A Review of MandarinEs Foam Tips

[garcsa]

Anyone tried these on Noble wide bores? Would love to measure and test these vs. SpinFit/Comply/Silicon!

Some measurments, thanks to @csglinux:

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/shure-se846-impressions-thread.675219/page-1205#post-13617865

 

[Oscar-HiFi]

Some measurments, thanks to @csglinux:

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/shure-se846-impressions-thread.675219/page-1205#post-13617865

Really looking forward to see what you have new coming out, I love my Mandarines but again find them a little uncomfortable sometimes.

I think partially the S tips are still slightly too big for my ears (need XS tips), and also the silicone is possibly a little too stiff.

The new Final E series tips are excellent and soft, they could perhaps be modified with some memory foam

 

[nuke350]

Unfortunately as much as i tried to like them, they are really uncomfortable for my ears, especially for long listening.

 

[subguy812]

I wanted to post some thoughts on the Symbio tips. I have both the narrow and the wide, with the wide being my preference. These are wonderful tips. My favorite wide tip, the JVC Spiral Dot is truly being challenged by the Symbio W. With my Zeus XR the SQ is clearly better than with the Spiral Dots, I was surprised. The tips are silicon over a foam, the foam is similar to a Comply. At first insertion they feel rigid and I have noticed as they warm up inside your ear the comfort improves. The only issue I have is I need more W for my other IEM's.

 

[Elijah Aquino]

I've been using the Symbio Wide tips for almost 2 months now. My only gripe would be they feel larger than anything else I've used in the past. The small Symbio Ws feel larger to my ears than the regular mediums I usually wear.
Because of this, they're quite uncomfortable most of the time if used for more than half an hour. But they sound best among any other eartips I've used, and I can't use any other eartips anymore after trying them.

 

[RAQemUP]

Just got the Symbio W tips in. While it took some effort at first, I was able to fit them on my iSINE 20. So far enjoying the small tips a lot in contrast to using the large rib tips that come with the iSINEs to get the best seal. I will have to use them for awhile before a true compare to let the sound brain burn in.

 

[AlwaysForward]

Just got the Symbio W tips in. While it took some effort at first, I was able to fit them on my iSINE 20. So far enjoying the small tips a lot in contrast to using the large rib tips that come with the iSINEs to get the best seal. I will have to use them for awhile before a true compare to let the sound brain burn in.

Perfect timing to post that, thank you. I just found this thread and have wide bore IEMs in the iSine20 and Quad Drivers so thank you for sharing that these things can stretch to fit. Now if only they were in stock

 

[RAQemUP]

Here are the iSINE 20 with the medium Symbio W tips.

 

[AlwaysForward]

Here are the iSINE 20 with the medium Symbio W tips.

And ordered. Will report back with impressions. I have high expectations for this design.

 

[PhilW]

If there is anyone in the UK after a pair of W or N sized mandarinEs then we now have stock.

Symbio by MandarinEs

 

[HungryPanda]

lovely, just ordered

 

[LoneRanger]

I've been using these for a couple of weeks now and I find that the Symbio N tips (in medium size) fit OK for me and have replaced the usual medium sized Comply tips I used before - they are great sounding and isolation is one of the best I've heard.

The only problem I've had, is that the Symbio W tips (in medium size) make my ear canals really sore after a while and I can't use these due to the level of discomfort - QUESTION: has anybody here compared the Symbio W tips in both small and medium sizes side by side and if so, did you find that going down to the small size was OK / better if you are normally a size medium in other tips ?

 

[ostewart]

I've been using these for a couple of weeks now and I find that the Symbio N tips (in medium size) fit OK for me and have replaced the usual medium sized Comply tips I used before - they are great sounding and isolation is one of the best I've heard.

The only problem I've had, is that the Symbio W tips (in medium size) make my ear canals really sore after a while and I can't use these due to the level of discomfort - QUESTION: has anybody here compared the Symbio W tips in both small and medium sizes side by side and if so, did you find that going down to the small size was OK / better if you are normally a size medium in other tips ?

I have both sizes, I tend to be a small with most tips and the Symbio also tend to make my ears a bit sore, so they are slightly larger than normal size tips.

I'll take a picture tomorrow, as the tips are at work

 

[davidcotton]

I've been using these for a couple of weeks now and I find that the Symbio N tips (in medium size) fit OK for me and have replaced the usual medium sized Comply tips I used before - they are great sounding and isolation is one of the best I've heard.

The only problem I've had, is that the Symbio W tips (in medium size) make my ear canals really sore after a while and I can't use these due to the level of discomfort - QUESTION: has anybody here compared the Symbio W tips in both small and medium sizes side by side and if so, did you find that going down to the small size was OK / better if you are normally a size medium in other tips ?

Audio sanctuary do a small/medium/large packet if you really want to find out. I have similar issues with tips on the right side. Small is too small and medium is too big. By the time you have done a bit of tip rolling (in the uk at least) you might as well have used the money on a decent set of impressions and been done with it. That said been tempted to get a set of symbios to see if I can get a decent seal on a set of universals that's proving troublesome.

 

[LoneRanger]

I have both sizes, I tend to be a small with most tips and the Symbio also tend to make my ears a bit sore, so they are slightly larger than normal size tips.

I'll take a picture tomorrow, as the tips are at work

Thanks

Audio sanctuary do a small/medium/large packet if you really want to find out. I have similar issues with tips on the right side. Small is too small and medium is too big. By the time you have done a bit of tip rolling (in the uk at least) you might as well have used the money on a decent set of impressions and been done with it. That said been tempted to get a set of symbios to see if I can get a decent seal on a set of universals that's proving troublesome.

With the W tips, the problem is more on my left side (so I may have the same problem as you but in reverse) and yeah I did see that Audio Sanctuary are doing the mixture packs, thanks. Problem is and as you say, if I buy a selection of tips it will be another £16 + shipping and then once I decide which one I like best, I then got to spend another £16 + shipping on (probably) a pack of small tips (plus I got a 3 pack of medium W tips that I can't use!!) - gets a bit silly really. Fortunately, I was able to get a pair of the medium N tips and test them before I purchased, so I thought (wrongly) that the W tips would also be OK in medium.......my bad I guess!