[meridius]

Hi all
 
Just upgraded from a pair of denon 751 to a pair of westone 4r and wanting some help on the fitting tips as i want to get a good seal and best isolation as posable with these.
 
so the questions are
 
Q1 Which comply tip would you say is the best out of these comply  T, TX or TS and does each one have a different sound  to the other ?
 
Q2 Which tip would you say isolated better comply T, TX or TS
 
Q3 Do shure olvie tips (PA910) fit the westone 4r and if they do are they just as easy to put on and take off or is there a slight chance you could damage your IEMs.
 
Q4 Do shure last longer than comply tips
 
Q5 Do shure isolate better than the comply. as i travel alot every day infact.
 
Q6 Is there anywahere that gives you the dimensions of the shure olive tips for all sizes as i would not know which to go for.
 
Q7  Do the shure sound better than the comply or vise versa ?
 
Thanks for anyonme who can give me some help on this as i am in need of some help, as i love these IEMs but i do need to get the best isolation and sound quality from them.
 
any help would be great or more sugestions
 
thanks once again.
 
 

 

[tienbasse]

Q1: no absolute best here, it needs to fit YOUR ears to have proper sound. Ts is one size only and quite large. T and Tx have 3 sizes. Tx is supposed to prevent earwax invasion with the mesh filter but it won't happen with Westone 4, the tips are much longer than the nozzles. I prefer Ts series but this is just me and my oversized ear canals... I'm also surprised you don't mention Comply P series, they're longer then T series to provide more isolation. I personnaly can't insert them but they are provided with most Westone IEMs.
 
Q2: Same as one, it will isolate pretty good if the seal with YOUR ears is good. No large differences between those series.
 
Q3: yes they do, perfectly. No risk to damage anything. Several sizes though so it depends on your ear canal size.
 
Q4: yes slightly longer, although both can last long enough because you can clean them every 2-3 months by soaking them into warm water with baby soap for 20min and rincing them afterwards. This is how I keep mine clean (both Shure and Comply foams) and I haven't thrown a pair of foam yet in a year.
 
Q5: again, if the fit is good, both will be pretty much equivalent for isolation.
 
Q6: 3 sizes for Shure foams, but they can compress quite a lot more than Comply foams. Do you know which size of silicon tips you usually use? This would help us. Don't trust foam sizes because they can compress, unlike silicon tips.
 
Q7: you'll find people saying Comply sucks and Shure rocks, and the opposite. Depends on the fit/seal and on the IEM you're using. I have both foam models, and got various results depending on the IEM.
 
Final remark: Shure foams are quite nice if you want to push your IEMs further into your ears, while Comply foams will have shallower insertion (unless you chose a size too small for you). Comply Ts will have the shallowest insertion but provide easier seal since they are spherical and rest well in the first third of the canal, but with some IEMs which require deep insertion to sound good, they'll be useless. I'm afraid that it is going to be the case with Westone IEMs.

 

[meridius]

Thanks for the advice
 
I used to use the t-400 comply on my denon 751 so I don't know what size the shure would be as the t-400 are about 10.5mm high by12.5mm wide from the base. 
 
Would the w4 need deep insertion tips or do the shallow ones work with these. 
 
I got a pair of comply mediums with the w4 and they seem to fit but when I take them out the foam dos not expand as there already fully expanded so I don't know if there sealing my ear right. 
 
PID herd the shure foams are hard to get off the westones ? As there a tighter fit don't want to damage these
 
 
Thanks

 

[tienbasse]

For Westone 4, Comply foams will be T/Ts/Tx-100 or P-100.
 
From dimensions, it seems like you're using medium size T-400s, so medium size T/Ts/Tx-100 are more likely to fit your needs, as well as medium size Shure olive foams, but you can never be 100% sure before you try yourself.
 
I don't have Westone 4, only UM3X, so the shell is slightly different. So I can't tell you how deep they need to be inserted. UM3X need to go deep to sound great though.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

Quote:

Final remark: Shure foams are quite nice if you want to push your IEMs further into your ears, while Comply foams will have shallower insertion (unless you chose a size too small for you). Comply Ts will have the shallowest insertion but provide easier seal since they are spherical and rest well in the first third of the canal, but with some IEMs which require deep insertion to sound good, they'll be useless. I'm afraid that it is going to be the case with Westone IEMs.

 
regarding shure foams aka olives - they do NOT push deeper into your ears. length wise they are the same length or maybe a tad shorter than the comply T series. the olives are thicker, and compress less, and tend to offer the more shallower fit.
 
also, the olives, although they are supposed to fit the westones and shures universally, fit TIGHT. they have broken nozzles from people trying to take them off on various westone and shure IEMs. this is known and reported all over the forums here and else where. i haven't had a problem taking these off myself off the W4s and UM3Xs, but it is something to be aware of.
 
the comply P series will easily provide the deepest insertion, but at the cost of having some of your highs absorbed. The T-100s are the best bang for your buck, so to speak for the comply offerings. Txs are wholly unnecessary. 
 
the obvious downside of the comply stuff is that they are more expensive and don't last as long as the shure olives. the upshot is, way better comfort and much better isolation - it's memory foam vs standard foam and it's hard to compare in that regard.
 
again, take all this info with a grain of salt - i have loads of olives and comply T/P series in sizes Ms and Ls, and it took me a while to decide what was best for me. at first, i loved the olives, and then the comply P series, but if you ask me now, i'm dead set on comply T series size large for both the W4 and the UM3X. you'll have to try a bunch yourself and find out what fits best for your anatomy. 
 
i believe clieos has a GREAT post on IEM tips. he even posted photos and such of the various available tips - try reading through that post as well to get another perspective. 
 
 

 

[tienbasse]

Quote:

the olives are thicker, and compress less, and tend to offer the more shallower fit.
 
also, the olives, although they are supposed to fit the westones and shures universally, fit TIGHT. they have broken nozzles from people trying to take them off on various westone and shure IEMs. this is known and reported all over the forums here and else where. i haven't had a problem taking these off myself off the W4s and UM3Xs, but it is something to be aware of.
 

The Shure foams seem to fit tighter on Shure IEMs than Westone IEMs. I wouldn't worry too much with a Westone 4.

 
What you mean by "compress less" is that Shure Olives have a higher resistance to compression than Comply foams, so they're harder to compress and they expand back much quicker. But it doesn't mean they compress less in size, large Shure olives can compress a lot for example. Comply foams compress easier so they take shapes more easily, but the drawback is that they don't expand back enough to feel comfortable when your ear makes a turn, so you can feel the inner tubing pressing against your skin, which is not a nice sensation (even worse with the longer P series).
 
My left ear has a straight shape, which makes it easy to fit any kind of tip. My right ear makes a weird 45° angle very quickly, and I find it difficult to use Comply foams with long nozzle IEMs like Westone, while I can use a large Shure Olives to take this little turn. Of course, it is not so much of a problem with IEMs having short nozzles because you don't insert them as deep.
This is why I tend to use the Ts series when I can (not always possible). They're spherical so you usually they don't have to bend at the ear canal turn, they just don't go beyond the turn at all while still providing decent isolation/seal.
 
For isolation, honestly, it is all a question of seal and insertion depth, it is not so much about the tip material. The deeper the insertion, the better the isolation, because a thicker section of material will ensure the seal. In that regard, triple flange rules, although you have to bear the "ear raping" sensation when compared with foams.
 
Comfort is certainly better with Comply (you can forget you have something in your ears) while Shure foams apply more pressure (they resist compression more so they push back a lot to expand as well) so they can still feel them.
 

 

[JBrigs]

I like using the Shure Flanges with the W4s. Don't fit overly tight on the housing. Good isolation and comfort if you don't mind a bit more insertion.

 

[meridius]

Cheers all I suppose I will have to try some out and find which fits the best. 

 

[pepemosca]

Thank you all for your insights. Are very helpful.
 
I have one more question about branding.
 
I want to buy more of the long foam tip that came out of the W4R box. Those are the one wich best fit for me.
 
The Comply tips that are offered in the Westone website: http://www.westone.com/store/index.php/featured-music-products/comply-tips.html
Are the same as the Comply T-100? http://www.complyfoam.com/products/T-100/
The foam tips that came with the W4R are the T-100?
 
Thanks!

 

[pepemosca]

Sorry for the bump, but I have to place my order and I want to know if I'm doing it right.

The easy question will be: Are the Comply T-100 the same as the one Weston is selling on it website?
Thanks!

 

[GN-0015]

Short tips are the T-100, long tips are the P Series. I don't really understand their classifications of "standard" and "slim", but my guess is the "short" is the T-100.

 

[Codefox]

Westone headphones come with 3 Comply tips: medium T-100, small P-Series and medium P-Series.  The 'slim' he was referring to is the small P-Series.

 

[Spyro]

Get the P-version and cut off the top so it is flush/flat to where the inner stem starts.  This cuts down on the treble being so muffled.

 

[pepemosca]

Thanks GN-0015, Codefox and Spyro!

Also, does the color changes anything?
I think black will match bettery my WR4

 

[Comply]

For everyone on this thread, wanted to throw out a coupon for you in case you don't already have one. "HeadfiComply" for 20% off. Hope I caught you in time pepemosca.