Hung0702
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2008
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Hey everyone. I haven't seen too many reviews on ear tips, and I'm home for winter break, so here's one by me. The next two paragraphs are summary by brief experience with higher definition audio. Skip to the big "Now" for the actual review.
I'm relatively new to Head-fi. Being an 18 year-old student with NO income has hampered my exploration of high definition audio equipment. My first IEMs were the original IEMs for the iPod (almost made me hate IEMs), given to me by my cousin. That was in 2005, With an Archos Gmini 220. In 2006, I purchased Altec Lansing's im616 for $40, about half of my monetary net worth. They sounded great—lacking bass surely, but good enough for what I was willing to spend.
Now, in 2009, I use Shure SCL4s that I purchased for $80 from Guitar Center. Again, about half my monetary net worth (actually, the financial aid I received was pretty substantial and the Shures were a drop in the bucket). I listen to them with my iPod Touch, 2nd gen (bought for basic PDA functionality, not sound quality). I can recognize the difference between WAV and 320 kb MP3 audio, but seeing as how an all-you-can-hear music subscription is only $15 per month, I listen to mostly 128-160 kb WMA files, occasionally torrenting MP3s to put on the iPod).
[size=x-large]Now[/size] that I've gotten that out of the way, let's get on with the actual review. The tips I'm using are the shown below in the following order (from left to right): small Shure olives, Shure Yellow foam, medium small Shure stock, Klipsch gel biflanges, Altec Lansing triflanges, Shure triflanges.
All of these tips fit on the Shure SCL4 (which I will refer to as the E4s from this point forward), though some better than others. The olives, which seem to stretch, fit better than the Yellows, which are rigid. The Shure stock and triflange fit rather tightly. The Altec Lansing triflanges fit far too loosely, but will not fall out without use. The Klipsch fit well and seem loose, but have yet to fall out (more on this later)
I will present my findings in two forms: a description of comfort, effect, and opinion; and a chart grading each tip in several aspects. Testing rig: E4c 72+ hour burn-in, 8GB iPod Touch 2 or GIGABYTE P45 UD3R on-board audio, iBasso P2 amp (on loan and well burned-in).
Firstly, the foamies.
[size=large]Foam Tips[/size]
Most Shure users prefer foam tips as they create the best isolation and allow for an appropriate seal. The olives created a better seal. Isolation was almost idential, the olives marginally better. I can only assume that the shiny side of the Yellows are supposed to face your ear. Sound quality was good, but not best. The sibilance was high and the bass was good. I have my suspicions about why the sibiliance was so high, but it's hard to describe. Perhaps the tip placed the tube too deeply in the ear. When I positioned the foamies only half-way down the tube, the harshness disappeared and the bass was greater in quantity.
Next, I tried the Shure stock.
[size=large]Shure Stock Tips[/size]
I hated the Shure stock. None of the sizes worked. When they were shallowly placed, the bass was mediocre and the sibilance was present, but less harsh than the foamies. When I placed them deeper in the ear, the bass disappeared and all I heard were muffled highs. I suspect that the hollow nature of the buds caused them to collapse when positioned deeply.
This eliminated the seal and I couldn't get proper bass production. I tried positioning the tip halfway down the tube, like with the foamies, and it sealed fine. I think the half of the tip that isn't touching the tube was allowed to contract, so the outside didn't collapse. Regardless, the bass was only mediocre and the treble was harsh.
I'll go back to the Klipsch tips in a second and will discuss the triflanges in this section.
[size=large]Triflange Tips[/size]
The Altec Lansing tips were unusable. They were not designed for use on the E4s. I had to wear the IEMs over-the-ear in order to test out the Altec Lansings. The seal was good and they sounded as good as the foamies, but could not penetrate deeply (teehee) into my ear and were mildly uncomfortable (they felt fine on the im617s).
The Shure triflanges inserted well, but the highs sound muffled. Nothing sounds bright and the bass was on par with the Altec Lansings. The seal was terrific, but caused a problem when taking them out (Ouch!).
The triflanges support my suspicion that the further away the tube is placed from the ear, the stronger the bass presence and the weaker the harshness.
Finally, the Klipsch biflanges, my favorite.
[size=large]Klipsch Tips[/size]
A relative who owns the X5s but can't stand to wear multi-flanges gave them to me. They feel terrific, seemingly disappearing after a few minutes of wear. After several hours of listening, however, the ridges started to feel sharp and dug into my ear (they don't feel sharp initially, but my inner ear was probably tender from 6+ hours of music). They sound the same as the foamies, but have the isolation and bass of the Altec Lansings. They fit somewhat loosely on the ports, but have yet to come loose once in about a week of constant (not frequent, literally constant) use. They penetrate quite deeply (teehee) into my ear, but I'm not worried about them coming loose.
I decided to keep them at the half-way mark on the ports, solving the sibilance issue. There is a small cutaway on the inside to fit Klipsch tubes, but the small ridge on the E4 tube also fits the small ridge and keeps the tip firmly in place. It's as if Klipsch designed these tips to be used half-way on the E4s! These are my favorite tips. I also used them on the im617s with just as favorable results.
1=Worst of the 6, 10=Best of the 6
Note on cleaning: they all suck to clean. You can throw away the foamies, or wash them in warm water and save $.50. I use bar soap rather than hand soap or dish detergent on the other tips.
I love the Klipsch tips and use them exclusively. They feel great and isolate well. The distance created by the tip between the driver and my inner ear is perfect as to muffle sibilance while keeping the highs bright, and produce a fair amount of bass (I'm sure the lack of bass is mostly due to the E4s). I'd recommend these tips for any IEMs that they can outfit.
Anyone else use Klipsch tips, either people who use Klipsch phones or just like the tips? I'm content with my current tips, but I'll definitely take into consideration any recommendations anyone has.
I'm relatively new to Head-fi. Being an 18 year-old student with NO income has hampered my exploration of high definition audio equipment. My first IEMs were the original IEMs for the iPod (almost made me hate IEMs), given to me by my cousin. That was in 2005, With an Archos Gmini 220. In 2006, I purchased Altec Lansing's im616 for $40, about half of my monetary net worth. They sounded great—lacking bass surely, but good enough for what I was willing to spend.
Now, in 2009, I use Shure SCL4s that I purchased for $80 from Guitar Center. Again, about half my monetary net worth (actually, the financial aid I received was pretty substantial and the Shures were a drop in the bucket). I listen to them with my iPod Touch, 2nd gen (bought for basic PDA functionality, not sound quality). I can recognize the difference between WAV and 320 kb MP3 audio, but seeing as how an all-you-can-hear music subscription is only $15 per month, I listen to mostly 128-160 kb WMA files, occasionally torrenting MP3s to put on the iPod).
[size=x-large]Now[/size] that I've gotten that out of the way, let's get on with the actual review. The tips I'm using are the shown below in the following order (from left to right): small Shure olives, Shure Yellow foam, medium small Shure stock, Klipsch gel biflanges, Altec Lansing triflanges, Shure triflanges.
All of these tips fit on the Shure SCL4 (which I will refer to as the E4s from this point forward), though some better than others. The olives, which seem to stretch, fit better than the Yellows, which are rigid. The Shure stock and triflange fit rather tightly. The Altec Lansing triflanges fit far too loosely, but will not fall out without use. The Klipsch fit well and seem loose, but have yet to fall out (more on this later)
I will present my findings in two forms: a description of comfort, effect, and opinion; and a chart grading each tip in several aspects. Testing rig: E4c 72+ hour burn-in, 8GB iPod Touch 2 or GIGABYTE P45 UD3R on-board audio, iBasso P2 amp (on loan and well burned-in).
Firstly, the foamies.
[size=large]Foam Tips[/size]
Most Shure users prefer foam tips as they create the best isolation and allow for an appropriate seal. The olives created a better seal. Isolation was almost idential, the olives marginally better. I can only assume that the shiny side of the Yellows are supposed to face your ear. Sound quality was good, but not best. The sibilance was high and the bass was good. I have my suspicions about why the sibiliance was so high, but it's hard to describe. Perhaps the tip placed the tube too deeply in the ear. When I positioned the foamies only half-way down the tube, the harshness disappeared and the bass was greater in quantity.
| ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed. |
Next, I tried the Shure stock.
[size=large]Shure Stock Tips[/size]
I hated the Shure stock. None of the sizes worked. When they were shallowly placed, the bass was mediocre and the sibilance was present, but less harsh than the foamies. When I placed them deeper in the ear, the bass disappeared and all I heard were muffled highs. I suspect that the hollow nature of the buds caused them to collapse when positioned deeply.
This eliminated the seal and I couldn't get proper bass production. I tried positioning the tip halfway down the tube, like with the foamies, and it sealed fine. I think the half of the tip that isn't touching the tube was allowed to contract, so the outside didn't collapse. Regardless, the bass was only mediocre and the treble was harsh.
I'll go back to the Klipsch tips in a second and will discuss the triflanges in this section.
[size=large]Triflange Tips[/size]
The Altec Lansing tips were unusable. They were not designed for use on the E4s. I had to wear the IEMs over-the-ear in order to test out the Altec Lansings. The seal was good and they sounded as good as the foamies, but could not penetrate deeply (teehee) into my ear and were mildly uncomfortable (they felt fine on the im617s).
The Shure triflanges inserted well, but the highs sound muffled. Nothing sounds bright and the bass was on par with the Altec Lansings. The seal was terrific, but caused a problem when taking them out (Ouch!).
The triflanges support my suspicion that the further away the tube is placed from the ear, the stronger the bass presence and the weaker the harshness.
Finally, the Klipsch biflanges, my favorite.
[size=large]Klipsch Tips[/size]
A relative who owns the X5s but can't stand to wear multi-flanges gave them to me. They feel terrific, seemingly disappearing after a few minutes of wear. After several hours of listening, however, the ridges started to feel sharp and dug into my ear (they don't feel sharp initially, but my inner ear was probably tender from 6+ hours of music). They sound the same as the foamies, but have the isolation and bass of the Altec Lansings. They fit somewhat loosely on the ports, but have yet to come loose once in about a week of constant (not frequent, literally constant) use. They penetrate quite deeply (teehee) into my ear, but I'm not worried about them coming loose.
I decided to keep them at the half-way mark on the ports, solving the sibilance issue. There is a small cutaway on the inside to fit Klipsch tubes, but the small ridge on the E4 tube also fits the small ridge and keeps the tip firmly in place. It's as if Klipsch designed these tips to be used half-way on the E4s! These are my favorite tips. I also used them on the im617s with just as favorable results.
1=Worst of the 6, 10=Best of the 6
Note on cleaning: they all suck to clean. You can throw away the foamies, or wash them in warm water and save $.50. I use bar soap rather than hand soap or dish detergent on the other tips.
I love the Klipsch tips and use them exclusively. They feel great and isolate well. The distance created by the tip between the driver and my inner ear is perfect as to muffle sibilance while keeping the highs bright, and produce a fair amount of bass (I'm sure the lack of bass is mostly due to the E4s). I'd recommend these tips for any IEMs that they can outfit.
Anyone else use Klipsch tips, either people who use Klipsch phones or just like the tips? I'm content with my current tips, but I'll definitely take into consideration any recommendations anyone has.
