[episiarch]

I have three different Westone custom ER-4 molds made from the same set of impressions.

Set #1: W-1 soft silicone. Comfortable, but the lowest-fi of the bunch. Some bass energy is clearly being absorbed into the softness of the material, and overall clarity suffers. (They're still Etys and they still are remarkably clear, but they're down a bit from what they can be.)

Set #2: OtoBlast clear silicone with smooth ("water-clear") finish. Excellent sound, but the silicone is quite "grippy" and takes a fair amount of work to insert even when it's lubed up with some OtoEase.

Set #3: Otoblast clear silicone with matte finish. Same sound as the smooth finish, but the insertion problem goes away. My favorite. May sacrifice a small amount of isolation compared to the others - I kind of think so, but am not 100% sure.

I find the firm and soft silicones equally comfortable.

 

[ath]

Based on my experience with custom ER-4 molds it could be a hit or miss. I had spent around $400 trying to get the earmolds done right. Westone gave up and refused to make earmolds after 3 attempts.

Even tried another company called microsonics. The mold was more like the UM56 (not the full casing like the Westone ER-4 earmold). It was better isolating than the westones but still not good enough. The seal would break at the slightest head movement.

I got the impressions done open mouth and closed with two different doctors (one of them from a reputed university department in our area).

So I decided it was not my cup of tea. I am happy with the triflanges and the foamies for now.

 

[antonyfirst]

So, here we go:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/my-...y-tips-297255/
Much more convenient than taking ear impressions.

 

[tstarn06]

Well, Antony, to be honest, even without a line out option, the Zune80 holds its own against the ZVM when it comes to HP out vs. line out. I actually favored the Zune sound, just felt it was smoother, cleaner, and the ZVM seemed to have an echo/reverb thing going on (I had the EQ off, of course). Now, the ZVM didn't sound bad, I just preferred the Zune on balance (I used the unmodded 716 on HD mode, bass boost on with the Minibox, and the Grado SR-80s, same conditions). With either phone, the result was the same.

You probably know that the ZVM has a white plastic block for its line out (you plug the dongle into the ZVM), so you still use a mini to mini cable. I used one provided by Head-Direct, it came with the MiniboxE+

Also, I am not even sure the Zune is capable of true line out. When I plug it into the A/V dock, the volume control still works (I turn it up to 20, the highest volume). With the ZVM, when the line out is in use, the volume control doesn't work (you need an amp for volume control). I would buy the line out cable from MS (or Sony too, if they ever make one for the A816), if it's a true line out. Guess I will wait and see.

Sorry I couldn't be more definitive, but I think the Zune sounded a little better, without having a line out option.





Quote:

Originally Posted by antonyfirst /img/forum/go_quote.gif Good, I'm very curious about the results. Also, is it true that Microsoft is coming out with a lineout cable for the Zune 80? How so? Thanks. --- To Jan (nc8000), I especially liked this impressions thread about EFN's custom molds for ER4S: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/hea...s-pics-260795/ It seems Hearyourslef does a very good work, at about 100$-150$ which is a no brainer once you have decided to keep Etys as primary IEM.