[ForceMajeure]

You want an Idea, here is one for you.
You remember the Reebok pump shoes from the early 90s?
 
You could design a attachable tip/membrane that have more of less the avg human concha and entry canal form with various chamber. now you just need a little pump aka the Reebok pump miniaturized... pump it and it will conform to your earshape creating a good seal...It's just an idea...nice concept 
 
Thing to take into consideration is if you want it as a universal tip. the pump location have to be taken into account...
another thing is in order for the membrane to stay in place the membrane must have various chamber at least 3 in different direction...2 in the concha and one in the ear canal.
 
Another possibility if you don't want to go the pump route is to replace the inner material membrane with expending gel/silicone that expend in contact with heat (body heat). the chamber design must be kept though...
 
I have other ideas under my sleeve...but I doubt anyone really care because at least 90% find a good fit with the current tip solution...

 

[Sound Eq]

  You want an Idea, here is one for you.
You remember the Reebok pump shoes from the early 90s?
 
You could design a attachable tip/membrane that have more of less the avg human concha and entry canal form with various chamber. now you just need a little pump aka the Reebok pump miniaturized... pump it and it will conform to your earshape creating a good seal...It's just an idea...nice concept 
 
Thing to take into consideration is if you want it as a universal tip. the pump location have to be taken into account...
another thing is in order for the membrane to stay in place the membrane must have various chamber at least 3 in different direction...2 in the concha and one in the ear canal.
 
Another possibility if you don't want to go the pump route is to replace the inner material membrane with expending gel/silicone that expend in contact with heat (body heat). the chamber design must be kept though...
 
I have other ideas under my sleeve...but I doubt anyone really care because at least 90% find a good fit with the current tip solution...

great ideas and the more the merrier so that after 2 months we can review all ideas, and if we can start a kick starter and find a company in china for example to implement it by that we would have served the audiophile community. But to keep passive and settle for this old tip technology is just not doing us all a favor
 
I am sure we have people on head-fi with vast experience, but the whole idea needs to be pushed out by us so we can find a solution. I am looking locally for a medical supplies engineer of some sort maybe he/she can help me with what can be done.  

 

[nealh]

great ideas and the more the merrier so that after 2 months we can review all ideas, and if we can start a kick starter and find a company in china for example to implement it by that we would have served the audiophile community. But to keep passive and settle for this old tip technology is just not doing us all a favor

I am sure we have people on head-fi with vast experience, but the whole idea needs to be pushed out by us so we can find a solution. I am looking locally for a medical supplies engineer of some sort maybe he/she can help me with what can be done.  

In the United States, many gun ranges can create very quickly Create custom earmold for sound protection it's solid I'm not sure what the material is made of.
They inject something in your ear and it sits for several minutes hardens and you pull it out and it's the basic shape of your ear and canal. Provides excellent sound protection as good as many over the products, in my humble opinion actual better

Cost was $40-50

So I think the process is very possible, can be quick does not necessarily need a highly trained professional because I promise you the person who did it for me was not

 

[goodvibes]

It's what multiflange and foam is about. There is no universal quick fix for this. The best solution I could think of is some pliable easy to mold process but to make that viable for all, there would have to be some IEM tip standard for length and width. Not gonna happen. Here's my pie in the sky proposal.You could do a multi step custom setup with a guide tip to give a general shape for the tube with iem attaching base. Insert to full depth and remove. Remove the (multi) flanged guide to reveal the now shaped tube attached to the IEM connecting base with expandable soft bag over it's length. Reinsert to full depth and fill the bag around the tube with an injected soft material. Allow to cure. Still a scary and imprecise if not done perfectly process but about as good as I can come up with and would still require some sort of nozzle standard to be somewhat universal.

 

[JackKontney]

I remain amazed at the lengths to which audiophiles will go to avoid a trip to the audiologist.
As lovers of sound, one would think that an occasional trip to the audiologist would be common practice - just like seeing a dentist or optometrist. 
#RespectYourEars
 

 

[Sound Eq]

  I remain amazed at the lengths to which audiophiles will go to avoid a trip to the audiologist.
As lovers of sound, one would think that an occasional trip to the audiologist would be common practice - just like seeing a dentist or optometrist. 
#RespectYourEars
 

nice to see you coming to this thread, and here are some points for you to consider
 
not all of us live in countries where we can get perfect molds, I for example had a friend who tried to do a mold by a supposed to be the best audiologist in my country, so after he got the mold he sent it to the USA based iem company. the custom turned out not right, so he sent back the iem to USA, and got taxed again on the same iem. And again the fit was not right, It was a miserable experience. I read that this happened many times to alot of people.
 
Well if you live in the country where the iem is made then i guess the risk of fixing an imperfect custom iem will not be such a terrible experience if the custom iem ended up not done right due to a bad mold or an error by the iem company
 
i really wish you also consider people who do not have the same previlges like you, and since you are in this business maybe you can think of a solution for people like us

 

[listen4joy]

  not all of us live in countries where we can get perfect molds, I for example had a friend who tried to do a mold by a supposed to be the best audiologist in my country, so after he got the mold he sent it to the USA based iem company. the custom turned out not right, so he sent back the iem to USA, and got taxed again on the same iem. And again the fit was not right, It was a miserable experience. I read that this happened many times to alot of people.
 
Well if you live in the country where the iem is made then i guess the risk of fixing an imperfect custom iem will not be such a terrible experience if the custom iem ended up not done right due to a bad mold or an error by the iem company

 
 
+1,i feel your pain. its though neighborhood.

 

[JackKontney]

Hello, Sound Eq.
 
Don't get me wrong; I support your goal. And I totally understand the frustration caused by poor fit, which is amplified many times over by living in a distant location.
 
My personal evaluation is that the disruptive technology you seek is elusive by nature. The Onkyo solution you linked to is interesting, but I doubt it will be truly effective for more than about 70% or users. Why 70%? Because no "universal" fit design has done better than the 70% number, despite the hearing aid and IEM industries devoting decades to find a solution providing both secure fit and isolation.
 
So what you propose is a difficult challenge. I wish you great success, but cannot truthfully offer optimism.
 
At the same time, I want to encourage all true audiophiles to remember the importance of their hearing health.

 

[warrior1975]

I remain amazed at the lengths to which audiophiles will go to avoid a trip to the audiologist.
As lovers of sound, one would think that an occasional trip to the audiologist would be common practice - just like seeing a dentist or optometrist. 
#RespectYourEars

 

I don't understand your post. Not everyone wants custom iems, not to mention, not every iem manufacturer makes custom iems.

 

[Sound Eq]

I don't understand your post. Not everyone wants custom iems, not to mention, not every iem manufacturer makes custom iems.

i agree with that point as well
 
so i hope that soon companies will try to get all their efforts to do something to solve this issue
 
i am still trying to see if i can get in touch with a medial supplies engineer or an audiologist hearing aid expert to look at this from different angles
 
maybe something can be done, and i do not want to give up easily. 

 

[JackKontney]

I don't understand your post. Not everyone wants custom iems, not to mention, not every iem manufacturer makes custom iems.

 
My post was to remind audio lovers of the importance of their hearing health, nothing more and nothing less.
 
I find it highly ironic that so many audiophiles give virtually no thought to this topic, while at the same time expending much time and effort in search of DIY custom and/or truly universal fit solutions.
 
You don't know what you've got til it's gone. #RespectYourEars

 

[warrior1975]

Ok, that makes sense. Thanks for the clarification!!

 

[istfleur]

Since the company you work with makes custom ear tips, I understand your point.

 

[goodvibes]

I will always own customs of some type. Once you have a pair, it's difficult to go back. Comfort, security, isolation and consistency of fit are just incomparable to universal tips.

 

[warrior1975]

I'm still waiting on my first set... After close to 4 years here. I've resisted... Mostly due to my lazy nature and not wanting to be bothered with impressions.

Edit. Actually it's only been 3 years... Seems so much longer.