BenAdamson
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2010
- Posts
- 183
- Likes
- 12
Firstly, I must thank Nate from Comply for sending me a free mixed size sample of the T-400 tips. It's great to see companies really involved with the Head-Fi community! I recieved them about a week ago and have been testing them out since then.
Equipment used for testing:
Sansa Clip+
Hifiman RE-ZERO IEMs
All FLAC music - I used Radiohead's OK COMPUTER, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Greatest Hits and Eliza Doolittle to test midrange-highs and Skrillex to test the bass and highs.
Comfort
I have been using the ZE-ZERO's default silicone medium size biflange tips, which seem to provide pretty good isolation while remaining reasonably comfortable. However, after around half an hour they started to become rather uncomfortable and irritated my ears. The Comply tips suffered no such problems! They are extremely comfy and the high quality foam used is incredibly soft to the touch. They are comfortable for sustained periods of time, and do not put as much uncomfortable pressure on my ear canal as generic silicone tips.
Isolation
They readily compress to a tiny size when rolled between two fingers. When inserted, the first thing I noticed was a slight increase in microphonics from the cable when compared to the stock tips. However, I realised that this was simply because they offer fantastic isolation, and as soon as I put on any music the unwanted sound simply disappeared into insignificance - the only reason I had been hearing increased microphonics was because there was hardly any background noise!
Bass
Before using the Comply tips, I believed that the bass on my RE-ZEROs was punchy, but rather quiet compared to the mids and highs. However, the tips seem to have increased the bass response really nicely - it is still very controlled and punchy, but now seems more full, with plenty of grip and increased seismic bass.
Mids
These seem to be more warm and richer than the stock tips. RHCP's Under the Bridge sounds naturally musical and juicy. These tips have actually increased my enjoyment of much of the more instrumental music in my library, making the music sound lush while remaining clear and punchy.
Highs
This is the only area where the Comply tips suffered in comparison to the stock tips more clear presentation of the RE-ZERO's analytical highs, losing a little definition. However, this is not too much of a disadvantage, as the RE-ZEROs are almost tinny in character with the stock tips. The highs seem slightly veiled, making the overall sound of the IEMs more musical and warm.
Conclusion
I would highly recommend that you try the Comply tips for yourself - they really are pocket change when compared to many of the audio products they will be used with, and the effect that they had on my admittedly average setup is really interesting. They may not be to everybody's taste, but I am really enjoying their smoothness, which helped to calm some of the more piercing effects of the RE-ZERO signature. If you are interested in buying any of the Comply tips, it is a good idea to use Comply's website here to find which ones are the correct size for your IEMs.
If you have any questions or comments please feel free to post them here, this has been my first full review so I'm bound to have missed something out!
Equipment used for testing:
Sansa Clip+
Hifiman RE-ZERO IEMs
All FLAC music - I used Radiohead's OK COMPUTER, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Greatest Hits and Eliza Doolittle to test midrange-highs and Skrillex to test the bass and highs.
Comfort
I have been using the ZE-ZERO's default silicone medium size biflange tips, which seem to provide pretty good isolation while remaining reasonably comfortable. However, after around half an hour they started to become rather uncomfortable and irritated my ears. The Comply tips suffered no such problems! They are extremely comfy and the high quality foam used is incredibly soft to the touch. They are comfortable for sustained periods of time, and do not put as much uncomfortable pressure on my ear canal as generic silicone tips.
Isolation
They readily compress to a tiny size when rolled between two fingers. When inserted, the first thing I noticed was a slight increase in microphonics from the cable when compared to the stock tips. However, I realised that this was simply because they offer fantastic isolation, and as soon as I put on any music the unwanted sound simply disappeared into insignificance - the only reason I had been hearing increased microphonics was because there was hardly any background noise!
Bass
Before using the Comply tips, I believed that the bass on my RE-ZEROs was punchy, but rather quiet compared to the mids and highs. However, the tips seem to have increased the bass response really nicely - it is still very controlled and punchy, but now seems more full, with plenty of grip and increased seismic bass.
Mids
These seem to be more warm and richer than the stock tips. RHCP's Under the Bridge sounds naturally musical and juicy. These tips have actually increased my enjoyment of much of the more instrumental music in my library, making the music sound lush while remaining clear and punchy.
Highs
This is the only area where the Comply tips suffered in comparison to the stock tips more clear presentation of the RE-ZERO's analytical highs, losing a little definition. However, this is not too much of a disadvantage, as the RE-ZEROs are almost tinny in character with the stock tips. The highs seem slightly veiled, making the overall sound of the IEMs more musical and warm.
Conclusion
I would highly recommend that you try the Comply tips for yourself - they really are pocket change when compared to many of the audio products they will be used with, and the effect that they had on my admittedly average setup is really interesting. They may not be to everybody's taste, but I am really enjoying their smoothness, which helped to calm some of the more piercing effects of the RE-ZERO signature. If you are interested in buying any of the Comply tips, it is a good idea to use Comply's website here to find which ones are the correct size for your IEMs.
If you have any questions or comments please feel free to post them here, this has been my first full review so I'm bound to have missed something out!
