ACS T1 Custom Review and impressions thread! - Page 12

I'm putting down my money for a pair of T1s next week.  I'm only about 50mins from ACS so I'm going to their Banbury HQ and they will be taking the impressions themselves.

I think the thing that comes through to me from the various posts and the e-mail exchanges I've had with them leading up to my decision, is that your money is getting you more than just a top-flight IEM, it's also buying you into a customer relationship that goes way beyond anything you'd get from any mainstream manufacturer like Shure or Sennheiser.

OK, so ACS give a warranty, but it seems quite obvious that they go well beyond the normal level of customer service.  To a degree this is to be expected with a bespoke, custom item, but even things like the very reasonable charges for repair/servicing outside of warranty are to be applauded.  No doubt this is because until recent growth in interest from audiophiles, ACS' stock-in trade was with music professionals, from artists to producers and recording engineers.

To me, purchasing a quality product from a company to whom I am more than just a number, has real value.

The bonus is that assuming the T1s work out as well as I expect them to, I will be able to fund a big chunk of the cost by selling my other IEMs, and full-size phones, which I just don't use enough.

Really very excited about getting them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by twelvebears 

I'm putting down my money for a pair of T1s next week.  I'm only about 50mins from ACS so I'm going to their Banbury HQ and they will be taking the impressions themselves.

 

I think the thing that comes through to me from the various posts and the e-mail exchanges I've had with them leading up to my decision, is that your money is getting you more than just a top-flight IEM, it's also buying you into a customer relationship that goes way beyond anything you'd get from any mainstream manufacturer like Shure or Sennheiser.

 

OK, so ACS give a warranty, but it seems quite obvious that they go well beyond the normal level of customer service.  To a degree this is to be expected with a bespoke, custom item, but even things like the very reasonable charges for repair/servicing outside of warranty are to be applauded.  No doubt this is because until recent growth in interest from audiophiles, ACS' stock-in trade was with music professionals, from artists to producers and recording engineers.

 

To me, purchasing a quality product from a company to whom I am more than just a number, has real value.

 

The bonus is that assuming the T1s work out as well as I expect them to, I will be able to fund a big chunk of the cost by selling my other IEMs, and full-size phones, which I just don't use enough.

 

Really very excited about getting them.

Yes, that's huge. You're very smart to work with a company close to you that will really make sure you're happy. Enjoy them!

got my T1's a couple of weeks ago but have only started using them as they arrived when i was out of the country! haven't had time for a proper listen yet but wanted to ask what levels of isolation others are getting. i use mine a lot while walking and notice a lot of external sound comes through, obviously at muted levels. i can hear trains rumbling past and traffic can be heard clearly(but not while music is playing). i can also here people talking to me with music off. the reason i ask is because when my impressions were being taken the agent said i should get similar levels of isolation to when the molds were in and i couldn't here anything with the molds in. just wanted some othervuser experience before contacting acs. thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by cho8 

got my T1's a couple of weeks ago but have only started using them as they arrived when i was out of the country! haven't had time for a proper listen yet but wanted to ask what levels of isolation others are getting. i use mine a lot while walking and notice a lot of external sound comes through, obviously at muted levels. i can hear trains rumbling past and traffic can be heard clearly(but not while music is playing). i can also here people talking to me with music off. the reason i ask is because when my impressions were being taken the agent said i should get similar levels of isolation to when the molds were in and i couldn't here anything with the molds in. just wanted some othervuser experience before contacting acs. thanks!

The agent was wrong, you'll never get the isolation like when the silicone is injected into your ears to take the impressions. I have had 2 pairs of T1s and had them remoulded about 4 times and each time they have been the same. When they are in and the music is off, you can still hear the outside world but it is very muted and muffled. However, in a quiet office, I can still hear someone talk to me from about 5 feet away, but unless I concentrate, I cant always make out what they are saying. 

However, when the music is on, even at very low volumes, the whole world disappears and I am enveloped in my music and that's all there is.

If when the music is on, you are noticing external sound leaking in, it may be a fit issue. If you open and close your mouth, the T1s should not unstick from your ear canal and the bass should remain the same. The T1s should feel tight without feeling painful in any areas.

That last post is reassuring. If at zero volume these were fully isolating, they simply wouldn't be able to be used for normal commuting. Just too dangerous.

Anyway, I'm going to be getting either the t2 or t1 and was thinking of the difference between these and the 'live' versions. Can anyone help me here?

I mean, they talk about three main changes I think, with the t1 live that is:

1) removable cable

2) redesign of the crossover between drivers

3) it has built in microphones

http://www.acscustom.com/uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=117&Itemid=91

What can these microphones be used for?

Is the impact on SQ of a crossover redesign impossible to predict?

Which would be better for audiophile listening?

And which has the bigger soundstage of the t2 and t1?

I've contacted acs in a number of ways over the last week or two, and I haven't found them to be nowhere near as responsive as you guys have. Pretty unresponsive really (emails, phone, visited harrods storefront where they have, errrm, clueless people fronting their headphones). 

thanks for the reassurance kryten. it looks like i'm experiencing exactly what you are describing. i also find it actually does seal slightly better after being in for a few minutes.

cantscareme as far as i know you can specify to have just the new cables without the microphones, which are directed more at people in the music industry so they can control how much external noise is allowed in. i think it requires a separate belt pack to control this feature.

cantscareme - If you are having some problems with the customer serivces, I would email one of the directors directly ie Joan (I have pm'd you her email as I am not sure she would want it public).

I know the directors (Joan & Andy) are very keen to offer the best cutomer service they can and have always been very helpful to me.

It might just be that they are swamped and "staff" may not always be as customer service focused as the owners. Having said that, once the staff actually began to address any issues I had, they were 100% focused on helping me until I was100% happy.

Thanks for that info. 

What would I do without headfi 

I want to have these by two or three weeks, so i'll get the impressions done v soon.

I didnt know that the T1 Live can come without the microphone. Andy was very helpful in my case. Agree with kryten, we need to get in touch with the right person in charge. Luckily, our fellow headfiers are very helpful. One of them personally notify Andy for me. Owed him big time:)

the microphone thing will need to be confirmed but when i ordered mine the agent had a pair with detachable cables and the microphones and asked if i would like one or both. the lives were just about to be released i think

I admit that I haven't talked to andy (managing director??), but I've had quite a bit of time wasted with their dealers. Some of them seemed clueless about the custom iem concept. Should have come here first.

So what's the exact deal with this microphone then?

Does it mean that you can have a low volumed conversation with someone without having to take off the t1 lives OR is this uneccessary in the first place (as you could do this with the original t1's)?

Cable- can you choose the length? I was looking for 1.7m to 2m in length.

Oh, and a last question about color. What have you guys got. If I get a clear cable, will it turn green? I'm thinking of mixing clear with grey as the color of the shell. Maybe a clear or grey cable as well.

The main reason I was after these doods was because they sell the 'sleepsound' earplugs. Basically custom moulded foam sleeping earplugs. Man, I hope they work or I'm in big trouble. £250 a week for staying in a single studio flat near uni (south kensington) and the noise from next door/above is unbelievable. They sleep at 4am and wake at 8am but it's not their fault though- Imperial college is just full to the rim of machines. 

Anyway, just 4 more months then I'm out of here!!!

Cantscareme

I think you need to speak to ACS direct, even if to tell them about your experiences with the dealers.

All my dealings have been with the people at their office in Banbury and have been excellent.

I cant answer your question about the T1 Live as I haven't been interested in it because of having to carry around an external pack. That reason alone, makes me think its for gigging musicians.

The T1 "Classic" allows you to communicate with people because with the music off you can still hear the outside world, albeit muffled, and you have to concentrate on what people are saying. Once the music starts up though, they are very isolating....more so than my JH Audios.

With the music on, you are deaf to the outside world.

I had one pair with black cable and one with a sort of cream colour - bit like the apple buds cable colour. I didn't have the white ones long enough to notice any discoloration  taking place. They were bought 2nd hand from someone here that had them for about 18months, and the cable looked fine to me.

I think you only have the choice of the two cable colours now.

I chose the longest cable length they offered and that is plenty for me to have the earphones in and plug them into my player which was in my bottom coat pocket,without any tugging at my head.

The shells I had were with my cream cable were a "Smoke" which was a dark grey'ish translucent colour

Thanks for that rapid and complete answer. I now know enough.

Okay, I'll probably report back when I have them (around a months time).

I've found the whole experience with ACS to be absolutely first class.  I really can say anything but good things about them, and dealing with a small company where everything is so personal, is a real treat.

This is the e-mail I send them after my first week with my T1s and several weeks later, I'm more impressed than ever:

Hi Angela.

So I'm sitting here listening to my T1s at the end of my first week of ownership, and thought I should put fingers to keys and try and explain what the experience has been like and what I think of them.

First let's get the two potential negatives out the way first.  That way folks who are put off can save some time and only those who are really interested need sit and read through the rest.

1.  They're quite expensive.  Let's be frank, paying this sort of money for 'ear phones' isn't to be taken lightly or done on a whim.  Personally I still believe that for whole host of reasons the T1s are great vfm,  but even so, this is a way more than some quite serious headphones.

2.  The actual 'in-ear' nature of custom moulds like these just won't be for some people.  While they are very comfortable, having something deep inside your ear is an unusual experience and some may simply not like, or be able to get used to it.

However, if you can either get past, or are not concerned by the points above, then you really are in for a unique experience.

I have owned several pairs of high-end headphones from makers like Sennheiser and AKG, and none have come even close to creating such a wonderfully immersive and complete listening experience as the T1s.  The fit and isolation put you in a wonderful sound bubble, where there is just you and the music, with little or no interruption from back-ground sound, even in normally noisy environments.  The other thing that has become apparent, is how the T1s remove so many of the factors that normally cloud the music - no room effects from listening to speakers and no reflections or variation from the way you may have positioned your headphone or earphones.  With the sound pumped directly into your ear canals, it's a completely consistent experience every time.

This perfect physical deliver of sound is then backed up with a balance or 'sound signature' that seems as near to perfect as I can imagine and VERY different to anything else I have heard.  In fact it is SO different that I have found myself thinking that everything else I have heard was so wrong that I wish I have discovered ACS years ago.  Bass is deep and extended but without any boom or 'bloom' that often goes with low end 'kick'.  The mid-range, particularly the all important vocal region, is rich, warm and beautifully natural.  So much so that the T1s have had me digging through all my favourite female vocal tracks just to see what they SHOULD sound like.  Last but most definitely not least is the treble.  In my view this is the area that can make or break any earphone, headphone or speaker more than any other.  Harsh, or splashy and it makes listening fatiguing.  Dull or rolled off and music is boring.  The trouble is that recordings vary so much that I've never found anything which managed to sound right with everything - apart from the T1s.  I don't know how you've managed to do it, perhaps it's a combination of the driver and the silicone material used for the sound tubes, but whatever it is, it works!

The T1s are revealing enough to open up layers of a recording like an onion, showing up subtle little details you have never heard before in tracks that you thought you knew inside-out.  Somehow, this wonderful resolution doesn't come at the expense of musicality, so although poor recordings will be shown up as compressed or lacking in depth, they aren't rendered unbearable, just reproduced as well as they can be.

So in summary, the T1s somehow manage to be all things to all men, musical magic bullets, and seemingly, proof that you can actually have your cake and eat it.

Well done ACS!

Hi guys,

My first post here but been reading for a few weeks.

I had impressions taken at the weekend for a pair of T1 Live's at Boots in Bluewater.  Have to say the chap there was 1st class in taking the moulds, and wasn't happy with the left ear so re-did that.

ACS have also been great on the phone with their support and answers to my questions.  I am going on honeymoon in three weeks time and wanted to know if they could get them to me before that date - after some checking behind the scenes I was asked to make a note on the paperwork at Boots and they would remember me and ensure that they are delivered on time.

Great service, just looking forward to an 11 hours flight to the Maldives to try them out ;-)