[Kazenagi]

$170 for ear impressions... I'd go somewhere else if I was you.

 

[thegrobe]

Quote:

$170 for ear impressions... I'd go somewhere else if I was you.

X2 ...that is a terrible ripoff

 

[Staal]

LOL

 

[pdiddypdler]

Wizard how much is that glow in the dark logo option? It looks really nice and bright!

 

[sunninho]

Quote:

This is so interesting. I just got a response from another Audiologist who is charging $170 for ear impressions and he says he gurantees 100% perfect impression. When I told him I need it for Heir Audio, he says "As for Heir Audio, I am unfamiliar with this brand, but after a quick look online, they seem to be alright.  Certainly not the industry standard for musicians, but they seem alright for a consumer grade monitor. "     
 
He's also not a doctor and not a lisenced Audiologist. However, he was trained by the Sensaphonics Golden Circle. Should I trust this guy or look somewhere else? 

 
Damn, that's a lot for impressions.  I paid $75 here in LA and the audiologist, Frances Miranda, is considered one of the best.  She does impressions for celebrities, athletes and American Idol.  My fit was perfect on both the 4.A and 8.A (using the same impressions).

 

[anoxy]

I only paid $25 for mine, but the guy said he had been doing them for 10 years so I'm hoping they were good enough.

 

[Poimandres]

First off that is outrageous for impressions, price gouging. Second and more important if they think Heir is simply consumer grade who are they comparing to? Do this person even know of any of the ciem companies? I would take exception to that and I am sure that John and Heir do. The quality of their product is second to none and that includes any of the major players in the industries and this has been stated time and time again by multiple individuals that have ciems from the other major companies. Pffff.

 

[tigon_ridge]

Let's caaalm down here. It's just an opinion from one person who may or may not have any authority on what is "musician standard" and what is "consumer grade," whatever the heck those phrases are referring to (I'm guessing he's referring to overall quality??).
 
My advice: look for alternatives. This isn't based on the fact that he's not a licensed audiologist (cmon how hard can it be to take good impressions of someone's ears?), but on pricing alone.

 

[DigitalFreak]

Quote:

First off that is outrageous for impressions, price gouging. Second and more important if they think Heir is simply consumer grade who are they comparing to? Do this person even know of any of the ciem companies? I would take exception to that and I am sure that John and Heir do. The quality of their product is second to none and that includes any of the major players in the industries and this has been stated time and time again by multiple individuals that have ciems from the other major companies. Pffff.

Easy there big bopper, Heir is still a newborn baby in the big scheme of things but considering what I've read I'm sure the name will get out amongst our fellow peons. Considering their offerings have grown from a few CIEM's to universals to high impedance universals and now to an amp that's supposed to play well with Heir gear it's safe to say Heir is spreading their net out to appeal to various market segments.
 
@Wizard.
 
I really like how you're putting out products specifically aimed at certain market segments. Considering the 6A was a limited edition CIEM do you think in future Heir Audio might be looking into producing other very limited run gear? I personally wouldn't mind seeing some sort of limited edition 10A with one of a kind wood plates or maybe even uber crazy detailed artwork to match it's uber detailed sound signature.

 

[ardgedee]

Quote:

He's also not a doctor and not a lisenced Audiologist.

 
if you're in the U.S. and your state requires licensing, his lack of a license is a good reason to avoid him. If your state does not require licensing, ask about his certifications -- you can then confirm them with the certifying organizations.
 
The quoted price is high and the guarantee of perfect impressions sounds excessive, too.

 

[fuzzyash]

avoid that guy
$50-75 is the norm ive seen and $170 for 5 mins of work is a ripoff
even though heir audio is new, comments like that are a sign of his lack of professionalism

 

[JCYC5]

$50 for mine. 2 impressions were done of one ear because of a tiny air bubble that was on the concha. She did another and told me send both.

 

[tomscy2000]

Impressions are a delicate balance between the experience of the audiologist, the materials/methods they use to take impressions, and how well they adhere to the manufacturer's instructions, which is paramount to getting impressions that fit well.
 
Just because someone was trained by Sensaphonics' Golden Circle (two-day seminar only) doesn't mean they will know exactly what to do with all manner of impressions, including acrylic ear molds, nor does it guarantee that they'll necessarily keep up with current literature in audiology. Silcone CIEMs do not require open-jaw impression techniques, either, which is vastly different from impressions for acrylic molds.
 
Most acrylic CIEM companies will assume an open-jaw, bite block assisted impression taking technique, along with medium to high viscosity material --- a position championed by both Westone and Starkey. The material used affects curing time, as well as compliance to the ear canal and the shape of the pinna.
 

​

Figure 1. [1]​

Figure 1 shows that open-jaw impressions with high viscosity material produces the least variances in results at all three critical areas of impression taking within the canal.
 
From Piranski & Berge, "an impression for a higher gain instrument should be taken with a more viscous silicone and the patient's mouth wide open. This will maximize the instrument's acoustic seal and lower the risk of acoustic feedback. To ensure the instrument's comfortable fit deep in the ear, the canal tip on the impression must be skillfully trimmed. The ear tissue at and past the canal second bend is more sensitive to touch than the cartilage between the bends and will not tolerate pressure from the instrument. The Au.D. students who focused on hearing aid remakes secondary to; acoustic feedback, insecure fit, discomfort, or poor sound quality, found that for 114 out of 136 (84%) patients, taking open jaw impressions with more viscous silicone remedied or diminished the fitting problems. Of course, had such impressions been taken in the first place, the majority of the remakes could have been avoided. Unfortunately, some earmold labs are against open jaw impressions and more viscous silicones because they lack confidence in their skills in processing such impressions into comfortable hearing aids." [1]
 
In terms of the pinna, Heir Audio wants the superior junction of the tragus covered and compressed as well [2], presumably to ensure that the soft cartilage of the tragus is sufficiently distended for a good seal. in order to best place the cable socket position.
 

• Piranski C, Berge B. 2002. Ear impressions: art or science? Audiology Online. Published Online, March 18, 2002.
• http://www.heiraudio.com/upload/Ear_Mold_Impression_Instructions.pdf

 

[Defiant00]

So if my impressions are good will I receive any notice from the US office or do they typically only email if there's some problem?

With all this discussion of impression techniques now I'm even more concerned; mine were open jaw but no bite block and I was encouraged to move my jaw a little while doing so. Course, I also recall someone else here got their best fit yet when an audiologist had them talk to them while the impressions set, so I guess there's no way to know...

 

[shfsrh]

So I emailed photos it the 4.A in my ears to Heir and they said I was inserting them wrong.

They recommended I look at YouTube on how to insert them properly.

Well silly me I was doing it wrong!

Now that I know how to fit them, all the issues I had are gone and it sounds a lot better.

Seems to be perfect now.

Sounds unbelievably good.

I recommend them to everybody.