Soul Alchemist
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2014
- Posts
- 5
- Likes
- 10
TL;DR:
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Would you recommend the ER4S or the ATH-IM02?
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I'm looking for a somewhat flat sounding airy IEM with decent isolation and great intrument separation, but little to no sibilance (HF5 is good in this respect). Bass impact is not a priority.
*What I love about the HF5:
- Level of detail.
- Clarity.
- Isolation.
- Relatively flat.
- Gray 3-Flanges are awesome.
*What I don't really like about the HF5:
- There's something SLIGHTLY unnatural in the mid-highs.
- Instrument separation and airiness could be better.
- Sub-bass is pretty bad impact-wise, and the mid-bass sounds a bit veiled (I read the ER4S has better/clearer mid-bass). Anyways, bass is not a priority for me.
I'm considering the ER4S because of: Better instrument separation. Better level of detail. Better airiness. Clearer sounding bass.
Not sure about the ER4S because of: Sound signature may be too similar to the HF5. Treble may be too harsh compared to HF5.
I'm considering the ATH-IM02 because of: Great level of detail without harsh treble. Good (flat) bass without being muddy or boomy. Apparently decent soundstage. Flat and natural sounding. Good instrument separation.
Not sure about the ATH-IM02 because of: It may have too much bass / muddy bass compared to the HF5, Treble may not have enough airiness and detail compared to the HF5. May be too dark compared to the HF5. Everyone says something different about the ATH-IM02 treble (too little / too much / too harsh / too recessed).
Other questions (feel free to respond any/all of them/none):
- I tried Ortofon's eQ5 & eQ8 but I didn't like the high sensitivity / pickiness and hiss. They also suffer from weird distortion on some high dynamic range music (mostly piano and classical) and some bass distortion on some music. Does the ATH-IM02 suffer from these issues?
- I'm somewhat cautious about the ER4S treble, is there a recommended EQ settings (treble boost) for the HF5 to see (hear) if the ER4S treble won't be too harsh to me?
- How’s the detail retrieval & airiness in the ATH-IM02? Is it good or bad compared to the HF5/ER4S? I've been reading mixed things about the treble (too little / too much / too harsh / too recessed).
_______________________________________________
Would you recommend the ER4S or the ATH-IM02?
_______________________________________________
I'm looking for a somewhat flat sounding airy IEM with decent isolation and great intrument separation, but little to no sibilance (HF5 is good in this respect). Bass impact is not a priority.
*What I love about the HF5:
- Level of detail.
- Clarity.
- Isolation.
- Relatively flat.
- Gray 3-Flanges are awesome.
*What I don't really like about the HF5:
- There's something SLIGHTLY unnatural in the mid-highs.
- Instrument separation and airiness could be better.
- Sub-bass is pretty bad impact-wise, and the mid-bass sounds a bit veiled (I read the ER4S has better/clearer mid-bass). Anyways, bass is not a priority for me.
I'm considering the ER4S because of: Better instrument separation. Better level of detail. Better airiness. Clearer sounding bass.
Not sure about the ER4S because of: Sound signature may be too similar to the HF5. Treble may be too harsh compared to HF5.
I'm considering the ATH-IM02 because of: Great level of detail without harsh treble. Good (flat) bass without being muddy or boomy. Apparently decent soundstage. Flat and natural sounding. Good instrument separation.
Not sure about the ATH-IM02 because of: It may have too much bass / muddy bass compared to the HF5, Treble may not have enough airiness and detail compared to the HF5. May be too dark compared to the HF5. Everyone says something different about the ATH-IM02 treble (too little / too much / too harsh / too recessed).
Other questions (feel free to respond any/all of them/none):
- I tried Ortofon's eQ5 & eQ8 but I didn't like the high sensitivity / pickiness and hiss. They also suffer from weird distortion on some high dynamic range music (mostly piano and classical) and some bass distortion on some music. Does the ATH-IM02 suffer from these issues?
- I'm somewhat cautious about the ER4S treble, is there a recommended EQ settings (treble boost) for the HF5 to see (hear) if the ER4S treble won't be too harsh to me?
- How’s the detail retrieval & airiness in the ATH-IM02? Is it good or bad compared to the HF5/ER4S? I've been reading mixed things about the treble (too little / too much / too harsh / too recessed).
