[40760]

I couldn't wait any longer so I went with pricejapan.com.

 

[MuppetFace]

Quote:

It seems like you two might have different definitions of neutral.

 
Perhaps, though really neutral should just be neutral, with no "flavors" of neutrality lol.

 

[Lillee]

I have the ES5's.  Jude has both the ES5's and the custom variation of these as well, which should be similar.  I'm not really comfortable giving detailed comparisons yet as I've only listened to the 334's for maybe two hours in total.  I'm pretty sure the 334's image better, though -- it's definitely a larger image, at least.  I don't mean to parrot MuppetFace, but, having heard a pair now, I'd have to agree that the 334's feel like little SR009's.  The ES5's are more like LCD-2 r.2's.  So, they're both smooth, but the 334's achieve such smoothness with less coloration, I guess.

They're also both notable for their midrange performance, but the 334's are more, how would I put this... liquid? 

Thanks for the write up. Although the FitEar may be technically better, in choosing between the ES5's and the TG334's the defining factor was the customs versus universal aspect. I'm tired of universal tips and the continual replacement of them and wanted to move to customs.

Sorry I just have to justify my purchase of ES5 last week to make myself feel better haha

If only I could afford both!

 

[40760]

Quote:

Thanks for the write up. Although the FitEar may be technically better, in choosing between the ES5's and the TG334's the defining factor was the customs versus universal aspect. I'm tired of universal tips and the continual replacement of them and wanted to move to customs.
Sorry I just have to justify my purchase of ES5 last week to make myself feel better haha
If only I could afford both!

 
I went with the ES5s last year, thinking that Customs should fit and wear better as they're molded to my ears. But my ears are sort of rejecting that notion. It might just be me, but I find universals to be generally easier on them.

 

[tomscy2000]

Quote:

  Oh yeah, and it's probably worth noting that the 334's drivers dwarf those in the ES5's.  As far as I can tell, the the 334's smallest driver - its tweeter, is more comparable to the ES5's subwoofer than anything else in the Westones. 

 
The 334 and ES5 use the same woofer. It's the mid and high ranges that vary. The ES5 uses two of the smallest dual drivers around for the mids and highs, while the 334 uses a dual driver that can be used as a woofer for the midrange, and the same driver as the one in the ER4 for the highs. Driver size isn't really the deciding factor in sound, though. BAs are self-contained units so the most important aspect is the ratio between the diaphragm's surface area and the amount of back volume built into the driver itself.

 

[MuppetFace]

Quote:

 
I went with the ES5s last year, thinking that Customs should fit and wear better as they're molded to my ears. But my ears are sort of rejecting that notion. It might just be me, but I find universals to be generally easier on them.

 
No, it's not just you. The universal quality of the TO GO 334 is one of the most appealing aspects of it for me. Getting a good fit on a pair of customs can be a major, major annoyance. One I've experienced first hand.
 
Contrary to popular belief 'round these parts, customs aren't an "answer" to universals. They've got their own unique set of problems and aren't for everyone.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

They're also both notable for their midrange performance, but the 334's are more, how would I put this... liquid? 

 
Hmm, you mean like Shure mids?  Those are too sterile and fake for me so I would hope to retain the natural texture I find in the ES5s.

 

[Lillee]

No, it's not just you. The universal quality of the TO GO 334 is one of the most appealing aspects of it for me. Getting a good fit on a pair of customs can be a major, major annoyance. One I've experienced first hand.

Contrary to popular belief 'round these parts, customs aren't an "answer" to universals. They've got their own unique set of problems and aren't for everyone.

The final rationale for me was that if I were to go the fitears I would be left wondering about customs. I use my Shures everyday and am quite over the spongy tips, in any flavour (Shure olives, comply etc)

Anyway live and learn...

 

[MuppetFace]

Quote:

The final rationale for me was that if I were to go the fitears I would be left wondering about customs. I use my Shures everyday and am quite over the spongy tips, in any flavour (Shure olives, comply etc)
Anyway live and learn...

 
Customs are a good fit (no pun intended) for some people, and not so good for others. "Live and learn" is unfortunately one of the only ways to really know for sure.

 

[40760]

And getting a better fit with my ES5s didn't make it isolate better than my ER4Ps. I guess sonically Customs and Universals can go pretty on par. It's just a preference of how you want it to be worn.
I for one feels that wearing my SE535 is way more comfortable than my ES5 even with it's hybrid tip.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

I for one feels that wearing my SE535 is way more comfortable than my ES5 even with it's hybrid tip.

 
I sure don't feel that way w/ any universal, then again my fit was spot on from day 1.

 

[driver 8]

Ditto, after using my ES5's as my only IEMs (because the GR10's kind of suck) for a couple of months, going back to tips feels pretty bad for me.  I ordered some of those Sony hybrids people seem to like, though, so we'll see how that works out.
 
As for the Shure mids, I'm not sure?  My only Shures atm are the 940's and I don't even have them on hand due to the adjustable portion of the headband cracking again.  I don't have any of the IEMs because they've never impressed me much (given what I own) during demo sessions.  I definitely wouldn't describe the 334's mids as sterile, though.  They have a strong presence to them, which, coupled with the effortless manner in which flow, I would be prone to call liquid.
 
I'm going to listen to a track or two with each right now and see if that makes this easier to describe.
 
-Edit-
 
The 334's mids are more distinct from the bass and a bit more up front.  They seem cleaner and more detailed for that, although the ES5's certainly don't slouch in those regards.  It's easier to hear the variations in vocal notes on the 334's; you can very, very clearly hear what's going on in the singer's throat and such, kind of like what the low decay time does for the TH900's sans the recession that some of ya'll seem to detest.
 
I don't know which presentation I'd consider more natural, tbqh.  Again, it's hard for me to know what you're referring to without a Shure on hand.  

 

[Vaipec]

Thanks Anakchan, 
we're still a small and restricted club, but they're  (we ) sure are special.
Till now, on the go, I use iPod classic, waiting for hifiman 901. As I'm writing, I'm trying my BCL usb in low gain. I can hear a little hum when not playing anything, too soon to comment on that (10 min listening) one thing I get right now, more air, bigger soundstage, much more dynamics and instrument separation as well as micro detail. 
Im listening to Fred Simon Dreamhouse
 
Quote:

Welcome to the TG334 club. It's truly an amazing pair of IEMs, & universal too. For most of my genre of music I like the TG334s.
What do you use to drive them??

 

[Vaipec]

IMO nothing to do with shure mids, they lack the uber details and airiness mid's from tg334. You can say that there's a veil in 535 mids as the tg334 are neutral and transparent. 
For me, the tg334 are two or three league's over in every aspect.
 
Edit: veil on the mids as something filtering details, taking details of the 535 mid's 
Quote:

 
Hmm, you mean like Shure mids?  Those are too sterile and fake for me so I would hope to retain the natural texture I find in the ES5s.

 

[tomscy2000]

Just checked out Suyama-san's Twitter pictures and came across these gems of their experimenting with titanium sound tubes in their prototype CIEMs as well...

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