Originally posted on CYMBACAVYM in April 2014. See http://cymbacavum.com/2014/03/23/customart-music-two/ for full review including pictures and manufacturer frequency response.
CustomArt is a relatively new player in the custom in-ear monitor (CIEM) market, specializing in silicone CIEMs, remolds of customs and universals, universal custom tips and custom made cables.
At the helm of CustomArt is Piotr Granicki (also known as [b]piotrus-g[/b], or Peter on head-fi.org). Peter is a personable, easy going and patient man, who won’t hesitate to answer all the varying questions a prospective customer might have.
I should know, as I peppered him with many questions, thoughts and ideas before finally settling on the CustomArt Music Two.
The Music Two is a dual BA custom using the Sonion 1723 Acupass, which is comprised of a 1700 woofer and a 2300 tweeter, combined into a single spout. Sonion specifies 22 Ω minimum impedance (at ~4 kHz) and the Music Two measures in at 75 Ω @ 1 kHz.
CustomArt lists these additional specifications:
Unlike many other manufacturers, Peter is very transparent about the uncompensated frequency response of his designs and has it readily displayed on his website for each model in his lineup. I really applaud his openness, as it helps a prospective buyer to have a better idea how the unheard product may sound — and ultimately perform.
I’ve owned many different custom IEMs but they’re all in acrylic; Music Two is my very first silicone CIEM. I was quite surprised at how quickly I could insert and remove them. In fact, I can easily insert and remove them faster than my previous acrylic CIEMs.
Comfort and isolation is also top notch. The Music Two is easily the most comfortable custom I’ve owned and the isolation is incredible. It’s more isolating than any of my acrylic customs and surprisingly even more isolating than the classically deep-fitting Etymotic ER-4S! Best of all, there is no occlusion effect when walking. Silicone certainly brings multiple advantages to the table for me.
When ordering a Music Two, one can choose many different colors of silicone — some standard and some premium, with a choice of different tip colors as well. Some colors are solid and others are transparent, and some even have a metallic look — the finishes on the shells can be gloss or matte. There is also an option for faceplate artwork. Peter even offers a ‘State of Art’ finish, which includes various combinations of internally-colored parts like wiring, tubing, etc. I tend to shy away from flashy things and prefer the understated, so I went with simple smoke/transparent black silicone shells.
Fixed or removable cabling is also an option. Removable cables use the standard Westone style two-pin connectors but if you want supply your own fixed cable, you can send in just about any cable option for Peter to use. I opted for the fixed cable, presumably for better durability and comfort. However, instead of using the stock fixed cable, I decided to send in a cable that Ultimate Ears uses for their customs.
SOUND
So how does the Music Two sound? Thick, rich, and potent are three words that quickly come to mind. Bass is reverberant and excellently textured. Treble is articulate and crisp with each note clearly defined but overall remaining non-fatiguing. Midrange is weighty, organic and slightly laid back. It’s a frequency response that doesn’t stray too far from accuracy but strives for a fun and musical approach to it.
And while note weight is hefty and dense, the Music Two still achieves a fairly large and spacious presentation. At times it seems almost contradictory — it sounds laid back, non-fatiguing, yet at the same time dynamic, bold and impactful.
The Music Two is a pretty sensitive IEM and gets loud very easily. Sensitivity seems on par with the FitEar F111. However sensitive it may be, it still plays well with devices of varying impedance. I didn’t notice any frequency response variations when moving from my iPhone 5 (with approximately 3 Ω output impedance) and my CypherLabs rig, consisting of the Solo -dB and Duet (with approximately 0.2 Ω output impedance). Even with a 33 Ω in-line resistor, the signature didn’t stray too terribly far but I’d probably not recommend using anything over 10 Ω to get maximum performance.
SELECT COMPARISONS
For more information on CustomArt and the Music Two, please visit:
CustomArt is a relatively new player in the custom in-ear monitor (CIEM) market, specializing in silicone CIEMs, remolds of customs and universals, universal custom tips and custom made cables.
At the helm of CustomArt is Piotr Granicki (also known as [b]piotrus-g[/b], or Peter on head-fi.org). Peter is a personable, easy going and patient man, who won’t hesitate to answer all the varying questions a prospective customer might have.
I should know, as I peppered him with many questions, thoughts and ideas before finally settling on the CustomArt Music Two.
The Music Two is a dual BA custom using the Sonion 1723 Acupass, which is comprised of a 1700 woofer and a 2300 tweeter, combined into a single spout. Sonion specifies 22 Ω minimum impedance (at ~4 kHz) and the Music Two measures in at 75 Ω @ 1 kHz.
CustomArt lists these additional specifications:
- 2-Way Configuration
- 109 dB @ 1 kHz, 0.1 V
- 10 Hz to 18,500 Hz (±20 dB into IEC711 Coupler)
- Advanced Horn Nozzle Design
- Vented Receiver for Better Bass Response
- Silicone Body
Unlike many other manufacturers, Peter is very transparent about the uncompensated frequency response of his designs and has it readily displayed on his website for each model in his lineup. I really applaud his openness, as it helps a prospective buyer to have a better idea how the unheard product may sound — and ultimately perform.
ERGONOMICS, OPTIONS & ACCESSORIES
The Music Two ships with two cases, one a pocketable semi-hard zipper case and the other a Pelican 1010 micro case. Also included are a cleaning tool and desiccant pod, along with your trimmed-down ear impressions.I’ve owned many different custom IEMs but they’re all in acrylic; Music Two is my very first silicone CIEM. I was quite surprised at how quickly I could insert and remove them. In fact, I can easily insert and remove them faster than my previous acrylic CIEMs.
Comfort and isolation is also top notch. The Music Two is easily the most comfortable custom I’ve owned and the isolation is incredible. It’s more isolating than any of my acrylic customs and surprisingly even more isolating than the classically deep-fitting Etymotic ER-4S! Best of all, there is no occlusion effect when walking. Silicone certainly brings multiple advantages to the table for me.
When ordering a Music Two, one can choose many different colors of silicone — some standard and some premium, with a choice of different tip colors as well. Some colors are solid and others are transparent, and some even have a metallic look — the finishes on the shells can be gloss or matte. There is also an option for faceplate artwork. Peter even offers a ‘State of Art’ finish, which includes various combinations of internally-colored parts like wiring, tubing, etc. I tend to shy away from flashy things and prefer the understated, so I went with simple smoke/transparent black silicone shells.
Fixed or removable cabling is also an option. Removable cables use the standard Westone style two-pin connectors but if you want supply your own fixed cable, you can send in just about any cable option for Peter to use. I opted for the fixed cable, presumably for better durability and comfort. However, instead of using the stock fixed cable, I decided to send in a cable that Ultimate Ears uses for their customs.
SOUND
So how does the Music Two sound? Thick, rich, and potent are three words that quickly come to mind. Bass is reverberant and excellently textured. Treble is articulate and crisp with each note clearly defined but overall remaining non-fatiguing. Midrange is weighty, organic and slightly laid back. It’s a frequency response that doesn’t stray too far from accuracy but strives for a fun and musical approach to it.
And while note weight is hefty and dense, the Music Two still achieves a fairly large and spacious presentation. At times it seems almost contradictory — it sounds laid back, non-fatiguing, yet at the same time dynamic, bold and impactful.
The Music Two is a pretty sensitive IEM and gets loud very easily. Sensitivity seems on par with the FitEar F111. However sensitive it may be, it still plays well with devices of varying impedance. I didn’t notice any frequency response variations when moving from my iPhone 5 (with approximately 3 Ω output impedance) and my CypherLabs rig, consisting of the Solo -dB and Duet (with approximately 0.2 Ω output impedance). Even with a 33 Ω in-line resistor, the signature didn’t stray too terribly far but I’d probably not recommend using anything over 10 Ω to get maximum performance.
SELECT COMPARISONS
HIFIMAN RE-400
The Music Two has a very nice bass punch and rumble that maintains a good balance of mid and deep bass; the overall quantity of both is greater than the the bass on the RE-400, coming across as more reverberant and richer-sounding. The Music Two’s note is weightier and denser than the thinner and lighter sounding RE-400. In comparison the RE-400 seems a little more balanced in its treble and bass presentation, and as a result sounds brighter and thinner, even though the upper midrange and overall treble seem to be presented similarly between the two phones. The Music Two is simply more charismatic down low. Whereas the RE-400 can sound mellow and relaxing, and is exceptional with acoustic material, the Music Two is bolder and more dynamic, with a bit of ‘shock and awe’ next to the milder RE-400.TDK BA200 (CYMBACAVUM REVIEW)
The Music Two has just slightly more bass quantity, mostly in deep bass, and much better bass texture. The Music Two’s mids are also a little more forward, with more upper mid presence than the BA200, which sound even more laid back through the midrange. Treble is pretty similar in timbre, sparkle and overall presence. The Music Two only comes across as a hair brighter, yet it seems much livelier, and much more open and spacious. It renders significantly deeper and more realistic images over the BA200, which sounds plenty wide but casts a flatter image in a direct A/B comparison. The Music Two is more sensitive and plays louder at the same spot on the volume knob. After this comparison, it’s pretty evident the Music Two is the spiritual successor of the BA200, and those looking for a similar signature in custom form need to look no further.FITEAR F111
The F111 has a brassier, more natural tone to its treble for better timbre, but isn’t quite as articulate as the Music Two in the treble. The treble articulation of the Music Two is simply fantastic during complex and busy cymbal crashes. It maintains each hit separately, in its own space, without ever blending together and becoming one vague noise. Overall, bass levels are very similar but the Music Two seems to have a hair more in deep bass and a little longer bass decay. The F111 also has a little more upper mid energy for a slightly better distortion guitar bite, sweeter female vocals, better piano timbre and more banjo twang — but the same added energy also makes it sound slightly brighter, even though treble presence is very similar — in turn making the F111 a little less forgiving and a little more fatiguing, comparatively speaking. Overall, the Music Two sounds a little wider and deeper but both are similar in height. Sensitivity seems very similar between the two and I didn’t find myself needing to compensate with volume when switching back and forth. The presentation of both are cut from the same mold and don’t really stray to far from each other. I’d give the nod to the F111 for overall tonality and timbre and the Music Two for treble articulation.ETYMOTIC ER-4S
The Ety is my benchmark for accuracy and neutrality; as such it comes across leaner and less impactful than the Music Two. At approximately 100 Ω impedance, it needs substantially more volume to match the Music Two in sensitivity. ER-4S’ vocals are more transparent and revealing of micro detail. The ER-4S also combines the attributes of the Music Two treble articulation with the tonality of F111 for some of the best treble I’ve ever heard. While the bass of the Ety obviously scales in at several decibels less, it still has some of the finest bass texture to be had. Where the Music Two excels is in greater impact and rumble, for a more exciting, head-bobbing experience. The Music Two also possesses a thicker, denser note. This bolder presentation can provide a larger head stage in direct comparison, but the Ety is no less spacious within its own, more compact head stage, while simultaneously providing better imaging. While the Ety maintains its crown for accuracy and neutrality, the Music Two manages to prove that you really don’t have to sacrifice much in the way of detail and tonality for a more fun, musical and laid-back presentation.For more information on CustomArt and the Music Two, please visit:
