[Anaxilus]

Anyone try the S adapter on the MC5?
 
Good to know the ER4 is that close to the DBA.

 

[Inks]

Hmmm using the adapter on the mc5 would be quite interesting.

 

[slaters70]

Listening with the custom sleeves, the 4P really is a detail monster, and there is a little more bass, but not a ton, with those sleeves and the adapter. I really find them to be close, with the Ety having a little more detail and transparency, and the DBAs delivering a little more bass. I guess there is good reason why many long-time HFers still love the 4P/S. I know there are people who hate the Etys , but they are anything but cold and/or clinical to me. Personal preference for a more treble/mid phone, with bass tight, punchy and in its place? Guilty as charged. But the music? It's all there, nothing amiss and certainly no sibilance. DBAs and ER4P, nice combo. I may be listing my extra DBAs soon, though, as I probably don't need them (I would be happy with the Etys should I need a DBA warranty replacement). Not sure yet. Call it my "regression" period. Buying 20-year IEMs that still sound great to me. I've had enough of the big universal spending spree (in terms of cost for a single pair, of course), I leave that to others.
 
I never tried the MC5 with the adapter, but it is a different IEM, a dynamic, though it does really have the Ety detail. I just prefer the 4P after hearing both relatively recently.
 
Quote:

Anyone try the S adapter on the MC5?
 
Good to know the ER4 is that close to the DBA.

 

[slaters70]

More listening, comparing the DBAs to the 4P/S. Both are excellent. As noted, the 4Ps are a but more detailed (they are truly amazing in terms of all you hear on the mix), but the DBAs are preferred for being a little more warm and fun. With the custom sleeves, the 4Ps are a dream fit-wise, and there is a little more bass. Now, I have listened to both using the Touch via LOD and T3, but that's my preferred portable setup right now. Without an amp, the DBAs are still a bit ahead for me. But I am not sorry I bought the Etys, because for some genres, they sound amazing and will be used. For plane travel especially, they will be used because the iso on them is tremendous. I do use custom tips on the DBAs too, but the triple flanges work better for some reason.

 

[hanklibre]

Where did you get your custom sleeves?

 

[violinvirtuoso]

Quote:

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Where did you get your custom sleeves?

I am pretty sure Westone UM56 custom sleeves will fit on the Etymotic IEMs.

 

[slaters70]

I have Westone UM56s, and got them from a local audiologist (she did impressions, ordered the sleeves). I had them made for UM3X, but didn't care much for those phones. But they are great with the Etys.
 
Quote:

Where did you get your custom sleeves?

 

[stevenswall]

And they fit the very narrow Ety style sound tube correctly? I have been looking for other tips that work with Etymotic phones, but untill now, never realized that anything was cross compatile with Etymotics.

 

[slaters70]

Yes, if you have the UM56 made for any Westone IEM (or thin sound tube phone), the Ety sound tubes will fit snugly in the holes. Oddly enough, for some mysterious reason, the UM3X kept popping out of the custom sleeves, which are made FOR Westone IEMs. I asked the Westone rep about it, and he said was was caused by residue in the holes, from manufacturing. But I washed them with soap and water, per his instructions, but they kept popping out. I sold the UM3X anyway, didn't care for the sound, but they do not come off the Etys or the DBAs, which both have a slightly thicker sound tube than the Westone phones. Oh, my UM56s are a soft silicone material (Otoblast I think it's called), not hard acrylic. Which could make a difference in terms of fitting the Etys in them. In other words, the holes in mine have some give in them, but hard acrylic might not.

 

[hanklibre]

hm, and they are comfortable in this configuration? The reson I'm asking is because I had these phones for a few weeks and absolutley adored the sound and also used them professionally in production. But due to the excruciating and torturous pain each time I inserted them I had to let them go. This is something that has been haunting me ever since. And now I am contemplating wether to buy these with some custom sleeves or a full custum IEM that does what the er4 does but better (jh13?)

 

[mark2410]

Quote:

hm, and they are comfortable in this configuration? The reson I'm asking is because I had these phones for a few weeks and absolutley adored the sound and also used them professionally in production. But due to the excruciating and torturous pain each time I inserted them I had to let them go. This is something that has been haunting me ever since. And now I am contemplating wether to buy these with some custom sleeves or a full custum IEM that does what the er4 does but better (jh13?)

did you ever try them with olives?

 

[hanklibre]

No, do the olives solve the ergonomy problem? I found that you got better sound the deeper you pushed them into your canal, which resulted in pushing them into nearly tickeling my brain. This made them sound great but also made them extremly painful to use. I'm really looking for the comfortability of custom IEMs, and is this what the UM56 provides?

 

[mark2410]

Quote:

No, do the olives solve the ergonomy problem? I found that you got better sound the deeper you pushed them into your canal, which resulted in pushing them into nearly tickeling my brain. This made them sound great but also made them extremly painful to use. I'm really looking for the comfortability of custom IEMs, and is this what the UM56 provides?

well i might not go so far to say solve.  for it made them go from being brutally and pain fully violated to just being violated.

 

[David58117]

...how deep is it safe to go with triple flanges?

 

[supersleuth]

Quote:

...how deep is it safe to go with triple flanges?

All the way i.e. even the outermost flange is just inside your ear canal (this is essential for a proper seal, optimal sound, and maximum isolation.) They're not long enough to do damage. But of course not everybody can get comfortable with this.