You can get a good seal even with silicone tips. I use them in bus/train and while walking - most quiet IEM I have and superior even over KZ ZS3 (which have perfect fit for my ears).
But it depends on Your ear inner&outer cave/canal size. For what it`s worth, I found after tip-rolling Auvio large bore S size to be best sound & fit for my small ears and ear-canals with deep/snug fit, without any discomfort.
Just as general awareness to those who post on this thread, as said in other posts on the topic of Tip Isolation, it all comes down to personal preference on whether one prefers foam or silicone, nothing wrong with either.
As a rule, my personal is comfort & isolation are paramount in equal measure, I don't really give about how one material over the other changes sound for as long it sounds good to me, that's all that matters as the third choice.
Personally can take both but silicone is tricker for me to find a good fit across all which is why I prefer foam but that's me.
Also aware the IT 01 has a bass vent but since there is severely minimal outside noise for me coming in, as said, I couldn't care less & this is at low volume by the way, very low volume.
So best isolation is relative, isn't it?
As long as person can enjoy whatever they're listening to without anything short of severe &/or life threatening interruption then personally all is good.
I like to point out, no matter how good or not isolation on in ears (in this case) or headphones are, if a person isn't aware of their surroundings, especially when outside as you described at any given time, then that is a serious problem, I wouldn't be blaming good isolation on that, more common sense than anything else.
By the way, just curious, why do you say silicone has better isolation for higher pitched noise or just seal in general?
With silicone & high frequencies, it all depends on the rubber's build consistency, density & thickness as not all do the same, in fact, most do jack all but I digress.
Potentially arguing about good isolation is not this thread's top & I apologise to others for this.
As a general rule, the reason why it seems to most who advocate silcone for 'blocking' or more accurately 'reducing' those high frequencies as it is generally trickier to form a good seal with foam for the same effect, all it takes is practice.
Also, most foam used as tips generally are not ear protector level as then it would be costly & not necessarily comfortable as well as sound has a way of having no vibrancy or life in certain isolation situations.
It's also why foam is generally used for ear protectors over silicone in the first place as it isn't difficult to get a good seal.
Have you actually studied, looked into or built anything where you have needed to isolate these things as in acoustic treatment to be able to enjoy full isolation?
I can tell you most people & I'm not necessarily saying professionals, will generally use foam or wool as basic isolation capable material rather than silicone as a first preference for the cost & what it can do with little effort over silicone.
Anyway, as a final note, I say overall to everyone regarding getting good isolation with in ears, use whatever works best for you & as long as it makes you happy, then you have succeeded in enjoying whatever you're listening to.
Your guess partway through was correct and perhaps I didn't phrase my answer well enough to convey my thoughts on it.
Trying a second time. You'll only get the best noise isolation when you get a good seal. For me and others foamies just don't give a good seal. Others do get a good seal with them. So if you (the poster who originally asked) are looking for sound isolation what you need to find is whatever gets you a good seal and is comfortable. Material isn't really the determining factor but quality of seal. Secondly the most isolating IEMs will not have a vent. So the IT01 cannot be the best. But I feel that they do provide good isolation.
I actually prefer the foam tips. I agree that the silicone tips create a better seal and provide a much more accurate/fuller bass response.
However I like to wear my IT01's for my entire shift at work. With the excellent native bass response the IT01's naturally provide (due to slight v shape tuning), I find the silicone tips are fatiguing after about 4 hours of use. My ear drums start to get sore!
The foam tips tone down the bass response enough for me to still enjoy the IT01's without them being fatiguing. Although the bass response isn't as full as as when I use silicone tips, its still quite enjoyable. Most importantly I can wear them for my entire day at work (and at school), without any fatigue to my ear drums.
For you foam users, what would you guys recommend? I'm debating between:
- New Bee Soft Replacement Tips (supposed to be less porous then complys)
- Comply TSX-500 (these are the size reccomended for IT03, not sure if they would fit)
Comply definitely work fine. I tried New Bees recently, and they also seem good, although the medium New Bee tips are a bit too large for my ears. They feel like a full size up from Comply mediums. (Or maybe I was shipped the wrong size.)
I haven't tried Symbio tips yet, but they're very popular.
Also, if you want a non-foam option that will slightly de-emphasize the bass, I get that result with JVC Spiral Dots, which I find very comfortable. (I also like Spinfits, but I find they slightly increase bass on the IT01)
I use the new bees. I find them to be very much like comply but 1/4 the cost and a bit quicker to re-form which is actually nice if you have to remove them very often. I don't notice lost bass with any of my sets using the new bees, and they don't seem to collect wax like the comply so it could be they are less porous. They do seem to deteriorate relatively quickly, but that's foam in general, and they're cheap.
Comply definitely work fine. I tried New Bees recently, and they also seem good, although the medium New Bee tips are a bit too large for my ears. They feel like a full size up from Comply mediums. (Or maybe I was shipped the wrong size.)
I haven't tried Symbio tips yet, but they're very popular.
Also, if you want a non-foam option that will slightly de-emphasize the bass, I get that result with JVC Spiral Dots, which I find very comfortable. (I also like Spinfits, but I find they slightly increase bass on the IT01)
… For you foam users, what would you guys recommend? I'm debating between:
- New Bee Soft Replacement Tips (supposed to be less porous then complys)
- Comply TSX-500 (these are the size reccomended for IT03, not sure if they would fit)
The New Bee are cheaper. They aren't as nice. Don't quite squish down as well, aren't quite as 'foamy' but that makes them last longer, aren't quite as good providing a nice fit. Personally I think they're 95% as good at 25% the price. Others swear that its the real thing or nothing. YMMV.
Thanks for the suggestions you guys! I really appreciate the input.
I went ahead and got the New Bees for now. I got the multi size kit w/ the included silicon tips. Unfortunately I lost my ibasso case (which had all my tips), in an uber a few weeks back and have yet to hear anything back from the driver. This way I have a few different size foamies to try and a few silicons in case I want to jam to some bass.
Also, if you want a non-foam option that will slightly de-emphasize the bass, I get that result with JVC Spiral Dots, which I find very comfortable. (I also like Spinfits, but I find they slightly increase bass on the IT01)
Thats good to know, thanks kukkurovaca! I had no idea. My plan is to eventually get all of these tips to try, I think I'll get the complies and Spiral Dots next and afterwards I'll try the Symbio's.
I use the new bees. I find them to be very much like comply but 1/4 the cost and a bit quicker to re-form which is actually nice if you have to remove them very often. I don't notice lost bass with any of my sets using the new bees, and they don't seem to collect wax like the comply so it could be they are less porous. They do seem to deteriorate relatively quickly, but that's foam in general, and they're cheap.
The New Bee are cheaper. They aren't as nice. Don't quite squish down as well, aren't quite as 'foamy' but that makes them last longer, aren't quite as good providing a nice fit. Personally I think they're 95% as good at 25% the price. Others swear that its the real thing or nothing. YMMV.
Thanks SciOC & bsopslinger. I'm excited to try out the New Bee's, i'm hoping the mediums won't be too large. The New Bee small looks a little bigger than the IT01 small foam, hopefully I get some better isolation with that.
I promised not to visit Massdrop while i'm at work, but I broke my rule and ended up caving and joining the Massdrop x Alex Cavalli Tube Hybrid Amp (CTH) drop. I cannot wait to test these w/ the IT01! They are in stock so i should get them within a week or so!
I promised not to visit Massdrop while i'm at work, but I broke my rule and ended up caving and joining the Massdrop x Alex Cavalli Tube Hybrid Amp (CTH) drop. I cannot wait to test these w/ the IT01! They are in stock so i should get them within a week or so!
I will add my two cents here, Comply 500s are no problem for IT 01.
I am happy to report to you & Kukkurovaca, IT 01 works very well with the CTH though remember to turn the volume off on the CTH when you get it as due to IT 01's sensitivity & impedence, it gets loud & clear really easily.
Kuukkurovaca, out of the three tube amps i have, the CTH, Govibe Portatube & Elemental Watson, only on the Elemental Watson is the IT 01 a little too sensitive but I will do more tests in future to make sure otherwise no problem & added tonality overall across all three tube amps.
Just as a final note to Bsoplinger as I will not be saying more on this prarticularly this isn't the thread for sound isolation & seal, maybe I wasn't clear enough myself...
GOOD ISOLATION can only be achieved by as GOOD A SEAL one can make, that's all it takes & matters so as long as this is achieved, as stated, if one can enjoy whatever they're listening to without serious distractions, then this is achieved.
That's basically the end.
Hi there! I own the IT01 and I've tried the Symbio hybrid tips you mentioned, as well as some New Bee memory foam ones.
So, firstly, it's hard to give any definitive answer because it really depends on your own ear anatomy.
For me, I take a large size, and I think one of my ear canals is somewhat smaller than the other (or requires deeper insertion).
So I'm still figuring out what I like.
But my feedback so far is that I feel the sound signature of the IT01 is best with the Symbio hybrids. The wide bore size and fitting seems to increase soundstage and clarity compared to non-wide bore foam tips. I do recall feeling that I noticed a significant difference the first time I used them (after using foam tips)!
Having said that, personally I just don't seem to get on well with silicone and prefer the fit and feel of foam tips though.
However, if that's not an issue for you, then I suspect the Symbio tips will be a winner for you. I'd certainly encourage you to give them a try.
I'm currently trying a pair of memory foam tips (pretty much identical to New Bee) on the IT01.
I'm using the Noble Katana as well, but with Symbio tips still.
What I'm finding is that with the Katana, I'm not getting that great a seal with the Symbio tips. Any time I eat, swallow or move my head around much, the seal is broken and I lose the good sound until I push them back in again.
I don't recall having this problem with the IT01 and the Symbio tips, so I'm guessing it might be due to the larger size of the Katana (the bit that goes into the ears)?
I haven't compared the sizes of those parts mind you; this is just me trying to think of a possible reason why!
Next step is to try the Katana with medium Symbio tips instead of large, and if that doesn't work, then switch to foam tips.
Will probably try Symbio again on the IT01 though. Will let you know if I make any new discoveries lol
Sorry for the lengthy reply, but hope it helps
For sure man, I will let you know as soon as it drops on my doorstep. But damn bro, those are some NIICE portable tube amps you have! (Way out of my leauge at the moment.)
But my feedback so far is that I feel the sound signature of the IT01 is best with the Symbio hybrids. The wide bore size and fitting seems to increase soundstage and clarity compared to non-wide bore foam tips. I do recall feeling that I noticed a significant difference the first time I used them (after using foam tips)!
Having said that, personally I just don't seem to get on well with silicone and prefer the fit and feel of foam tips though.
However, if that's not an issue for you, then I suspect the Symbio tips will be a winner for you. I'd certainly encourage you to give them a try.
Sweet man thanks for the info! The slilicone/foam hybrid design of the symbio's has definetely intruiged me. I would've ordered them yesterday, but having spent $250 on the CTH I figured I'd wait a few weeks. I settled for the New Bees which should arrive tomorrow.
I'm currently trying a pair of memory foam tips (pretty much identical to New Bee) on the IT01.
I'm using the Noble Katana as well, but with Symbio tips still.
What I'm finding is that with the Katana, I'm not getting that great a seal with the Symbio tips. Any time I eat, swallow or move my head around much, the seal is broken and I lose the good sound until I push them back in again.
Man, I would LOVE to check out those Noble Katana's, and thats awesome that you were able to convince them for a review! I'm thinking for my next IEM purchase I will do the IT03 or possibly the Brainwavz b400.
Thats curious that you cannot get a good seal on the katanas, my guess would be a larger nozzle size on the Noble Katana (or the geometry of the iem).
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