[jant71]

Anybody try the in-ear that is my avatar, the Syllable S300...
http://www.gearbest.com/earphones/pp_127736.html?currency=USD&gclid=CODc4afu0sMCFUwV7AodEzAAZw
 

 

 

 

[twister6]

  I would suggest to save money and get a nice custom IEM....

 
The problem with CIEMs you need to invest $100 into ear canal impression and custom tips which supposed to last only for a few years and then you have to start all over again.  The silicone material used in custom tips shrinks over the time.  Plus, if your inner ear shape is changing, you will end getting new tips every year
 
I guess my ear canal was curved from a get-go because I can't use any double/triple flange or deeper insertion tips.  Only shallow insertion with large size tips to hold earpieces securely.  That's why I personally prefer UE900 or Spiral Dot tips.
 
But in general, once you start having issues with deep in-ear insertion or uneven inner ear shape, I think the only way is with Comply/foam tips at the expense of attenuated upper frequencies and enhanced bass response.

 

[encoreAC]

   
The problem with CIEMs you need to invest $100 into ear canal impression and custom tips which supposed to last only for a few years and then you have to start all over again.  The silicone material used in custom tips shrinks over the time.  Plus, if your inner ear shape is changing, you will end getting new tips every year
 
I guess my ear canal was curved from a get-go because I can't use any double/triple flange or deeper insertion tips.  Only shallow insertion with large size tips to hold earpieces securely.  That's why I personally prefer UE900 or Spiral Dot tips.
 
But in general, once you start having issues with deep in-ear insertion or uneven inner ear shape, I think the only way is with Comply/foam tips at the expense of attenuated upper frequencies and enhanced bass response.

I did know about the initial cost in order getting the earmolds, but that you have to renew them once in while is new to me. Thanks for the information! Seems like customs IEMs are more costly than I thought.
 
Alternatively I would suggest him to try brands like Shure, Westone, which are known for their great comfort and fit.
 
A Shure SE-series phone paired with comply tips for example is the best comfortable setup I ever had.

 

[bhazard]

  Anybody try the in-ear that is my avatar, the Syllable S300...
http://www.gearbest.com/earphones/pp_127736.html?currency=USD&gclid=CODc4afu0sMCFUwV7AodEzAAZw
 

Someone should give them a try.

 

[mochill]

those looks sexy

 

[Darner]

See the DIY foam tips thread in my signature. I also have problems getting a good fit with IEM's. Worth a try before selling the AG-R1.

 
Thanks ID, I'll try it this afternoon. I have those blue ones (Hearos) that I unwittingly bought a ton of a while back. I have to say I'm dubious, but maybe I'm focusing too much on the path the sound takes down the crooked ear canal. Maybe it is about the fit of the IEM after all. I'm not sure why the B3 Pro I's seem to be OK.
 
This morning I took and hand-mirror and stood in front of the bathroom mirror. After getting past the challenges of coordinating my view while looking at something through two mirrors (annoying!), I saw that I can look in my left ear (the one that works with any IEMs) and see about 60% or 70% of the black opening of the inner part of the canal (don't know if that's really what it's called...). On the right, I can only see about 30%. So the right canal is much more curved, though it seems to be less of a curve than it does a crook, a sudden turn in the canal path.
 
Who knows. According to this, bass should be able to travel around corners better than treble:
 

 

 

[Ira Delphic]

 

See the DIY foam tips thread in my signature. I also have problems getting a good fit with IEM's. Worth a try before selling the AG-R1.

 
Thanks ID, I'll try it this afternoon. I have those blue ones (Hearos) that I unwittingly bought a ton of a while back. I have to say I'm dubious, but maybe I'm focusing too much on the path the sound takes down the crooked ear canal. Maybe it is about the fit of the IEM after all. I'm not sure why the B3 Pro I's seem to be OK.
 
This morning I took and hand-mirror and stood in front of the bathroom mirror. After getting past the challenges of coordinating my view while looking at something through two mirrors (annoying!), I saw that I can look in my left ear (the one that works with any IEMs) and see about 60% or 70% of the black opening of the inner part of the canal (don't know if that's really what it's called...). On the right, I can only see about 30%. So the right canal is much more curved, though it seems to be less of a curve than it does a crook, a sudden turn in the canal path.
 
Who knows. According to this, bass should be able to travel around corners better than treble:
 
 

 
That's perfect that you have the blue Hearos - about the best earplugs to use for DIY eartips.  If the AG-R1 are wide nozzle, and short, it is a little more complicated. In the foam you'll want to punch a hold so that it won't close in on itself. A leather punch tool works good. I've read the foam can be frozen, then the core created with a power drill. never tried that. Have the foam extend beyond the end of the nozzle for comfort so the nozzle doesn't touch the inside of your ear canal. You can always trim down the foam as needed.  

 

[twister6]

  Someone should give them a try.

 
 

 
Looks painful to put in your ears

 

[indieman]

Hey what are the recommendations here nowadays for an ATH-M50 competitor at/around/a bit lower price range? Cheers.

I didn't find anything. That's why I ended up getting the m50x lol. The takstar pro80 is supposed to be good for under $100. That's the only Asian brand competitor that I know of.

 

[thatBeatsguy]

 
I didn't find anything. That's why I ended up getting the m50x lol. The takstar pro80 is supposed to be good for under $100. That's the only Asian brand competitor that I know of.

Agreed -- the Pro 80 seems to be the only popular competitor with a brand. This is after I disregard DonScorpio as a known brand, in which case the Drama or Dolphin might work.

 

[Hisoundfi]

Superlux is pretty good also

 

[EISENbricher]

Finally I received my long awaited SoundSoul S-018. I know that I'm writing has already been posted by so many members before but couldn't help, sorry
 
S-018 are so good! The hype surrounding these was so high which raised my expectations to astronomical levels. But glad to report that, these live up to the hype. They are very natural sounding with amazing instrument separation and positioning. No part of spectrum is bloated. Considering my IEM inventory and experience these rank the highest in Vocals section right away out of the box.
 
Listening to GOT7's 'Moonlight'. Almost feels as if the singers are whispering in my ears. Too good. My sincere thanks to all those who recommended this one to me. 
 
Issues are issues. The wire has so much memory that it remembers events of the time when King Khufu constructed pyramid. I tip rolled a lot and still not comfortable with most of the tips that I have. I guess I'll have to invest in Spiral Dots very soon.

 

[Hal Rockwell]

  Someone should give them a try.

 
Ordered

 

[goa604]

  I'm worried my IEM days are numbered. I've noticed that my ear canals are of different shape. I'm 43, and just 6 or 7 years ago it was no problem to wear any style of IEM. Now, very few IEMS can deal with my right ear, the canal of which seems to have become more curved than the left. I know that ear canals are curved anyway, but I'm talking about an increased curve. As our bodies age and contort like old trees, I guess.
 
Some IEMs (Klipsch, or narrow-bore barrel types) just get the sound totally cut off when the end of the tip gets pinched inside, maybe, or come up against a surface. For others, the bass gets really attenuated on the right (maybe because of the way bass frequencies travel around curves? I don't know). So the result in that case is this feeling that the music is weighted towards the left, which is a really annoying sensation. I've tried deeper insertion, and pushing the tips down further over the nozzle than they're supposed to go, and angling them, but nothing really works.
 
It doesn't happen with over-the ear headphones for some reason. I've got about 15 hours on my Auglamour AG-R1s, but I'm going to have to sell them because I can't get the right ear to fit for the bass frequencies. In all of these cases I've done some basic testing, and it's definitely the shape of my ear canal, and not the IEMSs themselves being faulty, or my actual hearing in the right ear being weaker in perceiving bass.
 
Does anyone knowledgeable about IEMs have any helpful input here in terms of what to avoid and what might work? I'm realizing that the buy-and-try method is just going to be too expensive if I have to keep selling IEMs that don't work for me. Or maybe I have to give them up entirely? The B3 Pro I's seem to be fine, but I wanted to get something that didn't need an amp, perhaps something with sightly more bass for walking and hiking, but neutral and spacious still.
 

Dont worry too much about things you cant influence. Im 10 years younger than you and my right ear canal is either more curved like yours or it lacks the width of the left ear. I hear completely different 
signatures in my ears but i try not to think about it. Trust me I was as crushed as you are or even more. I made myself foam ear tips from those spongy ear tips you buy in a drug store and with silicon tubes 
from normal tips. I tried tutorials found on this forum but they werent as good as this solution in my case.

 

The silicon tube in the middle i cut from regular cheap silicone eartips. I pierced a hole in the middle of drug store ear plugs, cut them to length and put the tubes through them. 
Grabbed some rough sand paper and rounded it off. 
Since my right ear canal is narrower i believe i sanded the right one a tiny bit more. 

Best ear tips i ever had.
Cheers.  

 

[encoreAC]

Genius!