acrylic vs silicon housing for custom iem? - Page 2

average joe, I thought the EM3 was silicone?

 

I would like to try out a silicone custom one day since I do like greater isolation when I'm out and about since in quiet passages some noise does still get in...maybe one day :)

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions Jack, it has been very informative.

Check here: "Built from hard acrylic..."

 

They are not shells, they are solid!

 

And I too want to try some silicone customs soon...

I'd ask 1964 Ears about their silicone customs. They should know their products best.

 

I think one day but nothing really interests me that has silicone. I think Westone is closest but it's not full silicone unless I;m mistaken so probably won't be the full effect?

First post! My question is, can you get a used custom IEM remoilded in silicon instead of acrylic? Secondly, are there any custom makers besides Livewires that allow you to were the cords straight down, instead of behind the ear. I think the pics posted on the Kozee site looked like they were. Thanks in advance.

 

Silicone's contribution to the IEM experience is, IMHO, far more significant than the any other feature.

 

Best of luck with your purchase, Anouk!

Jack, I'm hoping you can answer this. Is it the case that silicone customs have a slightly more involved insertion process, requiring the use of a lubricant? And if that's the case, in a pinch will other more common lubricants work? Eg. water, or even saliva?

Water is a horrible lubricant, just try doing it in a pool. Saliva should be fine as people have been using it for deep insertion universals for a while now.

Silicone earpieces kind of cling to the ear canal and, properly fitted, are a bit tighter than most acrylics. Going past the 2nd bend in the ear canal does, for some people, make them more difficult to fully insert. Yes, some use a lubricant to aid in insertion, but personally, I've never needed to. The fact that silicone is very pliable allows one to do a full insertion, but it's kind of a leap of faith the first time you do it.

 

I strongly recommend working through an audiologist and going in for a fitting when you receive your custom earphones.

Thanks Jack for your answers on the previous page
I'm a pretty big fan of silicone because of the incredible seal, but it just annoyed me how my tips changed color and kinda looked gross =_= bummed me out a bit
But the fit/seal is like non-other beats acrylic, shure olives, comply foams, and the rubbers hands down in my experiences.
I wish the OP good luck

Cheers

The Westone IEM use an acrylic shell with vinyl head sensitive tips for the ear canal portion.  The AC2 is all acrylic only, but the other models can have the vinyl tips.  They don't use silicone except with the UM56 tips which you can get in vinyl or silicone.  I've had both with the UM56 and the silicone are more comfortable after the initial insertion, but after a while the vinyl soften up a little and become almost as comfortable.

 

I find the Westone ES3X and ES5 to be more comfortable for longer than 2-3 hours of listening or for falling asleep wearing them, and the isolation seems slightly better than with my JH13Pro or UE11Pro and such.  It's not a huge difference, but it's there.  

 

The ES3X and ES5 do seem more comfortable than the vinyl UM56 tips, and about as comfortable as the silicone UM56, making me wonder if the UM56 uses a harder vinyl than the customs.

I wonder if age may be a factor. I think silicone generally stays more pliable over time.

medical grade, cold-cure silicone > > vinyl > > acrylic