[shuurajou]

Hi Folks,

Got myself some E500's but I'm having trouble getting consistant and comfortable seals when inserting these IEM's.

I think the stem is pushing against one side of my ear canal and hence it's making my ears sore, and presumably I'm not getting the best out of the cans if I don't have a good seal.

Currently I'm trying to pull my upper ear up and outwards when trying to get a seal, but honestly I don't know which way my ear canal goes as to which way to point the IEM. Front, back, up, down?

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[analog'd]

which ear pieces have you been trying with? has one type come closer than others, do you think?

 

[shuurajou]

Quote:

Originally Posted by analog'd which ear pieces have you been trying with? has one type come closer than others, do you think?

I have only so far tried the default equipped tips. Which I think should really feel fine, I have a feeling it's just the angle I'm putting them in at and my technique.

 

[ComfyCan]

Play with the tips, and how far you slip them over the nozzles.

I already know I'm a "foamie guy," so I have restricted my experimentation to foamies thus far. I have been using the Westone Comply tips ("standard", which are longer than Shure's yellow foamies), and the stock Shure yellow foamies. I bought the Comply tips because I was concerned about the length of Shure's new "barbed" nozzles.

I find both to be very comfortable and get a good seal with both, but I get a different sound using the different tips; I haven't decided which sounds better yet. The Comply tips are longer, and no matter how far you jam them onto the nozzles, there is no way the nozzle will come out of the end of the tip--your ear will be padded. With the Shure yellow tips, it is possible to slip the tips over the barb to the extent that the nozzle could make contact with your ear canal. However, that would not happen by accident--the barb holds the foam tip in place exactly where you put it.

I am happy to report that if I slip the Shure yellow tip over the nozzle/barb until the end of the nozzle is just a hair short of flush with the end of the nozzle, the E500's fit perfectly in my ears. The driver housing sits in my outer ear like a baby in a blanket, and I can lay on my side with no risk of the nozzle getting pushed further into the ear, and it does not distort the sound. The shape of the driver housing fits so well in the outer ear that the nozzle remains in the same position when laying on my side. This is not the case with the "standard" comply tips: If I lay on my side the end of the tip gets squished, and pinches off the sound stream.

I don't know if this well help you or not since everybody's ears are different, but I offer it for what it's worth.

 

[tiffythomas]

I get the best seal with the tri-flange tips (back flange trimmed ~2mm), but these tips are also the least comfortable. I suspect that there is large interindividual variation in the conformation of people's ear canals. Have you tried to look in the mirror while sticking a q-tip in your ear for some sort of reference? The tri-flanges go pretty straight in with a slight rearward (toward the back of my head) bias. It took me a couple of days to get proficient in inserting the IEM's when I bought the E4C's. After a while you figure out how to hold them and they slip right in.

- Tiffany

 

[shuurajou]

Hi All,

Many thanks for taking the time to offer your suggestions, I've really appreciated it

.

For now I've found it more comfortable with the smaller variety of the clear firm sleeves. I mainly had a problem with my left ear being uncomfortable with the medium sized black sleeves or the medium sized clear sleeves.

I'm not sure if I'm getting as much isolation anymore but I think they sound just as good. I think I'll let my ears get used to these and then maybe step up the size again. I'm not very acustomed to wearing IEM's. Although I've owned a pair of ER-6i's for a long time, I never liked them sound wise of comfort wise so never used them. I think I'll let my ears adjust to the feel of IEM's then play some more later.

I wish the removal of the tips was more graceful, I'm scared I'm gonna break the E500's (or the tips)!

I would have tried the foamies but they're cut at different lengths(?!) so I'm thinking that is going to create a variation in sound between my ears.

Feel free to continue offering your tips, it all helps.

 

[ComfyCan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shuurajou I would have tried the foamies but they're cut at different lengths(?!) so I'm thinking that is going to create a variation in sound between my ears. Feel free to continue offering your tips, it all helps.

That's an annoying little fact of life with the Shure foamies. There is usually one end that is flat, and one end that is a little out of kilter. Just but the raggedy end over the nozzle until the flat end is almost flush with the terminal end of the nozzle. I've never noticed any sound variation doing it this way.

If you find you like the foamies, you'll need to buy a bunch of them anyway. They're easier to match when you have a stack of them.

All tips take a little practice. The key with foamies is to roll/pinch before inserting, then hold the IEM in position for a couple of seconds until the foam expands to create a seal.

 

[shuurajou]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ComfyCan That's an annoying little fact of life with the Shure foamies. There is usually one end that is flat, and one end that is a little out of kilter. Just but the raggedy end over the nozzle until the flat end is almost flush with the terminal end of the nozzle. I've never noticed any sound variation doing it this way. If you find you like the foamies, you'll need to buy a bunch of them anyway. They're easier to match when you have a stack of them. All tips take a little practice. The key with foamies is to roll/pinch before inserting, then hold the IEM in position for a couple of seconds until the foam expands to create a seal.

Is it normal one is longer than the other, as well as being appears to be cut at an angle? Kinda like this

/_/
[_]
[_][_]

Bad diagram but I'm sure you'll understand what I'm trying to explain.

 

[ComfyCan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shuurajou Is it normal one is longer than the other, as well as being appears to be cut at an angle? Kinda like this /_/ [_] [_][_] Bad diagram but I'm sure you'll understand what I'm trying to explain.

It is normal to have them a bit mismatched, and it's a pity Shure only gives you 2 of them in the kit to choose from. It is unusual in my experience to have a foam tip that doesn't have at least one side that is almost flat.

I'd give it a whirl; you've got nothing to lose. If you do detect an imbalance in the sound, it is because you got stuck with an unusually weird foamie, and it is not a problem you will encounter regularly if you buy a pack of them.

 

[denewton]

Where's a good place to get replacement foam sleeves?