[AWS]

I got my custom earmolds back from Sensaphonics three days ago. FWIW, there is no sound degradation at all compared to the standard-issue white flanges on the Etymotic ER-4P/S. But the comfort level is something else.

As long as the standard Ety flange is in your canal, it is constantly trying to expand. This is what creates the seal and why you get good bass. The seal is predicated on the flange's elasticity pushing against your canal walls all the time.

With the soft silicone molds, however, and assuming you can withstand a really deep canal impression at the audiologist's, there is nothing trying to expand all the time within your ears. The silicone impression just sits there tight, resting against your canal.

Much as I love the sound of my Etys, I used to find them slightly fatiguing. No more! Warmly recommended.

 

[gundam91]

I checked out the product listing on their website? Which product did you get?

 

[AWS]

It cost me 90 dollars, including two sessions at the audiologist (the first set of impressions vanished on its way to Sensaphonics) and the earmolds themselves. I´ve seen people refer to a ballpark cost of USD 100 elsewhere. It depends largely on what your audiologist wants to charge over and above the cost to him of the Sensaphonics job.

I called Sensaphonics before deciding to do this with them, because I couldn´t see any reference on their website to custom molds for the ER-4s. They told me they could indeed make those and that they were updating the website.

The reason I posted my earlier comment today was that I´ve heard people say that custom earmolds may degrade the sound quality of your Etys. I asked Sensaphonics about this before making up my mind, and they said they get about a 30% dissatisfaction rate.

So far, I´m absolutely happy with mine. The silicon blob that tapers into my ear-canal impression is very carefully milled at the other end to the exact dimensions of the Etys´ inner tube, minus the white flanges of course.

To me, this has to be the ultimate customization available to anyone who enjoys music. It´s an amazing feeling of luxury to feel these molds in your ears and to know that they´re made exactly to your shape!

 

[Thaddy]

Would you mind posting some pics? I'm interested in these earmolds. Also, can you easily switch them out for say the foamies, if you don't feel like using them?

 

[AWS]

Sure - here they are. I've put my laptop keyboard under them for scale (I know, my ear canals aren't small).

Yes, you can replace the custom molds with the foamies or the white flanges whenever you like - they're just tight slip-ons. In these pictures you can see through the translucent silicone how the Etys' pods fit inside the molds:

Regards, AWS

 

[Thaddy]

Wow those look sweet, I think I definately want to get those done this winter. Any chance that you could post a pic of them in your ear? I'm wondering how far they stick out

 

[AWS]

Here are the custom earmolds with Etys, in-ear. As you'll see, the only downside actually is that they make your ears look hairy when they're really not

.

 

[the terabyte]

thanks for bringing this up, i think i may end up getting some. i was deterred before by lindrone's impressions with the e5, but maybe the the etys react better to custom molds, or maybe he was just one of the 30%. how is the isolation compared to the triflanges, though?

 

[AWS]

I suspect isolation must actually be a couple of dB less with the custom earmolds than with the white tri-flange. But no more. I don't think it would make a difference at all on e.g. a plane or suchlike environment.

If you look at my pictures, that's a lot of silicone between your eardrums and the outside world (consider that everything in the outer ear/helix also acts as an acoustic cushion).

On the other hand, the comfort is very noticeably better. I was never squeamish about having the flanges very deep inside my canal, but the custom molds go even deeper and cause no fatigue at all. You really forget that they're there.

 

[reynman]

AWS,

I was planning to go to Sensaphonics yesterday (I live a couple of miles away) to inquire about Etys and custom molds. Too many errands on my half day fromwork. Though I am intrigued by the 2XS, my wallet and wife may not appreciate the added cost. Thanks for the post and pics.

Regards - reynman

 

[AWS]

Hey Reynman, I think the group (or I, at least!) would welcome a first-hand account of what you find there when you go. I think they must be a much smaller outfit than their fame suggests. So... the 2Xs are probably more of an integration job than anything else (I'm pretty sure Sensa wouldn't be manufacturing the drivers themselves, for instance).

Notice that their product lineup has shrunk - they seem to have dropped the hard-plastic versions and are now focusing on the 2Xs and IVs. Their website is now full of "under construction" pages (e.g. 'Portable Media Devices', 'Mold Color & Cable Options' among others), confirming what they told me about being in the process of updating it.

If you already own Etys, then obviously upgrading to custom earmolds is a much smaller investment than blowing -- what is it? -- something in the region of USD 600-700 on the 2Xs, right?

Regards

 

[reynman]

I've passed by the Sensaphonics storefront many times on Milwaukee Ave. I am planning to go next Tuesday, again! The reason I hesitate on the 2Xs is because this would be my first foray into canalphones/IEMs. I've tried the ER6 and the E3 at the Chicago meets. The sound was impressive, the isolation took some getting used to, but the sensation of having foamies and flanges in my ear canal (even for 5-10 minutes) put me off, until I read Lindrone's review and realized that Sensaphonics was a bike ride away.

From what I remember, Sensa quoted - the Etys w/molds is ~200-250 less than the 2Xs. I believe if I purchased the Etys through them it would be full retail $330.

Who the hell am I kidding! I am going to walk out of there ordering the 2XS. Spoken like a true head-fier!

I'll report on my findings when I go and maybe take some pics, if allowed.

Regards - reynman

 

[dvr]

I had molds made by Sensaphonics about a year ago. They're certainly more comfortable, but I no longer use them because they tweak the sound for the worse (in my case). The sound gained body, which was good, and lost some of its refinement, which was fine, but the killer was that it accentuated the (already hot) treble.

They're also much slower to insert and remove.

 

[lindrone]

The soft silicone is indeed incredibly comfortable. Part of what enticed me to move into the ProPhonic 2X-S eventually. I had gotten the same custom mold for my Shure E5c before (although they're shaped very different for obvious reasons).

Yeah, and as reported, because the aftermarket attachment can only account for so much, there could be soud degradable and such depending on each individual ear's shape. Thus the eventual shape & length of the sound tubes are hard to determine.

Custom IEM don't suffer from this, because they're constructed with the drivers embedded deeply inside the earpieces, and the physical structure of the sound tubes are preserved as close to optimal as possible.

Either way, soft silicone is the way to go

 

[lindrone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AWS the 2Xs are probably more of an integration job than anything else (I'm pretty sure Sensa wouldn't be manufacturing the drivers themselves, for instance).

This is somewhat true.. but requires some clarification as well. The drivers in IEM's are usually made by a third party supplier, Sensaphonics does this, so does Ultimate Ears, and just about everybody else. However, the driver manufactured are made to their specification. Their engineers basically tells the manufacturer what type of driver they want and what sort of requirement they need out of it.

The design aspect is definitely not any less involved, and it's much more than "more of an integration job" would seem to imply.

A nice parallel to reference is the manufacturing of LCD panels, the component of the panel itself only have a few manufacturers, but the design of utilizing those panels and actually building a display around it is a very involved process. Exact same panels can result in drastically different performances in various displays.