[AmberOzL]

   
Could go either way. Maybe he's enjoying them way too much. Or maybe there's something wrong and he's currently camping outside their office with a few molotov cocktails.

Molotovs you say? Reminded me of my old GTA playing times. Whatever makes me angry or just flatout I wanna go crazy, molotovs were my best friend

 

[VisceriousZERO]

I went lurking for a few months, and I have not been listening to anything but my MH1s. Absolutely love them... Sorry Ive been quiet!

 

[kurochin]

 
Molotovs you say? Reminded me of my old GTA playing times. Whatever makes me angry or just flatout I wanna go crazy, molotovs were my best friend

 
Such a violent child you were. I just took out the bat and beat up the grannies and hookers.
 
 

I went lurking for a few months, and I have not been listening to anything but my MH1s. Absolutely love them... Sorry Ive been quiet!

So those white lab coats and gloves weren't just for show. Good to know.

 

[nanaholic]

Since late last year I've been itching for a new pair of IEMs with a different signature to what I have now (JH16pro and MH335DW), was thinking of either going for a pair of Fitear Monet 17, the Shure KSE1500, or the Just Ear MH1. After much research and reading I've decided to jump head in and booked a session to get a pair of MH1 made in a couple of weeks time. The Monet would've been a side grade with bit of gamble (I liked how the demo pair sounded but there's always variation in the finished product) while the KSE1500 is too much bulk for everyday commuting, so it seems that the MH1 is it. After all with full personalized tuning before and after I don't think there's any reason or chance that I would have buyer's regret or ending up with a pair that doesn't sound "right/good" to me.  Now I just need to decide which player I want to use (Onkyo DP-X1 or Venturecraft Valoq) for my tuning session.
 
Only drawback is that Tokyo Hearing Center says that waiting time now is closer to 4 months instead of the 2 previously (bummer because I was already scheduled to visit Tokyo in June, timing would've been perfect), I think they've been getting some good recognition thus businesses going recently with the promotion they've been doing since December. Hope the quality can hold up with the increase demand.

 

[nanaholic]

So today I went to Tokyo Hearing Center to get my impression and tuning done for the MH1. The process is scaringly thorough and I'm amazed at the attention to detail and the mix of science and art of the making process. Make no mistake the money you are paying definitely goes into having all these highly technical people custom making and tuning the unit to your specific preference. I feel that I need to cover a few points that VZ didn't really cover regarding the impression process. Sugano-san (you can see his picture on the Just Ear website standing next to Matsuo-san) pain-stakingly uses the special head gear to measure the exact position that the dynamic driver will sit to not only ensure that the unit will fit but also the voicing of the unit is precise. As VZ said that unit is huge - a full 13.5mm, and from talking to Sugano-san he said there is a possibility that the unit won't "fit" in the correct position, and it turns out that one poor soul did have ear lobes that were too small to accommodate the unit and had to be turned away from making a pair of MH1. It probably took Sugano-san a good 20 minutes to get the position right for me and during the time he asked me to do both open and close mouth positions for measurements, and he told me that my left and right ears are different enough which was why it took a bit of time to do. As a person whom isn't a stranger to having CIEM impressions taken (the MH1 will be my third pair of CIEM) I was already blown away by just the impression taking step.

The tuning stage is as VZ described, though Matsuo-san also told me that before the CIEM is done it is possible to completely retune the sound if I ever change my mind. Also as a bit of an extra service, Matsuo-san will also personally brew you a cup of coffee with a blend of his own choosing after the impression taking stage. He told me that it's nice to sit down and drink a cup of coffee to relax since the impression taking stage for making the MH1 is so long. Can't disagree with him here and going the extra mile with this type of service is exactly what you are paying for.

Unlike VZ I'm planning to pick up my MH1 personally so I have a chance to refine the sound even more since there is yet still the possibility that during the tuning stage - which uses universal versions of the MHx - will sound different when fitted to the custom mold. Matsuo-san said it might be possible for me to get mine in June but Sugano-san jumped in to say that it's more likely August, I hope Matsuo-san is right here.

Finally as an extra bonus it just happens that today Sato-san, the sound engineering for the ZX Walkmans, was there. The guys were a bit cheeky about giving a straight answer but they are definitely working together for what one would naturally assume to be a new ZX Walkman and pairing it with Just Ear phones.

It's been an awesome experience already and I really can't wait to get my hands on my own MH1.

 

[Mython]

Finally as an extra bonus it just happens that today Sato-san, the sound engineering for the ZX Walkmans, was there. The guys were a bit cheeky about giving a straight answer but they are definitely working together for what one would naturally assume to be a new ZX Walkman and pairing it with Just Ear phones.

 
 
Let's hope they actually update the silicon, this time, instead of smearing lipstick on an old product, as they did with the ZX1, to make the ZX2.
 
 
I hope you enjoy your new CIEMs, when they are completed - please let us know how they sound, when you receive them

 

[nanaholic]

I hope you enjoy your new CIEMs, when they are completed - please let us know how they sound, when you receive them

I have no doubt it would sound bloody amazing to me because it is tuned to my exact liking. After that lengthy tuning session when I was heading back to the hotel I put on my 335s and though "wow when did 335s sound that dull and boxed in?!". Mentally my brain was already playing tricks on me and I already had to readjust my brain to the sweet sound I got from the MHx tuning.

FWIW I asked for a female vocal focus (bringing the vocal forward as much as possible), bass slightly subdued, non-fatiguing smooth tune as a lot of the songs I listen to are modern music that are poorly mixed, so super detail is not something that is to be desire, and also as something different to my other CIEM which are bass focused. It just happens that Matsuo-san knows some of the songs that I used for tuning and I think that makes it easier for him to get what I want from the session. From discussion my tune was based off the "Listening" MH2 and tweaked from there, but the end product has enough differences.

 

[xjaynine]

Thanks for writing up such a detailed walkthrough of the ordering process at Just Ear nanaholic. I hope the final tuning will be what you're looking for.
 
Were you able to communicate your preferences to Matuso-san and Kanno-san in English during the fit and tuning sessions? Or are they only able to take feedback in Japanese?

 

[nanaholic]

  Were you able to communicate your preferences to Matuso-san and Kanno-san in English during the fit and tuning sessions? Or are they only able to take feedback in Japanese?

 
I talked to them in Japanese only as my Japanese is decent enough.
 
VZ said Matuso-san's English is good, but I can't confirm that. 

 

[xjaynine]

Awesome, I guess I gotta hit the books!

 

[nanaholic]

Got an email from Tokyo Hearing Center notifying me that my MH1 is ready! Now gotta book a time with Sugano-san and Matsuo-san for final fitting check and sound tuning.

Turn around time is about 3 months, so a bit faster than what they told me. Damn excited, hopefully I can squeeze in the time for end of this month or early August to head over and get them.

 

[hkppl]

Just curious, how much did you spend for this CIEM and all the traveling costs?

 

[nanaholic]

I visit Japan quite regularly, so I just plan the purchase around my travel plans.
 
The CIEM is 300,000yen ex tax. overall it's actually around the same price as the Shure KSE1500 and cheaper than say an AK380, but this is a no-compromise customized experience that's priceless and I'd even consider it a bargain to be honest because you aren't messing around with tweaking or mods or looking for "synergy" in equipment pairing or that final 1% tweaking in different cables and interconnects - it's THE deal; it puts a complete stop in the quest to look for better sound, so in the long run it probably even saved you money (until your taste in sound changes completely). As one Japanese blogger put it bluntly in his review - if you purchased the MH1 and found that the sound isn't right for you, you're an idiot. 

 

[Mython]

  .... it puts a complete stop in the quest to look for better sound, so in the long run it probably even saved you money ....

 
 
Lol, if I had a Yen or dollar for every time I've heard that assertion, I'd be able to afford 10 pairs of MH1s!

 

[nanaholic]

   
 
Lol, if I had a Yen or dollar for every time I've heard that assertion, I'd be able to afford 10 pairs of MH1s!

 
And how many of those people actually own a pair of MH1s that's fully customized to their exact sonic preference before making such an assertion?   
 
You can't use your experience of acquiring pre-tuned equipment to judge the MH1 - I know what that feeling is and I've been through the whole process of "oh this phone has x yet that one has y, maybe if I spend a bit more or tweak it like this I might edge a bit closer to my ideal etc" - yes we've ALL been through that however that experience simply doesn't apply here, just like you cannot apply Netwonian physics on objects that are at the atomic level and you must throw away your preconceptions and think of it from a completely different angle.  Here we are talking about you as the user controls *exactly* how the outcome of the product appeals to your first before it is made - the entire process is flipped on its head because you aren't trying to find something that "best fits" anymore.  So unless you have a drastic change of sonic preference, you aren't going to find something that appeals more to you off the shelf. The feeling can be comparable to going from universal IEMs and going through all the different tip types trying to find one that fits, and then getting your first pair of CIEMs and never looking back.  This is how getting the MH1 works, and I'm pretty sure that after this experience, the only thing which can top a pair of sonically customized phones is only going to be another pair of sonically customized phones.