Best IEM tips?

[BS5711]

I have many types of eartips, 20+. w1,omni,100+, velvet,velvet wide bore, baroque, s&s, sencai, fh18, xelastec, vivid, etc etcmy problem is that with my right ear they are all problematic due to irritation, they only differ in degree. it's just that this constant changing and testing is boring, it's been going on for months... I have a high-end stereo system and a headphone system, I just turn it on and it works without any anomalies, irritations or frustrating feelings... I think my iem system should receive less attention because it's simply not worth it..

You have to persevere with trial and error based on common sense testing of tips that are different in a way that seems to be beneficial to your fit needs. That is tips that are a step in the right direction based on whatever trend emerges in terms of beneficial shape etc versus just trying any old random tip types hoping for the best.

Even seemingly very similar tips can behave quite differently in terms of comfort over extended use and even the same tips can give different fit and comfort results when used on IEM with different dimensions, angles etc. subtle shape, diameter and material differences can matter a lot if the IEM are a problematic fit for you in some way.

On my most used sets I have settled on KBear07 tips. These three IEM are all from AuR Audio and share quite similar shape and nozzle angles and for me have the same tip requirements. Two other IEM have different shapes and nozzle lengths and I need different tips on both for a comfortable and effective fit.

I have found that even the cable used can alter the comfort, it seems to be associated with the ear hook shape and stiffness and how that may pull on the IEM in your ear. Sometimes reshaping the ear hook makes a significant difference to long term comfort.

Unfortunately it is something that only you can work on and figure out.

The trying and testing process itself I find complicates fit assessment because changing and inserting frequently can be irritating which causes a problem in and of itself. As does simply being aware of the fit because you are experimenting. I think it is best to get a tips that seem promising and just use them for a bit and see how they work out over a few hours or so of casual listening while doing something else so you are less aware. If you are a bit frustrated with it you are probably better to stop even listening with the IEM for a few days then come back to them trying just one set of tips at a time.

Of course there is the problem that some IEM simply may not fit you well and no amount of tip experimenting will fix that completely.

Of course giving up on IEM altogether saves a lot of dicking around if you are getting nowhere and don’t have a particular need or desire to use IEM.

 

[dpeterfy32]

You have to persevere with trial and error based on common sense testing of tips that are different in a way that seems to be beneficial to your fit needs. That is tips that are a step in the right direction based on whatever trend emerges in terms of beneficial shape etc versus just trying any old random tip types hoping for the best.

Even seemingly very similar tips can behave quite differently in terms of comfort over extended use and even the same tips can give different fit and comfort results when used on IEM with different dimensions, angles etc. subtle shape, diameter and material differences can matter a lot if the IEM are a problematic fit for you in some way.

On my most used sets I have settled on KBear07 tips. These three IEM are all from AuR Audio and share quite similar shape and nozzle angles and for me have the same tip requirements. Two other IEM have different shapes and nozzle lengths and I need different tips on both for a comfortable and effective fit.

I have found that even the cable used can alter the comfort, it seems to be associated with the ear hook shape and stiffness and how that may pull on the IEM in your ear. Sometimes reshaping the ear hook makes a significant difference to long term comfort.

Unfortunately it is something that only you can work on and figure out.

The trying and testing process itself I find complicates fit assessment because changing and inserting frequently can be irritating which causes a problem in and of itself. As does simply being aware of the fit because you are experimenting. I think it is best to get a tips that seem promising and just use them for a bit and see how they work out over a few hours or so of casual listening while doing something else so you are less aware. If you are a bit frustrated with it you are probably better to stop even listening with the IEM for a few days then come back to them trying just one set of tips at a time.

Of course there is the problem that some IEM simply may not fit you well and no amount of tip experimenting will fix that completely.

Of course giving up on IEM altogether saves a lot of dicking around if you are getting nowhere and don’t have a particular need or desire to use IEM.

if both ears were equally irritated by the iem, it would be a very easy decision to sell everything and not use it. the frustrating thing about all this is that nothing irritates my left ear and everything irritates my right ear. I don't know where to put this, it's completely abnormal. It is also ruled out that it would be too dry or that there would be an infection because I used many types of oil and ear drops, which excludes this.

 

[ticoss]

You're clearly irritated by it
Follow baskingshark's advices, as none of the answers given seem to help. After that, perhaps you can look at medical solutions

 

[AndreRitter]

if both ears were equally irritated by the iem, it would be a very easy decision to sell everything and not use it. the frustrating thing about all this is that nothing irritates my left ear and everything irritates my right ear. I don't know where to put this, it's completely abnormal. It is also ruled out that it would be too dry or that there would be an infection because I used many types of oil and ear drops, which excludes this.

Frankly it might as well be both ears if the right is that bad. I would seriously consider not using iems personally. It sounds like your right ear canal is just not suited to them.

 

[dpeterfy32]

If you can do custom IEMs, that's an option for those with asymmetrical or awkward ear anatomy.

There's even custom eartips to plug onto the stem of the IEM.

Have you tried foam tips? They are generally not as hard as silicone types, though some may not like the sensation or sonic changes of foams.

Failing which, go for headphones or flathead earbuds, which do not require any insertion inside the ear canal.

I have 2 tons of eartips, to be honest, I don't see any point in buying more. all popular types are available. there aren't many options for foam either, Symbio W is the only one that is high quality and usable. I have a headphone system, I don't use earbuds, the sound quality is very poor.

 

[Hypops]

I have 2 tons of eartips, to be honest, I don't see any point in buying more. all popular types are available. there aren't many options for foam either, Symbio W is the only one that is high quality and usable. I have a headphone system, I don't use earbuds, the sound quality is very poor.

Honestly, why keep hurting yourself? If none of the above alternatives that we've suggested works or is possible, I think you've done everything you can. As I and others have also said, some people genuinely cannot use IEMs for a variety of reasons. It sounds like you might be one of those people.

 

[dpeterfy32]

Honestly, why keep hurting yourself? If none of the above alternatives that we've suggested works or is possible, I think you've done everything you can. As I and others have also said, some people genuinely cannot use IEMs for a variety of reasons. It sounds like you might be one of those people.

It's an exaggeration because I can't use them, but it's not really comfortable for more than 2 hours. I might have to make do with that. The only thing that really bothers me is that there is no irritation with my left ear, but everything with my right ear. I'm really looking for the reason for this. What you suggested that I try the different sizes doesn't help either, because I used them all after 2 hours and they all irritate me, no matter what size they are, what material or shape they are. This is not normal at all. I've used ear drops to remove all kinds of infections, and I've had a camera look into my ear and I don't have any problems with the ear canal, it's all clean. I don't have any ideas, I'm currently researching what the problem might be and I'll use it as little as possible until then.

 

[BS5711]

What is the specific IEM ?

Does it have particularly fat and/or long nozzles ?

I have a set of IEM with wide nozzles that get uncomfortable after and hour at most with certain tips but are comfortable all day with others, seems that they are such a close fit in my ear canals that the exact diameter of the tip at the point where the nozzle ends and the firmness of the material towards the end of the tip makes all the difference.

It might be that one ear canal is just a little narrower than the other and a small difference is creating a situation in one ear that doesn't exist in the other.

You might find that an IEM with a slimmer and/or shorter nozzle would completely solve the problem with any sensibly chosen tip.

If you can wear them for two hours before they get uncomfortable you are not miles away from being OK with them. I have had combinations of IEM and tips that I couldn't wear for half an hour but with different tips the same IEM was comfortable all day and with different IEM the tips were comfortable all day.

You might simply be batting a set of IEM that might never be perfectly comfortable while another, well selected, set might be a completely different story for you.

If you shared what IEM you are having issues with and sound preferences folks can probably suggest alternatives that are likely to be less intrusive in your ear canals due to slimmer and/or shorter nozzles.

 

[dpeterfy32]

What is the specific IEM ?

Does it have particularly fat and/or long nozzles ?

I have a set of IEM with wide nozzles that get uncomfortable after and hour at most with certain tips but are comfortable all day with others, seems that they are such a close fit in my ear canals that the exact diameter of the tip at the point where the nozzle ends and the firmness of the material towards the end of the tip makes all the difference.

It might be that one ear canal is just a little narrower than the other and a small difference is creating a situation in one ear that doesn't exist in the other.

You might find that an IEM with a slimmer and/or shorter nozzle would completely solve the problem with any sensibly chosen tip.

If you can wear them for two hours before they get uncomfortable you are not miles away from being OK with them. I have had combinations of IEM and tips that I couldn't wear for half an hour but with different tips the same IEM was comfortable all day and with different IEM the tips were comfortable all day.

You might simply be batting a set of IEM that might never be perfectly comfortable while another, well selected, set might be a completely different story for you.

If you shared what IEM you are having issues with and sound preferences folks can probably suggest alternatives that are likely to be less intrusive in your ear canals due to slimmer and/or shorter nozzles.

I have several IEMs that I use. westone Mach 10 , fudu verse 1, thieaudio oracle mk iii . I didn't use these for more than 2 hours, I had no problems with them until then. what was discussed so far is a fir audio xenon 6. I think this is a completely average nozzle in diameter and length, nothing extra.

 

[Hypops]

I have several IEMs that I use. westone Mach 10 , fudu verse 1, thieaudio oracle mk iii . I didn't use these for more than 2 hours, I had no problems with them until then. what was discussed so far is a fir audio xenon 6. I think this is a completely average nozzle in diameter and length, nothing extra.

I don't have direct experience with them, but the Fir Audio XE6 have been described in a few reviews as being unusually large and heavy.

 

[BS5711]

I have several IEMs that I use. westone Mach 10 , fudu verse 1, thieaudio oracle mk iii . I didn't use these for more than 2 hours, I had no problems with them until then. what was discussed so far is a fir audio xenon 6. I think this is a completely average nozzle in diameter and length, nothing extra.

I don’t have experience with them so can’t comment but “average” doesn’t matter one bit if your ear hole isn’t also average.

 

[dpeterfy32]

I don't have direct experience with them, but the Fir Audio XE6 have been described in a few reviews as being unusually large and heavy.

I wouldn't say it's big, but it's a fact that it's heavier than the plastic/resin shell types, but that's definitely not the problem, because then it would also irritate my left ear, and other xe6 owners don't have a problem with it. Think about it, it would be a design disaster, if such a product were to be overweighted. I am thinking that I will go through all the Spinfit w1 sizes, because in principle they have the strongest nozzle grip due to the double layer. According to the manufacturer's description, it is recommended for use with more BA IEMs because they are heavier and the w1 holds more stably. Last time I tried the SS & S, now I'm going to try the M size and push it just a little into the ear canal, not deep.

 

[dpeterfy32]

I don’t have experience with them so can’t comment but “average” doesn’t matter one bit if your ear hole isn’t also average.

Now I can't say anything about that, you asked what I use.

 

[dpeterfy32]

the last one is the eletech baroque M. I tried it, but when I put it in my ear, I can feel that it is not the ideal shape. Rather, the eartips of that shape fit better than the w1, xelastec, s&s. Now that I think about it, these three are all different shapes... Who understands this...I've had enough...

 

[BS5711]

Now I can't say anything about that, you asked what I use.

Indeed I did, hopefully someone who is familiar with them can help.

Can you measure the nozzle diameter at the very end ? That would give a starting point at least in respect of whether they are atypical, in images they certainly don’t look slim.

They are very expensive IEM so providing alternatives perhaps seems unhelpful if you are sufficiently involved to have invested that much into IEM already.