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hi all
just got a sony nwz-a728..... and now im looking to find a set of iem's to give them some company.

right now im using sennheiser cx500's, whilst they sound 'ok', im looking to upgrade.

i previously owned, panasonic hje-70, jays d-jays, UE super-fi 4, and most recently, jays q-jays.

sold the q-jays in search of a little more bass (the jays were better in all other aspects, so in some ways, made a downgrade). now i knew the cx300's werent short on bass, though they were said to be too overpowering/muddy. the cx500's bass was said to be a little more controlled than that of the cx300, so that = cx500 purchase. wrong choice i think, since they cost me $149aud, genuine, from a store here,and now if i want to sell, ill lose out quite a bit (yes i know i could have saved heaps if i bought from USA or something)

type of music, trance, techno, electro, prog.

the reason i got rid of the djays and super-fi 4's, again, like the q-jays, was in search of more bass. whilst the q-jays provided a tad extra, still it wasnt enough for my type of music.

im not a bass head. the music i listen too involves lots of bass lines. but i dont want something like the cx300 or the panasonics i had, where the bass overshadows every other detail. the cx500's provide sufficient bass, but something which provides more detail accross the board is what im looking for.

forgot to add, comfort is an important factor, of course. id be using them about 2hrs daily. sound isolation also as ill be using on the train.
size too. something like super-fi 5 pro for example would be too large.

ive got my eyes on atrio m5's, westone um1, klipsch customs-2 or x5, UE super-fi 5 (the new ones) sleeks sa-6 and shure se310. ive read so much info on these forums, but i just cant decide.

what can people recommend from that list above for my sony/type of music? feel free to suggest any that i have not listed. the more suggestions, the better.

Budget, around $200usd.

if people can give reasons along with their suggestions, that would be fantastic!

thanks in advanced guys
(o, im not a fresh newbie as such, though i do have a little difficulty understanding certain terms sometimes, hence the lack of technical terms in my post so, remember that when posting

o, one q, besides bass, which other details would be most present in my type of music, not sure which terms are for which detail and the like, still getting my head around things

)

 

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any suggestions?

 

[synaesthetic]

If you can deal with the cable issues, or afford to have Alex at APS recable them, the ER-4P sound really, really good with the A728. I love the synergy with my ER-4P and the A728, but practicalities are winning out over absolute SQ.

I'm trading them in for the UE super.fi 5 (new version) due in large part to the suitability of these IEMs when being active or mobile. My portable setup is most often used while walking. I intend to keep the SF5v2 as my go-to active 'phones even after I get my customs next year.

 

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arent the etys lacking in bass?

i read up on the etys a lot, just dont like the look lol...... if i was to get any etys, id prefer the er6i. again, bass would be an issue there though as ive read.

thanks for the suggestion

 

[tstarn06]

At that price, the way I see it you have two choices...the Sleek SA6s, which I have had a long time and really, really think are great for a variey of reasons: modular design (including detachable cable, several bass and treble mods, etc), comfort (with Shure olives), size, and most of all, sound quality. I owned a pair of Ety ER4Ps, and I sold them after getting the Atrios. Likewise, I sold the Atrios to help fund the Sleeks.

Recently, Amazon dropped the price of the Klipsch Image X10s to $211, and I decided to give them a try as well. Some people say they have better SQ than the Sleeks, others disagree. I had a little extra cash, so I decided to try them. However, if they are not really better than the Sleeks, I will send them back. In either case, I am keeping the Sleeks because they have it all in my view. As for their supposed lack of bass, if you just do the bass+ module mod (simply sticking a pin in the middle of the rubber module), there is plenty of tight, punchy enjoyable bass.

I do have to say that I was lucky enough a while ago to pick up a pair of Altec-Lansing im716s for $20 on Newegg.com, and then had them de-podded by a fellow Head-Fier for $20 more. And man, with a pair of Shure olives, the Minibox amp and the Creative ZVM LOD, they really, really sound great - better than the Etys, in fact (Ety makes the 716 driver).

But I digress...this is a vote for the Sleeks based on the reasons listed above.

Oh, I also owned the UM1s (did not like their sound sig, way too rolled off highs for my tastes, no sparkle at all) and just returned the UE F5 v2. At first, with the latter, I liked them okay. But after listening more, they just seemed to deliver a boring, but capable sound across the board. However, when I put the Sleeks in my ears after the SF5s, it was no contest to me. Sleeks hands down. I agre with ads that they are very comfortable, especially with the Comply T400 foam sleeves.

I know you will see I have been a Sleek fan from the start. But that's because I believe they offer the best sound bang for the buck. I will be curious, of course, to see if the X10s are equal or even better. But I have a hard time believing it right now.

 

[scytheavatar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by synaesthetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you can deal with the cable issues, or afford to have Alex at APS recable them, the ER-4P sound really, really good with the A728. I love the synergy with my ER-4P and the A728, but practicalities are winning out over absolute SQ.

If he didn't like the bass quantity of the q-jays there's no way he'll like the bass quantity of the ER-4P. I second the sleek recommendation, to me they are q-jays with more bass.

 

[metllicamilitia]

+1 on the SA6's. They are well worth their price. I upgraded from the CX300's and never thought myself a bass head either, but when you put in those bass + ports after sticking a pin, staple, etc. through the hole, the bass is amazing. I also have the treble ++ ports in them and am using the Shure 'Olives' and running them through a Cowon D2. The stock eartips are very comfortable and provide great isolation and don't leak sound out either. I am still trying to decide if I like the 'Olive' or stock eartips more. They both have their better aspects.

 

[monolith]

For that money you can get used Westone UM2s, which is what I'd recommend.

 

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how do the etys and westone's respond to EQ changes? bass improve much?

the sleeks sound good. how are they for size? ive seen a few pics on here, they seem small in the ear, but press pics look large? maybe because of the design? and comfort is good i take it? you users seem to be happy with comfort levels.

too bad the aussie $ is weak

otherwise i would get some now.

any other suggestions?

thanks all

 

[synaesthetic]

westones have enough bass to crush tin cans.

 

[Styrbjorn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by synaesthetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif the ER-4P sound really, really good with the A728. I love the synergy with my ER-4P... I'm trading them in for the UE super.fi 5 (new version)...

Could you compare these phones?
What's your opinion about bass, clarity and overall build quality of new UE?

 

[metllicamilitia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ads1107 /img/forum/go_quote.gif how do the etys and westone's respond to EQ changes? bass improve much? the sleeks sound good. how are they for size? ive seen a few pics on here, they seem small in the ear, but press pics look large? maybe because of the design? and comfort is good i take it? you users seem to be happy with comfort levels. too bad the aussie $ is weak otherwise i would get some now. any other suggestions? thanks all

The pics on the Sleek site I believe are with the small bi-flanges and they don't stick out much at all. But when you have the right size tip in, bi-flange or foam, they stick a little bit, enough so that you can't lay on your side and go sleep with them in, but they are very comfortable. SQ is amazing on them too. If you got them, I don't think you would regret it in the least, even if you happen to get something with it that wasn't the best. A couple users here happened to get bad earpieces that fell apart on them (just one of the two) and Sleek replaced them no problem. I got a faulty cable with mine, the cable for the left earpiece was having issues and it started to fall apart. JasonK sent me two new cables and I have not any issues since then, unless you count a wiggly piece on one of my earpieces, but I don't think it will be an issue as I am careful with them and even more so since the cable issue. They are good, but you have to really baby them. So if you are a little rough with your earphones you may not want to get them.

 

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i take it the sleeks are smaller than super-fi 5 pros?

any one read any comparisons between the sleeks and the new super-fi 5's?

and im careful with my products, not rough with any of them. i would just wrap it around my sony..... and i wouldnt be throwing them about or anything...


if any one has used both, how do the atrio m5's compare to sleeks?

peoples verdicts on Denon ACH751?

whilst budget is $200usd, obviously the cheaper the earphones the better

 

[metllicamilitia]

I have not tried any of those others so I cannot compare them, but I will say if you do get the SA6's then be very careful even just wrapping them around your mp3 player, I think that may have helped in the faultiness of my cable.

 

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^^^^^
how do you carry them around when you arent using them?

thats a bit worrying if they damage that easily. i usually just wrap them aruond my player or 3 of my fingers (pete from jays on this forum suggested wrapping around 3 fingers)