DavidMahler
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2007
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From my experience Custom molds do not equal better at all. First off, hard acrylic custom molds which are used by UE and Westone (as well as some other companies) can be very, and i mean VERY uncomfortable at times. That is not to say you can't be lucky and get a great fit, but in truth, I find it unlikely that sticking a hard piece of acrylic into your ear could ever be as comfortable as sticking soft foam material into your ear.
I own the UE10s. I believe they are the greatest ear monitor ever made, but I have not heard the UE11s. When I purchased the UE10s, I went through 9 refits! And eventually I just settled with a lousy uncomfortable right ear fit. I don't regret the purchase as the monitors do occasionally get use. But I can not use them for more than 20 minutes at a time.
Other issues when dealing with customs is..........when you walk with hard material customs the sound can change with each foot step. Anyone ever notice that? Another issue is that they are a drag to lie down and go to sleep with. Because the ear canal changes shape slightly when horizontal.
BUT DON'T CUSTOMS SOUND BETTER?
My official answer is......having something custom molded does not automatically make it a better sounding ear phone and anyone who believes that the additive custom mold is equivalent to better sound is wrong. For one.....I had custom molds made for SE530. I feel they sound better with the olive foams. I chose to do this because the sensaphonics soft material was more appealing to me than the hard acrylic shell of other companies.
However, the Sensaphonic 2XS are a sonic disaster. I own these and would never recommend buying them to either a friend nor an enemy.
The Ultimate Ears Triple Fi's sound nearly as good, and in some ways equivalent to my UE10s, and they are far more comfortable.
I believe the concept of custom molds was invented for the touring musician who didn't want to look like he / she had cumbersome ear equipment. But I will leave the benefit of custom molds at that......its more asthetically pleasing, when it is clear, and in the ear. But there are, in my opinion.....no advantages to seal, comfort, nor sound quality, simply because something is custom molded.
I wanted to put this thread up because I spent a lot of money on customs which I may have rethought had someone mentioned this. Not everyone is going to agree with me..........some people truly believe customs = better in every regard.......and some people simply wont be able to convince themselves that the grand they spent on customs is not as good overall as a 300 dollar universal......
and again some will simply despise my opinions here......but this is how I perceive it from my experience.
-Dave
I own the UE10s. I believe they are the greatest ear monitor ever made, but I have not heard the UE11s. When I purchased the UE10s, I went through 9 refits! And eventually I just settled with a lousy uncomfortable right ear fit. I don't regret the purchase as the monitors do occasionally get use. But I can not use them for more than 20 minutes at a time.
Other issues when dealing with customs is..........when you walk with hard material customs the sound can change with each foot step. Anyone ever notice that? Another issue is that they are a drag to lie down and go to sleep with. Because the ear canal changes shape slightly when horizontal.
BUT DON'T CUSTOMS SOUND BETTER?
My official answer is......having something custom molded does not automatically make it a better sounding ear phone and anyone who believes that the additive custom mold is equivalent to better sound is wrong. For one.....I had custom molds made for SE530. I feel they sound better with the olive foams. I chose to do this because the sensaphonics soft material was more appealing to me than the hard acrylic shell of other companies.
However, the Sensaphonic 2XS are a sonic disaster. I own these and would never recommend buying them to either a friend nor an enemy.
The Ultimate Ears Triple Fi's sound nearly as good, and in some ways equivalent to my UE10s, and they are far more comfortable.
I believe the concept of custom molds was invented for the touring musician who didn't want to look like he / she had cumbersome ear equipment. But I will leave the benefit of custom molds at that......its more asthetically pleasing, when it is clear, and in the ear. But there are, in my opinion.....no advantages to seal, comfort, nor sound quality, simply because something is custom molded.
I wanted to put this thread up because I spent a lot of money on customs which I may have rethought had someone mentioned this. Not everyone is going to agree with me..........some people truly believe customs = better in every regard.......and some people simply wont be able to convince themselves that the grand they spent on customs is not as good overall as a 300 dollar universal......
and again some will simply despise my opinions here......but this is how I perceive it from my experience.
-Dave