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Custom Tip Sleeves vs Full Custom IEMs: What Truly Is the Difference?

post #1 of 6
12/22/11 at 8:59am
Thread Starter 

I have been given the opportunity to purchase two new IEMs with custom fittings for the same price.  I am not going to state which IEMs they are to avoid any biases, since everyone is always biased towards the "flavors of the month."  My deciding factor is not based on the IEM (since I like both) but based on the differences between custom tip sleeves and full custom IEMs.

 

One of the manufacturers utilizes custom tip sleeves that slip over their IEM.  They seem to directly resemble a full custom IEM due to the fact that the sleeve fully fills your ear canal and sticks out of your ear opening.  The other IEM is a full custom IEM only AFTER a reshelling service from a third-party company; it's not a full custom IEM directly from the manufacturer.

 

My question is what are the differences between custom tip sleeves and full custom IEMs?  Is there a difference between the two in terms of isolation, SQ, comfort, etc.? 

 

The only characteristic that I know for sure is that there is a difference in resale value.  The custom tip sleeves can be removed, the IEMs can be sold, and the tips may be able to be used on future universal IEMs.  With the full custom IEMs, I know that there basically is no resale value, and you are stuck with them.  I am unsure if there are differences in isolation, SQ, comfort, etc. between the two though and am looking for those with experience to describe the differences.

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post #2 of 6
12/22/11 at 7:31pm

Custom IEMs are tuned specifically for your ear configuration while universal IEMs that use a custom tip were still not tuned for your ear.  A customized universal still was not originally designed for your ear so the sound may change.  I compared a reshelled TF10 with a universal TF10 here.  

 

The custom sleeves should provide similar comfort, but a full custom will more than likely provide a bit more isolation.

 

Resale value of a custom IEM is not zero, but there is a bigger hit to the resale because the person that is buying them needs to get them reshelled, which is an added cost, plus the discount they are expecting buying something used.

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post #3 of 6
12/23/11 at 8:51am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by average_joe View Post

Custom IEMs are tuned specifically for your ear configuration while universal IEMs that use a custom tip were still not tuned for your ear.  A customized universal still was not originally designed for your ear so the sound may change.  I compared a reshelled TF10 with a universal TF10 here.  

 

The custom sleeves should provide similar comfort, but a full custom will more than likely provide a bit more isolation.

 

Resale value of a custom IEM is not zero, but there is a bigger hit to the resale because the person that is buying them needs to get them reshelled, which is an added cost, plus the discount they are expecting buying something used.


Great read on the comparison average_joe - thank you.

 

Would the fact that the universal IEM with the custom tip sleeve is closed and with a single dynamic driver affect any sound changes less than if it was a multiple speaker armature driver?


Edited by BassInMyFace - 12/23/11 at 9:04am
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post #4 of 6
12/24/11 at 8:36am
Thread Starter 

Can anyone chime in here?

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post #5 of 6
1/6/12 at 9:25am

I asked Adam at Kozee about this topic, since their website didn't explicitly state that they only reshelled BAs, like some of the other manufacturers.  I specifically asked about reshelling a pair of Future Sonics Atrios, which are single 10mm closed dynamic IEMs, at least similar to what you were thinking about.  Here was his response:

 

Quote:
Hello [penguinicus],

Like I mentioned previously, our roots are in balanced armatures, but we
are venturing more into dynamics.  For your reference, we shouldn't have
any problem reshelling the Future Sonics earphones.  As far as a
difference in sound, you will obviously not be altering the sound
signature too much, if any, by going with custom sleeves.  The reason for
this is because the driver is kept within it's original housing and really
the only thing changing is the length of the sound bore (because you are
extending it further into the canal with custom sleeves).  As for an
actual reshell, we would be taking the original driver and enclosing it
into a custom shell.  Even though we can replicate the original length of
the sound bore, we cannot however guarantee the exact same sound
signature.  This is the case with all reshells.  We do have ways to get it
as close to the original as possbile though.  Once we put the driver into
the custom shell, especially with a dynamic, there are some factors to
take into consideration.  Positioning of the driver, bore length, filters,
and volume of air in the new shell.  Once the dynamic driver is in the
custom shell there is a lot more air circulation going on than in the
original housing.  Also, some dynamics require vented setups.  As you can
see, there is a lot to consider when reshelling, because all of it has an
effect on the finished sound signature.  Thank you [penguinicus], I hope this
was the information you were looking for.


Sincerely,

Adam Palmquist
President
Kozee Sound Solutions
www.kozeesolutions.com

 

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post #6 of 6
1/6/12 at 3:43pm
Thread Starter 

Awesome info. 

 

Thank you Penguin!

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