[Bubblejuice]

I have this issue with typical silicone or foam tips where the IEM needs to be oriented in a very specific way to get clean sound, otherwise it sounds muffled. And with my current IEMs (IMR R1), this is a pretty uncomfortable orientation.

I don't have this issue with shallow fit earbuds like Apple, Samsung earbuds, or Beyers byrd series. So I'm assuming it's just the shape of my ear canal that is causing this.

So, as a last resort, I'm considering something custom, and hopefully... it will fix this issue for good. However, I love the sound of my IMR R1s, so if custom tips feel/sound the same way as a CIEM, I'd probably go that route (this is also the cheaper option).

Has anyone owned both?
Did you prefer one over the other?
Did the Custom eartip drastically change the sound of your IEM?
Was the silicone less comfortable than acrylic (if your CIEMs were made of that)?

Lastly,
if you've ever had the experience I mentioned above, were you able to resolve it? And how did you do it?

Thank you for taking the time to read this, any insight is appreciated! :)

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

After owning a bunch of universals, I wish I went the custom route much earlier. The shape of my ear canal caused kits of general discomfort with universals over long period of time. Now, no such thing with customs.

The custom eartip, to me, drastically changes the sound of your IEM depending on how bad of a seal you get with the universal version in the first place. For me, my customs not only retained the sound that I love from my current CIEMs but improved them because there are no deficiencies from choosing what eartip to use. It's an even fuller sound I'd say with noticeable immprovement in the low end because of the perfect seal.

I have not tried silicone yet, I would be interested in doing so eventually. Long term, I have heard silicone gets dirty very easily and may degrade over time. This is why Noble does not offer them I believe, I need to double check with my team on that.

Let me know if I can clarify with any other general CIEM related questions.

 

[davidcotton]

Owned both custom and custom tips and both have pro's and con's.

Pro's for tips. Less expensive, can fit other iems as long as the nozzle size is correct, comfort, good isolation.

Con's for tips. Swivel on the nozzle so you have to realign them each time (well the one's from Custom Art do, not sure on others), can come off (annoyingly I've lost the left ear plug ) Can make iem stick further out of the ear.

I got mine from Custom Art and were fine. Would recommend them.

Customs are one and done when done correctly. Twist in, twist out. Once tried it's very difficult to go back to universals if you don't have to!

 

[Bubblejuice]

After owning a bunch of universals, I wish I went the custom route much earlier. The shape of my ear canal caused kits of general discomfort with universals over long period of time. Now, no such thing with customs.

The custom eartip, to me, drastically changes the sound of your IEM depending on how bad of a seal you get with the universal version in the first place. For me, my customs not only retained the sound that I love from my current CIEMs but improved them because there are no deficiencies from choosing what eartip to use. It's an even fuller sound I'd say with noticeable immprovement in the low end because of the perfect seal.

I have not tried silicone yet, I would be interested in doing so eventually. Long term, I have heard silicone gets dirty very easily and may degrade over time. This is why Noble does not offer them I believe, I need to double check with my team on that.

Let me know if I can clarify with any other general CIEM related questions.

That does sound pretty great. If I went with a CIEM it would probably be a budget option, but since I really like the R1s, it would be great to make them more comfortable and fit my canal correctly.

Have you ever had the issue I mentioned with universals? And if so, did it go away with the CIEMs?

For example, when I have my Universals in, if I push the forward (which pushes the nozzle back) I get a much clearer, louder sound.

Owned both custom and custom tips and both have pro's and con's.

Pro's for tips. Less expensive, can fit other iems as long as the nozzle size is correct, comfort, good isolation.

Con's for tips. Swivel on the nozzle so you have to realign them each time (well the one's from Custom Art do, not sure on others), can come off (annoyingly I've lost the left ear plug ) Can make iem stick further out of the ear.

I got mine from Custom Art and were fine. Would recommend them.

Customs are one and done when done correctly. Twist in, twist out. Once tried it's very difficult to go back to universals if you don't have to!

That's some good insight. The tips I'm looking at are from Adv sound. They mold their tips to fit specific IEMs (so they only work with one type of universal), but they seem to fill the full ear and don't rotate.

But because you can't adjust the custom tips fit at all is what makes me nervous that after $200 and the effort, that it may still sound muffled.

The comfort improveme would be welcome though. I have custom earplugs (radians), and they are pretty great. Even though they get a little itchy after a while.

 

[assassin10000]

You could alter a pair of radians custom plugs into custom tips. There is also that mold-able thermoplastic which you could make custom tips from.

 

[Bubblejuice]

You could alter a pair of radians custom plugs into custom tips. There is also that mold-able thermoplastic which you could make custom tips from.

I tried the radians before. Getting the bore to fit correctly is hard, and you only get one shot. After 3 tries I gave up on that one. They also sounded terrible.

I actually just purchased thermoplastic too. I've been practicing, but this stuff hardens very quickly. And I'd rather not stick hot plastic in my ear lol.

 

[davidcotton]

That does sound pretty great. If I went with a CIEM it would probably be a budget option, but since I really like the R1s, it would be great to make them more comfortable and fit my canal correctly.

Have you ever had the issue I mentioned with universals? And if so, did it go away with the CIEMs?

For example, when I have my Universals in, if I push the forward (which pushes the nozzle back) I get a much clearer, louder sound.


That's some good insight. The tips I'm looking at are from Adv sound. They mold their tips to fit specific IEMs (so they only work with one type of universal), but they seem to fill the full ear and don't rotate.

But because you can't adjust the custom tips fit at all is what makes me nervous that after $200 and the effort, that it may still sound muffled.

The comfort improveme would be welcome though. I have custom earplugs (radians), and they are pretty great. Even though they get a little itchy after a while.

Not tried that type of tips, but others have mentioned they can be tricky getting them out in a hurry. Universals and I have never really gotten along to the point I've pretty much stopped buying them. My left ear is fine but my right ear has a small opening followed by a larger canal that makes it difficult to seal. Comments from my two audiologists have been "you have all sorts of dips and grooves going on in there!" and "everyone's ears are unique, you just happen to have a set of ears that are more unique than most"!