[Tom22]

this might seem like a stupid question after being on these forums for a while. i thought i knew what was "my size" but then after getting a slew of in ears. My purchase first started with the hifi man re400s,  then the monster turbines, then the gr07 BE
 
my collection is wonderful i'll have to admit, but everytime i got a new iem i do the whole process of finding the right tip etc. i even went as far as to buy some sony hybrids to see what the hype was all about
 
but as the weeks passed i find myself continually shifting between tips. for example 
 
for the re400s i thought at the time "my tip was the short double flanges that came installed", jumped to the orange (s) sony hybrids, then jumped to the medium (green) sony hybrids, now i'm with the slightly larger than the stock installed on the gr07
 
the combination of the different size apertures and the length, and the sizes keep making switch back and forth.
 
as you can imagine my eartips are getting a bit loose from all this constant putting them on and taking them off
 
i use to think that your getting a good seal if the bass is coming through. from all the websites, cnet, innerfidelity, etc  but then i had used teh small orange sony hybrids they give me the bass but the whole sound gets congested and the soundstage narrows (probably because of the deeper insertion because its small)
 
but if i go bigger it seems to work better but then the bass tones down probably because of the increase in width doesn't allow as deep as a insertion. the sound stage widens the vocals, treble comes through more clearly
 
 
these eartips continue to change the sound depending on what i use, and because i have so much it get difficult to find what its "suppose to sound"
 
now on my re400s i find that using the slightly larger than mediums (gro7 be) tips it creates a bit of a suction effect when i take them off.
 
thats what i would think is a "good seal" but because it larger than what i had used previously it doesn't go very deep
 
i have no idea anymore, i love my iems but this earbud/tip situation is annoying the heck out of me, i can see how HEADphones have their value, just putt them on and your ready to go! (for over ears make sure your entire ear is inside) for portables (make sure the earpads rest on your ears and cover it ) my ears are about small-average so most on ears cover basically my entire ear, not over)
 
any thoughts? and suggestions?
 
a quick note, same thing for my turbines i'm using the mediums sony on it (the vocals a bit muddy), bass is toned down sound stage is less narrowed but not as muddy as with the small sony hybrids which made it sooooo bassy it honestly gives me a headache, if your a basshead fine, but i'm not (i like bass but not that much)

 

[forsberg]

For me a good fit is when I can hear my own footsteps, and when it's quiet my heart beating.

So far the best tip for me is the Shure silicons. I use the large myself, and when it goes in it seals perfectly around the canal, no adjusting or messing around. It also doesn't go too deep, which is good because I don't like that feeling when I'm moving my jaw.

 

[JoeDoe]

I think that the answer is a two-part one.
 
a. The fit is achieved when the seal is made. In-ears are all about seal. For the bass response to be true, a sealing of the ear canal must occur. So if you don't get bass or if it's very anemic, you probably haven't gotten the seal yet. 
 
b. The tip differences you describe are part of the game. As long as you've got the seal, then the functional part is done. Tip rolling, as it is affectionately known, is a game of preference rather than function. Different tips promote/demote different aspects of sound signature i.e. bass, soundstage, clarity, etc. as they limit and shape the soundwaves entering the ear canal.

 

[Tom22]

  I think that the answer is a two-part one.
 
a. The fit is achieved when the seal is made. In-ears are all about seal. For the bass response to be true, a sealing of the ear canal must occur. So if you don't get bass or if it's very anemic, you probably haven't gotten the seal yet. 
 
b. The tip differences you describe are part of the game. As long as you've got the seal, then the functional part is done. Tip rolling, as it is affectionately known, is a game of preference rather than function. Different tips promote/demote different aspects of sound signature i.e. bass, soundstage, clarity, etc. as they limit and shape the soundwaves entering the ear canal.

thank you for your reply!
 
for sure i don't fit the large because they just don't fit (and yes to bass being anemic part) and the extra small ones ( they don't seal) but its just those in between (the two extremes are out of the equation at this point)
 
what's puzzling me is that i fit both the small and the mediums for the sony hybrids for example, 
 
just the smaller one i have to insert deeper, i'm getting the bass on both aspects but thing is i don't even know which tonality is "right". 
 
i'm not sure if there is right answer for that, i heard a lot on tip rolling over at rinchoi's website, and it seems even joker can fit a multitude of eartips as it seems for the iems its a combination of insertion depth, sometimes angle,and size too

 

[Tom22]

For me a good fit is when I can hear my own footsteps, and when it's quiet my heart beating.

So far the best tip for me is the Shure silicons. I use the large myself, and when it goes in it seals perfectly around the canal, no adjusting or messing around. It also doesn't go too deep, which is good because I don't like that feeling when I'm moving my jaw.

 i see thank you, right now on my hifimans i'm using the slightly bigger than the mediums.
 
when i take them out it creates a suction effect so i'm assuming thats "seal" and when i have them on ambient noise is reduced almost entirely. 
 
and i'm one of those people that unconsciously (or consciously =p) sing a bit while i listen and my voice just feels stuck in my head.--> not sure if thats a right way to tell if you have seal

 

[Tom22]

  I think that the answer is a two-part one.
 
a. The fit is achieved when the seal is made. In-ears are all about seal. For the bass response to be true, a sealing of the ear canal must occur. So if you don't get bass or if it's very anemic, you probably haven't gotten the seal yet. 
 
b. The tip differences you describe are part of the game. As long as you've got the seal, then the functional part is done. Tip rolling, as it is affectionately known, is a game of preference rather than function. Different tips promote/demote different aspects of sound signature i.e. bass, soundstage, clarity, etc. as they limit and shape the soundwaves entering the ear canal.

sorry for the spam, but how much bass is considered enough ? lol stupid question but yea i get more bass with the smalls> mediums so i dunno about that entirely. Maybe i should just sell my iem collection and get a pair of on/ over ears just save myself the headache.
 
i do have the noontec zoros already thought haha

 

[forsberg]

 i see thank you, right now on my hifimans i'm using the slightly bigger than the mediums.

when i take them out it creates a suction effect so i'm assuming thats "seal" and when i have them on ambient noise is reduced almost entirely. 

and i'm one of those people that unconsciously (or consciously =p) sing a bit while i listen and my voice just feels stuck in my head.--> not sure if thats a right way to tell if you have seal

I think you've got a good seal. Your voice will be very loud even if you are whispering

 

[JoeDoe]

thank you for your reply!

for sure i don't fit the large because they just don't fit (and yes to bass being anemic part) and the extra small ones ( they don't seal) but its just those in between (the two extremes are out of the equation at this point)

what's puzzling me is that i fit both the small and the mediums for the sony hybrids for example, 

just the smaller one i have to insert deeper, i'm getting the bass on both aspects but thing is i don't even know which tonality is "right". 

i'm not sure if there is right answer for that, i heard a lot on tip rolling over at rinchoi's website, and it seems even joker can fit a multitude of eartips as it seems for the iems its a combination of insertion depth, sometimes angle,and size too

You're right. You're not going to find a "right" answer. Tips are like jeans: there are plenty that fit in different ways, you just have to decide which one you like that day.

 

[Tom22]

You're right. You're not going to find a "right" answer. Tips are like jeans: there are plenty that fit in different ways, you just have to decide which one you like that day.

Hi we meet again! Haha yea after some top rolling im using those larger mediums from my gr07 on my gro7 it doesnt go deep, so great seal!

My turbines i using the large light white gr07 tips

This is the first time im going so large!! But the bass is less congested vocals and mids become clearer

I now know i was using the wrong tips on my re400s, i had a ear fatigue cause of the treble, the sound was too raw/transperant.

Thanks to everyone that contributed and listened to my rant! My iems are magnificent, i now truely think im enjoying them to their fullest potential

 

[Spyro]

When a manufacture provides many many tip options, is there a way to know which tip option was used for reference when tuning drivers and designing the IEM when they were at the drawing board?  I always wondered this as there is significant differences between foam and silicone.  You would think there should be a "preferred" recommended tip?

 

[Tom22]

  When a manufacture provides many many tip options, is there a way to know which tip option was used for reference when tuning drivers and designing the IEM when they were at the drawing board?  I always wondered this as there is significant differences between foam and silicone.  You would think there should be a "preferred" recommended tip?

 thats my other reason for asking this as well. this is just a guess but i think whatever they have as the stock i think is their reference personally. and i find that many of the times stock ones are usually what works for most ppl so even more reason to appeal to the general consumers!
 
just a guess though because they wouldn't use a reference on say the smallest or the largest tip that makes no sense in terms of the "Average" most people wont be able to use them 
 
like with my hifiman re400s they provide TWO sets of the stock biflanges 
 
i have not seen any company release their iems with foam attached except shure 
 
they actually advertise how good their foam olives are which they are! 
 
most just use comply or others which was made separate with the iems so not tuned specifically for it, just to make it fit the nozzle