[SilverEars]

Here is a great read on CIEMs vs Universals and reshells.
 
 
http://cymbacavum.com/2014/06/14/universal-to-custom-reshell-things-to-know-beforehand/

 

[goodvibes]

Good article but this was baffling considering his explanations. " I can confidently tell you that a re-shelled universal will be equal to a CIEM" Perhaps he forgot to put a 'not' in that sentence. I've warned folks off of reshelling universals forever for the reasons given. It's very different than a factory universal version of a custom that has still been voiced for it's purpose by the maker.

 

[SilverEars]

  Good article but this was baffling considering his explanations. " I can confidently tell you that a re-shelled universal will be equal to a CIEM" Perhaps he forgot to put a 'not' in that sentence. I've warned folks off of reshelling universals forever for the reasons given. It's very different than a factory universal version of a custom that has still been voiced for it's purpose by the maker.

I was confused by this also.
 
Here's more, from Tomscy2000 which support the reason of universal's sound depending on it's makeup
 
http://cymbacavum.com/2014/06/19/rant-audio-technica-ath-im02-vs-ath-ck90pro-mk2/2/
 
 
 
So what accounts for the slight differences in technical specification,and the differences in subjective listening?

Well, if we take the example of the Westone 2 and InEar SD2 (see thoughts here), which both also use the GQ-30783, we’ll see that the electroacoustic measurements, as taken from InnerFidelity, are nearly identical:

Comparison of the frequency responses of the Westone 2 and InEar StageDiver 2, as measured byInnerFidelity. (All original rights belong to InnerFidelity.)
Other than a minor few dB of variation here and there, the frequency response is nearly identical; the major mechanical resonance points are the same, and the other electroacoustic data, such as square wave response, impulse response, and electrical impedance/phase, are even more similar.

However, in a direct subjective audio comparison, the W2 and SD2 sound quite different from one another. The SD2 sounds tighter and more present, with more forward, less muffled vocals. The only difference between the two are an increased build quality, tighter fit rate, and isolation with the InEar SD2 — but these factors put together actually amount to a significant difference in sound quality. The difference in the plastic tubing used on the Westone 2, compared to the solid, 3D-formed acrylic in the Stage Diver 2 is actually enough to create measurable differences in frequency response and impulse. Sort of like opamps or DAC chips in a signal chain, balanced armature drivers are the same, in that even in very similar setups, small variations such as tubing material, housing stability will affect change in the most unpredictable of ways.

 

[tomscy2000]

  Good article but this was baffling considering his explanations. " I can confidently tell you that a re-shelled universal will be equal to a CIEM" Perhaps he forgot to put a 'not' in that sentence. I've warned folks off of reshelling universals forever for the reasons given. It's very different than a factory universal version of a custom that has still been voiced for it's purpose by the maker.

 
Yeah. It's a typo (editor created, no less) --- corrected now.
Editing other peoples' stuff while simultaneously submitting a research grant proposal is not the best way to do things. 

 

 

[goodvibes]

As I suspected and why pointed at.

 
 
 
Always like your stuff, tomsky.

 

[tomscy2000]

Thanks. Well, I didn't write the reshell article (well, parts of it were re-written by me, which might be why it doesn't read like one single article --- although you might be able to guess what parts were mine). The ATH article was mine, though.