[DARKHAVEN]

Hi Gary, thank you for posting the review here, especially since the Klipsch aren't very well represented yet. You are a thoughtful reviewer and obviously intelligent, but I'd like to make a point. No one is above critique. No article is the perfect manifestation of a review. You spend a good deal of time arguing with posters here, justifying how and why you wrote the review the way you did. I understand where you are coming from, but I think you are missing a critical opportunity for growth. You are a college technical writing teacher, which surely gives you a certain expertise, but it does not make you the last word on the subject. Perhaps you should spend a little time taking the posters comments to heart and allowing those suggestions to impact future reviews. Many of the suggestions and criticisms here are valid and our posters tend to be pretty intelligent people (most). Instead of defending, please be open to change and growth. With that being said, I sincerely hope you have not been turned off to posting here, if you have, then we have all lost out.

 

[captian73]

Hi Gary,

There are a few things that don't sit right with your review.

First: from what i gather your first post was a link back to your site. some might view it as spam, even though your review or chosen subject is related to head-fi of course.

You should join, answer peoples questions first, build up a relationship first even if for me people get the wrong impression of me 'cause i like the Bose Triport OE and AE. but at least people know me.

Then once you've built up a good relationship for answering people concerns, then i think its more appropriate to post a direct and blatant link to your site.

Second: your review is overly positive, and that smells bad!

i'm not saying the custom 2's aren 't good pair of iEM's 'cause i have no experience, but i was taught in marketing that there is a downside to everything, and when you get a overly positive review, its a tainted review.

I can easily find faults in every pair of headphones i have, even the ones i love like the iGrado's or the JBL410's which i love, or the Stax SR-001's.

now currently i run 4 headphone sites, but I'll only include the links to them if

A: in answer to a question
B: to help someone, even if its to give a negative comment

Thirdly: include your own image, even if your not a professional photographer. its a sign of proof that you know what you're talking about, that you have actually tried the product. See Dan Lok for more info.

here's me

Headphonedeals.org » Blog Archive » Not Impressed With The WeSC's!

here are some of my pathetic attempts to be a photographer

Headphonedeals.org » Blog Archive » Ultrasone Proline 750 Headphone Gallery
» Sweet Sounding Juice2214 Cmoy Amp tinamps.com: Fansite and forum for CMoy amps

and here's a case study of some fake Sennheiser PX200 i did

fakeheadphones.com » Blog Archive » Are You Happy To Recieve A Pair Of Counterfeit Sennheiser PX200

I admit that your site is far more professional...but if i had the Custom 2's i'd take my oen photos to back up my review. people might believe that i had actually tested them, instead of trying to spam a forum!

BTW: why not add comments to blogs with back links to your site?

For me, i'd rather give my advice and help people with everyday choices, instead of throwing them straight links to my reviews.

As for your review, for me, an overly positive review like that, would just put me off and i would dismiss it as marketing hype. But that's just me.

 

[jinx20001]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaryM63 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Many years ago my right ear drum burst on a long over seas plane ride. I had to have surgery to ultimately fix it which left me with limited high end frequency loss in my right ear - not terrible - but noticeable. .

why do i find this hard to believe?? i have been told many times that there is no possible way to repair the eardrum. which is why if you are deafened by something (gunshot etc) you have to live with deafness.

i have not ever heard of anyone getting thier eardrum repaired after damage. which is why you should look after your hearing because if damage occurs its irreversable

EDIT: Forgive my ignorance, i looked into it as i was not sure about the subject and there has been cases of people going through surgery for repair.

http://www.medicineonline.com/articl...um-repair.html

 

[GaryM63]

jinx,

It was kind of fascinating how the surgery worked. They take some skin from the outer lobe of the ear, then they fashion that into a makeshift ear drum which they sew in place. They then have prosthetic hammer, anvil and stirrups that they needed to put into place as well.
For me, this was complicated by a growth called a cholosteotoma behind the ear - so they sort of slice behind the ear, lift it off, take out the growth and then rebuild the inside of the ear.
I certainly got some of my hearing back in that ear - but the high end is pretty much gone of the audio spectrum on that side.
Probably more information than you wanted - but it is amazing what they can do today.

 

[HellogsBoy]

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[Zhdude]

how was the microphonics of the klipsch custom-3 vs the ultimate ears Super.fi 5?

Gary, you seem alright. Everyone's just hating.

 

[Bisco82]

I have both. I found that there is less Microphonics in the Super fi 5 probably due to the cable material. I also find their cable doesnt tangle as much. I have to admit, like another user in this post, I found the custom 3's to be relatively lifeless and uninspired sounding. I find for my ears that they protrude too much with the dual flange tips and even when I used my Shure foamies, both small and large, i was able to get a better seal, but the sound quality wasnt all there, and they take longer to get a seal.

So far, of the higher end earphones I've experienced, I think that out of the box, I was happiest w/ Ultimate Ears super fi 5's, and after getting used to the Shure E500, they were hands down my favorite for sound quality and comfort, (only their wires frayed and fell apart on me).

I rank my higher end IEM/Canal Phones as follows:

1. Shure E500 (detailed and bassy at the same time... you get it all, harsh sounding at first, smooth and amazing once i found the best fit and got adjusted to them, most recommended if budget is not an issue)
2. Super Fi 5 pro (great sounding, great bass, not harsh, a little too sensitive, often hiss when plugged into non-mp3 player items, i.e. computers, unless you use the adapter, which I don't, most recommended if budget is an issue)
3. ER6i (great isolation, great on airplanes, great for jazz, classical, NOT great at all for hip hop, rap, bassy music in general, but may just take getting used to, very analytical)
4) Denon C700 (got em for $99, sounded much better after burn in, a bit too bright for my tastes, i prefer the warmer sound of UE or Shure models above
5) Klipsch Custom-3. (cord tangles easiest of the 5, i have all the tips in the world and no problems with any other IEM, but can't get good bass out of these, fit never feels perfect, memory wire not as bendable as UE, really do not prefer these to even my cx300's, and i really wanted to like them, as Klipsch is one of my favorite companies. Oh well...

 

[GooWiz]

I have just received my Custom 3 and have been listening to them for a good day and although I really wanted to like them, I just can't seem to like their sound signature. I find that their highs a quite lacking. Perhaps it's because they are on the dark/warm side and I prefer quite a bit of clear highs. For example I love the sound of my AT-A700, especially on high notes on the violin. The Custom-3 seems to be pretty lacking in that area and when the whole orchestra plays, the violin soloist is easily lost. Even after DSP/EQing to bring out the treble, they still lack a bit. On other hand, the Custom-3 sounds quite nice. Eric Clapton sounds beautiful and full, and bass is definitely sufficient. I just wish these had better highs, I don't see how they can be seen as analytical earphones if the highs are so muffled/muted... I think I'm going to try them a little longer, but I feel like I'll be returning them.

I'm wondering though, would different tips change this? I feel like I've gotten a good fit with the supplied tips, but they're uncomfortable, and perhaps they are holding back the highs? I dunno, probably not, but just a train of thought...

 

[younglee200]

I've owned livewires, triple fis, RE2s, UE3s, and Custom 3s, and the microphonics of custom 3s aren't bad at all. The only thing that kind of pisses me off is this cord material. It tangles ridiculously easy and it's difficult and annoying to untangle.

 

[Azathoth]

I dont' find the microphonics on the Custom 3 to be any worse than any other IEM i've tried in the past. In fact, with shure olive foam tips, you hardly notice it. The cord can be an annoyance sometimes, but I use the slider to keep the two earpieces together when i'm storing them.

 

[furstrated]

i just got the custom-3s after spending 1 hour at the store a-b ing between the se530 and the custom-3. IMHO the se530 is better at the highs and thats about it. The customs-3 i think reach a similar high to the 530 and are a bit faster but decays faster at the highs too thats why i think they convey a slight roll-off at the highs as compared to the more natural decay of the 530.
But the 530 cant touch the bass on the kc-3. the tiny things rumble like no other and its tight and controlled. like etys but with more presence. Im coming from etys btw, which i lost at the local starbucks.
anyway, i got the kc-3 because i cant justify the additional $200 dollars for the se500 or $300 for the se530. thats according to the current exchange rate and local pricing btw.
so thats the bottom line for me, the se530 is better but its not $200 or $300 better than the kc3.

 

[furstrated]

as i spent time with them, i realized, for an iem, this things got excellent soundstage. Not AE Headphone huge but its totally out of the head. the bass on this things help to, i can feel slight vibes through the fones which simulates a floor speakers like soundstage. on some tracks bassline i can feel vibes on one ear only or on both depending on how the bass is represented in the track.takes the sound out of my head and into the surrounding. but then im coming form etys and the soundstage on those is so in your head.
im definitely keeping the kc3

 

[furstrated]

BTW Azathot, check around the local powermac centers for the old stock se500pth. i saw them going for 18XXX at the powermac center powerplant. I just dont think its worth the additional 10XXX over the price of the KC-3. lols

 

[furstrated]

now i get why a lot of people are having problems with the fit of the KC-3. i think it has to do with the wire guides that go over the ear. the things are stiff it makes me think its made of small copper tubings covered with heatshrink. you can mold it anyway you want but cant mold it exactly the way you need it to be when wearing the fones. if not molded to the correct fit it pulls on the fones and you lose seal, sometime it changes the angle of the nozzle and no more seal. its fussy and tangles with the cables a lot. i spent a good 30 min molding it repeatedly till i got the exact fit. i think im taking a pair of wirecutters to it and get rid of it alltogether

 

[doomlordis]

I have the custom 1s and 2s (liked the 1 so bought the 2), it took me 2 days to find a good seal and as said above the plastic moulds were causing the issue, if not fitted properly they will push or pull them slowly out and the bass will be reduced.
Get them fitted over the ear correctly (it can be done in a way that keeps slight pressure on them going into the ear canal) they disappear after a few minutes and i am not aware of them at all.
I have to say though i prefer the 1s to the 2s , the 2s are flatter , the 1s are a fun listen and haver surprising amounts of detail.