Bring on the impressions bluejay!

Custom Art Ei.3 Review

[size=17.0300006866455px]Intro
    [/size]This is a long review because I couldn't stop typing  If you want the short version, scroll to the bottom!

 

[size=17.0300006866455px]Background[/size]

     Before I give my impressions, I’m going to give a little bit of background about me and my experiences in the audiophile world. I’m nowhere near a professional, but I have loved music - both creating and consuming - for as long as I can remember. My experiences with listening gear have ranged from extremely budget prices to several hundred dollars. As a student, I don’t have much money, but when I finally had some to spend, I decided on getting an IEM. That landed me into the world of head-fi, Massdrop, review websites, and so on. Most importantly, though, into the world of Custom Art. 
     I never knew why anyone would spend so much on an IEM. I get that there are professional musicians or people with lots of money to spare, but I never understood why for anyone else. I would put in some sub-$100 earbuds and be happy enough. There was plenty of bass, the vocals sounded nice, and it sounded nice and open. Plus, they were cheap. I figured there had to be something magical or revolutionary about higher-priced IEMs. After lots of researching and discussion, I finally ordered the Custom Art Pro 330v2. 
 

 
     A few weeks later, it arrived. I was so excited. I quickly opened it up and was practically drooling over the premium feel it had. Once I finally figured out how to put IEMs in, I played some of my favorite songs. They ranged from acoustic to alternative rock to pop and just about everything else. But something was off. I had build up this expectation of magic in my head and it wasn’t living up to that expectation. I could tell it was very technically capable, but it just wasn’t for me. With the 330v2 I was comparing it to every budget dynamic driver earbud I was used to. I knew balanced armature IEMs were supposedly better, but I just kept searching for that magic. I think I was just being too unrealistic.
 
Important note: The Ei.3 comes with Peli 1010 case, warranty card, wax tool and drying pellet (no blue poach and black box like in the picture). Those were just left over from my 330v2. Also, the cable is an Estron Linum BaX, so it is slightly different from the normal cable.
 

   
     In comes the Ei.3.
 

 
     When the Ei.3 arrived, I was still very excited, but I tried to have no expectations. As much as I wanted to tear it open, I grabbed my camera and took pictures while I opened the package. It’s been a while since I’ve had them, and I’ve listened to them quite a bit. I’ll put my detailed impressions below, but long story short - The Ei.3’s from Custom Art made me rediscover my entire music collection and realize what I was missing.
 

Fit, Build & Finish

     Even though I opted for a simple clear acrylic finish, I was surprised by how light the IEMs were. It definitely doesn’t look like Custom Art’s “first foray” into an acrylic CIEM. I can’t say how state of the art designs will look on it, but knowing Piotr’s craftsmanship, I’m sure they will be stunning. Now for the fit. My 330v2 was a bit tight, and the canals hurt when they were in all the way. They didn’t budge when I shook my head around though. The Ei.3’s fit almost perfect. Their weight combined with their fit makes them disappear in my ears. They also stay put really well if I’m just walking around or moving my head. They do shift around a little bit, which affects the sound, if I’m drumming. However, I did ask Piotr to make mine very low profile so I don’t think the normal Ei.3 will budge at all no matter what. It doesn’t keep seal while I’m smiling ear to ear, though.
 

 

Isolation

     Again, I asked Piotr for a low profile design, so take this section lightly. My pair of Ei.3 has much less material than my 330v2 did, so the isolation is a lot less. It’s enough to zone out quiet noises nearby, but it doesn’t fade away people talking or loud/low-frequency noises as well as the 330v2. It’s still decent for my needs, but I can’t really ask for more since I asked for a low profile design.
 

 

[size=17.0300006866455px]Sound[/size]

     Remember that expectation of magic I talked about earlier? That’s what the Ei.3 is to me. The Ei.3 has it’s own character that it imparts on practically every genre and source. Granted, I can’t test every genre and source. I did test pretty contrasting genres and sources ranging from my iPod Nano 6th Generation to my 24/96 D/A converter I use in my studio.
 
     Part of the Ei.3’s character is in its disappearing act. Since it’s magical and has a disappearing act I’ve concluded that it’s a magician. What do I mean by this? It’s a combination of the fit and the sound. The Ei.3 is so selfless it takes itself out of the picture, it sounds so natural to me I forget I’m listening to an IEM. If I close my eyes the soundstage isn’t so wide that it doesn’t feel personal, and it isn’t so close that I feel trapped either. You know when you’re thinking of a song and sort of playing a version in your head? The Ei.3 to me is like the real version of that.
 
     The Ei.3 isn’t entirely selfless though; a magician has to appear for some of his acts. When I’m listening to my favorite tracks, whether they’re new top 50s or my favorite classics that I’ve been listening to for years, the Ei.3 comes in every so often and demands a standing ovation for its grand acts. The low end of the Ei.3 isn’t ubiquitous or nonexistent. Rather, it comes in when it needs to. I’ve been so used to dynamic driver earbuds that they impart low end to everything. These IEMs don’t quite match dynamic drivers in volume, but I forgot about that once I heard them. If I’m listening to an electronic track, when the bass drops, it combines quantity with finesse in its delivery. If it’s a more chill or acoustic track, the bass stays behind the scenes. But if it is needed for a low bass part or the like it will gladly step out. 
 
     The drivers in the Ei.3 work so well in unison - sounding cohesive, yet they separate when they need to. This made complex tracks enjoyable to me without being overwhelming. The second part of the Ei.3’s act was in its treble. Sparkly and natural and airy and open, without being harsh or fatiguing. At the same time it demanded to be heard. I heard details in songs that I had never heard before, yet it did this all without becoming clinical or too technical. The Ei.3 refused to let its character go unheard. A few years back I saw a magic show at a big theater; during the final act, when they opened the curtains there was a cinematic orchestral track playing with a powerful lead vocal. The magician was rising off the ground with his hands in the air. It was grand beyond epic proportions, and combined with the music, I think it gave everyone in the room chills. That’s the feeling the Ei.3’s character gives me.
 

Short version

     The Ei.3 is everything I didn’t know I wanted in an IEM. It is both a technically capable IEM and an IEM with its own character. You could say it’s amazing for the price, but in my opinion it stands strong no matter what the price is.
 

[size=17.0300006866455px]Closing notes[/size]

     I’m sure you can tell by now that I’m more than happy with my pair of Ei.3. I hope your experience is as good as mine! I’d like to thank Piotr as well for his unrivaled customer support over weeks and weeks. He gave the product and experience such a personal feel, which just adds to the sound of the IEMs. This is my first impressions/review but I’m sure it could be classified as a short novel! I hope you enjoyed it and that it wasn’t too long. Feel free to let me know if I’ve missed something. If you have any questions let me know as well!
 
    Someone asked me the other day why on Earth would I spend so much on a pair of earbuds, and I just smiled.

Thank you!
most probably my next custom

Holy... I'm actually lost for words for your first review this is great stuff.
Thank you so much for reviewing Ei.3 and I hope you'll enjoy them long time

Hey bluejay, what a great review from you. Thank you!

I'm really looking forward to try out Ei3 when the demo reached the shore...

bluejay said:

     The Ei.3 refused to let its character go unheard... That’s the feeling the Ei.3’s character gives me.

Click to expand...

What exactly would you say is the character of the Ei.3?
 
Great review by the way. Very well written and now I just have to go get some impressions and figure out a design before I order myself a pair of these bad boys. Just curious as to your thoughts on their character as you mention it quite often.
 
Also, how do male/female vocals sound on the Ei.3?

Great review! Now I'm REALLY excited!!

Thank you everyone for the kind feedback!
 
To me the character of the Ei.3 is its own personal touch it adds to the music. For example, you might be used to hearing a song a certain way on your IEMs, but the Ei.3 will change that by adding its own house sound. More details are in the second and third paragraph of the sound section.
 
As for vocals, I like my vocals to feel intimate without being too cramped in my head. I think the Ei.3 scales very nicely. At lower volumes everything is light and airy, and as the volume is increased, it becomes more in your face, while still retaining its open character. (side note - I've been really happy with how detailed and appropriate the bass is at all volume levels. The IEMs are enjoyable even at quiet volumes, which is a relief for my ears ).
 
On more relaxed male vocal tracks (think some of Sam Smith's music) the vocals are lush and sparkly, but it doesn't sound unnatural or harsh. Same goes for female vocals. The surprising thing was how good vocals sounded on more complex tracks (think electronic or rap music with a hook). The vocals kept all those same features - there were just other things going on next to them.

Wow.

I just got the music ones and now I'm wondering if the next one could be Ei. 3 instead of the harmony.

Comparing Harmony and Ei.3 is not relevant imho. They just are not the same thing, as in "they have a totally different philosophy".

mrbutchi said:

Comparing Harmony and Ei.3 is not relevant imho. They just are not the same thing, as in "they have a totally different philosophy".

Click to expand...

Agree.

I think the most telling thing to look at for an IEM is the comparison charts. Now, keep in mind that the graphs that Piotr made were uncompensated. Looking at the Ei.3 and saying that the treble looks spikey is accurate, but that is just problems with resonance in the measuring equipment.

The comparison to the UE Reference Monitors I think is the most telling. Those are widely regarded to be perfectly neutral. And the Ei.3 has more bass and less treble than the UERM and thus, is just a touch off neutral.

Looking at the harmony, just the graphs, they will present themselves in a much different way. Not mention that you are comparing silicone to acrylic.

Measures and graphs are indeed a good comparison point for CIEMs. Yet, I wouldn't take them as a universal truth.

sirenia said:

Measures and graphs are indeed a good comparison point for CIEMs. Yet, I wouldn't take them as a universal truth.

Click to expand...

I'd take them as a universal truth for sound signature. Unless the headphone's sound is very fit dependent and the fit is poor.

But a graph doesn't tell all. A headphone could have the ideal sound signature (whatever that is) but distort like crazy and sound just terrible with the drivers out of phase.

Graphs tells almost the entire story provided that you are looking at not only FR but also CSD, impulse response, distortion, phase.

Can we see resolution and transparency from graphs, and which one and how?
And also black background?