[bmtran]

I've decided to get custom earphones. I don't mind paying a decent amount of money as long as I get a lot of value out of it. Any recommendations?

 

[goodvibes]

jh5.

 

[adktitan]

Quote:

jh5.

 
Goodvibes, do you own the JH5? I assume you do based on your recommendation, however, OP should also know that "value" is a highly subjective thought in these forums. More information should be provided or asked about such as build quality, customer service,  sounds quality, etc etc. All of these may play a part in one’s own value built system. For instance, maybe build quality is more important to you, then I, thus you value Westone over JH if you think Westone builds better customs, on the whole. However, I if value JH over UE, it may be that I value their customer service or artwork. It goes on and on and on.
 
bmtran, Start doing ALOT of research first.

 

[pizzafilms]

You'd be hard pressed to find a better value than the JH-5's.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/502199/jh-audio-jh-5-pro-and-more/

 

[bmtran]

 
Quote:

bmtran, Start doing ALOT of research first.

thanks. I've done quite a bit of research prior to making this post, regarding the actual construction of the devices to the parts used in them (which I found relatively difficult to do except by reading through long forum posts) to other people's impressions. What I want out of making this thread is everyone else's opinion. I'm somewhat well acquainted with the technology involved; I recently received a BS in electrical engineering, and I am working towards an advanced degree in acoustics. Where I'm at a loss is where marketing BS starts and in aspects of things like fit and customer service that basically require having purchased them before. I don't wanna buy something cheap just to jump back in and buy a more expensive one soon after.
 
so allow me to list my priorities

• Sound Quality. I hear this term get thrown around a lot without an actual definition as to what it is. For me, it is a products ability to allow its user to enjoy the music that its trying to represent in an enjoyable (and somewhat accurate) manner.
• Comfort, Convenience, Durability. This one's pretty self explanatory; I want to keep them in my ears for a long time, be able to take them in and out easily, be able to wear them at my desk and moving about, and for them to last me years (including the cords, i acknowledge the possible need for remolding).
• Cost. I don't wanna pay an extra $300 or even $5 for something that won't improve (1) or (2) noticeably.

 
I hope this helps. I just find it difficult to know what to look for when the models and companies don't seem to differentiate themselves very much. Thoughts and remarks in any of these areas would be welcome.

 

[deviationer]

Quote:

jh5.

+1
 
Get them as your first custom, then buy the JH-16's later if you feel you want even more uberness.
Even better, find a place that has the demo units of the JH-5/10/10x3/13/16 etc and try them out.

 

[darknessproz]

Build Quality wise, most people agree the UM builds the nicest looking customs. The UM Mage is said to be good value for money, same amount of drivers as the UE11 at half the cost. Comfort is a no-brainer.. its a custom IEM, its made for your ears. The main issue is whether you would like the sound signature.
 
Quote:

 

thanks. I've done quite a bit of research prior to making this post, regarding the actual construction of the devices to the parts used in them (which I found relatively difficult to do except by reading through long forum posts) to other people's impressions. What I want out of making this thread is everyone else's opinion. I'm somewhat well acquainted with the technology involved; I recently received a BS in electrical engineering, and I am working towards an advanced degree in acoustics. Where I'm at a loss is where marketing BS starts and in aspects of things like fit and customer service that basically require having purchased them before. I don't wanna buy something cheap just to jump back in and buy a more expensive one soon after.
 
so allow me to list my priorities

• Sound Quality. I hear this term get thrown around a lot without an actual definition as to what it is. For me, it is a products ability to allow its user to enjoy the music that its trying to represent in an enjoyable (and somewhat accurate) manner.
• Comfort, Convenience, Durability. This one's pretty self explanatory; I want to keep them in my ears for a long time, be able to take them in and out easily, be able to wear them at my desk and moving about, and for them to last me years (including the cords, i acknowledge the possible need for remolding).
• Cost. I don't wanna pay an extra $300 or even $5 for something that won't improve (1) or (2) noticeably.

 
I hope this helps. I just find it difficult to know what to look for when the models and companies don't seem to differentiate themselves very much. Thoughts and remarks in any of these areas would be welcome.

 

[music_4321]

 
Quote:

 
Goodvibes, do you own the JH5? I assume you do based on your recommendation, however, OP should also know that "value" is a highly subjective thought in these forums. More information should be provided or asked about such as build quality, customer service,  sounds quality, etc etc. All of these may play a part in one’s own value built system. For instance, maybe build quality is more important to you, then I, thus you value Westone over JH if you think Westone builds better customs, on the whole. However, I if value JH over UE, it may be that I value their customer service or artwork. It goes on and on and on.
 
bmtran, Start doing ALOT of research first.

Good advice!

 
Quote:

thanks. I've done quite a bit of research prior to making this post, regarding the actual construction of the devices to the parts used in them (which I found relatively difficult to do except by reading through long forum posts) to other people's impressions. What I want out of making this thread is everyone else's opinion. I'm somewhat well acquainted with the technology involved; I recently received a BS in electrical engineering, and I am working towards an advanced degree in acoustics. Where I'm at a loss is where marketing BS starts and in aspects of things like fit and customer service that basically require having purchased them before. I don't wanna buy something cheap just to jump back in and buy a more expensive one soon after.
 
so allow me to list my priorities

• Sound Quality. I hear this term get thrown around a lot without an actual definition as to what it is. For me, it is a products ability to allow its user to enjoy the music that its trying to represent in an enjoyable (and somewhat accurate) manner.
• Comfort, Convenience, Durability. This one's pretty self explanatory; I want to keep them in my ears for a long time, be able to take them in and out easily, be able to wear them at my desk and moving about, and for them to last me years (including the cords, i acknowledge the possible need for remolding).
• Cost. I don't wanna pay an extra $300 or even $5 for something that won't improve (1) or (2) noticeably.

 
I hope this helps. I just find it difficult to know what to look for when the models and companies don't seem to differentiate themselves very much. Thoughts and remarks in any of these areas would be welcome.

My suggestion is: If you can afford it, try to get a 3-driver custom IEM, but do a bit of research first. This way you have a dedicated driver for each ferquency. Also, note that more drivers will not necessarily give you (significantly) better SQ. In fact, the crossover is a key aspect in customs, and a well EQ'd 2-driver IEM/ custom IEM might surprise you just how good it can be.
 
Still, my advice would be to look deeper into 3-driver customs.
 
Also, bear in mind there is A LOT of exaggeration in far too many posts that will give the impression that a certain custom will provide amazing/ unparalleled SQ. The fact is that a very good top-tier universal IEM may well compete with some top-tier customs in SQ, isolation & comfort . Unfortunately, a lot of people equate spending a lot (hype) with the best SQ.
 
Search and, more than anything, learn to discern between hype and often seemingly 'impressive' use of jargon, with authentic & useful advice/ views.
 
Not all those who have something valuable to say will post in this thread so you may as well post questions directly on relevant threads - a few worthwhile contributors will not even bother to check this thread. Also, beware of high post count, it often means people love to post for the sake of posting.
 
Might want to check this thread: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/429275/are-custom-iem-s-overrated
 
Good luck.

 

[jaibautista]

^ Very, very helpful post there, music_4321. This is one of the best advice posts I've read in a long while.

 

[rawrster]

I do have a question for your OP. What gear will they be paired with? What are your sources and amps. I think how they are going to be connected could impact how far up you may want to go. I don't have a very expensive custom but they do scale up well but straight from my clip+ compared to top tier customs the difference isn't as big as from my dac/amp/

 

[bmtran]

 
Quote:

I do have a question for your OP. What gear will they be paired with? What are your sources and amps. I think how they are going to be connected could impact how far up you may want to go. I don't have a very expensive custom but they do scale up well but straight from my clip+ compared to top tier customs the difference isn't as big as from my dac/amp/

I'll be using it either straight from a clip+ or a total bithead connected to my laptop.

 

[InFn-0]

Check out the products from Livewire

 

[bmtran]

 
Quote:

Check out the products from Livewire

I'm assuming you're talking about the LiveWires customs made by EarPeace, and yes I saw them and was very impressed. It was actually the existence of those that prompted me to consider getting custom earphones; it seems to signify that the market is really getting competitive and the markup on customs is decreasing. However, despite my initial shock that $250 customs existed anywhere, I'm on the fence about them; i've heard horrific stories of their customer service (although I've also heard some generally pleasing stories about them too) and their long wait time as well as somewhat mixed reviews about their products regarding build and sound quality.
 
I've also been looking at triple-driver IEM as recommended by music_4321, but I'm not entirely convinced of the benefits. I wish there was a place I could try (side-by-side) triple-driver and dual-driver universal IEMs; I'm just not experienced enough with the products to get a good feel for how much I would be willing to lay down for an extra driver. To be honest, I've never even listened to a balanced armature driver before. I'm currently talking to a friend of mine who has the UE triple.fi 10s that I could try out to get a feel for the triple-driver experience.
 
I've been reading up on the JH5 Pro IEMs that seem to come recommended from a number of people on this board. JH Audio as a company seems to have a very good reputation, which is a good plus, and any and all reviews I could find about any of the products in the Pro line have been very positive. However, I haven't found much on the JH5 Pros specifically, although the ones I have found suggest that they are pretty close to perfect and the best of their class.

 

[pizzafilms]

I initially bought a set of dual driver Livewires and then a set of JH-5's and there is absolutely no comparison in any regard. The JH-5's blow the Livewires away and it's not even close.
 
The other thing about JH Audio is that you have to realize that Jerry Harvey basically designed all the Ultimate Ears customs up until 2 years ago and when Logitech bought them, design and component compromises were made to get the cost down and profitability up. With his new line of customs, he didn't have to make any compromises for a huge company's bottom line, and instead took everything up a notch. You'll notice that there's a lot of similarity in the UE and JH Audio lines, but the JH stuff are basically the V2 upgrade if you will, with better and mostly custom components. That's what he told me.

 

[goodvibes]

I don't have JH5s but have auditioned a pair setup for universal. I preferred it to the 3 ways of non custom Shure, Westone, and UE. Frequencies are only divided into 3 ranges for descriptive purposes not for drivers. If 2 can do the job in one model better than 3 in another, who cares how many are used. 3 can become 4 ranges and 4 can become 5. People get too caught up in numbers. Just listen. Of course, do research and audition as much as you can but go in unbiased. I said JH5 because it's the best sub $500 IEM that I've heard custom or not. Simple as that. I didn't tell him to go out and buy without a listen. Just my vote. He wants value and although the JH13 and some others may be better, it would be difficult to find a better value than the JH5 which has been $200 price reduced to compete pricewise with the 2 way UE. I have a live chicago green mill recording of Kurt Elling that was done for him personally, is very revealing and I know very well that I used for audition along with some HD tracks downloads. Didn't need to listen for more than a few to know these are very good.