[maguire]

Ok I have spent practically all day with them. First thing I found was how hard at least for me to get the right tip. I ended up opting for ones that I had. I'm not sure of what brand as I have a bunch in a plastic bag.
Next I have been smitten by the Dunu DN1000 & have had these in my ears constantly. I say it took some time for me to adjust to the Custom Art signature. This whole experience though has been worth it as I found out a couple of things. I tried Jazz-Electronic- Blues-Rock Genres. I use Ipod. Also Apple Computer optical out into Pioneer Receiver.
 
MUSIC ONE - At first I admit to not taking a liking at all to these. Again I believe it was due to the DN1000 sound. I tried these first on my ipod, loossless wave AI FF files. Everything sounded lifeless. Then I finally found the right tips that I had. I went through quite a number supplied but could not get the right seal. Again I was not really impressed although better straight from the ipod. Then I tried through the computer Receiver output, wow were these the same IEM's? Well I found that extra power was eagerly accepted by the M1's. Let there be Bass...It emerged, tight & fast. It loved the Jazz of the 3 piece Bobo Stenson on the Album Cantando.
They showed what they are capable of finally. Electronic even showed me they had sub bass, treble was sparkly my foot was tapping. I changed to Rock & then my foot stopped tapping. The bass just could not produce the same slam & that sparkly treble now produced splashy which caused me to turn down the vol.
 
MUSIC TWO - These produced better bass warmer sound on the ipod. Again though these improved when giving them more power. They displayed similar quality's to the M1's, Now the bass felt like a sub woofer in my head when playing electronic. It also performed well in Jazz with the bass going really low. Treble was crisp & all the details were presenting themselves as I would know them, Blues & Rock was performed better on these. So far the M2 was my favorite. Maybe it was the fact that they were closer to the DN1000?.
 
PRO 330 - first thing was these produced a wider sound stage on the ipod. The treble was a hell of a lot hotter, the bass was less pronounced but still there only more detailed. No surprise then when I switched to the powerful system, again everything became more alive. acoustic music really came through on these. Electronic was OK, with the bass being there when needed. I found though to get the best out of these I had to again give them more juice as the volume went higher to get to the same levels as the other 2. Only then did this 330 perform. Rock & blues were once again sounding a little anemic with the bass somewhere in the background. But as I said they needed even more power to show me what they had. Also the tip question came into play... I had to muck around to get a better seal.
 
H8P - Now these were a real pain to get the right seal. Through the ipod was average, not enough bass. As I mentioned earlier that darn seal...I finally had enough & resorted to placing the bottom palms of my hands over my ears onto the iems applying varying amounts of pressure to finally unlock the true potential of these guys.
Up until then I hated these. First thing was I was hearing the biggest sound stage of all the IEM's
Again these were screaming out for more juice. When I did they rewarded me. For this to happen though I had to crank them even Higher levels...Now I must stress It was when I would place my palms over the ears in the right place & only then that they would give me a taste of what they were about. So I came to the conclusion of just how important it was to get the custom molding done just right. Believe me it was painstaking to go through all the different positions to get that right sound to come out every time I had to change genres... but I persisted & they let me in on there secret. I know a lot of you didn't like them, heck I was the same, but I just found that working on that seal was the only way for them to reveal what they were about. by the way they did very well in all genres to me they displayed tons of bass that went low treble was crisp & detailed.
 
Thank you Piotr for the chance to demo your products, I realize that it is extremely difficult to emulate the same sound as your custom versions. I must admit though at first I was rather left let down by these & It took some time & patience for me to finally uncover what these can give out. 

 

[maguire]

Package now on the way to Loquah.....

 

[Wyd4]

Hey All,

I may have to drop off this tour I am afraid, I have a busy period coming up and I will be pretty time poor.
 
Thanks for the offer thought.

 

[boneofimba]

@maguire impression added
 
@Wyd4 noted

 

[Loquah]

They're with me now

 

[NeObliviscaris]

@boneofimba  -  if the tour is still going around after December 12th and it's still in Victoria, I'd like to step back in.

 

[Loquah]

Hi all, I've been a bit tardy with this review due to various challenges so I thought I would post some impressions here and complete a full review (possibly) later on my blog.
 
I'm starting the impressions by using my much loved CustomArt Ei.3 as a baseline for comparisons given that they're from the same 'house'. All listening is done using JRiver Mediacenter 21 feeding a Cozoy Aegis DAC running to an E12DIY with a BUF634 and OPA627 combo of buffers and op-amps. I've used the same hybrid tips on each IEM to maintain a sense of continuity (don't worry, it was a good fit each time).
 

CustomArt Ei.3

 
Despite being a "budget" offering in acrylic, the Ei.3 shouldn't be discounted. I've written full reviews so I'll keep the comments confined purely to sound here. The Ei.3 has great balance in its tuning. The bass is solid and full without being bloated or over-emphasised. It's still not the deepest or punchiest bass around, but it has nice weight and a bit of kick when it's needed. To me, it's a really nice, comfortable bass tuning. The mids are equally well managed with a good balance compared to other frequencies and a nice sense of weight. The treble has some slight character at the lower end and rolls off fairly quickly, but avoids sounding dull or too smooth thanks to the lower treble texture. It's only when directly compared with other earphones that you might realise there is any roll-off from the Ei.3 - it's very tastefully managed. The result from all this is a really well balanced sound that is slightly smooth and warm, but not at the expense of clarity and engagement.
 
Imaging and staging is exceptional for a "budget" CIEM with nice width and fairly good height. The Ei.3s are very adept at creating a sharp central image with a nice hint of forward projection rather than sticking the image directly between the ears - with the Ei.3 the image is a bit forward of the eyebrows.
 
So to summarise and provide a consistent approach for comparison I'll use the following categories for subjective comments:
Treble: great quality, slightly smooth and slightly rolled off
Mids: well balanced with good weight
Bass: nice body and decent kick, extension isn't amazing but it's good
Imaging: excellent clarity and definition in a stage that's a nice size, but not expansive
 

CustomArt Pro330v2

 
Instantly, after listening to the Ei.3, the Pro330v2 sounds tinny and treble-emphasised with a distinct lack of bass and even lower mids. To my ears there is very little that's appealing about the Pro330v2. In fact, it sounds like there's something wrong with it. Listening to a Van Morrison track I kept noticing (and being distracted by) guitars lingering in the background that weren't properly rendered and resulted in a hollow experience that drew my attention more to what was missing than what was there.
 
Treble: slightly harsh, emphasised in comparison to other frequencies
Mids: a bit hollow, especially in the lower registers and therefore a little unnatural
Bass: very limited and frankly disappointing
Imaging: very focussed in the upper frequencies, but lacking due to the hollow-ness of the overall sound
 
For around $750 AUD the Pro330v2 make no sense to me - there are too many better options for less cash and that includes better bright / analytical options so this isn't just a question of personal preference.
 

CustomArt Music One

 
I auditioned these in random order and the Music One came next. It was a welcome return to musicality and reality after the artificial and hollow-sounding Pro330v2.
For around $290 AUD the Music One is a really nice option, but perhaps still not quite as good as the Ei.3. Where the two differ is mostly in signature with the Music One being a little brighter with slightly more treble extension and quantity and slightly less bass extension and quantity. The Music One would be a great IEM for those who like a fairly flat response with a very slight treble emphasis.
 
Treble: clean and smooth, but slightly brighter than neutral - good for treble-heads
Mids: clean and defined, not a lot of weight, but enjoyable nonetheless
Bass: well balanced with the mids, not prominent, but present and of good quality
Imaging: good - on par with the Ei.3 for the most part, but occasionally disrupted by treble spikes masking lower frequency cues
 

CustomArt Music Two

 
For just under $500 AUD, the Music Two are still an affordable customer, but have some tough competition. Their sound is quite balanced, but with a gentle tilt towards the treble and upper mids. The result is a slightly hollow sound that is interesting and enjoyable in its own way, but not on par with some of the competition in my opinion.
 
Where the Music Two performs well is it's sense of clarity and detail in vocals and upper frequencies. In this respect it reminds me of the excellent FIDUE A83, but where it falls behind is in its lack of bass. It's not as hollow as the Pro330v2, but it seems to be a step behind the Music One and a couple of steps behind the Ei.3. That doesn't necessarily make it bad, but it's not one for the bass heads. On the other hand, the treble on the Music Two is the best of the bunch with lots of extension, but a beautifully smooth sound. Personally, I think there are better options for $500 like the AF120-180 range of IEMs from AudioFly.
 
Treble: clean, well extended and with excellent quality overall
Mids: slightly lifted in the upper registers, well detailed with excellent clarity
Bass: just a touch behind the other frequencies resulting in a slightly cool sound with limited weight
Imaging: very good, but the lack of weight prevents ultimate realism - it's an accurate and sharp image, but not completely realistic
 

CustomArt Harmony 8 Pro

 
I honestly happened to select these in this order and ended with the $1400 AUD flagship last, but that's probably a good thing so we can end on a high note. The H8P instantly proves itself capable within the first few notes. Individual sounds are cleanly rendered and defined and there's a sense of space in the stage that the others can't match.
 
Signature-wise, the Harmony 8 Pro is warmer than the others in this tour and is more akin to the Ei.3. In fact, the Ei.3 is a lot like the H8P with its added warmth and bass reproduction, but the Ei.3 is more mid-focussed and creates a more intimate (but still very good image). Bass is solid and well defined, mids have weight and body without getting too thick and the treble is smooth and detailed, but not enhanced.
Compared to the Ei.3 the H8P is more refined and with less mid-emphasis, resulting in a greater sense of balance overall and better sense of space and size in the soundstage.
 
Treble: smooth, but detailed with good extension and a very slight lift relative to other frequencies
Mids: slightly light on weight, but very clean and very detailed - great for female vocals
Bass: detailed and well controlled, but might lack quantity for some listeners
Imaging: outstanding clarity in the image and a larger sense of space than the Ei.3 - an extremely nice stage and image overall
 
Overall I think the CustomArt IEMs are a mixed bag. The lower priced models like the Music One and the Ei.3 offer amazing value and the Music Two is almost in that catergory and for some people will clearly be in that category (based on personal taste). At the higher prices of the Pro330v2 and Harmony 8 Pro the equation gets a little trickier. Although the H8P is a really nice sounding IEM, I think there are better options out there for less money and the Pro330v2 just doesn't compute and I can't imagine it being preferable to a number of similar priced or cheaper options out there.
 
At the end of this exercise I still adore my Ei.3s and highly recommend them as one of the picks of the CustomArt range if you prefer a slightly warmer sound that the other CustomArt offerings.

 

[Loquah]

The package is on its way to @fnkcow

 

[fnkcow]

Package on the way to @62ohm

 

[62ohm]

Thanks @fnkcow, looking forward to trying them out and comparing them to my RE-600!

 

[piotrus-g]

Hey Guys,
 
I somehow missed this thread.
I just went through all of posts and I would like to thank everyone for posting their thought and impressions on the demos. I would like to clarify, add some things because there's are things that kept repeating in this thread.
1. Pairing of Harmony 8Pros - as someone mentioned this is only my personal preference. Harmony 8Pro works well with basically any device, though higher impedance sources are better. With very low impedance amps they start to sound very harsh and not as intended.
2. Attached cables - some people said they are afraid of their durability- consider that these demos traveled around the world and were passed by dozens of people, I would say this proves their strength. Our attached cables rarely have any issues (below 1% after 3years in production).
3. Splitter is too high - sorry, but this is pre-made cable and its manufacturer refuses to acknowledge the issues. Cable is designed to be worn behind your head (like musicians do) then the splitter is not an issue.
4. Demo quality. As mentioned earlier these were made back in the day, we already moved to all 3d printed demos in acrylic shells with silicone filling to simulate custom experience better. They are also more comfortable and don't wear off. Demos were also made before we had an access to technology we are using today so they don't represent our 100%.
5. Pro330, I have to mention that Pro330 demo you have is not similar to custom version. This Demo indeed boosts upper highs in 5-7kHz range which on custom is actually reduced. This issue is solved in 3d printed version.
6. Weird peaks and hollow sounding on all demos. This can be an effect of tips used for demoing, too shallow fit or lack of isolation. Tips with bigger opening will always boost higher frequencies (horn).
7. Weird soundstage on H8P or muddy sound - check the polarity of the cable with first post. It's super important. In US tour people tended to change the polarity of the cable and this resulted in few very mixed reviews. Reading the thread now it looks like the cable got switched somewhere during the tour. Sure i understand that some may not like it at all, that's completely natural, but some of the description pointed to the sound as "almost as faulty unit" - this happens with wrong polarity or damaged cable (so please check).
 
Anyways thanks for reviews I really appreciate all the pros and cons pointed out in . I always gather feedback and use it to improve further

 

[62ohm]

Package is on its way to Yudi (daduy), gonna post my impression soon.

 

[daduy]

Hi guys,
 
Package received! 
 
Cheers and have a good christmas and holiday!
 
daduy

 

[62ohm]

Hi guys,
 
Sorry for the late impression and thanks for the chance to demo these IEMs.
 
I am fortunate enough to get the 4 demo IEMs from CustomArt at the same time as the FiiO X7 tour unit. Initially I planned on getting used to the FiiO X7, and review these IEMs with the X7 as this chance don't come often - but I had to scrape that plan and start over again with the IEMs. I am never a big fan of ESS9018, and turns out the X7 is no different according to my admittedly picky taste.
 
I would not go into too much of detail regarding how the pairing of X7 and all 4 IEMs sound, but to cut to the point I would say I eventually elected to use my smartphone instead to do the review. So there I go, getting myself reacquainted with the IEMs and how they sound straight from my smartphone.
 
My own everyday IEM is the HiFiMan RE-600, and I would make a small comparison of Music One & Music Two against the HiFiMan RE-600. The reason why I would only compare the Music One & Two to the RE-600 and excluding the Pro 330v2 and Harmony 8 Pro in the comparison is: 1st, the RE-600 originally costs $400 USD upon launch, roughly about $50 more than the Music Two. 2nd, with price cuts from HiFiMan the RE-600 now costs $200 USD, roughly the same as Music One.
 
Of course I will still post my thoughts on the 330v2 and H8P, but they will not be compared to the RE-600. And lastly, I should mention before posting these impressions of mine I have not read a single review and/or impressions from other to avoid bias.
 
 
 
CustomArt Music One
 
-At roughly $200 USD, the Music One costs about the same as my HiFiMan RE-600.
-Trumps the RE-600 in comfort and isolation by far.
-Bass light; some may consider it to be inadequate, but it is tight and precise. The RE-600 have slightly more bass, and deliver it as tightly and precisely.
-Bright sound signature whereas the RE-600 is warm. Bright vs warm is only a matter of preference and any IEM cannot be judged solely because they are bright or ward, but the Music One sounds lean and thin as opposed to the thick and meaty sound of RE-600.
-Weirdly, the Music One sounds a little bit grainy. I've tried it with a number of different sources and all of them produce the same result - something the other demos does not have.
-The treble peak sounds slightly piercing. While the RE-600 also have slightly piercing treble peak, it is not as piercing nor happen as often as Music One's.
-The Music One wins in imaging by a small margin, but loses in soundstage. I would have to state they both have decent sized soundstage portrayal for an IEM of this price.
 
I think it is a clear and extensive win for the RE-600. It makes me thought to myself, why can't the Music One compete with the RE-600? I would say, perhaps it's because the RE-600 is not an IEM which was designed to cost $200 USD in the first place - it is an IEM which was designed to cost $400 USD and then discounted to $200 after some time. Thus, the Music Two might be the better suited IEM to be compared to the RE-600.
 
 
 
CustomArt Music Two
 
-At roughly $350 USD, the Music Two is $50 less than the original MSRP of $400 of the HiFiMan RE-600.
-As it retains the comfort and sound isolation of the Music One, naturally, it trumps the RE-600 in these region by far again.
-Weirdly, it sounds a bit 'closed' and claustrophobic in regard to soundstage. The Music One somehow sounds more 'open' to me, which might be due to demo quality as mentioned by piotrus-g above.
-Possess a lot more bass than Music One. It is by no means a bass-head IEM, but compared to the Music One it does sounds relatively bass-heavy. The bass itself sounds tighter and more precise than the RE-600.
-Warm-ish sound signature, slightly muffled mids with slight peak in treble. The peak in treble, combined with with the slightly muffled mids makes the treble peak sounds edgy and piercing. 
-Clear, grain-less sound with meaty, thick instrument.
 
Compared to the RE-600, SQ-wise the Music Two is the winner for me. While its treble can be considered to be not smooth enough, so does the RE-600. Where the RE-600 does well, the Music Two does it better - which only leaves one edge the RE-600 have compared to the Music Two: value. The RE-600 originally costs $400 USD, but HiFiMan has cut the price by half - which means now the Music Two costs nearly twice the price of the RE-600. 
 
With the price difference, I have to say I don't think the Music Two worth its asking price. The same problem occurred with the original asking price of the RE-600 - it simply does not worth its original asking price. Still, when it comes to sound quality, the Music Two triumphs over the RE-600.
 
 
 
CustomArt Pro 330v2
 
-At roughly $550 USD, the Pro 330v2 is not inexpensive. But in my opinion, it justifies its price with its performance.
-Exceptionally crystal-clear sound with not even the slightest indication of grain.
-Combined with its transparency, this IEM is one of the most transparent IEM I’ve ever tried. I have not tried a lot of other high-end IEM, but from memory the Pro 330v2 is more transparent than the more expensive Sennheiser IE800.
-The transparent, crystal-clear sound means it is ruthlessly unforgiving and easily the most transparent of all 4 demo units. This can be a good thing, or a bad thing depending on one’s own need.
-Mids are clear and forward, certainly the most balanced sound signature of the 4 demo units.
-Tight bass and, despite being just a little bit treble happy it still has smooth treble with no piercing treble peak.
 
According to my taste, the 330v2 is the best from the 4 demos. It is priced fairly, although admittedly there is the probability of me being very used to the sound signature of HD800 which makes me less prone to being disturbed by treble-happy sound signatures. Frankly I suspect many others would not like this kind of sound signature and/or its ruthlessly revealing character.
 
 
 
CustomArt Harmony 8 Pro
 
-Priced about $1,000 USD, the Harmony 8 Pro is certainly as expensive as the flagship IEMs from other brands.
-Very warm sound signature with exceptional soundstage. I think it may have a wider soundstage compared to the Pro 330v2. But the Pro 330v2’s soundstage is much easier to discern and to focus on separate instruments thanks to its transparency.
-Thick instruments with thin vocals, making the instruments slightly overpowering the vocals. This can be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on one’s own taste.
-Smooth treble with a hint of edgy treble. Sound like a V-shaped frequency response – the treble peak can sound piercing with certain recordings.
 
 
I have (or had) a love/hate relationship with the Harmony 8 Pro. Its thick instruments and slightly v-shaped character makes it fun and captivating to listen to. It is certainly easier to enjoy on the road compared to the Pro 330v2. But at the same time, its slightly piercing treble peak means some recording are harder to enjoy than the other 3. The Harmony 8 Pro is a terrific IEM, but for an IEM that costs $1k USD I expect something close to perfection, and I just don’t think the Harmony 8 Pro can really justify its asking price.
 
Then again, it could be a pairing issue. As I am powering it straight out of my smartphone, I’m sure the real potential of the Harmony 8 Pro is yet to be unleashed to me. Just like how I persevered with the HD800, with some perseverance the Harmony 8 Pro might be one damn good IEM.

 

[ade_hall]

  Hey Guys,
 
I somehow missed this thread.
I just went through all of posts and I would like to thank everyone for posting their thought and impressions on the demos. I would like to clarify, add some things because there's are things that kept repeating in this thread.
1. Pairing of Harmony 8Pros - as someone mentioned this is only my personal preference. Harmony 8Pro works well with basically any device, though higher impedance sources are better. With very low impedance amps they start to sound very harsh and not as intended.
2. Attached cables - some people said they are afraid of their durability- consider that these demos traveled around the world and were passed by dozens of people, I would say this proves their strength. Our attached cables rarely have any issues (below 1% after 3years in production).
3. Splitter is too high - sorry, but this is pre-made cable and its manufacturer refuses to acknowledge the issues. Cable is designed to be worn behind your head (like musicians do) then the splitter is not an issue.
4. Demo quality. As mentioned earlier these were made back in the day, we already moved to all 3d printed demos in acrylic shells with silicone filling to simulate custom experience better. They are also more comfortable and don't wear off. Demos were also made before we had an access to technology we are using today so they don't represent our 100%.
5. Pro330, I have to mention that Pro330 demo you have is not similar to custom version. This Demo indeed boosts upper highs in 5-7kHz range which on custom is actually reduced. This issue is solved in 3d printed version.
6. Weird peaks and hollow sounding on all demos. This can be an effect of tips used for demoing, too shallow fit or lack of isolation. Tips with bigger opening will always boost higher frequencies (horn).
7. Weird soundstage on H8P or muddy sound - check the polarity of the cable with first post. It's super important. In US tour people tended to change the polarity of the cable and this resulted in few very mixed reviews. Reading the thread now it looks like the cable got switched somewhere during the tour. Sure i understand that some may not like it at all, that's completely natural, but some of the description pointed to the sound as "almost as faulty unit" - this happens with wrong polarity or damaged cable (so please check).
 
Anyways thanks for reviews I really appreciate all the pros and cons pointed out in . I always gather feedback and use it to improve further

 
I have the goods, thanks to daduy for going out of his way to get these to me and thanks to boneofimba, piotr and anyone else involved for arranging this tour
 
Why are higher impedance sources recommended for the H8P?
 
The splitter is higher than the stock JH Audio cables - no problem if you wear them beyond your head but I'm not a musician and often have daps inside a jacket pocket and if you have the cable running up inside and behind your head then the cable is constantly being pulled by the weight of the jacket.
 
Anyway, I'm straight in to the H8P and trying to jam these in to my tiny ears is a struggle but I'm liking what I'm hearing so far, I have it partnered with the Hifiman HM-801 with Game amp card which I think does have a higher impedance (30+?) and it seems to be a good match, will try the Mojo later.