Custom Molds

[PJL10]

I've had a pair of Shure E3's for about three years now and they've been through hell and back. I love them, but it's time to replace. The cord is starting to get hard and has cracked in the same spot on the y-cord where the wire curls around my hear. I've wrapped some electrical tape around it, but it's time to replace.


I'm thinking about stepping up to a pair of Shure SE310's. I've heard good things in reviews so far and I'd like to stick with Shures since i was so satisfied with the E3's. Any other options around this price that people could recommend?

Additionally, I'm looking to get a set of custom ear molds with my new upgrade. What's the best way to go about doing this? Should I just go get an appointment with an audiologist? How about the home mold kits? Are these expensive? Are they any good?

I know, lots of questions. One last issue. I've been looking at the Minibox-d amp to accompany my new headphone upgrade. Will the Shure perform any better whith these from an IPod or is it unnecessary? Are there any other amps that are around the same size as the Minibox and will sound better?


Thanks for the help in advance.

 

[kramer5150]

I just got this kit the other day. Haven't had a chance to use it yet. My wife is a dentist, and used to working with dental compounds and impressions, so I'm confident it will go smoothly.





I have some DIY IEM ideas brewing

Theres a void in the under $300 custom IEM market. I'm hoping to break into that segment with some DIY alternatives.

 

[mrdeadfolx]

In the price range of the SE310, you may also wanna check out the Super .fi 5 pro's, or if you've got a little extra $$, I'd go for the Westone UM2's. I haven't heard the 310's yet, but Im very familiar with the Shure sound signature and feel from what Ive heard that they would be an awesome IEM.

As for the customs, GO TO AN AUDIOLOGIST. Yes there are home kits, but they suck terribly. Your best bet is to drop the few bucks and get some good molds made. By the way, custom TIPPED IEM's will probably never sound as good as full custom IEM's, so I personally would not even bother with custom tips, and rather wait till I suffer from enough upgraditis to actually get full customs.

For the Minibox-D: There are no portable amps as small as the minibox, so that rules out one that would sound better. Your Shure owuld probably perform a LITTLE better with it, but honestly imo the ~5% improvement in SQ does not at all offset carrying around twice as big of a portable rig. Good luck.

 

[PJL10]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrdeadfolx /img/forum/go_quote.gif As for the customs, GO TO AN AUDIOLOGIST. Yes there are home kits, but they suck terribly. Your best bet is to drop the few bucks and get some good molds made. By the way, custom TIPPED IEM's will probably never sound as good as full custom IEM's, so I personally would not even bother with custom tips, and rather wait till I suffer from enough upgraditis to actually get full customs.

How much would a decent custom IEM run me? I found a pair of the SE310s foor $210. I figure with a pair of custom tips probably running me $100, I could get myself a solid pair of phones with custom tips for around the $300 mark.

I also like the fact with custom tips, I would be able to use them with future purchases of other phones.

Good idea? Bad idea?

 

[PJL10]

Another question:

How much will a mold from an audiologist cost me? How do I find an audiologist in my area?

 

[khbaur330162]

Good luck with the project Kramer! I tried something fairly similar a while back. I made some pretty pro looking/fitting molds, at least imo, but one was dropped on some asphalt by my gf and it cracked in half. (They were durable as hell too, but it was a big fall.) I might be making another pair some day, but recently I've been working on my home setup so portable has gotten put on hold.

Here's a picture of my JVC HA-FX33B fitted with one of my custom ear molds. (also linked to in my sig)

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a5/...2/P1010967.jpg

 

[mrdeadfolx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PJL10 /img/forum/go_quote.gif How much would a decent custom IEM run me? I found a pair of the SE310s foor $210. I figure with a pair of custom tips probably running me $100, I could get myself a solid pair of phones with custom tips for around the $300 mark. I also like the fact with custom tips, I would be able to use them with future purchases of other phones. Good idea? Bad idea?

Not really saying its a bad idea, especially if you can use them on different sets of phones with the same tip sizes, but from what Ive heard, custom IEM's<custom-tipped universals by a large margin. Foamies (that fit your ear canal well) isolate as well as a custom tip. The appeal to me of FULL customs is that the drivers are appropriately directed at the sound tube(s). Thats not a guarantee (and pretty unlikely) with custom tips.

Oh, and decent customs start around $500 (ES2 or UE-5C) and go up to about $1,000 (UE-10 Pro). There are cheaper ones of course, but if you're gonna go custom, go balls-out!

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by khbaur330162 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Good luck with the project Kramer! I tried something fairly similar a while back. I made some pretty pro looking/fitting molds, at least imo, but one was dropped on some asphalt by my gf and it cracked in half. (They were durable as hell too, but it was a big fall.) I might be making another pair some day, but recently I've been working on my home setup so portable has gotten put on hold. Here's a picture of my JVC HA-FX33B fitted with one of my custom ear molds. (also linked to in my sig) http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a5/...2/P1010967.jpg

Thanks!!!

Yeah your DIY was one of the ones that inspired me. I'll get the molds done today and post pics, and impressions of the mold-kit.

I need to get some silicone to fab-up the mold cavity, some acrylic resin and blue dye, balanced armature drivers and cable.

 

[audiomagnate]

My custom tips cost me $100 total (see avatar) including two trips to a "real" audiologist, shipping etc. I can take them with me when I upgrade to Westone 3s. Good luck Kramer.

 

[PJL10]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audiomagnate /img/forum/go_quote.gif My custom tips cost me $100 total (see avatar) including two trips to a "real" audiologist, shipping etc. I can take them with me when I upgrade to Westone 3s. Good luck Kramer.

anyone care to elaborate on the cheapest way to go about getting a custom ear mold?

 

[PJL10]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PJL10 /img/forum/go_quote.gif anyone care to elaborate on the cheapest way to go about getting a custom ear mold?

Bump.... any help here?


Should I just order a kit and take it to an audiologist? What are the best kits?

 

[bellsprout]

i kinda wanna know too

best custom tips for er-4

 

[EyeAmEye]

I purchased a kit very similar to the one Kramer posted from earplugstore.com for Shure E500. After a few poorly made impressions (didn't go deep enough into canal), I got it right on the third try. Sent the molds in and received the custom molds yesterday (2 week turnaround). The tips fit very comfortably and create a good seal. If you fail to create a good impression, earplugstore sends you additional kits free of charge.

I honestly don't believe a trip to an audiologist is really necessary. Making molds isn't rocket science. As long as you make sure you make the impressions deep enough (without puncturing your ear drum, of course

), and you flatten the putty and smooth it before it hardens (takes only a few minutes to do so), you can make good molds yourself. The instructions suggest using an assistant (especially to inject the putty into your ear), but I did it by myself and the result was very good.

The big question is if it's worth making custom tips for universal IEM's. I've never owned a full custom, so I can't say, but if you don't have the cash for a quality custom, this may be a decent solution. Best thing is, I have Westone 3 on order, so this mold will also fit on them, too.

Of course, now I have solid ear impressions (they seal fantastically well), and the urge to go full custom is gnawing away at me...

Note: If you are getting custom tips for Shure or Ultimate Ears universal IEM's, the custom mold will ONLY be the impression of your ear canal (basically a custom tip). Ety's get a full mold, atleast from what I've seen on the website.

 

[PJL10]

Any suggestions on what the best kits are?

How much will a trip to the audiologist run me if I want them to assist me in getting the mold right? Will anyone else help me with this or just an audiologist?

If I make an appointment with the ear doctor and try to get it covered by my insurance, would that work?

 

[Greenxcactus]

I just got a quote from an audiologist, everything including shipping for a Westone custom mold for style 34 (ER4) is 134US. That includes one visit to get the impression and one visit (about 2 weeks later) to fit.
In my opinion, this is a better deal than the earplugstore.com in yahoo (that runs 114US with free impression kit (u have to do urself) and free shipping. Besides the fact that u get an audiologist to help u to get the impression right, you get to select a much more extensive selection of materials and color (The otoblast clear is getting my attention).

Now I am hesitant because I am trying to find a way to tilt the ER4S so that I can hang it over my ears to reduce the microphonics.

Anyway, good luck with ur custom.

btw: go to westone website to check out the color

http://www.westone.com/hhc/hhp_colors.html

also, u can look for the audiologist that do westone custom mold on their website and shoot them an email to see how much they charge you.