[oldschool]

I recently bought the Westone star tips and have been using the red colored ones for the past 3-4 days - the red ones seem to be the perfect length and width for my ears.
 
I like what I hear and I think they provide a bit more clarity as compared to the stock bi-flanges, and are also more comfortable. The rubber material is also higher quality and gathers less dirt and dust that the grey bi-flanges. That said, the bi-flanges are pretty good still, and may have the edge in the bass department.
 
My main concern currently is that compared to SM3, which I previously owned, the SM64 are not that fun sounding and have less bass - they are more balanced and analytic. Highs and positioning, and instrument separation are clearly better on the SM64, though.
 
As far as the bass is concerned, I am not 100% sure which is better - the stock bi-flanges or the stars. Often the case seem to come down to how good a fit I've gotten at the particular listening session. Sometimes the bi-flanges sound great, other times the stars have the edge in bass. I think that generally speaking and all other things equal, the larger bores of the grey bi-flanges should provide more bass - they clearly did so when the original SM3 white bi-flanges (remember these?) were upgraded to the grey ones - the grey bi-flanges had wider bores and improved the bass.
 
I also hope to be able to improve the bass with a better DAP - looking forward to the Fiio X3 Gen 2. Should be an upgrade in all regards of my current system of Clip Zip + Fiio E6.

 

[NawiLlih]

I recently bought the Westone star tips and have been using the red colored ones for the past 3-4 days - the red ones seem to be the perfect length and width for my ears.

I like what I hear and I think they provide a bit more clarity as compared to the stock bi-flanges, and are also more comfortable. The rubber material is also higher quality and gathers less dirt and dust that the grey bi-flanges. That said, the bi-flanges are pretty good still, and may have the edge in the bass department.

My experience is that my Westones pick up a new coating of dust every time I so much as think about them... I will concede that the bores in the biflanges get mucky quickly too though.

 

[ericr]

My experience was the Westone Star Tips hurt the soundstage over stock tips.

Back when I bought the SM64, I bought the Audeo Phonak PFE-232 at the same time to compare them head to head (with the looser being returned). The SM64 decidedly won that battle, but I really appreciated the tips that came with the PFE-232 over the stock Earsonics and the Westone Star and foams.

So when the PFE-232 went back I placed a rush order for the Audeo Silicone tips!

The SM64 soundstage is nicely very wide, and the Audeo tips noticeably add depth and also some height.

OK, I'll shut up about the Audeo tips for 2 or 3 months so you guys don't get sick of my posts! (though I do wish someone would try them instead of the Star tips for once).

 

[themad]

My experience was the Westone Star Tips hurt the soundstage over stock tips.

Back when I bought the SM64, I bought the Audeo Phonak PFE-232 at the same time to compare them head to head (with the looser being returned). The SM64 decidedly won that battle, but I really appreciated the tips that came with the PFE-232 over the stock Earsonics and the Westone Star and foams.

So when the PFE-232 went back I placed a rush order for the Audeo Silicone tips!

The SM64 soundstage is nicely very wide, and the Audeo tips noticeably add depth and also some height.

OK, I'll shut up about the Audeo tips for 2 or 3 months so you guys don't get sick of my posts! (though I do wish someone would try them instead of the Star tips for once).

 
 Are they as soft as the Westones? I have had bad experiences with this type of tips, when they are not extremely soft. Usually I don't get a good seal or they get loose after 10-15minutes. The Westones fit my ears and seal incredibly well.

 

[oldschool]

Lol, I just stumbled across a French SM64 review from August 2013, that shows the following ridiculous FR graph:
 

 
The review clearly says they are a bit disappointed in the IEM because of the bloated +10db bass, as shown on the graph.
 
Such FR graphs for IEMs are obviously seriously flawed and show that sometimes the reviewers have not even bothered to listen to the IEM !! This makes me think about the legitimacy of the infamous 5 khz dip claim.

 

[Aero Dynamik]

  Lol, I just stumbled across a French SM64 review from August 2013, that shows the following ridiculous FR graph:
 

 
The review clearly says they are a bit disappointed in the IEM because of the bloated +10db bass, as shown on the graph.
 
Such FR graphs for IEMs are obviously seriously flawed and show that sometimes the reviewers have not even bothered to listen to the IEM !! This makes me think about the legitimacy of the infamous 5 khz dip claim.

You don't have to. Trust me, the 5 kHz dip is there, and you don't need a graph to hear it. All you need is a sinus wave generator and a pair of ears. Wrote a post about it - and a few other things about the SM64 - here.

 

[oldschool]

  You don't have to. Trust me, the 5 kHz dip is there, and you don't need a graph to hear it. All you need is a sinus wave generator and a pair of ears. Wrote a post about it - and a few other things about the SM64 - here.

 
Excellent writeup, thanks for that. I agree with most you are saying besides a couple of points:
 
- I definitely think a separate amp is needed for the SM64, or you need to run them with a quite powerful DAP. Ran on the Clip Zip or the iPhone 5 alone, these IEMs produce a pretty low volume unless you play files with smashed dynamic range of say, DR6-7. For files of DR10 and above that have a decent headroom to breathe (e.g. music mastered before the mid-90es), you won't be able to get the SM64 at a satisfactory high volume and will not be able to really enjoy them.
 
- third-party tips do make a difference. I currently enjoy pretty much the Westone stars and I think they give me bit more clarity and comfort, but the stock bi-flanges are pretty good too.

 

[obsidyen]

Got Earsonics Velvet and sold SM64. While SM64 is awesome, Velvet is even better. Clearer, more fun sounding, more detailed, just better all around. There are 3 modes but I'm using warm mode (more bass). Also Velvet is much easier to drive which is great since I don't like using portable amps. Still, I want to thank SM64 for getting me into the Earsonics fan club.

 

[jonyoo]

  You don't have to. Trust me, the 5 kHz dip is there, and you don't need a graph to hear it. All you need is a sinus wave generator and a pair of ears. Wrote a post about it - and a few other things about the SM64 - here.

 
That is very true. Although I guessed the dip was around 4kHz when I first started listening to them.

 

[prostheticwhim]

I think of buying a fiio x1 for SM64, my phone can't drive it well enough to create a good harmonic contrast and loudness/sound pressure. Does anyone can tell me if X1 can drive it well enough? And further comments about how they go together is appreciated.

 

[NawiLlih]

I think of buying a fiio x1 for SM64, my phone can't drive it well enough to create a good harmonic contrast and loudness/sound pressure. Does anyone can tell me if X1 can drive it well enough? And further comments about how they go together is appreciated.

I don't personally have an X1, but I get the impression that you might want to consider an amp with it if you go for the X1.

 

[Tom Yum Goong]

I don't personally have an X1, but I get the impression that you might want to consider an amp with it if you go for the X1.

The X1s built-in amp is totally powerful and good enough, if you ask me.

 

[prostheticwhim]

I've tried sm64 with x1 for a week, they really do not go well, x1 limits what sm64 can do really. It's much much better with e17 as usb/dac and still better than x1 with note 2 / e17 amp combo. For me background of x1 was not dark at all, the sound was too blended and soft. It paired good with re400 but with nothing else I had.

 

[oldschool]

Just for the record - I tried today my SM64 with a store Fiio X1.
 
I was disappointed volume couldn't get high enough - I have some old vinyl rips that are pretty quiet and even at 100, the X1 was not nearly loud enough. In fact, my current Clip Zip + Fiio E6 combo was significantly louder.

 

[Ivabign]

  Got Earsonics Velvet and sold SM64. While SM64 is awesome, Velvet is even better. Clearer, more fun sounding, more detailed, just better all around. There are 3 modes but I'm using warm mode (more bass). Also Velvet is much easier to drive which is great since I don't like using portable amps. Still, I want to thank SM64 for getting me into the Earsonics fan club.

The Velvet may be a bit more sensitive than the SM64, but I find that they still need a bit of current to sing - I use medium gain on my ALO Island to achieve satisfactory sound pressures - and they are darned satisfactory