Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Uk /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Not sure about the price , but having a higher budget helps you look for better product .All I wanted was some decent reliable IEMS and i've found them . By the way , you could have a hard time trying to adjust to not having as much bass as the CX300's . Personally if you have the money and want an upgrade go for the Super Fi's , it all depends if you can used to the fitting of them
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Hey there Chris, I congratulate you on your purchase of the
"Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 Pro's" In-Ear-Monitor's (and not the unnecessary EB, or Extended Bass, variant).
This is for you, and anyone else who is interested, in creating perfect seals in the ear canal.
My neutral sounding (with clear, tight, non-boomy bass) reference
"Etymotic ER-6i's" have
triple flange silicone eartips, and this is the best type of silicone/rubber eartip available in my view. They make great seals, and are very easy to insert. Yet for those who can't use, or get, triple flanges (*ahem*, Ultimate ears...), then silicone buds will generally do fine for most people, and the
double flanges on the UE's are a little better.
However, as is said by Ultimate Ears own user guide, to get the
"ultimate seal" on non-custom ear moulded IEM's, use
Foam eartips.
Foam eartips create a
perfect seal, since they shape the inside of your ear canal completely. Unfortunately, Foam eartips are designed to be disposable due to cerumen (ear wax). When they become discoloured, they need to be replaced.
To use them (most companies that sell IEM's with Foam eartips have virtually the same method of insertion), put the foam at the end of the
Ear Conductor (the tube that eartips attach to on IEM's),
roll and compress the Foam, insert into ear, wait
10 seconds (5 seconds is the said time, 10 is my preferred wait), and you should feel the foam expand in your ear.
It is not an unusually sensation that annoys, but it is interesting to feel the effect of the semi-vacuum created in your ear canal, and the seal once created. Also, it
does not hurt. This will have the effect of making your IEM's sound fantastic, since there is a perfect seal shaped to your ear canal by the foams, and you will hear all the features of your chosen IEM's
For "Chris Uk" and I, our Ultimate Ears have great dual armatures, or drivers, per ear bud. One drives the low-end frequencies, and the other drives the mid-high frequencies.
As Chris UK has said, the bass is not big and huge as other in ear headphones (of the cheap variety in my experience), but that is because Chris needs to make a better seal.
Since my left ear canal is different shaped than my right, as tested using the foam eartips from my Etymotic ER-6i, the double flanges are the best I have to use until my ordered foam eartips arrive. The double flange's are the only thing from the UE eartips that make a seal for me, but they do not stay put, so I always lose the seal, and thus part of the music.
So, to Chris, I think you are using the wrong eartip. The small silicone eartip is designed for those who have small diameter ear canal openings, not to be inserted very deep into the ear canal. Please try the foams, as I believe this is what you need. Although they are disposable, they do offer the best in acoustic sound.
It is true that Psychoacoustics do come in play. The mind 'tricks' itself to believe that what is good 'has' to be good, so people who get high end in-ear monitors will perceive the sound to be extraordinary, whereas those with developed ears will notice and appreciate the subtle differences (either from cheap IEM's to high-end IEM's, or from high-end IEM's to ultra audiophillic IEM's). (Note, I do not think I have developed ears, but I am subtly appreciating the mid-high end audiophile in-ear monitors).
The foams will make a difference, but don't expect an explosive difference.
However, in saying that, the bass in the Super.Fi 5 Pro's are extraordinary, not as extreme as the V-Moda range or my previous Sony MDR-EX71/90SLB's, but huge and accurate. They can be thunderous, without ruining the mid and high frequencies (so very clear music all the way), and you can
feel the bass, as if you were in a
'very good sounding club (acoustically)' or at a gig/concert.
Since the bass does not control the whole frequencies, the soundstage is also fantastic.
Hope this helps, and do write back if you do try the foams, and your feelings in using them.
---
The One In Yellow
"Day One Will Suffice"
