code777
08-25-2005, 09:52 AM
Please choose the appropriate forum for this topic. Thank you. This comparison may be a bit premature but oh well...
Just bought a pair of UE SuperFi.5 Pro for my 4G40GB iPod. My friend bought a pair of Shure E4c's for his 60GB iPod Photo (he bought them only to try them out and will return them shortly).
My musical taste is basically heavy metal (i.e. - Atreyu, Dillinger Escape Plan, Exodus, Trivium, Arch Enemy, Etc... you get the pic) as well as jazz and various pop rock.
I have been using the Sony EX-71's for the past year or so. I was use to the boomy bass that the Sony's produced and the sometimes shrieking highs.
After some real hard work with opening the UE box (cuts all over my hands!) I finally got them out and checked out everything that it came with. I’m impressed with all the accessories it comes with. I checked out all the different ear tips first. I followed the instructions on how to get a good seal (rock n roll technique) and adjusted the ear loops to fit. Then I took them out (by the rock n roll technique) and took off the tips and tried the foam ones. Didn’t work for me. The fit was off. Not a fan of double flange tips didn’t feel right. So I stuck with the ones that they came with. Medium sized single flange tips which was the best fit for my ear.
The thing about these UE is they fit way deeper in the ear canal than the Sony’s. I was not use to this at all. Felt uncomfortable at first but as time went on I got use to it. When in my ears the seal is real tight. I mean ear plugs tight. I was kinda shocked being so use to the Sony’s. Next I plugged them into my iPod and I made the ill fated mistake of not turning the volume down. Pressed play BAM!! OUCH. Ok, the normal volume I listen to with my Sony’s is pretty loud. Little did I know the UE’s don’t need to be cranked!! Turned the level down to a comfortable level and sat back and listened.
My initial thoughts of the UE is MIDS MIDS MIDS! Wow, really not use to this. The Sony’s cut out all mids to achieve that boomy heavy bass. At first I really was not use to it. But as time went on I started to hear a ton of things I NEVER heard before with the Sony’s. Bass response is not boomy. I would describe the bass punchy, tight, and precise. I felt the bass response to be really good. I wasn’t use to punchy tight but love it because it just was more “accurate” sounding in your face rather than boomy and muddy (which is what I became accustomed to). The one thing that kinda lacks is the highs. I tried changing the poor iPod EQ to bring out those highs but I couldn’t find that setting. Either the EQ would bring out the highs and lower the bass or bring out even more bass and cut out all the highs. The happy medium I found was either the “Hip Hop”, “Electronic” or good ol “Rock” setting . I am pretty impressed with these things mainly because it really brought new life to the songs I was use to hearing using the Sony’s.
Are they worth it? Yes but I honestly do not think they are worth $250. Maybe $180 tops but hey what ya gonna do? The other thing that is not a big deal is the way they look. You really do look like Frankenstein wearing these things. But hey, it’s the sound that counts right!? Just a side note, I plugged the UEs into my home system and boy I tell ya, HUGE DIFFERENCE, incredible sound. The iPod’s amp is really poor. But you gotta make due with what you have (no way am I gonna lug around a portable amp for the iPod).
Quickly: I was able to try out the Shure E4c’s and I do love the design a lot better than the UEs but the tone is lacking big time (to my ears). It’s the bass. Its not enough even with a tight seal. Again this is all relative but for me I found the bass response to be poor for a $300 pair of canalphones. Maybe that’s why they are so discounted today. The Shures were more comfortable and the design is a bit better (wire stronger feeling, like how the cable runs behind your head, etc…) But it all comes down to tone. It had good mids and highs (better than the UEs) but I honestly feel it lacks in the bass dept. My friend agreed with me as well and will keep testing them for another few days.
I’ll keep on testing these UEs and come back in a few days with more comments. As of now they are a great improvement from the Sony’s. I like how you don’t have to crank the volume with the UE’s, the MIDs really shine and bring out things in songs you’d never hear, and the bass response is tight and punchy which is a nice change from the boomy muddy tone. I shall return!
Just bought a pair of UE SuperFi.5 Pro for my 4G40GB iPod. My friend bought a pair of Shure E4c's for his 60GB iPod Photo (he bought them only to try them out and will return them shortly).
My musical taste is basically heavy metal (i.e. - Atreyu, Dillinger Escape Plan, Exodus, Trivium, Arch Enemy, Etc... you get the pic) as well as jazz and various pop rock.
I have been using the Sony EX-71's for the past year or so. I was use to the boomy bass that the Sony's produced and the sometimes shrieking highs.
After some real hard work with opening the UE box (cuts all over my hands!) I finally got them out and checked out everything that it came with. I’m impressed with all the accessories it comes with. I checked out all the different ear tips first. I followed the instructions on how to get a good seal (rock n roll technique) and adjusted the ear loops to fit. Then I took them out (by the rock n roll technique) and took off the tips and tried the foam ones. Didn’t work for me. The fit was off. Not a fan of double flange tips didn’t feel right. So I stuck with the ones that they came with. Medium sized single flange tips which was the best fit for my ear.
The thing about these UE is they fit way deeper in the ear canal than the Sony’s. I was not use to this at all. Felt uncomfortable at first but as time went on I got use to it. When in my ears the seal is real tight. I mean ear plugs tight. I was kinda shocked being so use to the Sony’s. Next I plugged them into my iPod and I made the ill fated mistake of not turning the volume down. Pressed play BAM!! OUCH. Ok, the normal volume I listen to with my Sony’s is pretty loud. Little did I know the UE’s don’t need to be cranked!! Turned the level down to a comfortable level and sat back and listened.
My initial thoughts of the UE is MIDS MIDS MIDS! Wow, really not use to this. The Sony’s cut out all mids to achieve that boomy heavy bass. At first I really was not use to it. But as time went on I started to hear a ton of things I NEVER heard before with the Sony’s. Bass response is not boomy. I would describe the bass punchy, tight, and precise. I felt the bass response to be really good. I wasn’t use to punchy tight but love it because it just was more “accurate” sounding in your face rather than boomy and muddy (which is what I became accustomed to). The one thing that kinda lacks is the highs. I tried changing the poor iPod EQ to bring out those highs but I couldn’t find that setting. Either the EQ would bring out the highs and lower the bass or bring out even more bass and cut out all the highs. The happy medium I found was either the “Hip Hop”, “Electronic” or good ol “Rock” setting . I am pretty impressed with these things mainly because it really brought new life to the songs I was use to hearing using the Sony’s.
Are they worth it? Yes but I honestly do not think they are worth $250. Maybe $180 tops but hey what ya gonna do? The other thing that is not a big deal is the way they look. You really do look like Frankenstein wearing these things. But hey, it’s the sound that counts right!? Just a side note, I plugged the UEs into my home system and boy I tell ya, HUGE DIFFERENCE, incredible sound. The iPod’s amp is really poor. But you gotta make due with what you have (no way am I gonna lug around a portable amp for the iPod).
Quickly: I was able to try out the Shure E4c’s and I do love the design a lot better than the UEs but the tone is lacking big time (to my ears). It’s the bass. Its not enough even with a tight seal. Again this is all relative but for me I found the bass response to be poor for a $300 pair of canalphones. Maybe that’s why they are so discounted today. The Shures were more comfortable and the design is a bit better (wire stronger feeling, like how the cable runs behind your head, etc…) But it all comes down to tone. It had good mids and highs (better than the UEs) but I honestly feel it lacks in the bass dept. My friend agreed with me as well and will keep testing them for another few days.
I’ll keep on testing these UEs and come back in a few days with more comments. As of now they are a great improvement from the Sony’s. I like how you don’t have to crank the volume with the UE’s, the MIDs really shine and bring out things in songs you’d never hear, and the bass response is tight and punchy which is a nice change from the boomy muddy tone. I shall return!