audiophiles help me


Status
Not open for further replies.
thanks very very much for all the feedback.

i'm only querying about SHURE so please give your feedback based on these.

sorry, i dont know nuts about audio but i know some of you guys sure expert in this field.

so to summarise,

-the E series is definitely better than the SE series is it?
i'm a sucker for super clear music and all i can say is the ipod stock headphones really cannot make it.

-will i be able to tell the difference between the high end E series vs the SE high end series?

-i dont need sound isolation since i dont take public transport.it's only for the occasional after lunch chillout where i isolate myself from everything else to relax.

so which model should i buy?


isolation still important!! :p cuz the better it isolates, the better it sounds and you dont have to turn up loud.

the good thing abt such in -ear earphones is that they are armature driver earphones, resolves very well without having to go loud.. and given isolation, you dont even need to turn up louder as compared to open-air earphones.

when i used to use a pair of senn normal earphones i would be using volume 18-19 on my player, which at home in a quiet environment, that volume was freaking loud.. i had to blast to hear above ambient noise, which wasnt good for my sensitive ears, used to get slight ear aches.

after moving on to IEMS that use armatures ( my first pair was an E4c where the addiction began), i was only listening at volume 7-8 on the player :) and its very comfortable. no more blasting to cover ambient noise
 

It seem like the white E5C cables will have that algae phenomenon after some time. I've not yet seen that with the rest.

yes!! this is a problem that has been plague-ing the shure e5cs thats because of the material/shielding they use for their wires.. probably some silver related compound that oxidises ot a green color :confused:
 

Beware about using in-ear earphones on the aircraft, esp. those w/o in-line volume control as the volume level for the movies/music content is different from the PA system. If you are lucky, both will be balanced.

I almost had my ears busted on my flight while using them when the cabin crew spoke on the PA system.

The Shure model comes with the PTH, I think, so it shd be ok.

if you get a pair of sensitive shures, i.e. sensitivity arnd 109 db/w etc.. they will come with a level attenuator that is good for many sources, and aircraft use.. but i dont wanna use IEM on aircrafts cuz... air pressure difference.. ;p tried it before and.. regretted cuz.. your ears pop :p
 

I like GRADO :) Had a SR60 in my university days, now has the SR80. Frankly if you don't want isolation, I think open headphones like grado may be better...


i had a grado sr125, sold them after a couple of weeks of use. they couple supra-aurally, although the bass slam and the clarity is excellent.. it hurts your ears.. takes only half an hr of use before i feel the ear-ache probably due to the way sound energy is coupled into your ear..
apparently this didnt show up when i was auditioning cuz i only auditioned for like 10mins before purchase. after purchase satisfaction wasnt there

but.. the slam was shiok!! :p~ those who have tried alessandro/grados would know what i mean by that "thump"
 

my friend ever pass me a pair of inear headphones and the tip has yellowish digusting stuffs:rolleyes:

so i find it really personal.cannot share one lah this kind of thing.:bsmilie:

eew!! no maintenance.

i'll never let my earbuds go yellow, probably change it before they do.

anyways if you are keen on a trial on the SE530, i have brand new tips subjected to availability of size.. cuz there are a lot of sizes that i dont use, you can borrow the phones for a couple of days if you pick them up from campus ;p
 

pick up home n decor everymonth, you will almost certainly see a bose system in every newly renovated house next to the plasma tv.:bsmilie:

i may not know anything i admit but i really love my bose system.

so dont bash them ya!
ok
back to topic!

Bose is for decorators. Not music lovers.

BOSE = Better Off Search Elsewhere
 

is it? I didnt think Bose was that bad. Prob not an audiophile, like everyone else around. I did try the sennheiser headphone, the largest one going at nearly 700. I can barely hear my friend yelling at me from a meter away. damn I love that set.
 

if you're not very fussy, why not try crossroads mylarone X3 IEMs? they're those earphones that you stick into your ear.

its a big improvement for me over the PSP earphones, and the sound isolation works wonders.

best part, its only $65. or $75 for the XB version for stronger bass. i got them from jaben at adelphi.
 

No Bose is not bad. It just not can be considered as audiophile equipment that is all.

Bose is very nice for background listening. Put some music and enjoy doing something else.

Do a critical listening against some Mak Levinson or MBL gear for instance and you will put bose quickly away !


is it? I didnt think Bose was that bad. Prob not an audiophile, like everyone else around. I did try the sennheiser headphone, the largest one going at nearly 700. I can barely hear my friend yelling at me from a meter away. damn I love that set.
 

I've been using the E500PTH for about a year already, among the 1st to pre-order it. Till now it is the only earphone I listen to. The others I had like ER4, UM2 are sleeping the in drawer.

If your source is just an iPod with low bit rate mp3s, the E500 might not be a great idea. It shines with high quality source and an amp but it is still enjoyable with just an iPod, just that you will not 'fully' experience the E500 sound.

In the Shure line up, I think only the E4, E5 and E500 and its SE equal counterparts are worth considering.

The difference between the E and SE models are the modular cable design in SE series. E series are standard single long 1.5m cable. SE series features short 50cm main cables with 9inch and 3 feet extensions. So u can use it with remote controls or as standard.

Also, different ear tips have different results/sounds. The upper range Shures comes with all sorts of tips avaliable. U have to try them out to see which is best for you.

To me, the PTH device is quite useless. Mine is still in the box. Because of such earphone's isolation ability, you can't hear what is going on outside. Ambient noise is isolated. So when someone tries to talk to you, you have to remove the earphones to hear them.

This PTH allows you to press a button and ambient sound/noise is transmitted to the earphones via a mic. So you need not remove your earphones. It is design specifically in mind for foam tip users as foam tips wears out really fast if you keep putting/removing them. It will be costly to constantly replace them.

As I'm a silicon tip user, I just remove the earphones and keep that PTH in the box.

If you want to buy mine, I can sell you. :p
 

No Bose is not bad. It just not can be considered as audiophile equipment that is all.

I cannot afford Mark Levinson.

But I agree 100% that Bose is NOT audiophile.
 

No Bose is not bad. It just not can be considered as audiophile equipment that is all.

Bose is very nice for background listening. Put some music and enjoy doing something else.

Do a critical listening against some Mak Levinson or MBL gear for instance and you will put bose quickly away !

my family has 2 cars that comes with mark levinson audio system.i dont really find it impressive.
to me, it's really more for symphony classical.
for pop and rock, :thumbsd:
worse is, it boast 14-15 speakers in the car.i really dont feeeeeeeeeeeeeel it.
 

sorry guys, i forgot to mention, i started the thread with the purpose of buying one for my ipod.

so, after all the recommendations, which one should i get for my ipod?
last thing i want is to get a 1k set and realised for ipod, a $300 one is comparable because of the 'low bit mp3-or whatever?'

but shure/bose is the brand i'll go for.i dont mind the bulky shure headphones because it's a subtle sign to my colleagues that 'i do not wish to be disturbed'.:D
if i pop in the in ear ones, my hair is probably long enough to camouflage the wires.later people talk to me and they think i ignore them.:p
 

my family has 2 cars that comes with mark levinson audio system.i dont really find it impressive.
to me, it's really more for symphony classical.
for pop and rock, :thumbsd:
worse is, it boast 14-15 speakers in the car.i really dont feeeeeeeeeeeeeel it.

That's the idea.. you're not supposed to feel the speakers.. You should be feeling the music. ;p Acoustic engineers work so hard to create a system which is supposed to be totally transparent and you say you don't feel it, so I guess they achieved their goal... ;p

Anyway, I would recommend you the Sony MDR-EX90LP which claimed to be a precision studio monitor quality. I got the MDR-EX85LP and I like it's clarity, so I think for almost double the price, the MDR-EX90LP should be better. The Sony showroom at IMM carries it. I have always been impressed with Sony headphones, especially the MDR-7506 studio monitor which I'm using for monitoring.
http://www.iheadphones.co.uk/headphones/22538/Sony+MDR-EX+90+LP.htm

Here is a review.
http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?t=158397

I've long already given up on audiophile stuff because almost every brand is coloured to suit certain genres of music. Studio monitors are cheaper and give calibrated flat response and therefore good for almost all genres of music. Why shouldn't I pay less for something better? The downside is that you'll start to hear the flaws in many recordings except the best. ;p
 

my family has 2 cars that comes with mark levinson audio system.i dont really find it impressive.
to me, it's really more for symphony classical.
for pop and rock, :thumbsd:
worse is, it boast 14-15 speakers in the car.i really dont feeeeeeeeeeeeeel it.

:bsmilie: Don't bring in car stereos...

Suggest you go to youtube and google SPL sound challenges in the US :devil:..

Like lsisaxon had mentioned, you're not supposed to feel, but enjoy and relax to it.

The few cars i know that has such setups are (roughly):

1. SC430 from Lexus - Mark Levinson - you own one huh :think:
2. 350Z from Nissan - Bose
3. Legacy from Subaru (upper end models) - Mcintosh
4. Lancer EX (upper end model) / Outlander - Rockford Fosgate

Also, these kind of systems are not supposed for you to "bang" but to enjoy vocals/new age/jazz/classical. Play techno/trance/dance is a big "no-no"
 

Also, these kind of systems are not supposed for you to "bang" but to enjoy vocals/new age/jazz/classical. Play techno/trance/dance is a big "no-no"

That's the problem with audiophile systems.. Only certain kind of music will sound good. I listen mostly country, some chinese orchestra, some jazz, some blues, some pop, some symphony, some gospel, some rock, some rock'n'roll and I think only studio monitors are able to hold up to such a wide genre and still sound real good.

Some so called 'audiophile' CDs are so badly mastered. :(
 

Buy shure,,,sure won't regret.

I prefer the olde E models..the sound is more warm than the new SE models...
 

Status
Not open for further replies.