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Custom Art's First Foray into Acrylic CIEMs: Ei.3
Aug 7, 2015 at 9:12 AM Post #169 of 343
nmatheis said:
 
Hi all. I got to take a demo pair of Ei.3 for a spin courtesy of @piotrus-g and @Barra. Thanks, guys!

Being a demo, sound will vary slightly from customs - so take this with a grain of salt
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The Ei.3 arrived in a peli-case with just the Ei.3 with some wide bore single flange silicon tips. I took a listen and was immediately disappointed with the bass response. Remembering back to a PM thread when the tour was being set up, I slipped on a pair of hybrid tips which were recommended by @piotrus-g. Whew, that's more like it
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Now that I had the right tips on...

I found the bass to pretty linear with good extension. It was slightly bass-enhanced but not overly so compared to the bass-enhanced dynamic and hybrid IEM I own. It wasn't as much bass as I was expecting, and it was a bit slower than bass with other BA IEM I've used. I think the slower speed was intentional to make the bass sound more organic (dynamic) as opposed to the clinical bass you sometimes get with BA IEM. The lower perceived bass vs. what I was expecting could be due to using a demo as opposed to a pair of full customs. It could be due to linearity. Without a mid-bass bump, the bass was cleaner than a lot of bass-enhanced IEM I've heard. That said, the bass was definitely there, it was enhanced, but it wasn't slow and boomy. That's a good thing. Who wants slow and boomy?



The mids were what you'd expect from @piotrus-g. A touch on the warm side of neutral to give them body and make them engaging without devolving into syrupy territory. Nice!



Treble was a bit laid back for my taste. Not that it's lacking. It was just more laid back than what I typically choose - more of a relaxed, long listening session kind of treble. Honestly, I'm just getting to the age where I need a bit more sizzle up top to be able to hear all the details you youngsters hear
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Compared to my Heir 3.Ai S universals (which are a "fun", v-shaped sound sig), the Ei.3 had more (and moreorganic bass). The 3.Ai S have more typical BA bass, which means it's faster but lacks a bit of thump. It's also more mid-bass focused than Ei.3. Ei.3 has a warmer, more full mids and significantly more relaxed treble than 3.Ai S.

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Picture nabbed from the web
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At the time, I also had the Shanling M3 DAP in for testing. It's got hardware based time controls, so I used those to get try and mimic sound signatures. I found with 3.Ai S that with +2 Bass and -2 Treble, I could get a reasonable approximation of Ei.3's sound signature. It wasn't perfect, but it was close. The main things it was lacking were the fuller mids and most of all the great soundstage @piotrus-g imbued the Ei.3 with. Man, how could I have come this far without touching on one of its best attributes? Someone should slap me
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I think we all know the Ei.3 are triple driver BA IEM with a ported bass driver. Here are a couple pics showing the internals.




The cable with the West Coast demo was the clear cable. I think this one is a bit springier / less supple than the black cable, at least that's what I recall from the full CA Demo Tour kit I previously got. Can you confirm this @piotrus-g? If I were ordering an Ei.3 today, I'd get the black cable to make cable management a bit easier.



Cable length was ok, but as with previous CA cables the y-splitter is placed too close to the connectors for my taste. This makes them less comfortable for me when wearing them with the cable down my front. They were better with the cable down my back, but with that wearing style the cable is a bit limiting when I need to take my DAP out to switch tracks, change volume, etc.



Overall, the Ei.3 are a great pair of IEM at an even better price! When I got the full demo kit, I was drawn to the M2 but felt it needed a bit more in the bass department. The Ei.3 solves that nicely. What I find lacking for me is some sparkle up top, which the M2 does very nicely. Luckily both respond very well to EQ, so you can tweak the sound signature a bit to suit your taste. In my opinion, both are great all around IEM which should be considered if you're interested in getting into customs!

Thanks again to @piotrus-g and @Barra for giving the Head-Fi community a chance to hear these!
 
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Nicely done as usual, Mr. Spock.
 
Aug 8, 2015 at 4:10 AM Post #171 of 343
This iem feels very uncharacteristic of Custom Art. Heavier bass, and acrylic instead of silicone, it almost feels like that weird kid in class that no one seems to understand. Any comments on how silicone feels as compared to acrylic?
 
Aug 10, 2015 at 1:11 PM Post #175 of 343
Hey, guys,
 
I'm stuck deciding between the Ei.3 and Music Two. There's this genre of music I like listening to, but I don't know exactly what it's called - I haven't seen anyone reference it. At best, I'd call it modern instrumental or something, but it really requires a listen to make sense of.
 
Here is the Spotify playlist.
 
If you don't have a Spotify account, or are as lazy as I am and don't want to go through logging in, these two songs sum up the genre (YouTube):
The Light
Burial on the Presidio Banks
 
Might someone be able to analyze which might be better for these? I know the Ei.3 is more bass-heavy, but the Music Two seems to have more detail. These type of songs are what I primarily listen to - I don't want overpowering bass, but I want to be able to hear it. And while the Ei.3 is described as bass-heavy, the review linked makes it seem bass-normal, which sounds fine for me. Piotr suggested me the Ei.3, if I remember correctly, but I'm not sure if I remember correctly. Also, I didn't send him the link to this playlist.
 
Also, I was wondering if Custom Art plans on releasing the Ei.3 in silicone. Silicone seems more durable and better-fitting - would it be possible to put it in a silicone shell instead?
 
Aug 10, 2015 at 3:14 PM Post #178 of 343
tusing said:
  Hey, guys,
 
I'm stuck deciding between the Ei.3 and Music Two. There's this genre of music I like listening to, but I don't know exactly what it's called - I haven't seen anyone reference it. At best, I'd call it modern instrumental or something, but it really requires a listen to make sense of.
 
Here is the Spotify playlist.
 
If you don't have a Spotify account, or are as lazy as I am and don't want to go through logging in, these two songs sum up the genre (YouTube):
The Light
Burial on the Presidio Banks
 
Might someone be able to analyze which might be better for these? I know the Ei.3 is more bass-heavy, but the Music Two seems to have more detail. These type of songs are what I primarily listen to - I don't want overpowering bass, but I want to be able to hear it. And while the Ei.3 is described as bass-heavy, the review linked makes it seem bass-normal, which sounds fine for me. Piotr suggested me the Ei.3, if I remember correctly, but I'm not sure if I remember correctly. Also, I didn't send him the link to this playlist.
 
Also, I was wondering if Custom Art plans on releasing the Ei.3 in silicone. Silicone seems more durable and better-fitting - would it be possible to put it in a silicone shell instead?
Click to expand...


Depending on where you are in the world there is a tour going on in the us atm (both sides).  Might be able to get on that list and have a listen yourself.
 
Aug 10, 2015 at 7:04 PM Post #179 of 343
tusing said:
  Hey, guys,
 
I'm stuck deciding between the Ei.3 and Music Two. There's this genre of music I like listening to, but I don't know exactly what it's called - I haven't seen anyone reference it. At best, I'd call it modern instrumental or something, but it really requires a listen to make sense of.
 
Here is the Spotify playlist.
 
If you don't have a Spotify account, or are as lazy as I am and don't want to go through logging in, these two songs sum up the genre (YouTube):
The Light
Burial on the Presidio Banks
 
Might someone be able to analyze which might be better for these? I know the Ei.3 is more bass-heavy, but the Music Two seems to have more detail. These type of songs are what I primarily listen to - I don't want overpowering bass, but I want to be able to hear it. And while the Ei.3 is described as bass-heavy, the review linked makes it seem bass-normal, which sounds fine for me. Piotr suggested me the Ei.3, if I remember correctly, but I'm not sure if I remember correctly. Also, I didn't send him the link to this playlist.
 
Also, I was wondering if Custom Art plans on releasing the Ei.3 in silicone. Silicone seems more durable and better-fitting - would it be possible to put it in a silicone shell instead?
Click to expand...

 
 
 
It doesn't really help your case, but this is quite nice playlist you have there!
 
 
 
 
Also a side note to stay on track. I am reading all about US tour with demo Ei.3. How about Europe tour? Like super close, Prague :wink:
 
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