[cmascatello]

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnylexus /img/forum/go_quote.gif anybody from the DC/Baltimore area got these? I would really like to get a recommendation for a great audiologist to do the impressions .... the stories about ill-fitting impressions are enough to scare me away from taking the plunge

Check out Washington Audiology on K St. (and 20th, I believe). I have had molds done there multiple times over the past 3-4 years. They did a good job for my Sensaphonics 2X-S in 2005 and my UE11 molds that were done a few weeks back resulted in perfect fit when they arrived on Friday. I had them do the UE11 molds with a bite block in the nearly-closed position and the fit is perfect with both open and closed mouth. I have found that a full open-mouth impression is not comfortable for long periods of listening time (with closed mouth).

My only complaint with the UE11s is that they made them the wrong color -- regular (translucent) blue instead of the electric (nearly clear) blue that I requested. The sound is very warm unamped out of an iPhone (and Classic) but I am getting used to it in a hurry. My initial reaction was only so-so but I am quickly growing to love the sound. I am going to pickup a Tomahawk in the next few days and see how the combo improves...

 

[mamboman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif Doh!

No worries! The overpowering bass is the reason why I sold off the EB in a week.

 

[joeshambro]

just received my UE-11 review unit this morning. i rushed my way through lunch to get back and start listening.

overall, my initial impression is of surprise -- i didn't know if they could elevate the audio quality where the UE-10 left off to a point that made an upgrade worthwhile for dedicated UE-10 users, but the sound signature of the UE-11, in just the short time i've been listening, has left me really surprised at the direction they went.

side-by-side with the UE-10, the difference is actually pretty striking to my ears, especially in the sense of depth of frequency response and soundstage. the other thing, just using recorded music, i can tell a huge difference in how ****** mp3 encoded files sound compared to lossless.

i'll be trying them with my DAC-1 in my studio as well as a sennheiser wireless in-ear system, too.

 

[flashbak]

Shipped out the molds today, UE will have them tomorrow. Called them today and officially purchased the UE 11's. Now the wait......................Please oh please let the fit be good the first time!

 

[flashbak]

joeshambro,
Is that a positive or negative surprise?

 

[joeshambro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flashbak /img/forum/go_quote.gif joeshambro, Is that a positive or negative surprise?

overwhelmingly positive.

 

[flashbak]

Excellent, since plucking down that much cash is my most expensive single item purchase to date!

 

[chowk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by joeshambro /img/forum/go_quote.gif side-by-side with the UE-10, the difference is actually pretty striking to my ears, especially in the sense of depth of frequency response and soundstage. the other thing, just using recorded music, i can tell a huge difference in how ****** mp3 encoded files sound compared to lossless.

So the UE11 is more revealing and than it's predecessor? How does the UE11 match up vs your other IEMs (UE10, LiveWires, Sensa 2X-S & E500s)?

 

[joeshambro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chowk /img/forum/go_quote.gif So the UE11 is more revealing and than it's predecessor? How does the UE11 match up vs your other IEMs (UE10, LiveWires, Sensa 2X-S & E500s)?

i'll put it this way, to be honest -- and again, this is less than 12 hours' experience with them -- it's almost as if they took the clarity and accuracy of the UE-10 and gave it "balls". compared to the UE-11, the UE-10 -- while still a really, really high quality product -- seems a little more "sterile". the UE-11 has a much more engaging sound signature.

build-wise, the UE-11 is actually significantly bigger in my ears than the UE-11 (and i have big ears), so that's something to consider when purchasing, if the larger casing will be a comfort issue later down the line.

as far as matching up to others -- that's a hard one. i'll have to listen more carefully. it's hard to compare because of the time it takes your ears to get used to one sound signature over another -- so comparing side-by-side isn't as easy as it looks.

 

[chowk]

Thanks for the initial impressions, joeshambro. As for the comparison, it's no rush, so take your time and enjoy your UE11s

 

[flashbak]

Well UE finally received my molds today, and approved them

Yes, a day late! The USPS screwed up and sent them to San Diego and then rerouted them back to the correct location. How the hell did they manage that? Anyway, the good news is UE got them today, and USPS will refund me the shipping fee since it was guaranteed delivery for yesterday by 3:00PM.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmascatello /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... I had them do the UE11 molds with a bite block in the nearly-closed position and the fit is perfect with both open and closed mouth. I have found that a full open-mouth impression is not comfortable for long periods of listening time (with closed mouth)...

That's how I did my new impressions for my Livewires, we'll see if they fit as well as your UE11. By the time I pay off my credit card (next summer), the UE12 should be out, then I'll look at them

 

[kichu1979]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmascatello /img/forum/go_quote.gif I had them do the UE11 molds with a bite block in the nearly-closed position and the fit is perfect with both open and closed mouth. I have found that a full open-mouth impression is not comfortable for long periods of listening time (with closed mouth).

Opening your mouth makes your ear canal wider than it is during
the time your mouth is closed. So making open mouth impression (on wider ear canal) puts off the risk of having poor seal when listening... because you will be listening closed mouth, which makes your ear canal even tighter than it was during making impression/earphone. There is a risk however that the the impressions made with open mouth might be uncofmortable for closed mouth listening due to too much pressure on your ear canals, because your ear canals will have smaller diameter than they had during taking impressions/makind earphones, so you'd have to open your mouth (wider the ear canals) to release some pressure.

The difference between these two might be more important if you want to use earphones made from hard material (UE/Westone), less if you will use soft silicone customs (Sensa / ACS).

I had all my impressions done with my neutral mouth position... just sat there still... and both (hard) UM56, and soft) T2 fit perfectly, and I think the neutral mouth position would be the best choice to go... because you will spend most of the time in that position listening to the music... so why bother with extreme setups - full open / or hard-closed - if you won't be using your iems that way.

Make them this way, and insist on perfect fit...

 

[Bolardito]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kichu1979 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Opening your mouth makes your ear canal wider than it is during the time your mouth is closed. So making open mouth impression (on wider ear canal) puts off the risk of having poor seal when listening... because you will be listening closed mouth, which makes your ear canal even tighter than it was during making impression/earphone. There is a risk however that the the impressions made with open mouth might be uncofmortable for closed mouth listening due to too much pressure on your ear canals, because your ear canals will have smaller diameter than they had during taking impressions/makind earphones, so you'd have to open your mouth (wider the ear canals) to release some pressure. The difference between these two might be more important if you want to use earphones made from hard material (UE/Westone), less if you will use soft silicone customs (Sensa / ACS). I had all my impressions done with my neutral mouth position... just sat there still... and both (hard) UM56, and soft) T2 fit perfectly, and I think the neutral mouth position would be the best choice to go... because you will spend most of the time in that position listening to the music... so why bother with extreme setups - full open / or hard-closed - if you won't be using your iems that way. Make them this way, and insist on perfect fit...

My UE 11 had a perfect fit first time, no need to send them back.

I had a semi open mouth impression (actually I bite my hand at horizontal position since I didn't had a block) and at the middle of the process the audiologist made me open my mouth wide for approx. 4 seconds and then bite the hand again. She said this would help to better shape the canal for both closed on open mouth. I was scared it wouldn't work since UE instructions never mentioned this but fortunately the fit is PERFECT.

I don't have to push or press the phones, there is no pressure and I can sing while listening without loosing the seal.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kichu1979 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Opening your mouth makes your ear canal wider than it is during the time your mouth is closed. So making open mouth impression (on wider ear canal) puts off the risk of having poor seal when listening... because you will be listening closed mouth, which makes your ear canal even tighter than it was during making impression/earphone. There is a risk however that the the impressions made with open mouth might be uncofmortable for closed mouth listening due to too much pressure on your ear canals, because your ear canals will have smaller diameter than they had during taking impressions/makind earphones, so you'd have to open your mouth (wider the ear canals) to release some pressure. The difference between these two might be more important if you want to use earphones made from hard material (UE/Westone), less if you will use soft silicone customs (Sensa / ACS). I had all my impressions done with my neutral mouth position... just sat there still... and both (hard) UM56, and soft) T2 fit perfectly, and I think the neutral mouth position would be the best choice to go... because you will spend most of the time in that position listening to the music... so why bother with extreme setups - full open / or hard-closed - if you won't be using your iems that way. Make them this way, and insist on perfect fit...

"bite block nearly closed = enforced neutral position" in most cases.