on content as much as I was. I went through the overbearing mids phase about a week after I received them but no more. Just right for me.
daveDerek
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well then you should make yourself happy and buy a set of the uerms. then you can do a proper comparo of the 3 iems.
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hmmm, perhaps there already is an iem that just does it right - the jh13. and the jh3a will soon rule them all!
well then you should make yourself happy and buy a set of the uerms. then you can do a proper comparo of the 3 iems.
Quote:
hmmm, perhaps there already is an iem that just does it right - the jh13. and the jh3a will soon rule them all!
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