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Headphones/IEMs...what do you have, what do you want?

The ER6i's finally arrived a couple of days ago.

I think they'll work for me, but I do wish the bass extension were deeper. I think Etymotic says that the -3dB point is at only 50Hz, so I knew not to expect much, but still I had held out hope for slightly more satisfying bass. However, since I've read where sleeve fit can affect overall sound, part of me wonders exactly what frequency I'm hearing when the bass disappears. (Is it even reaching down to 50Hz?) And so I'll probably grab a test CD in a few days when I get back home and give it a check. That said, what bass I'm hearing is nice and definitely NOT boomy.

As for treble frequencies, I really like the ER6is. Nice and clear. As an interesting experiment, I happened to have some Hewlett-Packard earbuds in my laptop case and I compared those HP throw-in's to the ER6i's. The HP earbuds sounded surprisingly enjoyable with nice treble and similar bass levels as the ER6i, but the Etymotic IEM was still the overall winner. The HP's sound seemed slightly 'colored' whereas the Ety's seemed more 'pristine'.

Now I'm trying to decide which sleeves I like best. I like the triple flanges way more than the nasty, rather porous foam sleeves that Ety included. They both sounded more-or-less the same. With that said, I plan to hopefully get some Shure 'olive' foam sleeves and see if I like those before I settle in on the flanges permanently.

Sound isolation abilities of the Ety's (with the flanges) should work well enough for me. There's a dehumidifier that makes a crapload of noise and, in my experience, inserting the IEM's cuts its droning hum significantly. Maybe not by quite as much as my foam earplugs, (those claim 31dB reduction), but it's effective nonetheless. My "tests" were essentially going back and forth between the IEMs and the earplugs, but it was hardly scientific.

For kicks and grins, I checked to see if those Hewlett-Packard earbuds did anything for noise-isolation. They didn't block any of the outside noise, of course.
 
When I had my ER6 I used the EQ on my DAP to help boost bass. I wish the EQ on most DAPs went lower, most don't go below 80 Hz. but it helps. The EQ on Cowon DAPs is the best IME. Something like Foobar has a very good EQ but I mostly use IEMs with DAPs

I find in general that silicone tips help improve HF and tighten bass whereas foam will help give a warmer sound. I do know that experimenting with tips is needed because different types often make a very noticeable change. Of course getting a proper seal is most important.
 
These'll work for me, so it's all good. :handgestures-thumbup:

Every IEM that I looked at in this price range appeared to have something that I'd have to compromise on, whether it was a lack of sound-isolation, lack of sensitivity/efficiency, lack of treble, or lack of bass. So I went with what I thought would be the best compromise. And I'm positive the ER6i's will help me to more easily hear dialogue when playing movies in a noisy environment. Plus, they're great for acoustic music and other genres that don't get too bass heavy. Not that I can't still enjoy Outkast's "Rosa Parks" if I so choose, so long as I accept that I'm not going to get bass down to 32Hz.

As for EQ's...

I had already messed with the EQ in iTunes on my laptop, but ultimately preferred the EQ off. But next time I'm using the iPod or PSP, I'll see if any of those devices have an EQ that improves the sound. Just to be sure.
 
Rope said:
649110.jpg


Rope


Damn, the good , the bad, and the ugly of headphones!


Wished they made a wireless version of the 701s........
 
Yesfan70 said:
Damn, the good...headphones!
Really? Where? I don't see any Denon D7000s in that picture.


Trust me when I tell you that you should be wishing for corded D7000s before you wish for wireless AM-radio-sounding headphones. :eusa-whistle:
 
Zing said:
Yesfan70 said:
Damn, the good...headphones!
Really? Where? I don't see any Denon D7000s in that picture.


Trust me when I tell you that you should be wishing for corded D7000s before you wish for wireless AM-radio-sounding headphones. :eusa-whistle:



Oh come on now. That's like telling me I should've bought a Ferrari 575 instead of my Grand Cherokee. Apples to Oranges.

I'm sure those Denons sound amazing, but there is a huge price difference between them and the 701s. I would love to hear them considering the high praises you guys have been giving them. $1k seems, to me, a bit expensive for cans. I would be more inclined to upgrade my speakers if I had that amount of cash to blow.
 
Hits 60? You mean home runs? Yeah, that kind of production would make for some serious cash money! Then you could have the kids buy you some fun toys. :eek:bscene-drinkingcheers:
 
I've thought about spending the 1K on my Beyers and wonder if I'm crazy but then I put them in my hands, gently caressing their solid, sexy build quality...slipping the sex on my head...and then the tubey silkyness flows and...HELL NO I don't regret it.
DT880.png



:teasing-tease:

...and here's your K701 smilie
K701.gif
 
Some people collect beanie babies, Dane collects IEMs. Sounds crazy, right? (But I'm the one waiting for the beanie market to rebound so that I can recoup my investment, and in the meantime, when I try to listen to beanies, well, THAT'S CRAZY. Knew I should've gone with T-bonds.) :pray:
 
Don't use cans much anymore, but this is what I have

Stax's, need a new amp for this one as its coonected off mains when hooked up.
HD 600's with Equinox
MF XCANV2 with cap mods and Nos Mullard EC88's
GSP Solo
 
Nice! And welcome to the forum!

:text-welcomeconfetti:
 
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