How to make iPod 80GB sound good with Lame?
Reply #13 – 2007-06-29 06:39:45
PS. about the Etymotic ER-4S: are you happy with the sound quality (driven from correct/matching source) ? I'm glad you asked... It's actually been several months since I really listened to the IM716's...when I got them, I was disappointed with how quiet they were with my nano, and since that's what I use for the majority of my music listening, I just put them on the shelf as a spare. Before I did, however, I plugged them into my Symetrix 304 headphone amp and listened to a couple tracks. It was immediately obvious that they were very good-sounding IEM's, but again, since they didn't work in my primary application, I didn't pay much attention to them. Your question renewed my interest in them, and I decided to give them a more extended audition with the Symetrix amp... Wow... They are definitely among the most uncolored transducers I've ever heard. In fact, next to them my MDR-7506's don't sound nearly as good as they used to, at least on some material. It's been documented that the 7506's have a dip at 250 Hz, which can make some material sound a bit thin or bright, but next to the IM716's, they also seem to have a distinct rise (or perhaps a broad bump) in the upper-midrange and treble - sounds like vocal cord rasp come through just as clearly on both headphones, but they sound distinctly edgy through the 7506's, a characteristic that is completely absent through the IM716's. I would describe the IM716's as being just on the "polite" side of neutral - a very slightly bumped-up midbass and/or a very slightly recessed midrange. The detail and clarity is incredible, but nothing ever sounds harsh through them - this pretty much guarantees that you will never get fatigued listening to music through them, but they do seem to take the "bite" out of some recordings, particularly rock. Overall, though, they have the least coloration(s) of any headphone I've ever heard - that they're ~US$100 is amazing (I'm guessing that the Etymotic ER-4S's - which are over twice the price - would be closer to true neutrality as opposed to "politeness"). For the money, and even for a lot more, I dare say there's nothing else that can touch them for accuracy, clarity, and smoothness. However, I'm still quite happy with my MDR-7506's - I find that my ears quickly adjust to them, and I will admit that I do like their "punchy" sound, particularly on anything with electric guitars...that they can easily achieve very "spirited" listening levels through my nano is definitely a bonus. One other thing about the IM716's if you're considering them...the posts that the flanged inserts slip over are significantly thicker than the ones on the ER-4's, and as such, if your ear canals are smaller than average (as mine are), the IM716's can quickly become very uncomfortable - I was always aware that there was something in my ears while I was listening, and when I removed them after about 10 minutes, my ears were sore. I've been using Sonic II flanged silicone rubber hearing protectors for years, so I'm very accustomed to having that type of thing in my ears for extended periods of time, and they have never bothered me. I've seen a few people mention on some other forums that the flanged inserts from a certain model of Shure IEM's will fit the IM716's and provide a slimmer profile. I've never paid attention to which model it is, but I may have to do some research now... ...and a second other thing: they're quite microphonic, i.e. you can easily hear a thump when you touch the wires, so either the wires need to be clipped to/routed through your shirt so they can't move, or you just need to sit very, very still. The Sony MDR-7506 sounds interesting, is it an expensive piece of hardware? Kornchild handled that one...