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Good Single Driver In Ear Earphones

AREA

AREA

Dec 13, 2005
729
655
60
Moenchengladbach, Germany
sixfold-music.de
#1
Hi there,

as I wrote above, I´m lokking for a pair of good Single Driver In Ear Earphones.
I use the Ultimate Ears super.fi 5pro Earphones, but I would like to have a Pair of Earphones as a Backup, because we all know, that such Things quit their Work, when you really don´t need it ;)

So the Point is, they should have an affordable Price. I thought about 120,- 130,- US$ max...

I have looked upon....

Westone UM1
Etymotic ER-6
Future Sonics Atrio
Ultimate Ears super.fi 3studio
Shure E2 or E3

Of Course it´s important to me that I get also a good Bass Response, because I´m a Bass Player.

Are there any Expiriences with Single Driver Headphones. I´ve read many Posts here, but i know...Ask 3 People and you´ll get 3 Opinions...:)

Anyway... I´m interested in your Opinions.
 
#2
I've used the Futuresonics universal pieces for years, starting with the EM3's but when they brought out the Atrio pieces I was floored. They've got great bass response, not muddy or plinky, but right there. First time I used them live without an amp (a week long gig in Key West, no music store within 6 to 8 hours round trip) and only having the bass in the mains, I was stunned how well they worked out. This was without floor wedges, just the Atrios for my bass. By the third day I was questioning my attachment to my amp.
Now when the venue can do it, I'll go without the amp and just use the Atrios. If you give em a try I doubt you'll be dissapointed.
mitch
 
#3
AREA said:
Hi there,

as I wrote above, I´m lokking for a pair of good Single Driver In Ear Earphones.
I use the Ultimate Ears super.fi 5pro Earphones, but I would like to have a Pair of Earphones as a Backup, because we all know, that such Things quit their Work, when you really don´t need it ;)

So the Point is, they should have an affordable Price. I thought about 120,- 130,- US$ max...

I have looked upon....

Westone UM1
Etymotic ER-6
Future Sonics Atrio
Ultimate Ears super.fi 3studio
Shure E2 or E3

Of Course it´s important to me that I get also a good Bass Response, because I´m a Bass Player.

Are there any Expiriences with Single Driver Headphones. I´ve read many Posts here, but i know...Ask 3 People and you´ll get 3 Opinions...:)

Anyway... I´m interested in your Opinions.
Click to expand...

Well, coming from the super.fi 5's I could probably guarantee that you'll be disappointed in just about any single-driver IEM's bass response. Can't speak for the previous poster's recommendation and experience (I have read pretty good things about those FS's though), but I've used the shure e2/e4's, and the westone um1 and 2's (the 2's being what I use all the time now)... for me, there's no competition between the single and duals.

With that said, I liked the westones better than the shure's, but would be interested in comparing the future sonics.
---
c
 
#4
Another vote for the Atrio's. Absolutely wonderful. My story is pretty much the same as Mitch's, except I NEVER use an amp anymore.
I have also tried the Shure E2's (eh, just okay, and their cables dissolved from my sweat), and the Westone UM1's. The UM1's are very comfortable, very nice braided cable, but not enough low end. I'd imagine the UM2's would be very nice...
 
#5
I've got both the Westone UM2 and Atrios and I will tell you the Atrios kill the Westones in tone. The bass is deep and actually sounds like a subwoofer is in your head. The Westones will be favored by guitar players and singers for their loud midrange. The Atrios have a very natural sound to me but are not as comfortable to wear on-stage. I use the UM2 with a subwoofer under the stage so I can feel the kick.
 
#6
Surfinbass said:
I've used the Futuresonics universal pieces for years, starting with the EM3's but when they brought out the Atrio pieces I was floored. They've got great bass response, not muddy or plinky, but right there. First time I used them live without an amp (a week long gig in Key West, no music store within 6 to 8 hours round trip) and only having the bass in the mains, I was stunned how well they worked out. This was without floor wedges, just the Atrios for my bass. By the third day I was questioning my attachment to my amp.
Now when the venue can do it, I'll go without the amp and just use the Atrios. If you give em a try I doubt you'll be dissapointed.
mitch
Click to expand...



kinda noob question....


how do you play a gig with just ear monitors, and no amp?



sorry about the basic question.....


hmmmmm DI box to the board, but what powers the headphones, and how do you power them>?


allen
 
#8
so what did you get ?
this is also in the recording section not the live performance monitoring section
so I would think you would want the flattest sound you could get ..

I'm considering buying some etymotic 4's ?
anyone got a set of these ..
some people say they are bass shy .. but others seem to say that provide good bass nice and flat .. not a little boost like we are all used too so therefore better for recording ??

interesting topic
 
#9
great topic, about to buy some ie's for silent practice/mp3 player use. the bose model caught my attention. thinking i'll get the etymotic er6's.

of the ones listed in this thread which fall into the under $100 group?
 
#10
Etymotics do have a very neutral sound. They are extremely accurate, but this ends up meaning bass shy. The bass is there, it's just more of a punchy bass than the boomy bass that most people expect. I like them buy you may have to EQ them some to get the sound you want from them.

The Atrios are dynamic instead of balanced armature IIRC but has always been praised for their great bass, a lot of people here would probably like them.

Most people find the Westones to be kind of muddy, others dismiss that as being warm though, they're supposedly extremely comfortable though, which is nice because a lot of IEMs aren't the best comfort wise.

I personally never cared for the Shure sound signature, but it isn't bad. The UEs stick out to much for my liking, don't care for them either.

I personally have a pair of Klipsch Custom-1s and really like them, but then again I may be biased towards the pair I currently own.

As for the Livewires, those have gotten great reviews, and you really can't fault them for the price. They're supposed to be a good choice if you're looking for customs on a budget.
 
#13
I love my Etymotic ER-6 pair. With the foam cushions I could leave them in for hours and I'd have no problems. As stated, the bass is a little subdued (they are a reference-quality earbud after all), but I get enough bass out of them and they are never muddy. If you need more bass or just want a more sensitive set of buds in general, I'd say go for the ER-6i model. Everything is boosted up 6 dB and the frequency response is still very even when compared to the ER-6. Plus, the noise isolation is some of the best in the industry.
 
#14
I've never used IEMs, but I use shure E2Cs for personal music listening. I've never wanted more bass. It's really tight and really low... and I listen to a lot of hip hop and R&B so my music demands a lot of bass... and they've never left me wanting more from them.
 
#15
laboitenoire said:
I love my Etymotic ER-6 pair. With the foam cushions I could leave them in for hours and I'd have no problems. As stated, the bass is a little subdued (they are a reference-quality earbud after all), but I get enough bass out of them and they are never muddy. If you need more bass or just want a more sensitive set of buds in general, I'd say go for the ER-6i model. Everything is boosted up 6 dB and the frequency response is still very even when compared to the ER-6. Plus, the noise isolation is some of the best in the industry.
Click to expand...


This helps my decision a lot, thanks for the help and forgive my hijacking! ER-6i's for me, half of my use will be with portable MP3 players anyway.
 
#16
i use future sonics molded ears and have tried the Atrio's as well. i like Future sonic's bass response the best of all the different in ears. Since they have an actual speaker moving air (you can put different inserts in to push more air, i use the biggest one for the best bass response) you can "feel" the bass and hear it a lot better.

for the price, the atrio's are really great, i was pretty surprised at the bass response on those as well the first time i put them on.
 

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