[284033]

Haha! I paid for the supra kickstarter before I got to hear the legend and realized how awesome it was thus getting it later then the supra!

Heard many horror stories on misfit custom shells so needed the first set to be perfect before getting the second if not I will be without both pieces at the same time!

The horrors of having 2 iem in front of you but not fitting is something I don't wanna experience hahaha.

Take the Supra as an initial experience for custom iem.

The most important step when it comes to custom iems is the ear impressions.

As long as the audiologist or hearing consultant takes care when doing your ear impressions, and also that you do not move your jaw or ears (best is to move any part of your head), the fit should be fine.
 

 

[mejoshua]

Hey SGS,

From your review and impressions, the Legend R sounds like the aurisonics Rockets sig. Would you call it something like an upgraded Rockets sound? E.g. more detail and texture and staging qualities.

 

[moedawg140]

Take the Supra as an initial experience for custom iem.


The most important step when it comes to custom iems is the ear impressions.


As long as the audiologist or hearing consultant takes care when doing your ear impressions, and also that you do not move your jaw or ears (best is to move any part of your head), the fit should be fine.

 

I would say that is one way to create impressions. My audiologist Lisa Tannenbaum (her client list: http://www.musicianshearing.com/clients1.html) does not use a bite block, and has me open my mouth and hold it when the goo is being injected in my ear canal(s), and then talk normally as the impression is curing. I am not stating one method is better over the other, but I am saying there are other methods than not moving your jaw to create the most versatile impressions.

 

[ZzmadzZ]

I would say that is one way to create impressions. My audiologist Lisa Tannenbaum (her client list: http://www.musicianshearing.com/clients1.html) does not use a bite block, and has me open my mouth and hold it when the goo is being injected in my ear canal(s), and then talk normally as the impression is curing. I am not stating one method is better over the other, but I am saying there are other methods than not moving your jaw to create the most versatile impressions.

That's the problem, it was my first ear impressions as i was always and am still using universals. I have no idea if this method of getting the impression is right or wrong (Bite block) but i can only say it was done professionally. However, if the Supra fits perfectly then i would know that the method was done correctly and now i will at least have an idea to judge if an impression is correct or wrong.
 
First ear impressions is always a grey zone as i have no experience to judge if its done right or not. But i would say it was a very interesting experience to have something cold filled in the ear canal lols.

 

[284033]

I would say that is one way to create impressions. My audiologist Lisa Tannenbaum (her client list: http://www.musicianshearing.com/clients1.html) does not use a bite block, and has me open my mouth and hold it when the goo is being injected in my ear canal(s), and then talk normally as the impression is curing. I am not stating one method is better over the other, but I am saying there are other methods than not moving your jaw to create the most versatile impressions.

I should try that one day!

 

[georgelai57]

One method I've gone through is instead of a bite block, they ask you to hold your hand, or specifically the part below the thumb, between your teeth. I guess they save on bite blocks but people passing by will have a sight to behold.

 

[moedawg140]

That's the problem, it was my first ear impressions as i was always and am still using universals. I have no idea if this method of getting the impression is right or wrong (Bite block) but i can only say it was done professionally. However, if the Supra fits perfectly then i would know that the method was done correctly and now i will at least have an idea to judge if an impression is correct or wrong.

First ear impressions is always a grey zone as i have no experience to judge if its done right or not. But i would say it was a very interesting experience to have something cold filled in the ear canal lols.

Definitely. It is an experience since it was your first time, but again, you have Jack saying your impressions turned out great and the impressions were taken very deep in the ear canals. I do understand the paranoia you may have, and the Supra is a good way to find out if customs are right for you. Regardless of how good or great the impressions turned out, there is still a chance that customs may need a refit, since the process is still handmade. I have the Supra as well as Legend R on the way, and my thought process is to hope for the best. If anything needs a refit, no worries at all. There is a great chance that one of the CIEMs will fit 'perfectly'. In my case though, I'm keeping the Supra universal and the Legend R will be custom, just like it should, to experience absolutely everything the awesome-sounding CIEM has to offer.

 

[shotgunshane]

Hey SGS,

From your review and impressions, the Legend R sounds like the aurisonics Rockets sig. Would you call it something like an upgraded Rockets sound? E.g. more detail and texture and staging qualities.

That's not a bad way to put it. I'll have to play them back to back and see if it holds true. Might be Tuesday before I have the time.

 

[georgelai57]

I just realized that the only way I can break the seal on my Legends is to arch my eyebrows up unnaturally high, which of course I won't do unless I want to scare someone silly. I can't break the seal on my other customs.

 

[Dinerenblanc]

I just realized that the only way I can break the seal on my Legends is to arch my eyebrows up unnaturally high, which of course I won't do unless I want to scare someone silly. I can't break the seal on my other customs.

Could we get a pic of this please?

 

[Spamateur]

Since I'm local to EarWerkz here in Atlanta, I made an appointment with Jack and stopped by their facility this morning to audition some of their lineup.
 
A little background: I've only been a user of universals as it's hard to find anywhere to demo headphones here in the US. Universals are easy to sell if I find the sound signature isn't for me or I have other reasons for disliking a particular set of IEMs. Also, I found that I've mostly gravitated towards warmer and more energetic sound signatures and hybrid IEMs in particular. I'm pretty treble sensitive and have been using the Shure SE846, Aurisonics ASG-2.5 and Sony XBA-Z5 most heavily over the last year. At the same time, I miss well-textured, detailed treble that those IEMs can be lacking in due to their smoothness, with the Sony Z5's treble being the most well-defined and detailed of the three universals without being fatiguing or sibilant.
 
I started out with the Legend R since this was what everyone was raving about. Jack warned me that the demo Legend R I was listening to had no burn in and that the sound would open up a bit more. However, I found them fantastic regardless. Shotgunshane's review of the Legend R on Cymbacavum nailed the sound signature of these. They're relatively neutral with an ever-so-slightly warmer sound. Bass is present and impactful, but plays a more naturally complimentary role being not as intensely thunderous in quantity like what you'd get with a dynamic driver. For a BA IEM, the Legend R's bass is very well detailed, however, and goes surprisingly deep into sub-bass. I tried a few tracks by Big K.R.I.T. that really get my car's 10" JL subwoofer rolling and the Legend R handled them with aplomb. Mids were smooth, darker and warmer compared to the rest of the EarWerkz lineup that I tried, but very detailed and lovely. The treble is the real star of the show, however. The treble of the Legend R is incredibly detailed and clear, yet shockingly non-fatiguing. In my experience, balanced armature-based IEMs often have very thin sounding treble that drastically affects the realism of cymbals and drums and guitar distortion. This sort of sound turns snare drum hits into more of a thin, digital whip-crack sound than a full-bodied snare hit. In comparison, the Legend R is lifelike and full-bodied with no thinness or artificiality in reproduction. The engineers at EarWerkz somehow created a wonderful treble mix that is both highly detailed yet also smooth and non-fatiguing. After enjoying the Legend R for awhile, I began to throw every single treble-happy song that's given me trouble with brighter IEMs I've owned in the past. The Legend R seemed to adapt to every track and delivered to me nothing but lovely and detailed sound. Imaging is another strong point of these IEMs. They don't have a staggeringly large soundstage, but the imaging and separation were top-notch.
 
I also tried a few other of their lineup, including the 6, 5 and Supra. The Supra was probably my second favorite behind the Legend R with a similar neutral sound signature but being a tad more energetic with mids and bass being a bit more prominent in my demo. I didn't love the 6 and 5 as I found them to be a little too sharp in the treble which doesn't correspond well with my preferred sound signature, but they were also quite refined and detailed, although not on par with the Legend R IMO.
 
Inevitably, I returned and spent more time with the Legend R and didn't bother trying the 4 and 3 as I was just so enchanted with how refined, full and detailed the Legend R was. Before long I pulled out my wallet and asked Jack, "where do I sign?"
 
Big thanks to Jack for the wonderful customer service, quick e-mail responses while setting up my demo session, and just overall being a great guy. He gave me a tour of their facility and asked me for tons of honest feedback on their lineup and it became clear they wanted to keep improving and developing their products for audiophiles. Also, big thanks to Dean for the wonderful engineering of the Legend R and answering my questions about their company. I can't wait to enjoy my Legend R!

 

[moedawg140]

Very nice writeup, @Spamateur!  When you listened to the Supra, do you know if it had been burned in or not?  I know you said the Legend R had no burn in time and that the Supra was a "tad more energetic with mids and bass being a bit more prominent".  Just wondering if the Legend R was burned in if you would have still thought the mids and bass were more prominent in the Supra.

 

[Spamateur]

  Very nice writeup, @Spamateur!  When you listened to the Supra, do you know if it had been burned in or not?  I know you said the Legend R had no burn in time and that the Supra was a "tad more energetic with mids and bass being a bit more prominent".  Just wondering if the Legend R was burned in if you would have still thought the mids and bass were more prominent in the Supra.

Y'know, that's a good question and I'm not sure. Looking back on it, I think there's a good chance that my selection of music at the time also might have affected my opinion as I listened to it for a shorter time than I had the Legend R and didn't go through all of the same tracks I would normally have. The sound signature was very similar to the Legend but I felt it had more treble energy and was less detailed than the TOTL model. I'll see if I can check with Jack to see how much burn-in time they had received.

 

[malifact]

It's a shame there isn't a custom version of the Supra, as I would have been tempted to go with that over the Legend R. I like the idea of a Legend R style signature with a bit more treble energy.

 

[moedawg140]

It's a shame there isn't a custom version of the Supra, as I would have been tempted to go with that over the Legend R. I like the idea of a Legend R style signature with a bit more treble energy.

 
The Kickstarter Supra offered a custom version.  I chose the universal version so everyone could experience the awesome sound it will provide.  The Legend R, on the other hand, will be custom because that's the way it should be - so I can experience the Legend R's full capabilities.