syn010110
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2012
- Posts
- 13
- Likes
- 10
I'll try not to be too long-winded but it's a bit hard for an author. 
I've been considering my use of universal IEMs to be somewhat problematic. My ears are, well, strange. I have almost no chance of sealing with silicone tips unless I use ones so large they cause pressure and pain (while also bloating the bass and destroying treble). The only foams that really seem to work "okay" for me are Comply, and they're of course very expensive. I've been using various universal IEMs for the past ten years of listening to music, starting with ER-4P which I used for about six years before I was stupid and left them in a pocket... whereupon they went through the washer and dryer. The ergonomics of the ER4 always bothered me, so I tried a bunch of different mid- and low-range IEMs to see which ones I liked best. Eventually settled on the UE Super.fi 5 vi which I got for a quite low price and I've been using those for almost four years now.
Well, after years of heavy, daily use, the cable on the UE SF5s is about to give up the ghost. I suspect I can probably get another year out of them, but I think that'll be the end before the cable just frays too badly. Starting to think about new IEMs to replace these, I considered just how much I've spent on Comply (as well as Etymotic) foams over the past 10 years. The number I came up with was fairly staggering--I've apparently spent over $700 on little stupid pieces of foam over the past decade. I know some folks can get 3+ months out of one pair of Comply foams, but I can't seem to get past a single month without the tips tearing (and yes, I keep my earphones in a carrying case when not in use... the foams still die after a month, either they tear or they just get so un-springy I can't get a good seal). Anyway, with that money spent on tips plus the cost of the universal IEMs I've bought, I could easily have paid for a pair of customs that fit me perfectly and don't require I spend $16 plus tax on foams every 3 months.
So I've been thinking about customs. I always thought they were too expensive for me to really bother with, so I never looked into them much, but after realizing how much damn money I've spent on stupid pieces of foam worth maybe a few cents each... I'm seriously considering them. Universals fit me poorly; even with Comply foams I have to fiddle with them often to maintain a seal. Theoretically customs should fit perfectly (assuming my molds are good and things go according to plan) and they don't need overpriced pieces of foam to function.
I've been poring over reviews of customs from various manufacturers from UE to JH Audio to 1964 Ears and various other lesser-known brands, but one thing I'm noticing is that most of the lower-priced dual- and triple-driver options seem to have "warm" sound signatures. This is kind of a problem for me because I have hearing loss in the 7-9kHz range. What most folks find "smooth" or "non-fatiguing" sounds muddled and fuzzy to me. The ER-4P were pretty much brilliant in terms of sound and gave me almost what I was looking for, but their ergonomics suck, the cable's super noisy, they aren't comfortable to wear, all that stuff. They also didn't quite have enough bass, but EQing fixed that so the physical issues were worse than the sonic ones.
I can't for the life of me seem to find a low/mid-range CIEM that doesn't have a "relaxing" sound. I don't want a relaxing sound; I want a slightly aggressive crystal-clear sound with good highs to make up for my hearing loss. Mids should be present, not recessed but not necessarily emphasized, and I'm nothing close to a basshead. I've got quite a bit of time before I can save up the necessary funds to pull the trigger on some customs, so I'm still shopping around and would like some advice from folks who have already been down this road. I don't really have a budget per se except to say, "the least amount of money spent possible." Aesthetics I'm not really caring that much about, I don't care about fancy wood faceplates and artwork. I don't even mind if the shells are just clear, but I would prefer the cable to be black so it doesn't turn that really gross green like clear cables tend to do. Wouldn't mind transparent purple or cyan for the shells, but it's not critical.
Removable cables are a must, hard acrylic is fine since I'm not going to be singing on stage with these.
I've been considering my use of universal IEMs to be somewhat problematic. My ears are, well, strange. I have almost no chance of sealing with silicone tips unless I use ones so large they cause pressure and pain (while also bloating the bass and destroying treble). The only foams that really seem to work "okay" for me are Comply, and they're of course very expensive. I've been using various universal IEMs for the past ten years of listening to music, starting with ER-4P which I used for about six years before I was stupid and left them in a pocket... whereupon they went through the washer and dryer. The ergonomics of the ER4 always bothered me, so I tried a bunch of different mid- and low-range IEMs to see which ones I liked best. Eventually settled on the UE Super.fi 5 vi which I got for a quite low price and I've been using those for almost four years now.
Well, after years of heavy, daily use, the cable on the UE SF5s is about to give up the ghost. I suspect I can probably get another year out of them, but I think that'll be the end before the cable just frays too badly. Starting to think about new IEMs to replace these, I considered just how much I've spent on Comply (as well as Etymotic) foams over the past 10 years. The number I came up with was fairly staggering--I've apparently spent over $700 on little stupid pieces of foam over the past decade. I know some folks can get 3+ months out of one pair of Comply foams, but I can't seem to get past a single month without the tips tearing (and yes, I keep my earphones in a carrying case when not in use... the foams still die after a month, either they tear or they just get so un-springy I can't get a good seal). Anyway, with that money spent on tips plus the cost of the universal IEMs I've bought, I could easily have paid for a pair of customs that fit me perfectly and don't require I spend $16 plus tax on foams every 3 months.
So I've been thinking about customs. I always thought they were too expensive for me to really bother with, so I never looked into them much, but after realizing how much damn money I've spent on stupid pieces of foam worth maybe a few cents each... I'm seriously considering them. Universals fit me poorly; even with Comply foams I have to fiddle with them often to maintain a seal. Theoretically customs should fit perfectly (assuming my molds are good and things go according to plan) and they don't need overpriced pieces of foam to function.
I've been poring over reviews of customs from various manufacturers from UE to JH Audio to 1964 Ears and various other lesser-known brands, but one thing I'm noticing is that most of the lower-priced dual- and triple-driver options seem to have "warm" sound signatures. This is kind of a problem for me because I have hearing loss in the 7-9kHz range. What most folks find "smooth" or "non-fatiguing" sounds muddled and fuzzy to me. The ER-4P were pretty much brilliant in terms of sound and gave me almost what I was looking for, but their ergonomics suck, the cable's super noisy, they aren't comfortable to wear, all that stuff. They also didn't quite have enough bass, but EQing fixed that so the physical issues were worse than the sonic ones.
I can't for the life of me seem to find a low/mid-range CIEM that doesn't have a "relaxing" sound. I don't want a relaxing sound; I want a slightly aggressive crystal-clear sound with good highs to make up for my hearing loss. Mids should be present, not recessed but not necessarily emphasized, and I'm nothing close to a basshead. I've got quite a bit of time before I can save up the necessary funds to pull the trigger on some customs, so I'm still shopping around and would like some advice from folks who have already been down this road. I don't really have a budget per se except to say, "the least amount of money spent possible." Aesthetics I'm not really caring that much about, I don't care about fancy wood faceplates and artwork. I don't even mind if the shells are just clear, but I would prefer the cable to be black so it doesn't turn that really gross green like clear cables tend to do. Wouldn't mind transparent purple or cyan for the shells, but it's not critical.
Removable cables are a must, hard acrylic is fine since I'm not going to be singing on stage with these.