[ranel]

Hi! I have a custom IEM that I never really liked (Spiral Ear SE 2-way Pro). They fit well, but the bass is so faint that hardly anything sounds lifelike or interesting on them. I found them today in a drawer where they've spent the last decade (time flies!) and noticed something funny: the sound tube of one driver in each earpiece bends sharply, creating what looks like a pretty tight constriction (pics below). The tubes are pinched so much that it seems there's hardly any airway left at this point. Has anyone of you seen something similar? Could this be by design? Googling for bent sound tubes in CIEMs didn't get me anywhere.

 

[kvik]

Looks like manufacturing mishap. Could account for the bass issue. The 2-way product description doesn’t indicate a sound signature like you describe yours. A little odd that both ear pieces have this kind of bend. You could ask Gzregorz.

 

[ranel]

Yeah, that's why I was wondering if it could be on purpose, the bend is surprisingly symmetric. I'll try to reach out to Grzegorz from SE to see what he thinks.

For the record, the pics above show the right earpiece. It's harder to get a clean shot of the left one because of refraction in the silicone, but here's a try.

 

[tomekk]

Bent or kinked tubing should not have a negative effect on the drivers as long as the diameter is maintained. The tube can be bent or flat but if there is a flow the sound measurement will be preserved. Silicone IEMS have a specific design with soft silicone tubing that are not rigid to keep from being flooded with silicone. Grzegorz definitely took all the measurements (many stepped) before approval.