[Jesse Oh]

Just a question; I see some photos of custom iems with tips on them, and some without? You don't need to use tips with them do you? And if you don't, are there advantages in doing so?

 

[Razornova]

Just a question; I see some photos of custom iems with tips on them, and some without? You don't need to use tips with them do you? And if you don't, are there advantages in doing so?

I'm pretty sure those were just Universal's styled to look like customs for aesthetics. Although a full acrylic body helps with durability.

I would say it's close to impossible to have tips with customs as they reach so far into your ear, the tips would need to be so small to fit your canal shape, rendering them useless!

 

[davidcotton]

  Just a question; I see some photos of custom iems with tips on them, and some without? You don't need to use tips with them do you? And if you don't, are there advantages in doing so?

As said above, basically universal customs.  Design of the custom iem in a universal body that would require tips.  Not every ciem manufacturer offers that option preferring you to buy the customs which require a trip to the audiologist.

 

[HiFiChris]

How is this compared to iBasso it03 as a whole? Is it similar sound signature? Does it has the same transparency as the it03? I really like how the it03 sounds but the fit is not good for me so I'm looking into customs @HiFiChris

 
Performance-wise, I see both as being pretty much on-par, as stated in my review of the Ei.3 (I see the Ei.3 above the iBasso when it comes to bass speed, control & tightness, whereas the IT03 has got the somewhat better treble definition and separation).

What tips are you using with the IT03? The IT03's stock wide-bore silicone tips deliver the closest (yet definitely not similar) sound signature to the Ei.3 in the mids and highs, whereas the other stock small bore silicone tips of the IT03 will give you a somewhat brighter presentation.
Where they mainly differ is the midrange timbre - the Ei.3 sounds relatively flat and even in the mids, wheras the IT03 has got a lift in the upper midrange to make female vocals stand out more and add more airiness to the sound, however this upper midrange lift, that is not uncommon in the audio world and especially with quite a few Asian brands, also adds some colouration to the sound and makes vocals shift a bit more to the leaner and brighter side. (This effect is more present with the iBasso's narrow bore tips compared to the wider bore tips that come included as well.)

 

[HiFiChris]

  Just a question; I see some photos of custom iems with tips on them, and some without? You don't need to use tips with them do you? And if you don't, are there advantages in doing so?

Just as the others have indicated, you might be mistaking (U)IEMs with a very ergonomic design and CIEM-like appearance, such as InEar's StageDiver series, with real CIEMs.

 
Real CIEMs are usually never used with tips and don't even have a nozzle that fits for regular tips. I'm saying usually because I've only seen a real CIEM with silicone tips once ever in my life, posted in a Korean internet audio forum, but don't know why the user went for this really strange design (the outer concha part of his in-ear was really moulded after his unique ears, which is also the case for all real CIEMs, whereas for whatever reasons he somehow decided to have his CIEM fitted with a regular nozzle to hold bi-flange silicone tips - but as I said, I've only seen this unicorn-ish type of thing once ever and am pretty sure that you are not referring to that).

A CIEM really is moulded to only fit your unique ears. For this procedure, ear impressions have to be made.

They look like pretty much like this:


^^^ Impressions of my ears.

Then, based on the shape of the unique and individual ear impressions, the CIEMs are created. They are designed to fit only your ears perfectly:

 

^^^Photos of my UERM - as you can see, the in-ears' shape and the parts that go into my ear canals are identical to the shape of the ear impressions above, which are of course identical with the shape of my ears.
 

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In order to avoid blind purchases, almost all CIEM manufacturers also have demo models of their IEMs available. Their internals are identical with the real CIEM counterpart and those universal fit demo models are meant to be used by the potential customers so that they can find out what sound signature fits best to their needs before they place an order on the CIEMs which goes along with taking the ear impressions.
The demo models of course feature a universal nozzle design that is intended to be used with silicone/foam tips before placing an order for the real CIEM (that then only fits your individual ears).

An example for a demo model of a CIEM:
 

 

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And last but not least, some companies that make CIEMs also offer their models in a universal fit version for the end customer.

 

[Jesse Oh]

Thanks, that answered all my questions

 

[hcin]

HiFiChris I use the jvc spiral dots which are wide bore. I can't use them with these right?

 

[HiFiChris]

HiFiChris I use the jvc spiral dots which are wide bore. I can't use them with these right?

I have no idea what the IT03 sounds like with those Spiral Dot tips, but since they have w wide bore diameter, the upper midrange is definitely less bright than with the narrow bore tips. I cannot guarantee that the midrange timbre of the IT03 with Spiral Dots will be similar to the Ei.3's midrange timbre, but depending on your location, I would say that it might be worth to contact Piotr and ask if he could lend you the demo version of the Ei.3 to try out.

 

[hcin]

HiFiChris I live in Singapore where there's is a demo for the music one and two but not the ei.3 unfortunately

 

[daulagiri]

HiFiChris I live in Singapore where there's is a demo for the music one and two but not the ei.3 unfortunately

Have you check music sanctuary?

 

[hcin]

Music sanctuary don't have demo ei.3 I think, only music one and two.

Have you check music sanctuary?

 

[daulagiri]

They mention Ei.3 on their website . Ring them to confirm. Trust me it'll worth your trip.

 

[Wyville]

So the Ei.3 are significantly cheaper than the FIBAE 1 and 2 in my country even with the preorder discount. Are they better than the music two?

I did not audition the Music Two, but from what Piotr explained they are different from the Ei.3, rather than better or worse. The Ei.3 is smoother with (if I remember correctly) a slightly more V-shaped signature. The V-shape is relative, as to my ears the Ei.3 are pretty well balanced, but I do appreciate a bit of bass. The Music Two might be a bit brighter in its signature, as Piotr explained it would work better for classical music (which I listen to a lot) than the Ei.3. I still went for the Ei.3 because I loved how it sounded and the treble was completely fatigue free.

 

[piotrus-g]

Music sanctuary don't have demo ei.3 I think, only music one and two.

I doubt that's possible @Kozato could you chime in on this?

 

[hcin]

Guys sorry my bad! Looks like they do have the ei.3 in music sanctuary haha