[sidtai]

Loud music definitely gives me fatigue, but a lot of highs doesn't. I love the high-end sparkle in ES7 and ER4P/S, they give me enjoyment rather than fatigue. I can listen to them all day long =).

 

[Young Spade]

Thanks for posting that chart man. I was wondering what the meaning of "roll off" was until now.

 

[Arjisme]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif Example:

Just a note on this example. If I had IEMs with that response, I would not consider the highs to be rolled off. The decline doesn't start until after 20k Hz, so most people, including me, would not perceive sound above that anyway. Not enough to be talking about rolled off highs.

 

[ILikeMusic]

Very often what 'rolled off highs' really means is that an IEM is simply less bright than the last unit the reviewer listened to.

There are several popular (and good) IEMs that happen to be rather bright. This can provide an initial impression of crispness and/or detail but if overdone is not really representative of a live presentation and can also become fatiguing after a while. In addition tip selection can matter greatly when using IEMs and further serve to make subjective reports less than reliable for another listener. For me the SE530 (for example) sound very smooth and balanced (and plenty bright) with the silicone tips but have no high end whatsoever with the triple-flange. I don't know why this is, no doubt something to do with my physiology and the way the sound bounces around in my ear canal. But it just goes to show how much performance can vary even with the same individual based on tip selection, proving that the impressions of others has to be taken with a grain of salt. You can get an idea of the overall character of an IEM from reviews but that's about it, listening yourself is the only real test.

But back to the topic, in the end more highs does not necessarily equal 'better' any more than more bass does, rather it's the overall quality and balance that matter. One has to look deeper than 'sparkle' or 'thump' to find the products that are truly special.