[Nick B]

Greetings Learned Forum:

As I wait for delivery of my Westone UM2s (a story onto itself, which I will share later today, time permitting), I am being pestered by a friend for a recommendation for canalphones. She wants THE BEST. Try as I may to keep explaining how personal and subjective the opinion of "the best sound" is, we keep coming back to, "But which one is "the best?" She WANTS pay big bucks, because that's THE BEST.

So please people, for the love of God, send me your votes for THE BEST CANALPHONES EVER MADE, PRICE BE DAMNED!!! Rich, full bass. Mids that bloom like tulips. Highs that shimmer like silk. All in a package that is so comfortable you forget you are wearing them.

As usual, you are lifesavers. Thank you so much.

Nick B

 

[Thaddy]

Seems like she's a good candidate for the Sensaphonics Prophonic 2X-S or the Ultimate Ears UE-10's. Man, I feel sorry for her wallet!

 

[elnero]

You're probably looking at customs like the Sensaphonics 2X-S or Ultimate Ears UE10.

 

[warpdriver]

"I want the best" is a statement that is never light on the wallet. We all know that buying the best of anything requires an outright 10-100X more $$$ than the average person considers reasonable. The best wines costs hundreds, the best watches costs 10's of thousands, the best speakers costs as much as a high end luxury car.

The best canalphones are arguably the UE10, Sensa 2X. Both are custom, so comfort is not an issue.

 

[xlr26]

How much are the Sensas going for these days?

 

[firefox360]

The comfiest IEM between the UE's and Sensa's, has to be the Sensaphonics. Their made with soft silicone where as the UE's are made of acrylic.

 

[Salt Peanuts]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xlr26 How much are the Sensas going for these days?

IIRC, they're about $800 or so, but my memory's bit fuzzy on this one.

 

[wowie11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by firefox360 The comfiest IEM between the UE's and Sensa's, has to be the Sensaphonics. Their made with soft silicone where as the UE's are made of acrylic.

This is kind of subjective. I have had custom silicon inserts made for my e5c and they, to me, are nowhere near as comfortable as my acrylic UE10's...but then again YMMV.

 

[iamdone]

I've been debating this for months with myself since I have both the sensas and ue10.

The sensas win on comfort because you can even sleep with them without really feeling any pressure at all compared to the ue10. The ue10 are almost as comfortable in normal use but I think the sensas might be just a touch better there. The only problem with the sensa is they are a little harder than the ue10 to insert and remove.

For sound, I finally settled with the sensas again. I have to use treble boost on the ipod to get the exact sound a want, but I'm now finding that I really enjoy this sound compared to the ue10. The ue10 even sound slight muddy in comparison. The sensas w/treble boost almost come close to the RS-1 in my home system. Something about the ue10 sound is a little off and I can't seem to figure it out. I said the same thing about the sensa but then I learned it just has a little highend rolloff but everything else is as perfect as a canalphone can be.

The sensas also have better isolation too. Since the silcone bends and forms to you ears, it also creates a better seal.

I haven't heard the Westone ES3 yet, so that may be even better. The other thing to keep in mind is each person's sound preference. So one may not be better than the other, just better suited for that person. I thought the ue10 was the better one for me but realized I was wrong after 6 months.