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Earpeace Livewires T1. A Detalied Review. - Page 4

post #46 of 140
8/27/07 at 8:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeB View Post
Oh thats kind of comforting, I was worried about the hiss, I have just ordered them. And was having worries lol. But I have the x5l too, so if it's ok on that for you, I guess it will be good!
My original hiss impressions were taken in a somewhat noisy warehouse (buzzing ceiling lights). When I had the chance to listen to them in my somewhat quiet house, I confirmed that the Livewire picks up a little bit more hiss than the UM2, but it still goes away almost entirely when music is playing. You have to really listen to pick up on the hiss. Normally, this would warrant a return, but since they sound so good I'm gonna keep them and maybe start looking for a cheap, dead silent amp or an impedance adapter. I've already tried a 75 ohm adapter, and it made them sound, well, weird. It's hard to describe, but they sounded like a completely different set of IEMs when I used the adapter. Not what I was expecting. It did get rid of the hiss though.

But for the time being, I have to wait for them to come back from getting some adjusting...
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post #47 of 140
8/27/07 at 11:15pm
arrrr. i use ipod nano
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post #48 of 140
8/28/07 at 8:42pm
I've had my Livewires for a month now, and always use my Corda Move amp with them. Not only is the noise floor inaudible, but the sound quality is significantly improved. Kind of a dorky setup to haul out on airplanes, but the result is worth the hassle. If you don't want to carry an amp, then an inline volume control cuts the iPod's amp hiss down a lot, but trust me, the amp puts the sound in another league altogether. The Corda Move's USB DAC is also great with a notebook; I move back and forth between the iPod and my notebook at will.

And I think you're too hard on Livewires about the amenities. I have a ton of little small bags around the house, and any visit to an Apple store will yield a ton of US$30 options that will more than satisfy your needs. The case Livewires did pick looks like something I'd leave home, by the way.

Last comment: while getting my impressions for the Livewires, I also ordered a pair of custom ear tips for my Etymotics ER-4p's. What came back is made of pliable silicone. I carry both IEMs with me on planes, and find myself switching back and forth every few hours -- for whatever reason, having the option lessens the sense of fatigue.

Regards,

Richard
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post #49 of 140
8/28/07 at 9:07pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by richardkaufmann View Post
And I think you're too hard on Livewires about the amenities. I have a ton of little small bags around the house, and any visit to an Apple store will yield a ton of US$30 options that will more than satisfy your needs. The case Livewires did pick looks like something I'd leave home, by the way.
You might be right there, but the point I was (clearly inelegantly) trying to make is that on an expensive custom IEM, you expect those little touches, and not having them there is enough of a surprise to jarr a bit.

Plus, as I couldn't really think of anything bad to say about the sound, I thought I'd try and get some balance to the thing!
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post #50 of 140
8/28/07 at 9:30pm
Quote:
You might be right there, but the point I was (clearly inelegantly) trying to make is that on an expensive custom IEM, you expect those little touches, and not having them there is enough of a surprise to jarr a bit.
Hrm... I guess we have a bit of a different ideal on what's an "expensive" custom IEM lol. Livewires are cheap in the custom IEM world...

Sure I would love to see higher quality cases and other goodies, but when I take a step back and look at it all for a minute, I'm not paying $500+ either...
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post #51 of 140
8/29/07 at 4:58am
Thanks for a great review...one that has helped me decide to buy a set of Livewires.

This is my first post on these forums, although I have been lurking here for a while. In-ear phones are a relatively new thing for me, although I have enjoyed headphones from Sennheiser and Grado, so your input is much appreciated.

A recent birthday gift of a Clix2 8GB has caused me to investigate what's available at a price where my wife won't kill me. I shudder to think in the past that I have spent more on one interconnect than these phones. My wife helped break my addiction....but I have been secretly viewing these forums at night lately. The ear phones that came with the Clix went straight in the bin.

I live in Northern Ireland and today I'm going to check out audiologists in the area and make an appointment for an impression.

I'm beginning to tremble...is this a bad sign?
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post #52 of 140
8/29/07 at 6:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kosmic View Post
Thanks for a great review...one that has helped me decide to buy a set of Livewires.

This is my first post on these forums, although I have been lurking here for a while. In-ear phones are a relatively new thing for me, although I have enjoyed headphones from Sennheiser and Grado, so your input is much appreciated.

A recent birthday gift of a Clix2 8GB has caused me to investigate what's available at a price where my wife won't kill me. I shudder to think in the past that I have spent more on one interconnect than these phones. My wife helped break my addiction....but I have been secretly viewing these forums at night lately. The ear phones that came with the Clix went straight in the bin.

I live in Northern Ireland and today I'm going to check out audiologists in the area and make an appointment for an impression.

I'm beginning to tremble...is this a bad sign?

Welcome to Headfi and sorry for your wallet

If you need impressions done i got me done at boots in belfast a week or so ago so try them. Its upstairs in the david omeron hearing centre.

What part of NI are you in? I'm just outside armagh
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post #53 of 140
8/29/07 at 7:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lisnalee View Post
Welcome to Headfi and sorry for your wallet

If you need impressions done i got me done at boots in belfast a week or so ago so try them. Its upstairs in the david omeron hearing centre.

What part of NI are you in? I'm just outside armagh
Hi!

I'm in Coleraine and I have an appointment booked for 3.30pm today with the audiologist at Hidden Hearing. Have your Livewires arrived yet or are you pacing the floor?
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post #54 of 140
8/29/07 at 7:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kosmic View Post
Hi!

I'm in Coleraine and I have an appointment booked for 3.30pm today with the audiologist at Hidden Hearing. Have your Livewires arrived yet or are you pacing the floor?
I sent them last week so a few weeks of pacing to go yet.

I was only charged £10 for both impressions so make sure then dont overcharge you.
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post #55 of 140
8/29/07 at 7:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lisnalee View Post
I sent them last week so a few weeks of pacing to go yet.

I was only charged £10 for both impressions so make sure then dont overcharge you.
Thanks for the info. They wouldn't tell me over the phone how much...but I'll make sure it's not an arm and a leg!
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post #56 of 140
8/29/07 at 10:55am
All done on my end now, paid for them in advance over the phone on Monday (friendly and easy, often Americans have trouble understanding me lol on the phone, but this only took a few minutes). Got the impressions done yesterday, and sent them international signed for a few hours later (£5, I sent them in a little box wrapped in bubble wrap, and then in a jiffy bag, hope they arrive ok and un damaged you never know with the post!) Decided for black plates, blue/red for the iem.
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post #57 of 140
8/29/07 at 2:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kosmic View Post
Thanks for the info. They wouldn't tell me over the phone how much...but I'll make sure it's not an arm and a leg!
Well, I am bowled over with the audiologist at Hidden Hearing in Coleraine. He checked my ears first and made the silicone impressions. Cost? £00.00!!! I offered him money but he just asked that I give his service a plug.

If you need your hearing checked I would seriously recommend Hidden Hearing for sterling service!

For those of you wondering about having an impression made it really is a simple, quick, and painless task. Don't be put off! Here's a couple of pics of my impressions...they are already in the post, winging their way to sunny California.

One question I have in my mind after seeing my impressions is that one of my ear canals is Quite narrow. Check out the left ear impression in pic 1. I'm thinking this might pose a problem regarding strength at that point?
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post #58 of 140
8/29/07 at 6:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by stewtheking View Post
You might be right there, but the point I was (clearly inelegantly) trying to make is that on an expensive custom IEM, you expect those little touches, and not having them there is enough of a surprise to jarr a bit.

Plus, as I couldn't really think of anything bad to say about the sound, I thought I'd try and get some balance to the thing!
Quote:
Originally Posted by FaRKle View Post
Hrm... I guess we have a bit of a different ideal on what's an "expensive" custom IEM lol. Livewires are cheap in the custom IEM world...

Sure I would love to see higher quality cases and other goodies, but when I take a step back and look at it all for a minute, I'm not paying $500+ either...
i agree with FaRKle...while $200+ isn't "cheap," it's relatively inexpensive in the custom IEM world. at this price i honestly didn't expect to get a nice foam-lined box and other amenities. in fact, when i got mine back in january i didn't have a choice of colors nor did i receive the white container and filter tip cleaner. i emailed them and requested these things and they happily sent them to me, which i thought was pretty cool of them.
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post #59 of 140
8/30/07 at 12:21am
After all the positive comments, I ordered in early August and received my set on Monday. I got a little nervous reading about the hiss issue (sounded very annoying...)

But, having tried mine over the past few days, I haven't found any _annoying_ level of hiss. Started out on my iPod video, moved to my shuffle, my wifes Gen2 nano, and my daughters brick (her backup, a 2nd gen). The hiss was barely noticeable on the shuffle, but I thought barely. Really nothing in the background on the Video or nano, and surprisingly zip on the brick. Sounds great coming directly out of my Mac MBP, too. I haven't tried the Gen 3 (4 buttons) or Gen 4, tho I know my ex-Gen 3 lacked in the sound quality dept and have read the 4s were similar to worse.

Maybe one of those versions might show background hiss that would cross over into annoying. But, so far, so happy...

BTW, great sound unamped on the Video. I am running sound volume at around 1/3rd to less than a half of the volume bar. By comparison, my UM2s keep me happy at ~40-60% and my old ER-4Ps ran 60-80%. BTW, almost all of my music was leveled by MP3Gain at around 92 (if you are familiar with it); keeps from having one song rattle your soul and another too quiet to hear...
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post #60 of 140
8/30/07 at 1:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lostboy View Post
After all the positive comments, I ordered in early August and received my set on Monday. I got a little nervous reading about the hiss issue (sounded very annoying...)

But, having tried mine over the past few days, I haven't found any _annoying_ level of hiss. Started out on my iPod video, moved to my shuffle, my wifes Gen2 nano, and my daughters brick (her backup, a 2nd gen). The hiss was barely noticeable on the shuffle, but I thought barely. Really nothing in the background on the Video or nano, and surprisingly zip on the brick. Sounds great coming directly out of my Mac MBP, too. I haven't tried the Gen 3 (4 buttons) or Gen 4, tho I know my ex-Gen 3 lacked in the sound quality dept and have read the 4s were similar to worse.

Maybe one of those versions might show background hiss that would cross over into annoying. But, so far, so happy...

BTW, great sound unamped on the Video. I am running sound volume at around 1/3rd to less than a half of the volume bar. By comparison, my UM2s keep me happy at ~40-60% and my old ER-4Ps ran 60-80%. BTW, almost all of my music was leveled by MP3Gain at around 92 (if you are familiar with it); keeps from having one song rattle your soul and another too quiet to hear...
So you are running completely unamped?
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