[roy_jones]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif Distance of the drivers themselves to the inner ear, along with angle of the sound tubes are what primarily make the difference. -Ed

In one sentence, you've clarified something I've been unclear on for a long time. Thanks-

 

[boomy3555]

I also feel that the solid acrylic ear canal protion of the custom coming into contact with the skin surface creates both a higher decibal isolation ( the acrylic is much thicker and denser than any silicone of memory foam tip.) and a firmer contact for more bass "feel" than a universal tip.

 

[jamato8]

Joe Bonamassa is coming across very nice. The guitar work is well suited to the fast response of the 13.

 

[hockeyb213]

Yeah the bass is similar to my ie8's which is cool I like feeling the bass adds to the experience.

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif OK, here's a common mistake for wearing customs. As you can see, not tucking that top part into inside fold of the concha of the outer ear will not allow the Custom ear piece to seat fully, and the ear piece is then at an angle and not straight in. -Ed

Excellent work - very nicely and clearly done.

 

[charpi]

Hi guys, I really need some help right now. I'm a student and I have just saved up enough money for these. But problem is, after looking back at the hard work of saving the money, suddenly I feel that it is not really justifiable to just spend them all on a earphone, when I could say, get a macbook and an ipod touch with the same amount of money. So I came out with a scenerio which best describes my case:

Imagine a non-audiophile, who is contented with iBuds or sony ericsson in-ears or other <$20 earpieces. I suddenly give him a UM2, IE7, SuperFi5, Atrio, PFE or other IEMs in that league. (This is where I am now). The reaction will obviously be "WOW, I didn't know music could sound like this". Then after that, give him these pair of customs, what would his reaction be? Would the jump from "non-audiophile" earphones to "mid/high fi" IEMs be greater or the jump from "mid/high fi" IEMs to these high end customs be greater.

I have a hard time convincing myself to part with the money

although I know that I have saved so long for these. And I need some convincing now LOL

I reemphasize that I am NOT an audiophile who can discern subtle nuances in music, or tell the difference of this drum or that drum while listening to a recording, or even describe sound or sound signature. I am only a normal person who wants my music to sound the very best.

Would it be justified to get these? (Logical mind says no, but I'm really tempted

)

Thanks for all the convincing, help, or feedback you guys, especially those who own customs can give. They are very, very ,very, GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks again.

 

[Shindokie]

Reading over this thread is very informative, and i do hope the more i get into headfi, I can probably offer some help like some of you guys. I personally haven't gone through too many earphones/cans, but owning the shure310's, I know it will only sound better. To you guys who have the jf13 is it worth it?

 

[boomy3555]

Quote:

Originally Posted by charpi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi guys, I really need some help right now. I'm a student and I have just saved up enough money for these. But problem is, after looking back at the hard work of saving the money, suddenly I feel that it is not really justifiable to just spend them all on a earphone, when I could say, get a macbook and an ipod touch with the same amount of money. So I came out with a scenerio which best describes my case: Imagine a non-audiophile, who is contented with iBuds or sony ericsson in-ears or other <$20 earpieces. I suddenly give him a UM2, IE7, SuperFi5, Atrio, PFE or other IEMs in that league. (This is where I am now). The reaction will obviously be "WOW, I didn't know music could sound like this". Then after that, give him these pair of customs, what would his reaction be? Would the jump from "non-audiophile" earphones to "mid/high fi" IEMs be greater or the jump from "mid/high fi" IEMs to these high end customs be greater. I have a hard time convincing myself to part with the money although I know that I have saved so long for these. And I need some convincing now LOL I reemphasize that I am NOT an audiophile who can discern subtle nuances in music, or tell the difference of this drum or that drum while listening to a recording, or even describe sound or sound signature. I am only a normal person who wants my music to sound the very best. Would it be justified to get these? (Logical mind says no, but I'm really tempted ) Thanks for all the convincing, help, or feedback you guys, especially those who own customs can give. They are very, very ,very, GREATLY appreciated. Thanks again.

I have some mid priced custom triple driver IEMs and at the time I got them, there was no way that I was going to shell out >1K for the UE's which were the gods of IEMs just 9 months ago. But now that the "Granddaddy" of Custom IEM's wants to show us what things can really sound like in such a tiny package, I'll have to actually save for these.
I'ts hard to classify audiophile and non audiophile but when you say you're not an audiophile who can discern between this drum and that drum I say YOU WILL find those differences in high end IEM's. I can't help remember my start not so long ago venturing into "High End" audio. I had a pair of 30.00 pair of Sennheiser CX300's and then 500's thinking how much bass impact they had and how sad I was that I had spent so many years of my life missing out on this. It happened fast for me and I was lucky enough to have the funds to try out many many different headphones both IEM and full sized cans.and to have a community like Head-Fi to learn from. and the one thing that made me want more was that once I tried something better than what I had, Suddenly I heard things in the music and COULD tell the difference between this drum and that drum as well as the hidden subtleties in the vocals I had before not noticed. How many year of audio bliss have I missed out on in my life.
Welcome to Head-Fi and sorry about your wallet. Your ears will thank you.

 

[pila405]

Quote:

Originally Posted by charpi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi guys, I really need some help right now. I'm a student and I have just saved up enough money for these. But problem is, after looking back at the hard work of saving the money, suddenly I feel that it is not really justifiable to just spend them all on a earphone, when I could say, get a macbook and an ipod touch with the same amount of money. So I came out with a scenerio which best describes my case: Imagine a non-audiophile, who is contented with iBuds or sony ericsson in-ears or other <$20 earpieces. I suddenly give him a UM2, IE7, SuperFi5, Atrio, PFE or other IEMs in that league. (This is where I am now). The reaction will obviously be "WOW, I didn't know music could sound like this". Then after that, give him these pair of customs, what would his reaction be? Would the jump from "non-audiophile" earphones to "mid/high fi" IEMs be greater or the jump from "mid/high fi" IEMs to these high end customs be greater. I have a hard time convincing myself to part with the money although I know that I have saved so long for these. And I need some convincing now LOL I reemphasize that I am NOT an audiophile who can discern subtle nuances in music, or tell the difference of this drum or that drum while listening to a recording, or even describe sound or sound signature. I am only a normal person who wants my music to sound the very best. Would it be justified to get these? (Logical mind says no, but I'm really tempted ) Thanks for all the convincing, help, or feedback you guys, especially those who own customs can give. They are very, very ,very, GREATLY appreciated. Thanks again.

If you don't feel like it justifiable spending 1K over IEM's , don't do that. Seriously.

I also worked hard for my ES3X, but when I bought them I did without hesitating. If I would hesitate even for a moment, I wouldn't buy them. This nice amount of money to spend on something you don't think is justifiable....

Make you choice.

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by charpi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi guys, I really need some help right now. I'm a student and I have just saved up enough money for these. But problem is, after looking back at the hard work of saving the money, suddenly I feel that it is not really justifiable to just spend them all on a earphone, when I could say, get a macbook and an ipod touch with the same amount of money. So I came out with a scenerio which best describes my case: Imagine a non-audiophile, who is contented with iBuds or sony ericsson in-ears or other <$20 earpieces. I suddenly give him a UM2, IE7, SuperFi5, Atrio, PFE or other IEMs in that league. (This is where I am now). The reaction will obviously be "WOW, I didn't know music could sound like this". Then after that, give him these pair of customs, what would his reaction be? Would the jump from "non-audiophile" earphones to "mid/high fi" IEMs be greater or the jump from "mid/high fi" IEMs to these high end customs be greater. I have a hard time convincing myself to part with the money although I know that I have saved so long for these. And I need some convincing now LOL I reemphasize that I am NOT an audiophile who can discern subtle nuances in music, or tell the difference of this drum or that drum while listening to a recording, or even describe sound or sound signature. I am only a normal person who wants my music to sound the very best. Would it be justified to get these? (Logical mind says no, but I'm really tempted ) Thanks for all the convincing, help, or feedback you guys, especially those who own customs can give. They are very, very ,very, GREATLY appreciated. Thanks again.

Charpi,

The answer is a resounding NO.

For me the UM3X ($349) sound close enough to the ES3X ($850) - yes, that's how good the UM3X's are. I believe once you get past the high-end universals' SQ level, getting to the $850-$1,150 high-end customs does NOT provide double/ triple the SQ of the former, NOT even 25-50%. Probably more in the region of 10-20%.

Remember, also, you have to add the cost of ear impressions, shipping costs and possible frustration at having to have one or more re-fits (+ possible extra shipping costs).

You're still young and (the inner part of) your ears may still change so, you may find that a few years down the line you may need to have them done again for around $350 (+ new impressions & shipping costs). Customs don't have a re-sale value either and this is one of THE most important drawbacks when considering getting customs.

High-end customs is a LUXURY item (and also mostly meant for PROFESSIONAL musicians and not the general public), and if you don't have more than enough money, I seriously think you should NOT get them. I think custom IEM's -- and more specifically high-end customs -- are highly overrated. Unfortunately we often read things here and elsewhere that will make people think these custom IEM's are truly a revolution in SQ, when they are not.

Already spending $300-$400 on top-tier customs IS a luxury, please understand this as it now seems -- specially with the latest craze of new high-end customs -- that when we now talk about spending $850 - $1,150, $300 - $400 suddenly becomes cheap!

I'm sure the UM2, IE7, SuperFi5, Atrio, PFE provide very good SQ -- I haven't tried any of those, btw, but have tried others (see my sig) and, for me, the UM3X provides excellent value for audiophile/ demanding ears. Some people even say that $300-$400 is already too much and that the SQ improvement isn't worth that much - and they're probably right. It was worth it to me, yet here we're also talking about a 10-20% improvement only over less expensive universals. The higher up you go, the differences become quite minimal.

 

[digihead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by charpi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi guys, I really need some help right now. I'm a student and I have just saved up enough money for these. But problem is, after looking back at the hard work of saving the money, suddenly I feel that it is not really justifiable to just spend them all on a earphone, when I could say, get a macbook and an ipod touch with the same amount of money. So I came out with a scenerio which best describes my case: Imagine a non-audiophile, who is contented with iBuds or sony ericsson in-ears or other <$20 earpieces. I suddenly give him a UM2, IE7, SuperFi5, Atrio, PFE or other IEMs in that league. (This is where I am now). The reaction will obviously be "WOW, I didn't know music could sound like this". Then after that, give him these pair of customs, what would his reaction be? Would the jump from "non-audiophile" earphones to "mid/high fi" IEMs be greater or the jump from "mid/high fi" IEMs to these high end customs be greater. I have a hard time convincing myself to part with the money although I know that I have saved so long for these. And I need some convincing now LOL I reemphasize that I am NOT an audiophile who can discern subtle nuances in music, or tell the difference of this drum or that drum while listening to a recording, or even describe sound or sound signature. I am only a normal person who wants my music to sound the very best. Would it be justified to get these? (Logical mind says no, but I'm really tempted ) Thanks for all the convincing, help, or feedback you guys, especially those who own customs can give. They are very, very ,very, GREATLY appreciated. Thanks again.

Don't do it. Plain and simple.

Take the plunge on a nice high end universal fit and get a pair of Westone UM56 custom sleeves. That will get you really close to a custom sound with a pair of IEMs that you could then resell. You would even get the experience of having molds made etc as well as a taste of dealing with a great company like Westone.

Personally, I'd recommend checking out the UM3x or the Westone 3. I think either one with the UM56 would be a really killer IEM.

 

[charpi]

Oh thanks for the input guys, I found reading your comments very interesting, although I'm still as confused as ever LOL. I guess I'll spend the next few days pondering about this.

I know that even you guys think that $1k+ is alot for that 10 to 20 percent improvement in SQ. However, it is not to say that after shelling out for these that after that I will have to scrimp on food or anything, this is the amount I have already saved, not "is going to save", and it's not that I borrowed large sums of money from people just to fund these. I'm debt free and financially sound, just need advice from real audiophiles who have owned customs.

Either way I guess that high end customs would be the end of the portable audio journey, and I will reach it some day or another (I told myself that CX300s would be my last IEM, then I got the superFi5pro and told myself that they would be last, then now this LOL) but maybe I might need another intermediate step like music4321 and digihead have suggested, and it is in the form of high end universals like UM3X. I will give this lots of thought.

Meanwhile, I will go research on these high end models like W3,UM3X,TripleFi, IE8 etc.

It's great to have a community who genuinely wants to help newbies like me in their quest for better music. No wonder I keep coming back again and again despite me telling myself to stay away lol

. Thanks for all the advice that you guys have given me. I will think hard about it and make my decision soon.

Thanks again


edit: After reading Sinocelt's post I forgot that I have missed out on clarifying something: Nope, I'm not too young and I'm already at the age which ear canals stop changing drastically. Thanks.

 

[Sinocelt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by charpi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh thanks for the input guys, I found reading your comments very interesting, although I'm still as confused as ever LOL. I guess I'll spend the next few days pondering about this.

Wait a little more than that. Reviews are coming. JHA will compare the ES3X, UE11 and JH13. He said he might later compare the UE4 and JH5, which are much cheaper ($400). Jude also said that the UE4 was close to the UE10, more than the huge difference in price would infer, and JHA also said that he believed the UE4 better than the just-as-expensive universal TF10 from the same company.

Personally, I've bought several low cost IEMs (the most expensive being the HF5 at $100 on sale) and I end being unsatisfied. Comfort is often the problem, and that's one reason to consider customs.

This said, if you're very young, customs (or even custom tips) aren't going to be a good investment, as your ears will change as you grow and soon, they won't fit you anymore.

Also, please take note that Westone offers refits for $350 but neither UE nor, as far as we know, JH, offer the same service, which means you'd have to go through an independent company such as Null Audio or Ultimate Melody.

Quote:

Originally Posted by charpi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Either way I guess that high end customs would be the end of the portable audio journey, and I will reach it some day or another

If that's how you feel, than yes, you should buy a custom. Otherwise you'll buy one universal, then another, then yet another, and always wonder if you're missing on something, until you finally break down and buy customs, only with the additional cost of the universals you've bought before.

Though universals can be resold. I'm actually still surprised at how well they can resell: sometimes at less than 10% than the price of new. Why would people would buy used stuff, with the risks it implies, just to save 10% is beyond me.

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by charpi /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...I know that even you guys think that $1k+ is alot for that 10 to 20 percent improvement in SQ... ...maybe I might need another intermediate step like music4321 and digihead have suggested, and it is in the form of high end universals like UM3X...

The improvement I hear on the ES3X over the UM3X is closer to 10% than 20% (max 15% probably - difficult to quantify this, and that is after trying 4 different ES3X sets after 3 re-fits!). With the W3 and SE530 probably a little more, but JUST a little.

So, for me, the UM3X is NOT an intermediate step at all, but pretty close to the almighty ES3X.

This reminds me of the often mentioned need to get an amp on top of getting a top-tier custom/ universal set. I had the RSA P-51 Mustang & LOD ($500 combined) and sound did not really improve either on my UM3X or ES3X, but after reading about the Mustang I really thought there would be this massive transformation in SQ and I don't thing I even got 5% improvement because I simply didn't notice it at all, except marginally on VERY few pieces of music.

The REAL noticeable SQ improvement I heard was when I got my W3's & later, slightly more so, with my UM3X's. The SE530 sounded better than my Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 v2 (latest 2008 version at £100) but not THAT much better, and I felt I'd made a serious mistake when I 'upgraded' to those. But when I sold the SE530's only after 4 weeks and got the Westone 3, I did feel this was a proper upgrade, and though not a massive one, at least this time it seemed worth it to me..

 

[music_4321]

Nearly forgot...

As for the SQ/ bitrate of the files I listen to, I tried 192, 256, 320, Apple Lossles & WAV with a wide range of music & different quality recordings and in the end I settled for 256kpps. Once again the real difference I only heard came from the original quality of the recording, so from 256kpps upwards I practically heard no difference.