[Zachik]

I got the ER4XR, which from what I've read is maybe 5% better than the 3.

I would say it is hard to quantify the changes, but if I were forced to - to my ears the ER4XR is noticeably better than the ER3XR.

I really like the sound, although regrettably, the fit has been an issue. The foam tips that came with them make my ear canals itchy. The silicon flange things go awfully deep and hurts in one ear. It's fussy regardless, and I don't like the fact that I now worry about whether I'm doing myself harm.

I am sorry to hear that you're in the (relatively small) group of people that experience a fit issue with the deep insertion.
For what it's worth, I seriously doubt you could harm yourself... Also, several people in your situation reported they resolved the issue by inserting half-way (instead of all the way). Might have a small effect on the sound, but a big effect on comfort

Lastly, did you try both 2-flange as well as 3-flange tips? One type might fit you better than the other...

 

[DCofficehack]

I would say it is hard to quantify the changes, but if I were forced to - to my ears the ER4XR is noticeably better than the ER3XR.


I am sorry to hear that you're in the (relatively small) group of people that experience a fit issue with the deep insertion.
For what it's worth, I seriously doubt you could harm yourself... Also, several people in your situation reported they resolved the issue by inserting half-way (instead of all the way). Might have a small effect on the sound, but a big effect on comfort

Lastly, did you try both 2-flange as well as 3-flange tips? One type might fit you better than the other...

Yes, the two-flange is better. I'm still fussing with it all and am optimistic I'll find the right combo. Or just figure out the right insertion point.

Right now I'm trying the ety foams again in the hope I'll get less itchy. It's terrible wanting to scratch the inside of the ear canal because of the itch. I also tried Comply foam tips, which are what I prefer for IEMs, but the short barrel of the Comply tips has me worried they'll get stuck in my ear. These really are great IEMs. I think they deserve much more attention.

 

[Mojo65]

Hi, I received my new Honeydew a few days ago and I am quite impressed by the sound. Initially it sounded a bit muffled but that sensation disappeared in a couple of hours.
I like it very much, bass is indeed quite 'present' but not overwhelming or excessive, I like the lush effect it has on the overall sound quality. I cannot also say the mids are recessed that much or treble not extended, I think that for the price is quite balanced over the entire frequency range with a crush on bass...so to say.

Source was an iPod Classic via Meier Audio Corda Quickstep and Alo Audio Continental V5. I really love these amps.
While it is impressive the drive it has on the Corda, clean, 'physical' and beefy so is on the Cv5. With the latter the mid/treble becomes really sophisticated and refined, really excellent while bass gets slightly softer but not less textured.

Nice IEM indeed, I will let it run in longer but I do not expect to hear such a dramatic change from what I currently hear.
It does not have the clarity, focus and details in the mid/treble ranges as my Empire Ears Cerberus3 but it's more 'complete' thanks to the midbass/bass region impact. I love that soft impactful oomph....
Excellent product for that price (paid 260€).

 

[alex5908]

I sent an email message to CA support about the vacuum in the left ear for Honeydew. It takes about ten minutes for the vacuum "to settle down". The right ear is fine. I wanted CA to send me a new left earphone. They refused point blank. They want me to send both earphones on my expense and they will replace them. I've tried about 50 different types of tips (including relatively expensive tips like Xelsatec and the kind) but in vain. I just don't want to waste extra money to get the same problem. Does anybody else experience the same problem?

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

I sent an email message to CA support about the vacuum in the left ear for Honeydew. It takes about ten minutes for the vacuum "to settle down". The right ear is fine. I wanted CA to send me a new left earphone. They refused point blank. They want me to send both earphones on my expense and they will replace them. I've tried about 50 different types of tips (including relatively expensive tips like Xelsatec and the kind) but in vain. I just don't want to waste extra money to get the same problem. Does anybody else experience the same problem?

I don’t on my unit.

Nothing out of the ordinary for them to refuse this though, no company wants half an IEM laying around.

I’d say send it back for new one and take the chance.

 

[bwardrop]

I sent an email message to CA support about the vacuum in the left ear for Honeydew. It takes about ten minutes for the vacuum "to settle down". The right ear is fine. I wanted CA to send me a new left earphone. They refused point blank. They want me to send both earphones on my expense and they will replace them. I've tried about 50 different types of tips (including relatively expensive tips like Xelsatec and the kind) but in vain. I just don't want to waste extra money to get the same problem. Does anybody else experience the same problem?

I experience this occasionally with my Polaris 2 which has a vent hole just like your Honeydew. I’ve always viewed it as an issue of anatomy and my ear canals having a different fit on each side. Whenever I do get the vacuum lock I just unseat the iem and reposition it a little and the problem usually corrects itself. I generally have short listening sessions so that might account for it not being a huge issue for me. I also hear driver flex pops while inserting as it gets a seal and loses seal but once I have them seated if the vacuum is still there I just jiggle the iem a litte in that case as well.

 

[rantng]

I sent an email message to CA support about the vacuum in the left ear for Honeydew. It takes about ten minutes for the vacuum "to settle down". The right ear is fine. I wanted CA to send me a new left earphone. They refused point blank. They want me to send both earphones on my expense and they will replace them. I've tried about 50 different types of tips (including relatively expensive tips like Xelsatec and the kind) but in vain. I just don't want to waste extra money to get the same problem. Does anybody else experience the same problem?

The vacuum effect is the effect of the eartips creating a seal with the ear canals. It is specific to each person's anatomy, not due to any "defect" in the IEM. I have small ear canals and I experience this as well as driver flex with many IEMs. Sometimes it can be quite uncomfortable after extended use. Although I'm not particularly a fan of foam tips, I've found that they alleviate this pressure, although of course at the expense of seal. As @bwardrop mentioned, some people have different sized/shaped ear canals, which is why you may be experiencing this more on the left side. You could also try different sized eartips for each side.

 

[alex5908]

I experience this occasionally with my Polaris 2 which has a vent hole just like your Honeydew. I’ve always viewed it as an issue of anatomy and my ear canals having a different fit on each side. Whenever I do get the vacuum lock I just unseat the iem and reposition it a little and the problem usually corrects itself. I generally have short listening sessions so that might account for it not being a huge issue for me. I also hear driver flex pops while inserting as it gets a seal and loses seal but once I have them seated if the vacuum is still there I just jiggle the iem a litte in that case as well.

First I thought about the "special" anatomy of my left ear too but then I realized that it had never been like this before with any of my numerous IEMs. If I had any vacuum problem (very few cases (may just one or two) then I would have vacuum with both earphones not just with the left ear. Repositioning takes some times about ten minutes which is very frustrating. I ended up turning the music on with my player and start listening to it in 10 minutes which is ridiculous. I am at a loss now deciding to send it to CA or not. It's extra expenditure without a guarantee the issue will be fixed.

 

[alex5908]

You could also try different sized eartips for each side.

I've tried that too. It could have solved the problem on the "expense" of losing the seal and as a result losing the base significantly quantitively and qualitatively.

 

[rayliam80]

I snagged a LN condition Honeydew during the ALO Warehouse sale for $119 with discounts applied. Would most of you who own or tried it think its worth it at that price? I wanted to add another bass heavy to my IEM rotation or maybe use it for only listening to older hip hop (Nas, MF Doom) and electronic beat oriented music (Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin).

 

[alex5908]

Would most of you who own or tried it think its worth it at that price?

Of course it's a bargain. I would not hesitate. CA HD is a real bass cannon. The most I would say of all I've had. Still thinking of buying the second pair.

 

[rayliam80]

I received my Honeydew the other day via ALO Warehouse. It’s my first CA IEM. First, the comfort is great. The shells and wire are lightweight. The yellow doesn’t bother me and will probably look like “safety” gear for some on a glance. And I was happy to receive all the different tips but in the end, none of them really worked out for me. I found the included foams, which were mounted when I opened the packaging and I presume to be Comply, made these into skull rattling monsters. Going through my library randomly, the foams were interesting/engaging for stuff like Massive Attack’s Mezzanine but then made some things rather unlistenable like Manic Street Preacher’s Everything Must Go. I tried the Final E tips and kept having either seal issues or the eartips/nozzle not sitting correctly causing the IEMs to muffle into almost silence especially when I tried to seat them deeply into my ear. I’ve owned plenty of IEMs over the last few years and I can’t recall this being much of an issue. Same thing happened with Spinfits as well as Xelastics. The only tip besides the foams that are working for me at the moment are Azla Sedna (regular) tips. It’s holding a seal and since it’s a “wide” bore style tip, I feel it’s helping to bring the mids a little more forward.

Aside from the tip issues, they’re indeed warm/analog-ish, very smooth but still have have decent quality treble so something, say like cymbals, tend to render decently and more convincing. With the same exact ear tips, my FiiO FD3 Pro sound more balanced, mids pushed more forward but yet grittier and at times, more harsh and especially in the treble, they’re definitely not as convincing. The FD3 isn’t a bad IEM for me, but it really is a different presentation in comparison, closer to most of the Chinese made budget IEMs I’ve been purchasing over the last few years. The only IEM that I have/heard that sounded maybe like the Honeydew was the Massdrop x Noble Universal but since it’s broken, I can’t give it a proper comparison.

I am enjoying these and will keep them, especially for the price I paid. It’s hard to say if they’re ”worth” the retail price of USD $249 since it’s been a few years since I’ve bought anything in that price segment. And comparing them to the ER4SR and ER3SE which I both also own, those are much more analytical and cleaner in comparison. But I struggle with comfort with those after a few hours even if they can sound “otherworldly” with triple flange tips yet quite mediocre with anything else (all about the seal). The Eytmotics are like some kind of Sci-Fi laboratory built listening system and the Honeydew is like a car with a crazy subwoofer system that’s asking you to turn it up, which you should resist in order to prevent further hearing loss.

 

[Dinche]

I am listening mostly to classic/hard rock and jazz. Which of these two would be more suitable for this type of music?

Regards

 

[alex5908]

I am listening mostly to classic/hard rock and jazz. Which of these two would be more suitable for this type of music?

Regards

Honeydew is way too bass heavy. Thus, Satsuma remains the best choice out of these too. IMO.

 

[laleeee]