chedda7
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2015
- Posts
- 31
- Likes
- 30
So I am just getting into head fi and getting a nice pair of IEMs was second on my list after getting a nice desktop setup. My main use of IEMs occurs at work where I sit at a desk for 4-8 hrs a day. I try to have IEMs in most of the time I am coding or doing other tasks during this time. I mainly listen with my modded iPod 5.5G ampless (certain electronics are restricted and I didn't feel like trying to explain what a portable headphone amp is). Please note that I am assessing comfort and fit initially and will come back with how they preform acoustically later on after I have had time to assess.
A couple weeks ago I got the pair of InEar StageDriver 3's that I bought off a guy in the classifieds. One of the first things I noticed that I needed to address is the tip, as I wanted to get the best, most comfortable seal possible. I did some research and ended up ordering the following:
Comply 400TX - S, M, L sizes
JVS Spiral Dot - S, MS, M, ML sizes
SpinFit - S, M, L sizes
I cast a wide net here to ensure I find the best (or close to it) tip for my ear and the SD-3's.
COMPLY 400TX-
These arrived first as everything else was coming from Japan. The smalls were the best fit for me as Medium would just slide out of my canal as it expanded. I was able to use these for about one week, daily, at work and found them very comfortable. Comfort is something I value greatly because my ears start to feel itchy if IEMs don't fit right or sit awkward in my ear. I could wear them for 2+ hours easily but I was never able to just forget about them as I always felt the pressure from the foam tips. This same pressure does help these tips isolate well though, and I appreciate the ability to block out my surroundings.
The biggest deal breaker for these was the fact that they take ~45 seconds to put in. I am in a position where people are always coming up to me and asking questions so having to repeatedly re-seat these became a pain. It got to the point where I would leave them in and just unplug at the jack to quickly mute them. This was an issue unique to my environment and I realize that if I used these in a more isolated area I would likely not gripe about this.
Spiral Dot -
I first tried the Medium's for a day but discovered early on that they are too large for my ears. I found the Small's to be much too small, with the Medium-Small's doing the trick. The seal feels effortless and taking the IEMs in and out can be done quickly (~8 seconds). Moving my jaw has no affect on the seal. They feel really light in the ear, almost to the point that I forget about them.
I was able to wear these pretty consistently for about 10 days, about 3 hours per day. I found the spiral dots to be VERY comfortable and the seal was great. I would say that it is a "weak" seal, but that just means you hardly notice that they are in which I found ideal. I had little outside noise leaking in and actually missed several phone calls with the phone right in front of me (literally, it sits under my monitors). Co-workers looked at me funny when my phone was ringing and I was just typing away. It was hard to switch over to the SpinFits, but I had to for the sake of comparison.
SpinFit -
I went straight to the Small's with the SpinFits and found them to fit well. For comparison, the SpinFit Small is SLIGHTLY larger than the Spiral Dot Medium-Small. They have a great seal that jaw movements do not interfere with. The seal feels slightly heavier than the Spiral Dot's, likely due to the rubber being thicker. I don't see this as a bad thing as it feels more secure/ less susceptible to seal compromise from a wire tug or rubbing the ear.
So I was finally able to wear these for about 5 days, 3 hours each day. They have a fantastic, "strong" seal that makes you know they are there. This strong pressure did lead to mild discomfort for me if I had them in for 2+ hours at a time, but it wasn't a total deal breaker. For me, they took a little more tinkering to get a good, proper seal than the Spiral Dots. Once you do get that good seal they really isolate well (almost as good as Comply foam).
A couple weeks ago I got the pair of InEar StageDriver 3's that I bought off a guy in the classifieds. One of the first things I noticed that I needed to address is the tip, as I wanted to get the best, most comfortable seal possible. I did some research and ended up ordering the following:
Comply 400TX - S, M, L sizes
JVS Spiral Dot - S, MS, M, ML sizes
SpinFit - S, M, L sizes
I cast a wide net here to ensure I find the best (or close to it) tip for my ear and the SD-3's.
COMPLY 400TX-
These arrived first as everything else was coming from Japan. The smalls were the best fit for me as Medium would just slide out of my canal as it expanded. I was able to use these for about one week, daily, at work and found them very comfortable. Comfort is something I value greatly because my ears start to feel itchy if IEMs don't fit right or sit awkward in my ear. I could wear them for 2+ hours easily but I was never able to just forget about them as I always felt the pressure from the foam tips. This same pressure does help these tips isolate well though, and I appreciate the ability to block out my surroundings.
The biggest deal breaker for these was the fact that they take ~45 seconds to put in. I am in a position where people are always coming up to me and asking questions so having to repeatedly re-seat these became a pain. It got to the point where I would leave them in and just unplug at the jack to quickly mute them. This was an issue unique to my environment and I realize that if I used these in a more isolated area I would likely not gripe about this.
Spiral Dot -
I first tried the Medium's for a day but discovered early on that they are too large for my ears. I found the Small's to be much too small, with the Medium-Small's doing the trick. The seal feels effortless and taking the IEMs in and out can be done quickly (~8 seconds). Moving my jaw has no affect on the seal. They feel really light in the ear, almost to the point that I forget about them.
I was able to wear these pretty consistently for about 10 days, about 3 hours per day. I found the spiral dots to be VERY comfortable and the seal was great. I would say that it is a "weak" seal, but that just means you hardly notice that they are in which I found ideal. I had little outside noise leaking in and actually missed several phone calls with the phone right in front of me (literally, it sits under my monitors). Co-workers looked at me funny when my phone was ringing and I was just typing away. It was hard to switch over to the SpinFits, but I had to for the sake of comparison.
SpinFit -
I went straight to the Small's with the SpinFits and found them to fit well. For comparison, the SpinFit Small is SLIGHTLY larger than the Spiral Dot Medium-Small. They have a great seal that jaw movements do not interfere with. The seal feels slightly heavier than the Spiral Dot's, likely due to the rubber being thicker. I don't see this as a bad thing as it feels more secure/ less susceptible to seal compromise from a wire tug or rubbing the ear.
So I was finally able to wear these for about 5 days, 3 hours each day. They have a fantastic, "strong" seal that makes you know they are there. This strong pressure did lead to mild discomfort for me if I had them in for 2+ hours at a time, but it wasn't a total deal breaker. For me, they took a little more tinkering to get a good, proper seal than the Spiral Dots. Once you do get that good seal they really isolate well (almost as good as Comply foam).