Poetik
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TOUR CLOSED - CUSTOMART US CIEM Demo Lineup Tour - Including Harmony 8 Pro
- Thread starter Barra
- Start date
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- custom-art-pro330v2
Dithyrambes
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I live in Tenafly, NJ and I would like to be part of the tour. I agree to the terms of the tour
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Oh whoops, I forgot to reply to this in my last post.
Perceived volume level is not related to power output. A 3 dB increase is twice the power output, but a 10 dB increase is twice the perceived volume level.
http://trace.wisc.edu/docs/2004-About-dB/
It's gonna be pretty awesome to test these out. Between the Music one and two, I feel as if I'd be more inclined to the two. Much of my audio follows a v-shaped signature (DN1k's, M-100's) and from the looks of current impressions of the two, it looks to follow that curve.
Just curious, is there a second review set going around? I know that it was mentioned in earlier posts.
Thanks again for the opportunity to participate.
Thanks again for the opportunity to participate.
soundbear
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I would like to be part of the tour and I agree to the terms. Thanks!
coolmingli
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I live in San Francisco, CA and would like to participate in the tour. I agree to follow the terms of the tour.
Demo kit passed over to ericr. Impressions coming soon..
ericr
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Before I begin my impressions, I would like to thank Barra once for starting this tour and initial logistic management. I extend the gratitude to Peter of Custom Art for providing his silicone products for review during this demo tour. It's always a fun and a wonderful opportunity to try new audio arsenals and to share our opinions on them.
When it come to silicone iem/ciem product, I've owned full silicone tips for the Future Sonics (FS) Atrios and Etymotic ER4s, and a Kozee single BA driver silicone ciem. I no longer own them, but when I did, the two traits that silicone has over acrylic shells is overall comfort and noise isolation. There's no such thing as cracked or shattered shells with silicone as it absorbs shock and protects the inside components. The only negative I've experienced with the silicone products was their inherent nature of being dirt/debris magnets that requires frequent wipe downs with a moisture cloth. The fixed cables on the Custom Art models have one slight issue for those with Henry Rollin's size necks as there may not be enough cable room from the Y-point to the ends of the ear pieces. When I looked up or turned either direction, the lack of cable slack caused a little discomfort. Other than that, the fixed cables are nice, supple, with good thickness, and does a good job with eliminating most cable noise.
Out of the demo lineup, I was really hoping to audition the Harmony 8 Pro, but that'll be another day (hopefully). The next model of interest was the Pro330v2.
After I received the demo kit from miceblue, the very limited tips required a quick stop at the local Radio Shack for a fresh set of T-100 Comply tips. I highly recommend subsequent auditions to use these tips or equivalent tips where the opening is at a minimum the same diameter as the sound tubes. I first tried the Westone Star silicone tips and yes, they fit, but the top opening is significantly smaller in diameter and thus slaughtered the sound stage and severely screwed the intended tuning characteristics. Here's the visual difference between the two tips:
Among the three models, I started from top to bottom by price and driver count respectively. I do wish I had more time to spend with them using different tracks, but alas, other commitments took large bites of time. So, I took the opportunity to use an album that I had first hand experience with because I was there.
In Seattle of 1995, I saw Mad Season perform their "Above" album at the Moore Theater. It was nothing short of epic like most live performances. Despite I was near the back inside the venue, the crowd and stage energy was nirvana. Of course, that was a while ago and I don't recall all the details that occurred that night, but the album was nothing short of nostalgic. So below are my impressions with the three Custom Art models as I listened to the album from start to finish:
Pro330v2
I had a good feeling that I would dig this model, and I did. My crowd placement shot me from the back of the audience to on stage with the band. I can totally hear why this model has "Pro" in it's name. IMO, it's clearly tuned for the on-stage sound engineer. It has the widest sound stage and deepest depth by far with the greatest sense of realism/3D presentation. It's brighter with more detail and air, and that really made the transparency meter soar. On stage imaging of the band members in relation to each other and the audience was outstanding. The energy that resides in the upper registers is what felt was lacking in the Music Two and One. My head was bobbing, toe taping, air drumming and air guitaring like nobody was watching. The bongo drums, and the bite from the guitars when it was time to rif like a screaming banshee along side Staley's vocals - oh hell yes!
Below is a graph and sound characteristics of this model. It's from Custom Art site. I want to applaud Peter for providing them as a tool for the consumer to help make informed decisions. I personally don't read graphs, but the sound characteristics were very spot on. This level of information should be standard across the industry, IMO.
Sound:
Bass ●●●○○○
Midrange ●●●●○○
Highs ●●●●●●
Headroom ●●●●●○
Imaging ●●●●●○
Depth ●●●●●○
Cold/Warm ●●●○○○
Music Two
Coming from the Pro330v2, the brightness is gone and in its place is a bit of warmth. I found it the warmest of the bunch. As such, the mids are slightly recessed, but the bass is damn impressive. It's snappy, tight, with a good amount of weight, and it has the best bass response I've heard in a dual-BA configuration especially with the kick drums. Overall, listening to the album with the Music Two yielded the most accurate experience that I can recall of the concert. I find, my perceived placement is no longer on stage, but in the audience where I found the sound width a little narrower, but the depth and space is more while still maintaining good imaging. The only areas that was a little lacking for me was with the crash cymbals where I would've like a little more decay in them, and a little better extension with the guitar high note rifs.
Music One
This is the most balanced of the three. It has slightly less bass, but still very good, over the Music Two. There's a nice linearity that common with well tuned single BA drivers. It's smooth and there's nothing offensive about it. I tested the Music One with my Rockbox Sansa Clip and as expected, it EQs' very well to add a little more highs. However, too much of it can make it sound a little artificial. Like most single BA armatures I've tried and owned, this one lacks a bit in the upper registers and air, so creating a 3D like imaging can be challenging. Where most single BA fails is in the bass, and the Music One delivers it in spades. Very impressive.
So, yes, my favorite is the Pro330v2. In fact, had I heard it around the same time I auditioned the UERM, which I purchased and later sold, I would have gotten the Pro330v2 instead due to its slighter warmer sound and bass response.
In closing, I want to thank again Barra, Peter, and the Head-fi community for the demo tour. As always, it was a lot fun and I wish Peter all the best with his company and products.
When it come to silicone iem/ciem product, I've owned full silicone tips for the Future Sonics (FS) Atrios and Etymotic ER4s, and a Kozee single BA driver silicone ciem. I no longer own them, but when I did, the two traits that silicone has over acrylic shells is overall comfort and noise isolation. There's no such thing as cracked or shattered shells with silicone as it absorbs shock and protects the inside components. The only negative I've experienced with the silicone products was their inherent nature of being dirt/debris magnets that requires frequent wipe downs with a moisture cloth. The fixed cables on the Custom Art models have one slight issue for those with Henry Rollin's size necks as there may not be enough cable room from the Y-point to the ends of the ear pieces. When I looked up or turned either direction, the lack of cable slack caused a little discomfort. Other than that, the fixed cables are nice, supple, with good thickness, and does a good job with eliminating most cable noise.
Out of the demo lineup, I was really hoping to audition the Harmony 8 Pro, but that'll be another day (hopefully). The next model of interest was the Pro330v2.
After I received the demo kit from miceblue, the very limited tips required a quick stop at the local Radio Shack for a fresh set of T-100 Comply tips. I highly recommend subsequent auditions to use these tips or equivalent tips where the opening is at a minimum the same diameter as the sound tubes. I first tried the Westone Star silicone tips and yes, they fit, but the top opening is significantly smaller in diameter and thus slaughtered the sound stage and severely screwed the intended tuning characteristics. Here's the visual difference between the two tips:
Among the three models, I started from top to bottom by price and driver count respectively. I do wish I had more time to spend with them using different tracks, but alas, other commitments took large bites of time. So, I took the opportunity to use an album that I had first hand experience with because I was there.
In Seattle of 1995, I saw Mad Season perform their "Above" album at the Moore Theater. It was nothing short of epic like most live performances. Despite I was near the back inside the venue, the crowd and stage energy was nirvana. Of course, that was a while ago and I don't recall all the details that occurred that night, but the album was nothing short of nostalgic. So below are my impressions with the three Custom Art models as I listened to the album from start to finish:
Pro330v2
I had a good feeling that I would dig this model, and I did. My crowd placement shot me from the back of the audience to on stage with the band. I can totally hear why this model has "Pro" in it's name. IMO, it's clearly tuned for the on-stage sound engineer. It has the widest sound stage and deepest depth by far with the greatest sense of realism/3D presentation. It's brighter with more detail and air, and that really made the transparency meter soar. On stage imaging of the band members in relation to each other and the audience was outstanding. The energy that resides in the upper registers is what felt was lacking in the Music Two and One. My head was bobbing, toe taping, air drumming and air guitaring like nobody was watching. The bongo drums, and the bite from the guitars when it was time to rif like a screaming banshee along side Staley's vocals - oh hell yes!
Below is a graph and sound characteristics of this model. It's from Custom Art site. I want to applaud Peter for providing them as a tool for the consumer to help make informed decisions. I personally don't read graphs, but the sound characteristics were very spot on. This level of information should be standard across the industry, IMO.
Sound:
Bass ●●●○○○
Midrange ●●●●○○
Highs ●●●●●●
Headroom ●●●●●○
Imaging ●●●●●○
Depth ●●●●●○
Cold/Warm ●●●○○○
Music Two
Coming from the Pro330v2, the brightness is gone and in its place is a bit of warmth. I found it the warmest of the bunch. As such, the mids are slightly recessed, but the bass is damn impressive. It's snappy, tight, with a good amount of weight, and it has the best bass response I've heard in a dual-BA configuration especially with the kick drums. Overall, listening to the album with the Music Two yielded the most accurate experience that I can recall of the concert. I find, my perceived placement is no longer on stage, but in the audience where I found the sound width a little narrower, but the depth and space is more while still maintaining good imaging. The only areas that was a little lacking for me was with the crash cymbals where I would've like a little more decay in them, and a little better extension with the guitar high note rifs.
Music One
This is the most balanced of the three. It has slightly less bass, but still very good, over the Music Two. There's a nice linearity that common with well tuned single BA drivers. It's smooth and there's nothing offensive about it. I tested the Music One with my Rockbox Sansa Clip and as expected, it EQs' very well to add a little more highs. However, too much of it can make it sound a little artificial. Like most single BA armatures I've tried and owned, this one lacks a bit in the upper registers and air, so creating a 3D like imaging can be challenging. Where most single BA fails is in the bass, and the Music One delivers it in spades. Very impressive.
So, yes, my favorite is the Pro330v2. In fact, had I heard it around the same time I auditioned the UERM, which I purchased and later sold, I would have gotten the Pro330v2 instead due to its slighter warmer sound and bass response.
In closing, I want to thank again Barra, Peter, and the Head-fi community for the demo tour. As always, it was a lot fun and I wish Peter all the best with his company and products.
Hey Guys, quick announcement.
H8P demos are ready.
To give you idea, what they are: Harmony 8 Pro demos are acrylic shell (2pin standard detachable cables) with silicone filled insides (for damping effect and silicone signature). 3 sound tubes (4 woofers into one tube, 2full range into one and 2 highs into one) instead of 4. Single Phase system has been preserved (bigger soundstage, airiness). I used foam to damp a little bit highs, I used measurements and listening trials to bring it as close to custom monitor as possible. Shells are a bit on the bigger side, but we've worked the shape to be quite anatomical. T400 nozzle, Demo tuned with comply T400.
For the rest.
There is also new set ready of Music and Pro demos ready. I again used some foam to fame Pro330v2 and bring it closer to original custom. I'm also sending few sets of some universal foams and silicone sleeves.
Demos will ship to @Barra tomorrow.
H8P demos are ready.
To give you idea, what they are: Harmony 8 Pro demos are acrylic shell (2pin standard detachable cables) with silicone filled insides (for damping effect and silicone signature). 3 sound tubes (4 woofers into one tube, 2full range into one and 2 highs into one) instead of 4. Single Phase system has been preserved (bigger soundstage, airiness). I used foam to damp a little bit highs, I used measurements and listening trials to bring it as close to custom monitor as possible. Shells are a bit on the bigger side, but we've worked the shape to be quite anatomical. T400 nozzle, Demo tuned with comply T400.
For the rest.
There is also new set ready of Music and Pro demos ready. I again used some foam to fame Pro330v2 and bring it closer to original custom. I'm also sending few sets of some universal foams and silicone sleeves.
Demos will ship to @Barra tomorrow.
SilverEars
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Hi, I hope it isn't too late to get in on the tour. I am in Boston, MA and would like to participate in the tour. I agree to follow the terms of the tour.
I would like to compare them to my NT-6 and soon to arrive UERM on my DAC2.
It's great that the coverage of this tour is wide so I can get in on it.
I would like to compare them to my NT-6 and soon to arrive UERM on my DAC2.
It's great that the coverage of this tour is wide so I can get in on it.
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