Comply Heat-Activated Foam Vs Shure Black Foam (UPDATE: COMPLY TX)
Nov 25, 2008 at 5:22 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 75

FYJX

Previously known as MaoDi
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Hello, it's me Felix again and today i'm doing a review on the Comply Foam tips, and i'll put it also against the newly designed foam sleeves by shure, the Black Foam.

Here's a couple pics to show and introduce the Comply Foam tips...
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Now First off on performance...Compressing...
NOw, both the Comply and Shure are both very easy to compress and when pressed they nearly shrink down to 1/4 of the size, and it's quite amazing even though it's foam. Both Compress quite easily, however the Shure's do give a bit more resistent, while the comply is easier to compress and actually feels like the little holes in the foam are completely filled with the surroundings of the holes (hard to explain, you'll definitely understand when you get a pair or two)

Before Compressing...
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And After Compressing (taken with my right hand while compressed with my left)

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Next...The Ease of Using them...
Ok, so often, admit it, not everyone feels like foam that day and might want to go to silicone or triple flange for their own purposes and sound signature. How easy is it to remove the tips and put them on? well, i would say, this one goes to comply...BY FAR. The Shure is not hard to put it, it may just be a difficult to take off at the beginning, in fact, it's so stuck on the first time you put it on that you might think you would rip the soundtube out of the earphone completely trying to take it off. On the Other Hand, the Comply is Notorious on this one, it's so easy to put on and take off. it's so silky smooth. I believe this is due to the fact that Comply uses a slightly less stiff material for the inside, so the tube is able to mold over the secure ledge that shure puts on the sound tube. but i guess it wouldn't matter as much if you were using a pair of Westone Um1/ Um2/ or the new 3.

Here's a couple fit pictures of them on my Shure Se530's

Comply...
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Shure...
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[size=large]With Each other...[/size]
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Durability?
Well it's hard to tell between the two, to make sure my durability was right, i used Three Pairs for this testing...but sadly. My Camera Had Problems and wouldn't take pictures, so i apologize for no pictures.

The Coating on the Shure's stayed on longer than the Comply's but the foam on the comply lasted longer. So... i would say. it's a tie this round. *by the way, i used them, washed them, dry them, used them, washed them, dry them, in the same temperature water, with warm water or warm soapy water to test the durability on these. i also rubbed them on my clothes to see if the twisting and turning when putting in your earphones affected the durability. in the end, both eartips came to my high standards)

[size=large]Comfort?[/size]
YES COMFORT! this one was super duper duper hard...i can say that, the Comply take longer to put in as you have to hold it there until it warms up a bit so it expands in your ear to fill it with love filled softness. In the Shure, you can compress and put into your ear, and instantly get some soft fluffy feel in your ear. I can wear both for hours without irritation. However, i myself prefer the Comply a bit more just because it's a tad softer. but i would still say both are superb in comfort

[size=large]Sound:[/size]
They both make a very nice seal. So in the end the sound experience was fantastic, nolow frequencies were lost, so you get the full punchy and full body bass you get from a pair of triple flange, the Warm mids that you're suppose to get, it's all there. However, since the Shure black-Foams were a bit denser, it tended to keep the detail of the high Frequencies a bit more present compared to the comply.
i would say overall, the Comply made the music a bit more balanced and flatter, and the Shure's kept it to the way that it's emphasized on highs on my Se530.

Conclusion:
I would say, both Ear tips are EXTREMELY nice to wear, and both are FANTASTIC ear tips...what can i say. I highly recommend both.
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At my high standards though, i would just a tad recommend the comply higher since i just prefer the extra softness you get when it warms up, i would pay the extra little 5 dollars for 5 pairs... hehe. HOwever, don't mistaken, like i said i would highly recommend both.






[size=large]UPDATE: COMPLY TX W/ WAX-GUARD[/size]


Jeff was kind enough to get me a pack of these for review. Honestly, these are a Beautiful Design. In terms of quality, these are just like the usual Comply's. The Wax-Guards are made of Foam, so it expands and compresses accordingly to the tubing. The Wax-Guards do differ in size, as they tend to be placed in various positions in the tubing, some deeper into the tubing, and some more to the outside, but that didn't matter, as they just did their job at keep stuff out of the nozzle.

Sound quality, and everything wise, these were just like ordinary Comply's, comply claims that you lose -2dB in terms of Sound, but to me that's basically nothing, and i wasn't able to tell the difference. If you want some Foam tips that also protect your Earphones, take a look at these!

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Hope this has helped, and good luck on choosing!

Felix Yau
 
Nov 25, 2008 at 8:37 AM Post #3 of 75
How about the sound when using them? Which one is more balanced and etc.

Thanks
 
Nov 25, 2008 at 9:03 AM Post #4 of 75
Quote:

Originally Posted by solvexyz /img/forum/go_quote.gif
How about the sound when using them? Which one is more balanced and etc.

Thanks



I want to know that, too.
 
Nov 26, 2008 at 4:37 AM Post #5 of 75
by the way everyone...i did mean Heat-Activated...not head-Activated lol.

Also, Revision! added the sound part.
 
Nov 26, 2008 at 5:33 AM Post #6 of 75
If the Comply only lasted as long as the Shure black foams, they'd be a definite winner.

And if they were not that off-white color that so blatantly shows even the slightest bit of wax as a disgusting orange mess.
 
Nov 26, 2008 at 6:25 AM Post #7 of 75
Quote:

Originally Posted by synaesthetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif
If the Comply only lasted as long as the Shure black foams, they'd be a definite winner.

And if they were not that off-white color that so blatantly shows even the slightest bit of wax as a disgusting orange mess.



Mmmm, i very much like the Comply. But in ways, i lso like the Shure black Foam. I like how it stays tight for a very very long time, since it's not heat activated, it doesn't get as soft as the Comply. But Softness is also good, gosh this is hard...ahahaha. Well yes. the problem with the softness of the comply is that, since after awhile it gets so soft that's it really easy to mold to you rears, a slight movement of the earphone, it leaves a slight gap in between your ears and the tips, and then it feels funny for a sec before it expands again. And I agree with the colour of the Comply, it may look extremely nice, but after awhile, no matter how clean your ears are, they turn darker and seem dirty no matter how you wash them. However, the Shure's are black, and they never look dirty =)
 
Dec 26, 2008 at 5:44 PM Post #9 of 75
Quote:

Originally Posted by solvexyz /img/forum/go_quote.gif
How about the sound when using them? Which one is more balanced and etc.

Thanks



To my ears (through a Mustang/W3 rig) the Comply Tips exhibit a bit more rolled off highs, and a bit more diffuse bass.

The Shure Olives (medium) have more sparkle in the highs and tighter / more razor sharp bass, by comparison. (ymmv)
 
Dec 26, 2008 at 7:59 PM Post #10 of 75
I use Comply T-400s for my Sennheiser IE8s as well as my Denon C700s. Will the Shure tips work or are they designed more for Shure earphones?
 
Dec 26, 2008 at 8:32 PM Post #11 of 75
comply tips are softer and do not last as long...the shure tips are more durable and can be washed off without ruining them....the problem i have with the comply tips is that when you put them in your ear they tend to get rather mushy and take a while to get their shape and consistency back..as a result if you use them and take them out for a moment it is difficult to put them back in immediately..whaereas the shures do not have that problem...i wish the comply tips were more durable and quicker to recover after use because on balance i like them more and i receive better isolation using them...they are both excellent however
 
Dec 26, 2008 at 8:52 PM Post #12 of 75
Quote:

Originally Posted by jlbrach /img/forum/go_quote.gif
comply tips are softer and do not last as long...the shure tips are more durable and can be washed off without ruining them....the problem i have with the comply tips is that when you put them in your ear they tend to get rather mushy and take a while to get their shape and consistency back..as a result if you use them and take them out for a moment it is difficult to put them back in immediately..whaereas the shures do not have that problem...i wish the comply tips were more durable and quicker to recover after use because on balance i like them more and i receive better isolation using them...they are both excellent however


It would be easy for comply to apply some form of coating on their tips. (I haven't got my hands on shure olives yet, but the olive clones that came with my PL30 had this kind of coating.) That would make it possible to swab off ear wax and substantially prolong their life time.

But I guess they wouldn't sell as many tips then, though... And maybe they wouldn't be as soft.
 
Dec 27, 2008 at 4:03 AM Post #14 of 75
the shure tips could possibly last a year with 6 tips but the comply tips no way...6 pairs that is!
 

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