[JezC]

Apologies - please see post below.

 

[JezC]

Hi
 
As a relative newcomer to the arena of portable music and higher-end earphones, I'm looking for some advice.
 
I mainly listen to music while commuting (train) and started out 6 years ago with a Rio Carbon and Sony EX71's, listening to the likes of Snow Patrol, Coldplay, Oasis, Clapton, Cranberries etc. A couple of years ago the cables went on the EX71's, so I bought a set of q-JAYS. A couple of months later, I thought the Rio had died, so I replaced it with a Cowon D2 (only to eventually discover that the problem was blocked filters on the q-JAYS). I've experimented with FLAC instead of my standard WMA192 and have been impressed with the better soundstage and separation.
 
The big problem I have is with the filter maintenance required with the q-JAYS. With the EX71's I never had to do any maintenance. I've recently tried using Comply TX-100 buds to combat this, but find that because they go so far into the ear they get messy very quickly, so no real gain other than the Complys seem to improve sound quality a tad.
 
So I'm wondering whether to try the next level up, looking for low maintenance, a precise & neutral response, a wider soundstage & better separation. From what I've read, the following look worth considering: Westone UM3x, Future Sonics Atrio, Sleek Audio SA6/7 (HQ wireless possibly being of interest).
 
Having looked around the forums, it seems that the differences between earphones is somewhat subjective, but I've seen references to people auditioning these earphones - does anyone know how I can audition this sort of kit (I live/work in the Surrey/Hampshire/London area)?
 
Is wax build-up, as I've had with the q-JAYS, a common problem with all high-end phones?
 
Will any of the above mentioned phones give me a significant improvement in SQ over the q-JAYS?
 
Should I try the new q-JAYS custom moulds instead of changing the phones?
 
Any guidance would be appreciated.
 
Thanks

 

[KLS]

Did some search and I dig up a review of @shigzeo (an experienced head-fier) on Q-Jays.
http://www.touchmyapps.com/2009/05/31/q-jays-inner-earphones-in-review-dual-balanced-armature-precision/
How do you like your Q-Jays?
 
A good thread here:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/476315/top-tier-universal-iem-comparison-chart-frequency-response-charts-discussion-first-post-updated-often
 
I suggest looking into FX700.
 
EDIT:
Some information on custom Q-Jays:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/265987/custom-q-jays
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/338577/custom-q-jays-eartips
 
As for earwax build-up, I think it depends. I clean my ear canals everyday and I never see any traces of wax in my phones.

 

[JezC]

Hi KLS
 
Thanks for the feedback and info. I like my q-JAYS when I've just fitted new filters and buds - but the sound quality degenerates so quickly - I'd also like a bigger soundstage.
 
Re the links to custom q-JAYS: JAY are just rolling out their own custom silicon moulds for the q-JAYS.
 
I've now put the EARSonics SM3 on my list of candidates (never heard of them before).
 
As for the wax problem; because the q-JAYS are so small they go very deep in the canal; perhaps your buds don't go so deep? Or perhaps you could let us know your procedure for keeping your ears squeaky clean? 
 
I've read a lot of threads today, which if not contradictory, are hard for me to decipher - so my main issue is finding out how I might audition some of these phones?
 
Thanks again

 

[KLS]

I clean my ears twice a day, after bath, using q-tips. And I always clean my 'outer' ear with a wet tissue before I insert any IEMs. I don't know how deep the q-Jays goes into the ear, if you clean your ears frequently I think you won't have the earwax build-up problem. Unless you are producing a lot of earwax.
 
     Quote:

 
So I'm wondering whether to try the next level up, looking for low maintenance, a precise & neutral response, a wider soundstage & better separation. From what I've read, the following look worth considering: Westone UM3x, Future Sonics Atrio, Sleek Audio SA6/7 (HQ wireless possibly being of interest).

 
I overlooked this part of your previous post. I have no experience with UM3X, Atrio, and SA6. I read people say UM3X is neutral, has good instrument separation, but a small soundstage. As for Atrio, I think it is more for bass-lover, both quantity and quality. I don't know much about SA6.
 
If you want neutral sounding phones, I think UM3X and EarSonics SM3 is a very good choice. People say SM3 has similar sound signature to UM3X, but with better sound quality. I have a pair of SM3, and they give me good soundstage, good imaging, good instrument separation, and they are very accurate in producing vocal. 
 
This is an appreciation thread of SM3. SM3 is very tip-dependent, be sure to have a look on post #3 for more information on tips.
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/485632/earsonics-sm3-appreciation-discussion-review-thread-aka-the-most-affordable-high-priced-universal-iem/0
 
However, SM3 has the most dissapointing build quality, at least for my pair:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/485632/earsonics-sm3-appreciation-discussion-review-thread-aka-the-most-affordable-high-priced-universal-iem/315#post_6639603
 
I always take good care of my IEMs and never abuse them, but SM3 is too weak in my opinion. You can however use cellotape to wrap the housing so that the plastic casing won't snape apart...
 
If you were to go for SM3, and seems that you have some more money to spend, I suggest making a pair of custom sleeves (from EarSonics as well) for SM3. The custom sleeves are made from hard acrylic, so I think maintanence should be easy.
 

 

[Vash-GR]

I don't own q-jays but I have never seen them mentioned as deep insertion iems (like etymotic er4 for example). I maybe you need a bigget tip, at least I would start from there? Also you can go to an ear doctor ( I don't know the proper term in english) and ask him a) to clean them thoroughly for you b) to give you advice on how to clean them c) possibly prescribe some pharmacy grade peroxide solution.
 
You can also look into shure olives which are foam tips, like the complys, but user cleanable. They can last you longer. Chech this out too.

 

[KLS]

Audiologist

 

[ClieOS]

q-JAYS filter is so good at doing its job that it is known to get clogged very fast especially if you have a lot of earwax. The way to stop / slow it down is to use foam tip, but then you will have to change the foam tips out as well. My solution is the O.J. mod, which is basically modd'ed Shure black foam tip (olive) on the JAYS' foam tips' inner stem. Since olive is washable and long lasting, you can use it for a very long time. You can read about it here.