[aye5882]

Hi guys. I currently have the UE5c's for over a year and NOW i can say that i'm VERY pleased with them. It took this long to finally get the right fit so i could get the most out of these monitors. i think i went thru about 4 ear impressions and sending the monitors back and forth. the nice guys from UE even let me use their fedex account since we were going back and forth so much! there were times where i did feel like the customer service was a little sloppy but overall i was pleased. I actually went to their headquarters when i was in cali to see if they could help with the fit. I even got to change the color of my monitors from translucent black to clear since they had to start over and remake them

so how did i finally get the right fit?? well, its a weird story but here goes... i was at the dentist few months ago getting my teeth cleaned (gotta keep these pearly whites shining

) and she noticed that my lower jaw dislocates from my maxilla. I didn't really think anything of it since it didn't cause me any pain. About a month later, I was listening to some music with my monitors late at night and i yawned.... and i suddenly noticed that the bass got a lot deeper and the music sounded full! i was blown away. then i remembered what my dentist said about my jaw dislocation. so... i figured that since i kept my mouth wide open during my impressions, my ear canals were vastly different compared to when they're closed, due to my jaw dislocation. so i emailed UE and told them that i wanted to send them another set of impressions. they said they would compare my current monitors to my molds to see if they can alter my existing phones or make a whole new set. Then, i went to the audiolist and told her the whole story and she happily did them. This time, i kept my jaws relaxed and slightly opened. I got the molds, sent them to UE... and the rest is history!

sorry for the longwinded story. i just wanted to say my piece for anyone out there w/ custom monitors who aren't getting the perfect fit... try to see if your jaw dislocates too... that was the key for me to get the right fit

 

[bellsprout]

that makes perfect sense. i always lax my jaw when inserting foamies.

i never heard of custom misfits, but thankyou for sharing ur experiences, because i'm thinking of getting some.

 

[milkpowder]

Custom misfits are more common than you think... Luckily, I haven't had to go through the whole refitting process.

 

[rlanger]

That's exactly how I did my impressions and they turned out great. Slightly open mouth and very relaxed.

 

[GravY]

I've been wondering about custom fits.. wonder if you all could answer a few questions..

one : do they block out as much sound as a set of foamies?
Two : Cost
Three : do ear specialists do this sort of thing or do you have to send out impressions and phones?
Four : do you think insurance would cover these if they were part of a safety solution for work that requires ear plugs?

thanks.

 

[jack pulp]

Even though my canal doesn't really change when I open or close my jaw, I'm having a custom mold fit problem too. When I smile, my external ear lifts. This completely breaks the seal, and is a big problem. I don't want to stop smiling when I listen to music!!!

Has anyone had a similar problem, and can you offer any advice? My audiologist is willing to redo the molds for me, so if anyone has had any experience with this form of seal-breakage (smiling versus yawning), please let me know what you did!!!

Thanks

Oh, and the molds I'm talking about are actually not for IEMs but for Musicians' Earplugs, from Etymotic. (by the way, if it weren't for the facial movement problem, these things would be absolutely amazing. The sound is very very clear relative to foam earplugs, but just quieter! Just like they say!)

 

[jack pulp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GravY /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've been wondering about custom fits.. wonder if you all could answer a few questions.. one : do they block out as much sound as a set of foamies? Two : Cost Three : do ear specialists do this sort of thing or do you have to send out impressions and phones? Four : do you think insurance would cover these if they were part of a safety solution for work that requires ear plugs? thanks.

I've just purchased a pair of Musicians' Earplugs from my audiologist (ER-15). I don't know if this'll be too enlightening, but, while they were tax exempt and categorized as "medical appliances", they were not covered by OHIP (The public Ontario Health Insurance Plan). They cost $185 CAD for audiologist made moldings and 1 set of 15 dB attenuator buttons. They really do attenuate sound without muddying it at all. It's pretty incredible. I HIGHLY recommend them for concerts etc. or for noisy working environments...as long as you can get the fit right!!!

 

[jack pulp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aye5882 /img/forum/go_quote.gif i figured that since i kept my mouth wide open during my impressions, my ear canals were vastly different compared to when they're closed, due to my jaw dislocation.

Incidentally, my audiologist actually invented the open-jaw technique of ear-mold making. His name is Marshall Chasin, and he's fantastic. But, he didn't use it on me: he tested me first by gently putting his fingers against my ear openings and asking me to open and close my jaw. He was looking to see if they opened wider. Since mine didn't, the technique wasn't appropriate. Similarly, it sounds like your ear canals narrow when you open your mouth, which would make the open-jaw molds inappropriate for you too.

Just an FYI.

 

[VictorHalgaard]

I'm probably going to have to get mine re-fitted too, and i things continue at the pace they made them in, its going to take 2 months and cost 200$+ each time. My first Custom IEM experience and so far I'd say i almost regret buying them