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The babies are home, thanks to Claire at Jaben Singapore who stayed back after closing to ensure I picked them up on way home from the airport.
What do you think of them?
ACS Encore Studio New 5 Driver CIEM!
- Thread starter soundblast75
- Start date
What do you think of them?
Kiats
Headphoneus Supremus
Truth be told, I'm absolutely gobsmacked how good they sound! I have the T1, the 3 driver custom from ACS. I love them for their organic sig and clarity. But. Always wished there was more bass and fuller bass extension. Well, my prayers have been answered. While maintaining their signature organic and natural sound, there's much more richness and nuances in the music. Early days, but I'm loving it!
Truth be told, I'm absolutely gobsmacked how good they sound! Always wished there was more bass and fuller bass extension. Well, my prayers have been answered. While maintaining their signature organic and natural sound, there's much more richness and nuances in the music.
Excellent early report! Very pleased for you. I am hoping to go to the Head Office on Thursday and have a listen to the ACS range. I shall then be hopefully fitted out using my own impressions which are in their data banks
Kiats
Headphoneus Supremus
Heheh! I used my old ear impressions. Which is why Jaben could order for me before the demos arrived. In fact they arrived same time as mine.
For those of us who haven't used Silicones before, do be warned you need more patience than with acrylic and there's a few times before you get it right. Further, because silicone is pliable, some adjustment may always be needed. But once you get the hang of it, it is very rewarding because silicone imparts a wonderful sonic character that's almost tube like.
Despite having liked ACS' facebook page, I seemed to have somehow missed out the promo deal 10% off during May 1-4. But I've just stumbled upon this http://www.custom-inearmonitors.co.uk/iems/acs-encore-studio-five-driver-custom-in-ear-monitors.php
15% off ! It would put it at 880euros.
15% off ! It would put it at 880euros.
please send them an email, mentioning my name, (Trevor Stephens) as a recommendation and ask if they might be willing to honour this deal. I just have a sneaky feeling they will.... and don't forget to also mention headfi too!
Trev
oops I think my post brought some confusion. I didn't mean it like that. I haven't got a standing order. Only wanted to share the info of an existing promo deal for those that might be interested in getting one themselves. That being said, I'm in contact with Paul from CustomIEMCo at the moment. 18 days left to decide wether to get one for myself.
I went to get my ear impressions done 4d ago, got 3 sets for each type of requirement depending one which ciem I choose in the end.
I really appreciate the gesture though, thank you
I took a journey to Banbury on Thursday to the ACS HQ. The 3 hour trip was well worth it. I got to meet Dan, the designer of the new range of ACS products. Dan showed me the Evolve and the Encore and I had a good listen to both as universals.
I got to meet Angela, the lady that answered numerous emails and solved many problems for me last year. I was extremely lucky to catch Andy Shiach, the man behind ACS. I didn't realise but I was in the prescence of the founding father of CIEMs. There was no such things as a CIEM until Andy was contacted to find a solution to hearing protection on stage in the 80s. Thus the T3 was born.....
I explained my surfers ear condition which makes getting impressions done by anyone other than myself impossible. I suggested that Andy might be able to achieve a better ear impression than me and he smiled and said he had taken the impressions of an 86 year old with surfers ear the previous night!
The impressions Andy took were far far better than any of the 30 DIY ones I have done previously. Simly he went deeper into my ear canal than I would have ever dared to go. This means my new order will be a much better fit than I got with the ear sleeves they made me last year for my Klipsch X11is. Considering the quality of the fit the sleeves got me I am even more excited.
I'm still pinching myself that I got an ear impression from the best of the best.
Andy took me on a tour and showed me from start to finish his entirely digitalised manufacturing process of which he is justly proud. The impressions are scanned into a 3D printer, they are sent to Dan's PC and fitted virtually with the speakers and crossovers , this is then 3D printed , injected , cracked open , filled with speakers and crossover, made beautiful, laser etched, quality checked and packed.
I got to see everything in situ, I got to choose my colour and see Dan's semi finished Encore's to see what how mine will look. I shall always be grateful to the team at ACS and for Andy to take time out from his busy schedule to talk to me to do my impressions and to show me round.
In terms of the Audiophile proportion of ACS's business this is a developing market, but with the universal ACS range now on sale this I believe should develop rapidly. Also worth noting is a development that will bring even more professionalism and safety to the Headfi Community. Laser ear scans will be a reality for ACS once all the appropriate testing has been finished, so nothing will be put inside the ear canal in the near future.
I will give my impressions of what I heard while I was there on a separate article
I got to meet Angela, the lady that answered numerous emails and solved many problems for me last year. I was extremely lucky to catch Andy Shiach, the man behind ACS. I didn't realise but I was in the prescence of the founding father of CIEMs. There was no such things as a CIEM until Andy was contacted to find a solution to hearing protection on stage in the 80s. Thus the T3 was born.....
I explained my surfers ear condition which makes getting impressions done by anyone other than myself impossible. I suggested that Andy might be able to achieve a better ear impression than me and he smiled and said he had taken the impressions of an 86 year old with surfers ear the previous night!
The impressions Andy took were far far better than any of the 30 DIY ones I have done previously. Simly he went deeper into my ear canal than I would have ever dared to go. This means my new order will be a much better fit than I got with the ear sleeves they made me last year for my Klipsch X11is. Considering the quality of the fit the sleeves got me I am even more excited.
I'm still pinching myself that I got an ear impression from the best of the best.
Andy took me on a tour and showed me from start to finish his entirely digitalised manufacturing process of which he is justly proud. The impressions are scanned into a 3D printer, they are sent to Dan's PC and fitted virtually with the speakers and crossovers , this is then 3D printed , injected , cracked open , filled with speakers and crossover, made beautiful, laser etched, quality checked and packed.
I got to see everything in situ, I got to choose my colour and see Dan's semi finished Encore's to see what how mine will look. I shall always be grateful to the team at ACS and for Andy to take time out from his busy schedule to talk to me to do my impressions and to show me round.
In terms of the Audiophile proportion of ACS's business this is a developing market, but with the universal ACS range now on sale this I believe should develop rapidly. Also worth noting is a development that will bring even more professionalism and safety to the Headfi Community. Laser ear scans will be a reality for ACS once all the appropriate testing has been finished, so nothing will be put inside the ear canal in the near future.
I will give my impressions of what I heard while I was there on a separate article
I was almost certain before I got to ACs that I wanted their flagship Encore Studio CIEM, but I wanted to make sure I was going to be getting a real improvement over the masses of IEMs I already own. I listened to the triple driver Evolves first.
The Evolves are a great set of Universals in their own right. The sound reminded me of my Etymotic ER4Ps but with much better bass response. The bass was a fast bass and the overall sound was lively.
This is a sound that will appeal to many ears
The Evolves are a great set of Universals in their own right. The sound reminded me of my Etymotic ER4Ps but with much better bass response. The bass was a fast bass and the overall sound was lively.
This is a sound that will appeal to many ears
session76
100+ Head-Fier
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This has been my experience with the NY office as well, Adam must have been trained by Andy, because he was a wiz at my impressions, and everything I've gotten from them has fit perfectly. I have the evoke and the encore, both are great. I also have custom tips for my er 4p ,sleep plugs, and full concha plugs. all fit perfectly. I have found the comfort and fit of the silicone to wonderful.
That must have been incredible to visit the home office. If i am ever in England, I will have to make a pilgrimage there
Nik
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I haven't been as lucky with the fit, first on the T1, then again when I decided to upgrade to the Encore instead of redoing the T1, but I have always been a difficult fit. They have always been easy to deal with in the NY office, though, in my experience with them.
The 3rd and final instalment of my adventure at Banbury is regarding the ACS Encore Studio 5 driver flagship. I have said that the Evolve is a superb IEM. Dan explained to me how a CIEM would sound different and why. A universal ends at a single nozzle to which a tip is fitted and the best fitting tip is used to get the best isolation and clearest sound. With a CIEM ACS can direct the sound from it's drivers into the direction your individual ear canals take. They also have a nozzle for each driver so each driver will be able to fulfil its potential. This is because there is more space in the silicone shell of a CIEM. In conclusion , if you like what you hear from a Universal , you will love what you get from a CIEM.
Having tried the Evolve and appreciating the clarity there and the bass punch I was interested to see whether this was a house sound that would be the signature of the Encore too. My expectation was of a punchy powerful IEM with more separation.
It was therefore a surprise when I put on the 5 driver model. The sound signature was much different from the Evolve. I heard much more bass and a more refined top end , giving a smoother presentation. The Encore is more sensitive than the Evolve. I turned the volume down significantly with the Encores. Dan said the Evolves were 51 Ohms and the Encores 82 Ohms. The higher impedance gives ACS the headroom they need to keep their drivers behaved when they're being pushed through powerful amplification on stage or at home, something that an IEM isn't subjected to through a smartphone or an Ipod.
Within 2 minutes I had made up my mind. I chose the Encore. I am hoping that this will mean a lot less luggage when I commute from 1 home to another each week. It will mean that I can have top tier sound even if I am running or walking. Convenience without sacrifice.
So the first step of the journey into CIEMs is now complete for me. It was a great way to do it and I can now put faces to names and appreciate what goes into making great sound. In ACS I am with a company that created a market. They are the trendsetters not the followers. They have competitors now that are undoubtedly going to produce decent products ; but ACS started all this. The new range and the introduction of Universals show they are not content to sit on their laurels and they mean business. Despite having branches in Tapei New York London and LA you still get the feeling you are dealing with a small friendly group of people who want the absolute best for you.
The next step will be the delivery of the Encore Studio and I will update when my parcel is unwrapped and plugged in.
The demo I used was a 24 96 Vinyl rip of an Audiophile pressing of Inxs Kick - the track was New Sensation. I played it through my Ibasso DX100 on normal gain
Having tried the Evolve and appreciating the clarity there and the bass punch I was interested to see whether this was a house sound that would be the signature of the Encore too. My expectation was of a punchy powerful IEM with more separation.
It was therefore a surprise when I put on the 5 driver model. The sound signature was much different from the Evolve. I heard much more bass and a more refined top end , giving a smoother presentation. The Encore is more sensitive than the Evolve. I turned the volume down significantly with the Encores. Dan said the Evolves were 51 Ohms and the Encores 82 Ohms. The higher impedance gives ACS the headroom they need to keep their drivers behaved when they're being pushed through powerful amplification on stage or at home, something that an IEM isn't subjected to through a smartphone or an Ipod.
Within 2 minutes I had made up my mind. I chose the Encore. I am hoping that this will mean a lot less luggage when I commute from 1 home to another each week. It will mean that I can have top tier sound even if I am running or walking. Convenience without sacrifice.
So the first step of the journey into CIEMs is now complete for me. It was a great way to do it and I can now put faces to names and appreciate what goes into making great sound. In ACS I am with a company that created a market. They are the trendsetters not the followers. They have competitors now that are undoubtedly going to produce decent products ; but ACS started all this. The new range and the introduction of Universals show they are not content to sit on their laurels and they mean business. Despite having branches in Tapei New York London and LA you still get the feeling you are dealing with a small friendly group of people who want the absolute best for you.
The next step will be the delivery of the Encore Studio and I will update when my parcel is unwrapped and plugged in.
The demo I used was a 24 96 Vinyl rip of an Audiophile pressing of Inxs Kick - the track was New Sensation. I played it through my Ibasso DX100 on normal gain
Hi , have you now got a great fit? Why are your ears difficult to get impressions on? Did you get your impressions done by an Audiologist? Andy says America are better set up to working with CIEM manufacturers so it's a shame you've had problems
It would be worth making a trip when there's a CanJam on and getting to Banbury to see where it all started Nik. I'm envious of your custom sleeves because they don't make them any more but I don't suppose I shall need them once I get the Encores. Do you have both the Evolve and the Encore. Andy mentioned he prefers the flatter reference signature of the Evolves for much of the music he listens to.
Sorry Cagin I completely misunderstood you. Best of luck with your decisions will be keen to see what you choose in the end. I must be more impulsive , I chose in 10 minutes!
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It was AJ at the office that did the last impressions (he does a great Obama, hahaha), had other problems with the build so I'm still waiting for them to come back.
designmaniac
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Paul's an awesome guy to deal with! I'd jump on this offer if I was you! Outstanding CIEMS by a brilliant, ethical company, run by a true gentleman! Auditioned them at the Headphone show in London and they were just as good - if not better - than the Laylas that were there, at less than half the price. Awesome stuff! As soon as I can manage to part with my FitEars ToGo 334 I'm ordering mine! Impressions already done! Hope helps sway your decision mate!
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