Well its safe to say that patience is indeed a virtue    I originally forayed into the custom IEM market via the ES5s about 2 months ago and my initial impressions were underwhelming at best; they sounded tame, unexciting, and I was finding myself listening to my $75 Monster Turbines...

Quote: Seems like what Im thinking too, I kind of figured this would happen with the closed-mouth impressions.   Quote: The treble is actually one of the better aspects as far as I can tell, but like I said, unless I turn the thing way up in volume it just sounds distorted...

Well my second listening session with the ES5s was a little better than the first, but I still find myself with achy ears after about 30 minutes and the seal seems to become loose when I move my jaw. A few things I noted:   -Switching from my Macbook to iTouch made a world of difference...

Quote:  Science is FTW snake . Chemistry major myself, I wouldnt change it for the world.   Quote: Precisely, and dont forget those 5-carbon sugar and phosphate backbones   

Anaxilus,   They did "lock" in, but they felt pretty intrusive the whole time and if I moved my jaw or head enough it felt like I heard an air bubble popping sound. What seems to be the issue is that they feel like they're prodding my eardrum rather than just sitting in my ear. The sound...

Just got my ES5's today! My first foray into custom IEM territory . I have a few questions after my initial test run with them:   -Is it normal for my ears to ache when I wear them the first few days? I had to stop listening after about 30 minutes because of how achy/strained my ears felt...

Quote: Quote: Well I'll make sure when I go in to get them that the fit is perfect and if not Ill definitely speak up as it is a very expensive investment and I want it to be as perfect as possible. Part of me has a bad feeling about how my impression was taken from everything Ive...

Quote: Hopefully I can remedy that once I get mine .   Im a little antsy now though after seeing these complaints of drivers failing . This is my first custom IEM and for $1000 I would probably go nuts if they crapped out after a few months, hopefully the warranty isnt too short (I...

I just ordered my first custom, the ES5s, and eagerily await their arrival. Thanks for the impressions, this seems to be slightly different from what others have said about the ES5 and UE 18 but everyone hears differently, figuratively speaking.

What cured my upgrade-itis?   Plunking down $1000 on a whim for my soon-to-be custome Westone ES5s    ...Also the fact that I just realized I have a tuition bill due this week, DOH! 

Quote: 3X0, thanks for this post, this seems to clear up a lot and help me see the bigger picture. All the "opinions" Ive gathered thus far have been from just searching HeadFi and other audio sites for reviews/impressions, so I do take a lot of what I read with a grain of salt.    It...

Yet another good looking option to consider :)   Right now the ES5 is still really pulling on me though, especially since the Audiologist I just set up an appt. with is an authorized Westone dealer. Might just have to bite the bullet and go with my gut on the ES5...

Hey guys,   First time back on HeadFi in almost 5 months after facing some monetary issues and reducing my audio gear to just a few cans. All the ado aside, I have recently become a commuter and I have set aside some money for custom IEMs. Ive been using the Monster Turbines lately and they...

Quote: Isnt it ironic that the easiest/cheapest mods provide the biggest difference? I had the feeling this was always the case and have heard from people who invested $300+ in recabling that the difference can be negligible at times. Ill probably just do the markL mod myself and get the...

Im seeing an overwhelming amount of modded "X" cans lately and am really curious as to how much of a return there is on things like recabling, wooding, damping, balancing, yada yada yada. My main question lies in that Im looking to buy a Denon D7000 soon here, and I've seen all this hype about...

Quote: Im in the exact same conundrum as the OP, I do all of my listening via a Yamaha Receiver connected optically to my PS3/Xbox 360. I've had D2000 and D5000 and they sounded better out of my receiver than they did out of my Little Dot tube amp IMO. Im tempted to bite on some 600Ohm...

Quote: Whoops, never saw that in the OP. You're absolutely right, but its only to a fault for FPS games; for any other genre of gaming the Shure's do sweet to my ears. I even play Bad Company 2 with them and the explosions and guns are so lifelike I could care less that I cant pinpoint...

Check the FS forum for some Shure SRH840s, even for $120-$125 there a great headphone that contend with some that cost 3x as much.

Quote: I must have a deformed head, because I literally LOVE the way these feel on my skull. Pretty much everyone knocks their comfort, but I cant even tell Im wearing them after I slip into the music. I guess Im lucky they dont bother me as much so I can actually enjoy their euphonic...

Quote: Have to say that Ive been gaming with the 840s lately and they are preeeetttty sweet    However, it should be noted if you're playing FPS mainly, they DO NOT have a very large soundstage which will reduce positioning capability. I always lose track of people in Bad Company...

1. Shure SRH840 (For some reason I DO NOT suffer from the renowned comfort issues so many have with these) 2. Denon MD5000 3. Westone UM3x 4. Ultrasone 2200 5. Ultrasone Pro 900 6. Grado Sr-80 7. Denon AH-D2000 8. UE Triple-Fi 10 9. UE Super-Fi 5

Could not have said it better myself Beagle, these cans are really growing on me EACH time I put them on. I keep looking to "upgrade" but for the $140 I paid, I dont see how $500+ cans are going to outshine these by such a high cost-to-benefit margin. 

Quote: Read the reviews which is why I was intrigued by them because they were mostly positive. I peruse that thread in the meantime; the SM3s have me worried because of people having construction issues with them and the last thing I need is $400 of broken plastic.

Im looking to upgrade from my UM3x and Im caught between going for some affordable customs, like the Trips, or importing the renowned SM3's. They both will fall into a relatively close price range, so its a toss up between which will sound better that will determine which I buy.    Anybody...

I have owned the D2000 and a MarkL D5000 and currently own the 840s and I will say that the isolation definitely favors the 840s. Comfort is going to vary by person; to me the Denons gave a fatiguing feeling after 30 minutes of use because of the bass impact and they just felt heavy on my head...