Custom vs Sleeves

[vii_haven]

i have a um2 now and am currently on the biflanges which i think give the best sound of all sleeves. however, i'm looking to get customn molds done for my um2.

do custom molds give significantly better sound and better comfort as compared to universal sleeves? does it justify the extra cost doing that?

 

[Naris]

To my ears (I have the Westone UM2s and custom UM56 tips), there is only a very small difference in sound quality. It sounds more full... a bit less murky. Brighter I believe would be the key word. Mind you the differences in sound quality are small compared to the short comply tips I used to favor before getting the customs.

This is not, however, the reason I purchased customs. I did the math and it turns out that if I'm keeping the UM2s for more than a year using comply tips for about two weeks (cleaning them of course) each it would cost more within a year and... well about a year and a half. So I went out and bought the UM56s.

Of course after getting them I don't regret it for a moment. They fit in so quickly and effectively, not to mention the seal is far superior to the comply tips. I can actually forget I'm wearing them, whereas with the comply tips it actually made my ear itchy. Just my personal opinion of course. Plus they look cool...

EDIT: I also had biflanges... and to me they sounded about the same as the short complys. However they ripped at my ears painfully.

 

[-Paolo-]

I'm considering getting UM56's. They will cost me 80 CDN + tax and add the impressions.

I think it's worth while. And I plan on carrying them out to other IEMs. Plus I think I've stopped growing

But I use the bi-flange mod personally, and I find that it begins to pressure part of my ears. I find it a bit irritating, but it provides the best sound.

 

[vii_haven]

Well, i'm thinking of getting molds (like these) done for the um2 so it's more similar to the custom IEMs rather than the um56. So is the sound and comfort better when using custom IEMs than with any other kinda tips?

 

[dvallere]

To me sound was no different between

1. UM2 plus biflange
2. UM2 plus short Comply tip
3. UM2 plus UM56
4. ES2

Comfort and isolation were different, though. The um2 plus biflange was at the bottom of the pile, the rest were all similar in comfort.

Isolation: the Complys win hands down. However, I had problems getting my UM56 and my ES2 to fit properly - and ended up returning them. If you don't have this problem, you might win on all counts by getting a UM56. I *think* the UM56 is supposed to isolate more than the Complys.

 

[vii_haven]

so does custom only aid in comfort? is there a sonic difference?