DaveA
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2011
- Posts
- 4
- Likes
- 0
Hello all,
This is my first post and I am quite excited. I have recently forayed into the world of quality audio and it has definetly changed my music listening for good. I am ready to make my first substantial purchase in the field of IEM's and need a bit of guidance. My music listening consists of pretty varied genres From Blues to Jazz, R&B, Indie rock, alot of live concert stuff, Rock, a little bit of folk, some acoustic guitar tracks, and the odd bit of instrumental and classical music. I would say bass is important to me but not to the point of quashing all the other frequencies. Soundstaging and detail are also two things that have led me into buying a top-tier earphone. I like the sound of over the ear phones but cannot travel and carry them around with me. I Recently I made a trip to my local audio store to try some brands with my ipod and my music. I rip all my records at either 320 Kbps or Lossless. I started at the top price in the store. The SE535's dissapointed me. They seemed muddy and the frequency overlap between the triple driver system was extremely noticeable. The vocals were also screaming in my face instead of being properly places in space. I tried the IE8's, which seemed to have the best soundstaging and presentation I had heard but the bass sometimes boomed over the other frequencies ( I think the bass knob was at +2). However the IE8 seemed better to me that the GR8 the S4, and S5 combined. I have tried and loved my friends ER4-P/ER4-S and love the detail and accuracy of those Ety phones, but I can't help but be disengaged sometimes with the thin sound that the singe BA in them produces, and the lack of textured and impactful bass. From what I've heard so far the ER4P and the IE8 seem to represent the two extremes that are what I love to hear: great soundstage for IE8 and great clarity, detail, and accuracy along the entire spectrum for the ER4P. I guess I like a sound between fun and true, with instrument separation, soundstaging, and bass also being important factors - if only to make sure that bass is not non-existent for the rap tracks that I listen to.
From my description, the FX700 seems right up my alley. I hear there is a lot of isolation problems with it, and while i don't need any Isolation really for myself, I do spend time on buses and airplanes and need to make sure I am not going to completely annoy the people beside me. A little sound leakage is okay, but will this emulate an open back over the ear phone in terms of sound leakage? how many grumbling looks can I expect in a plane cabin?
If it weren't for this factor I think the FX700 would be hands down my baby, even if the V signature scares me a little as I quite like the balance ER4P and the FX700 is basically the polar opposite.
The other options I have seen good reviews on in terms of clarity,bass,decent mid and treb, soundstaging and the like is:
SM3
UM3X
RE0
CK10
DBA-02( although this might just be a tad too flat and analytic for my tastes, given reviews)
I can't Justify spending anything over $400 for IEM's and DESPERATELY need some heavyweights to weigh in on what is going to be the best overall phone that I can also take on the road and not annoy people to death with. Should I be worrying as much as I am about the FX700 and leakage? can it be muffled with different tips? what other phones other than the ones I listed would be Proper for my needs? I hope you will guide me in my first foray into high end audio purchases. Help!
Kind Regards,
D
This is my first post and I am quite excited. I have recently forayed into the world of quality audio and it has definetly changed my music listening for good. I am ready to make my first substantial purchase in the field of IEM's and need a bit of guidance. My music listening consists of pretty varied genres From Blues to Jazz, R&B, Indie rock, alot of live concert stuff, Rock, a little bit of folk, some acoustic guitar tracks, and the odd bit of instrumental and classical music. I would say bass is important to me but not to the point of quashing all the other frequencies. Soundstaging and detail are also two things that have led me into buying a top-tier earphone. I like the sound of over the ear phones but cannot travel and carry them around with me. I Recently I made a trip to my local audio store to try some brands with my ipod and my music. I rip all my records at either 320 Kbps or Lossless. I started at the top price in the store. The SE535's dissapointed me. They seemed muddy and the frequency overlap between the triple driver system was extremely noticeable. The vocals were also screaming in my face instead of being properly places in space. I tried the IE8's, which seemed to have the best soundstaging and presentation I had heard but the bass sometimes boomed over the other frequencies ( I think the bass knob was at +2). However the IE8 seemed better to me that the GR8 the S4, and S5 combined. I have tried and loved my friends ER4-P/ER4-S and love the detail and accuracy of those Ety phones, but I can't help but be disengaged sometimes with the thin sound that the singe BA in them produces, and the lack of textured and impactful bass. From what I've heard so far the ER4P and the IE8 seem to represent the two extremes that are what I love to hear: great soundstage for IE8 and great clarity, detail, and accuracy along the entire spectrum for the ER4P. I guess I like a sound between fun and true, with instrument separation, soundstaging, and bass also being important factors - if only to make sure that bass is not non-existent for the rap tracks that I listen to.
From my description, the FX700 seems right up my alley. I hear there is a lot of isolation problems with it, and while i don't need any Isolation really for myself, I do spend time on buses and airplanes and need to make sure I am not going to completely annoy the people beside me. A little sound leakage is okay, but will this emulate an open back over the ear phone in terms of sound leakage? how many grumbling looks can I expect in a plane cabin?
If it weren't for this factor I think the FX700 would be hands down my baby, even if the V signature scares me a little as I quite like the balance ER4P and the FX700 is basically the polar opposite.
The other options I have seen good reviews on in terms of clarity,bass,decent mid and treb, soundstaging and the like is:
SM3
UM3X
RE0
CK10
DBA-02( although this might just be a tad too flat and analytic for my tastes, given reviews)
I can't Justify spending anything over $400 for IEM's and DESPERATELY need some heavyweights to weigh in on what is going to be the best overall phone that I can also take on the road and not annoy people to death with. Should I be worrying as much as I am about the FX700 and leakage? can it be muffled with different tips? what other phones other than the ones I listed would be Proper for my needs? I hope you will guide me in my first foray into high end audio purchases. Help!
Kind Regards,
D