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Buying $550 headphones

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Originally posted by: James3shin
you're not alone, I bought the E4C's when they came out. Once you experience good sound quality, it's very hard to go back.
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:thumbsup:, the e4c's are often compared to the Super.Fi 5 Pros, which have been my earphones for the past ~6 months, and they do sound amazing.
 
Originally posted by: yosuke188
I sure hope you have a portable amp to go with it.
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He specifically says he will be using them unamped. Which is sort of okay with customs, because the custom mold makes a pretty big difference.
 
Aw. I was gonna say titanium (I've seen them before and they look DAMN GOOD) but $50 isn't really worth it.
 
Originally posted by: Aflac
Aw. I was gonna say titanium (I've seen them before and they look DAMN GOOD) but $50 isn't really worth it.
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Yeah, I know, I didn't think they were worth $50, but I put in there anyways. Right now I'm leaning toward clear, cause they look badass, but I'm afraid wax buildup over time will turn them a nasty yellow.
 
ugh
UE5cs?? Just get the UE10s and be done with it. I've heard that it's pretty mediocre for the price. At least with the UE10s they're supposedly amazing in spite of the fact you pay 1k. Why not invest in some nice full-sized headphones/amp? By the way, what are you using as your source?
 
Originally posted by: dullard
Originally posted by: SLCentral
Quality music with great sound system = Quality music with any sound system > great sound system with any music
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Fixed the fixed. They'd be equal to me. And then I look at price and I'd go with the cheapest route.
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Maybe for you, but good systems make the music so much more enjoyable, especially after you go back. There are so many details that get missed, a paltry amount of dynamics and clarity to poor systems that it really just makes a good sound system imperative for me.
 
Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
ugh
UE5cs?? Just get the UE10s and be done with it. I've heard that it's pretty mediocre for the price. At least with the UE10s they're supposedly amazing in spite of the fact you pay 1k. Why not invest in some nice full-sized headphones/amp? By the way, what are you using as your source?
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I can't see myself spending $900 on headphones. That's gonna cost $350 more, and honestly, I don't think it's worth it for the difference in quality. The main reason I'm getting customs over, say, the Westone UM2's or the new Shure e500's is the fit/comfort.

I don't want full sized headphones because I'll mainly be using these out of the house, and I'm not gonna wanna carry around cans. I've also read a lot that an amp isn't really that needed for the 5c's because of the custom fit. I'll be using them with the iPod Mini with 256-320kbps MP3's.
 
Am I missing something, or are there no pics of the different colors on their site? They're charging $550 for phones and they don't include pics? 😕 I don't mean the little color chart (on which orange looks like pink and vice versa, btw), I mean pics of the actual different colored phones.

It's not crazy, though personally I'm not ready to drop that much on headphones. Most people haven't a clue about sound quality unfortunately and will label you crazy while holding people who own Bose systems in high regard :laugh:
 
Oh, about the custom fit... couldn't you get customs for, say, the E500? The sound quality of the E500 is, according to the lucky few who have them, amazing - almost on par with that of the UE10.
 
It's not crazy, though personally I'm not ready to drop that much on headphones. Most people haven't a clue about sound quality unfortunately and will label you crazy while holding people who own Bose systems in high regard
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That statement confuses the hell out of me.
 
Originally posted by: CKent
Am I missing something, or are there no pics of the different colors on their site? They're charging $550 for phones and they don't include pics? 😕

It's not crazy, though personally I'm not ready to drop that much on headphones. Most people haven't a clue about sound quality unfortunately and will label you crazy while holding people who own Bose systems in high regard :laugh:
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Yeah, there's no pics of the actual headphones on the website, which is stupid. There's a few pictures I've found on Head-Fi, and I know the red and blue models look great. Black looks nice too, but I don't like white.

Originally posted by: Aflac
Oh, about the custom fit... couldn't you get customs for, say, the E500? The sound quality of the E500 is, according to the lucky few who have them, amazing - almost on par with that of the UE10.
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No, no one makes customs for the 500's. Westone makes customs for the e4c, e3c, Westone UM1/UM2, but they just aren't near the quality as you'll get with a UE custom, as it's a replaceable tip.
 
Originally posted by: SLCentral
Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
ugh
UE5cs?? Just get the UE10s and be done with it. I've heard that it's pretty mediocre for the price. At least with the UE10s they're supposedly amazing in spite of the fact you pay 1k. Why not invest in some nice full-sized headphones/amp? By the way, what are you using as your source?
Click to expand...

I can't see myself spending $900 on headphones. That's gonna cost $350 more, and honestly, I don't think it's worth it for the difference in quality. The main reason I'm getting customs over, say, the Westone UM2's or the new Shure e500's is the fit/comfort.

I don't want full sized headphones because I'll mainly be using these out of the house, and I'm not gonna wanna carry around cans. I've also read a lot that an amp isn't really that needed for the 5c's because of the custom fit. I'll be using them with the iPod Mini with 256-320kbps MP3's.
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wait, why would a custom fit have anything to do with the fact that an amp would help things? Certainly it makes things better, but it doesn't remove the fact that an amp would still improve your listening experience(Of course, you would want to use the amp mostly because of the fact that it would allow you to use the Line out on the iPod, in addition to the slight increased soundstage/dynamics or whatever)

Of course, my only point is that the difference between these and your current earphones might be underwhelming for the 550 bucks or so you spend, and you can't resell these!!!!!!

My recommendation is the E500 PTH earphones. 50 dollars cheaper, and while I haven't heard them, I haven't heard the UE5cs. But I can say that E500s will have higher resale value, have the latest technology, (preorders are being taken at earphonesolutions.com/headroom/etc and set to ship around the end of July or so), and even have the Push to Hear accessory, which I imagine will be exceedingly useful, as IEMs can block out sound even when you want to talk to someone. That will take care of that little complaint. Plus, it's 50 dollars cheaper as well 🙂
 
Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
Originally posted by: SLCentral
Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
ugh
UE5cs?? Just get the UE10s and be done with it. I've heard that it's pretty mediocre for the price. At least with the UE10s they're supposedly amazing in spite of the fact you pay 1k. Why not invest in some nice full-sized headphones/amp? By the way, what are you using as your source?
Click to expand...

I can't see myself spending $900 on headphones. That's gonna cost $350 more, and honestly, I don't think it's worth it for the difference in quality. The main reason I'm getting customs over, say, the Westone UM2's or the new Shure e500's is the fit/comfort.

I don't want full sized headphones because I'll mainly be using these out of the house, and I'm not gonna wanna carry around cans. I've also read a lot that an amp isn't really that needed for the 5c's because of the custom fit. I'll be using them with the iPod Mini with 256-320kbps MP3's.
Click to expand...


wait, why would a custom fit have anything to do with the fact that an amp would help things? Certainly it makes things better, but it doesn't remove the fact that an amp would still improve your listening experience(Of course, you would want to use the amp mostly because of the fact that it would allow you to use the Line out on the iPod, in addition to the slight increased soundstage/dynamics or whatever)

Of course, my only point is that the difference between these and your current earphones might be underwhelming for the 550 bucks or so you spend, and you can't resell these!!!!!!

My recommendation is the E500 PTH earphones. 50 dollars cheaper, and while I haven't heard them, I haven't heard the UE5cs. But I can say that E500s will have higher resale value, have the latest technology, (preorders are being taken at earphonesolutions.com/headroom/etc and set to ship around the end of July or so), and even have the Push to Hear accessory, which I imagine will be exceedingly useful, as IEMs can block out sound even when you want to talk to someone. That will take care of that little complaint. Plus, it's 50 dollars cheaper as well 🙂
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Since customs have a better fit, you're getting better acoustics. No doubt, the amp will help, but it's just really not required, IMO.

I really want to go with customs for the better fit. The e2c's and 5 Pros have all felt weird for me, because apparently, my right ear is shaped differently then my left, so I don't get as good of a seal in it, making the audio sound pretty weird when listening. Customs should get rid of that problem.

I don't really have plans to resell. I'm going to use this until they die. I won't upgrade to the UE-10's, so there's nothing to really upgrade to. The PTH accessory can be used on any earphone, and its only $60, so in the future, I can always get it.
 
Originally posted by: SLCentral
Since customs have a better fit, you're getting better acoustics. No doubt, the amp will help, but it's just really not required, IMO.

I really want to go with customs for the better fit. The e2c's and 5 Pros have all felt weird for me, because apparently, my right ear is shaped differently then my left, so I don't get as good of a seal in it, making the audio sound pretty weird when listening. Customs should get rid of that problem.

I don't really have plans to resell. I'm going to use this until they die. I won't upgrade to the UE-10's, so there's nothing to really upgrade to. The PTH accessory can be used on any earphone, and its only $60, so in the future, I can always get it.
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I'm not gonna stop you from making the purchase, but just giving you some advice - since you live in New Jersey, there's sure to be lots of audiophiles near where you live. You could probably find out on head-fi.org, but whatever. Someone near you probably has an expensive portable amp - if you ever get a chance, demo your headphones with the amp, to see if you like the sound. Some portable amps can get really small, to the point where you can carry both your iPod and your amp in one pocket and not really be bothered.
 
Originally posted by: Aflac
Originally posted by: SLCentral
Since customs have a better fit, you're getting better acoustics. No doubt, the amp will help, but it's just really not required, IMO.

I really want to go with customs for the better fit. The e2c's and 5 Pros have all felt weird for me, because apparently, my right ear is shaped differently then my left, so I don't get as good of a seal in it, making the audio sound pretty weird when listening. Customs should get rid of that problem.

I don't really have plans to resell. I'm going to use this until they die. I won't upgrade to the UE-10's, so there's nothing to really upgrade to. The PTH accessory can be used on any earphone, and its only $60, so in the future, I can always get it.
Click to expand...

I'm not gonna stop you from making the purchase, but just giving you some advice - since you live in New Jersey, there's sure to be lots of audiophiles near where you live. You could probably find out on head-fi.org, but whatever. Someone near you probably has an expensive portable amp - if you ever get a chance, demo your headphones with the amp, to see if you like the sound. Some portable amps can get really small, to the point where you can carry both your iPod and your amp in one pocket and not really be bothered.
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In the future, I'll def. look into it more, especially through the way you've said. Just right now, this is a huge hit to my pocket, so I'll have to wait a while.
 
SLCentral, I can see where you're coming from about why you want customs, but I just think the 150 or so dollars you save with the PTH and no need for molding, etc might be worth it. However, I can't follow your logic on the non-need of an amp. You won't need an amp perhaps because of the fact that it's low impedance and just to bulky to carry around for the difference in quality. However, think of it this way. I buy 300 dollar AKGs. Since the headphones have better dynamics than iBuds, I don't need an amplifier. Can't see how that makes sense?

My only other point is that you might get buyer's remorse because the difference is particulary underwhelming and can't resell them. 0 resale value is rather scary.
 
Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
SLCentral, I can see where you're coming from about why you want customs, but I just think the 150 or so dollars you save with the PTH and no need for molding, etc might be worth it. However, I can't follow your logic on the non-need of an amp. You won't need an amp perhaps because of the fact that it's low impedance and just to bulky to carry around for the difference in quality. However, think of it this way. I buy 300 dollar AKGs. Since the headphones have better dynamics than iBuds, I don't need an amplifier. Can't see how that makes sense?

My only other point is that you might get buyer's remorse because the difference is particulary underwhelming and can't resell them. 0 resale value is rather scary.
Click to expand...

Like I said in the post above, I'll def. look into a amp as soon as I have enough money to spend. I've never listened to IEM's with an amp before, so I'm only going on what other people (at Head-fi) has said. Of course it's something I'd love to look into later.
 
Originally posted by: SLCentral
Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
SLCentral, I can see where you're coming from about why you want customs, but I just think the 150 or so dollars you save with the PTH and no need for molding, etc might be worth it. However, I can't follow your logic on the non-need of an amp. You won't need an amp perhaps because of the fact that it's low impedance and just to bulky to carry around for the difference in quality. However, think of it this way. I buy 300 dollar AKGs. Since the headphones have better dynamics than iBuds, I don't need an amplifier. Can't see how that makes sense?

My only other point is that you might get buyer's remorse because the difference is particulary underwhelming and can't resell them. 0 resale value is rather scary.
Click to expand...

Like I said in the post above, I'll def. look into a amp as soon as I have enough money to spend. I've never listened to IEM's with an amp before, so I'm only going on what other people (at Head-fi) has said. Of course it's something I'd love to look into later.
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heh, I think you'll be particulary underwhelmed. The imporant difference is in the source change to a line out. My recommendation at this point would be to wait, and then try the E500s and see how you like them.
 
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