IEM Stereo Field Balance and Your Hearing

[8bitBarry]

Do you find yourself taking quite a while to settle in with IEM ear placement? It was a twitchy experience at the start for me, constantly trying to reseat them for perfect balance.

Ever since I bought a pair of Fiio FH5s Pro (returned) and then the FH9's (definitely staying) I am now convincing myself there is a slight bias to the right. Certain days I am unsettled thinking the stereo imaging field is right biased and I am spending too much time over analysing the balance of everything I play. Is the bass in the centre, is the mid and treble in the centre?

I don't ever seem to get this problem with over-ear headphones, but IEM's seem to give me such detail I am now convinced I am going slightly mad!

Can anyone give me their opinions on this as I am a newcomer...

 

[o0genesis0o]

Do you find yourself taking quite a while to settle in with IEM ear placement? It was a twitchy experience at the start for me, constantly trying to reseat them for perfect balance.

Ever since I bought a pair of Fiio FH5s Pro (returned) and then the FH9's (definitely staying) I am now convincing myself there is a slight bias to the right. Certain days I am unsettled thinking the stereo imaging field is right biased and I am spending too much time over analysing the balance of everything I play. Is the bass in the centre, is the mid and treble in the centre?

I don't ever seem to get this problem with over-ear headphones, but IEM's seem to give me such detail I am now convinced I am going slightly mad!

Can anyone give me their opinions on this as I am a newcomer...

If you don’t fit right on both sides, you might have channel imbalance to the point of shifting the centre of stereo image.

The music you listen is also a part of the equation.

FH9 is a very capable IEM. Enjoy!

 

[KinGensai]

Usually, sub bass and mid bass is the least adjusted by stereo imaging and is almost always centered.

IEMs are always accompanied by a bunch of tip rolling for me. Each design wants to sit differently in the ear, so different tip designs matter. Best fit is a good custom job hands down, but find your endgame before investing in that IMO.

The best tips I have found that work for the widest variety of IEMs and produce a frequency response as close to custom tips on the market that I've managed to find are the Azla Sednaearfit light tips. They are sturdier than normal silicone tips and have a wide bore. When you find the sizes that work for you (mind you, not always symmetrical), they are solid.

When I am not using my custom tips, the Azla tips tend to settle in to the same area consistently, but the discrepancy you mention is still there sometimes. It's going to be a thing for as long as you use universals IMO. I never get that problem with my customs.