Multi-IEM Review - 352 IEMs compared (Pump Audio Earphones added 04/03/16 p. 1106)
Jun 8, 2015 at 8:38 AM Post #15,961 of 16,931
  Hi joker,
 
Until that Velvet review is eventually ready - do you think moving from SM64 to Velvet is worth the cost?
 
I am looking for a bit more bass (although the SM64 is quite okay) and more loudness (SM64 has terribly high impedance for a portable IEM). 
 
I am concerned about the fit and comfort, as the Velvet seems bulkier, and also some users reported more sibilance with the Velvet.
 
Will appreciate your thoughts on this until a full review is ready 
tongue_smile.gif
 


Pssst...
http://theheadphonelist.com/headphone_review/earsonics-velvet-in-ear-earphone-review/
smile.gif

 
Jun 8, 2015 at 10:05 AM Post #15,963 of 16,931
 Mostly Rock i think, you will enjoy a bit of V shaped signature, i think Inear Stagedriver 3 or SM64 will do good for you. You will like the FLC-8 too, but you will have to tune it to your preference.

 Out of these i will say, go for the FLC-8 as it has a widely available universally found cable and it has awesome no. of possible tunings.

Thanks a lot! Next up, anyone have CIEM recommendations for tge same music and price bracket?
 
Jun 8, 2015 at 3:06 PM Post #15,965 of 16,931
Thanks a lot! Next up, anyone have CIEM recommendations for tge same music and price bracket?



Anyone knows a good professional Audiologist that do a lot of Impressions for Custom IEMs in the San Diego, CA area? any infos would be appreciated.
Speaking of which, If I go ciem, i need a suitable audiologist in North Carolina.
 
Jun 8, 2015 at 9:32 PM Post #15,967 of 16,931
Yea I need a good audiologist for CIEM in the San Diego , CA area if anyone knows, thx a lot. Seems like no one lives in San Diego :frowning2:

Yeah I don't live in San Diego but I did a Google search and clicked on a link for Yelp and this might help you: http://m.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Audiologist&find_loc=San+Diego%2C+CA
 
Jun 9, 2015 at 1:43 AM Post #15,968 of 16,931
  holy crap, i just found this site when researching reshelling http://www.inearcentral.com/
 
They have custom IEM's for 150 bucks INCLUDING mold. You get the professional kit just like an audiologist uses but you do it yourself, thats why its so cheap. Also has some more expensive once, triple hybrids for around 300 bucks. DIY-kit is extra nice for me cus i live in sweden so its a little difficult to find people who do molds.
 
After watching a few videos of audiologists doing these molds i feel like it would be easy to do it at home, either myself or get someone else to do it.
 

 
I don't know anything about this company but impressions are definitely something you can do yourself if you are careful- see here: http://theheadphonelist.com/ear-self-impressions-for-custom-in-ear-monitors-what-you-need-to-know/ 
 
   
Yea I'm looking forwoard for that list too, been trying to  get a good bass high quality with detachable cable IEMs

 
Quite a few options for enhanced-bass earphones with detachable cables among universal-fit IEMs: EarSonics Velvet, InEar StageDiver SD-3, Ultrasone IQ, Sony XBA-Z5, Sony XBA-H3, Fidue A83, Sennheiser IE80 etc. Plus some I haven't tried, like the JVC FX850.
 
  Hi joker,
 
Until that Velvet review is eventually ready - do you think moving from SM64 to Velvet is worth the cost?
 
I am looking for a bit more bass (although the SM64 is quite okay) and more loudness (SM64 has terribly high impedance for a portable IEM). 
 
I am concerned about the fit and comfort, as the Velvet seems bulkier, and also some users reported more sibilance with the Velvet.
 
Will appreciate your thoughts on this until a full review is ready 
tongue_smile.gif
 

 
getclikinagas provided the review link but to answer your questions - yes to more bass, yes to more loudness, yes to more sibilance potential, but this is because the SM64 has a dip in the upper midrange that really shouldn't be there for better overall accuracy. The Velvet is not a sibilant IEM.
 
Comfort is more of a personal thing. I prefer the SM64 because the housings are more rounded, but the Velvet is not at all uncomfortable. Its footprint in the ear is significantly smaller than a Shure SE846 or FitEar TG334. 
  1.  
Thanks a lot! Next up, anyone have CIEM recommendations for tge same music and price bracket?

 
1964EARS 1964-V3
 
  Anyone knows a good professional Audiologist that do a lot of Impressions for Custom IEMs in the San Diego, CA area? any infos would be appreciated.

 
Back when I had professional impressions done I had good luck calling up audiologists in Westone's dealer network and just asking how much a la carte impressions cost. Figured that Westone dealers at least had some experience with custom IEM impressions.
 
http://www.westoneaudio.com/index.php/about-us/find-a-dealer.html
 
Jun 9, 2015 at 2:37 AM Post #15,969 of 16,931
I don't know anything about this company but impressions are definitely something you can do yourself if you are careful- see here: http://theheadphonelist.com/ear-self-impressions-for-custom-in-ear-monitors-what-you-need-to-know/ 


Quite a few options for enhanced-bass earphones with detachable cables among universal-fit IEMs: EarSonics Velvet, InEar StageDiver SD-3, Ultrasone IQ, Sony XBA-Z5, Sony XBA-H3, Fidue A83, Sennheiser IE80 etc. Plus some I haven't tried, like the JVC FX850.


getclikinagas provided the review link but to answer your questions - yes to more bass, yes to more loudness, yes to more sibilance potential, but this is because the SM64 has a dip in the upper midrange that really shouldn't be there for better overall accuracy. The Velvet is not a sibilant IEM.

Comfort is more of a personal thing. I prefer the SM64 because the housings are more rounded, but the Velvet is not at all uncomfortable. Its footprint in the ear is significantly smaller than a Shure SE846 or FitEar TG334. 
  1.  


1964EARS 1964-V3


Back when I had professional impressions done I had good luck calling up audiologists in Westone's dealer network and just asking how much a la carte impressions cost. Figured that Westone dealers at least had some experience with custom IEM impressions.

http://www.westoneaudio.com/index.php/about-us/find-a-dealer.html
Thanks for the tip joker!
 
Jun 9, 2015 at 2:38 AM Post #15,970 of 16,931
 
getclikinagas provided the review link but to answer your questions - yes to more bass, yes to more loudness, yes to more sibilance potential, but this is because the SM64 has a dip in the upper midrange that really shouldn't be there for better overall accuracy. The Velvet is not a sibilant IEM.
 
Comfort is more of a personal thing. I prefer the SM64 because the housings are more rounded, but the Velvet is not at all uncomfortable. Its footprint in the ear is significantly smaller than a Shure SE846 or FitEar TG334. 
 
 

 
Thank you for your reply! I never had issues with the angular housing of the SM3, so I guess I'd better start saving for the Velvet :p
 
Jun 9, 2015 at 3:18 AM Post #15,971 of 16,931
   
I don't know anything about this company but impressions are definitely something you can do yourself if you are careful- see here: http://theheadphonelist.com/ear-self-impressions-for-custom-in-ear-monitors-what-you-need-to-know/ 
 
 
Quite a few options for enhanced-bass earphones with detachable cables among universal-fit IEMs: EarSonics Velvet, InEar StageDiver SD-3, Ultrasone IQ, Sony XBA-Z5, Sony XBA-H3, Fidue A83, Sennheiser IE80 etc. Plus some I haven't tried, like the JVC FX850.
 
 
getclikinagas provided the review link but to answer your questions - yes to more bass, yes to more loudness, yes to more sibilance potential, but this is because the SM64 has a dip in the upper midrange that really shouldn't be there for better overall accuracy. The Velvet is not a sibilant IEM.
 
Comfort is more of a personal thing. I prefer the SM64 because the housings are more rounded, but the Velvet is not at all uncomfortable. Its footprint in the ear is significantly smaller than a Shure SE846 or FitEar TG334. 
  1.  
 
1964EARS 1964-V3
 
 
Back when I had professional impressions done I had good luck calling up audiologists in Westone's dealer network and just asking how much a la carte impressions cost. Figured that Westone dealers at least had some experience with custom IEM impressions.
 
http://www.westoneaudio.com/index.php/about-us/find-a-dealer.html

 
Yea but which one has more experience and professional? It only shows a list of Audiologists.
 
Jun 10, 2015 at 1:23 AM Post #15,972 of 16,931
  holy crap, i just found this site when researching reshelling http://www.inearcentral.com/
 

inearcustom.com redirects to inearcentral.com, so if they're the same I would advise some caution. You can read http://www.head-fi.org/t/741026/iem-customs-reshell-inearz-vs-inearcentral-my-experience and http://www.head-fi.org/t/643894/inearcustom-cheapest-re-shell-ever/480 to see why. (see what the last and third last posters got banned for)
 
Jun 10, 2015 at 4:43 AM Post #15,973 of 16,931
   
Yea but which one has more experience and professional? It only shows a list of Audiologists.

 
Don't have that information - my point was that it's very likely that audiologists in Westone's dealer network are more experienced when it comes to custom IEM impressions than random ones you'd find in the yellow pages. 
 
Jun 11, 2015 at 3:52 AM Post #15,975 of 16,931
   
The FX850 the way james444 described it (below) 
biggrin.gif
. Otherwise, not sure. Maybe the Dunu DN-1000 if you don't mind moving slightly in a more v-shaped, less smooth direction, or the Sony XBA-H3 for a smoother and more refined (but arguably less clear compared to the Dunu) sound. 
 
 
 
Good stuff, FX850 sounds like a winner.
 
 
Curious which one that'll be.
 
 
Interesting requirements. Not sure I have the solution for you but as a fellow HiFiMan/Etymotic fan I can help you narrow the field.
 
First off, while I haven't tried all of the models you are considering, I haven't found anything to be a full-on upgrade to the ER4 without compromises (especially in the bass qty vs clarity tradeoff). There are more options in customs than universals that do a good job with this, but still not all of them.
 
Now to thin the field a bit...
 
The W40 definitely isn't it - it just doesn't have the same sort of sonic balance. Too much mid-bass and not enough upper mid presence compared to an RE-400 or Ety. The IE800 probably isn't it - it's a rather bassy thing and ends up sounding somewhat v-shaped. It's not really mid-recessed in a bad way, but compared to what you're used to there's a fair chance you'll find it both overwhelmingly bassy and a little unforgiving. The C5 is definitely not it but I can't speak for the Series 2. Maybe it's a 50%+ improvement on the old one.
 
The SD-2 MIGHT work but its signature is definitely more RE-400 than ER4, meaning it's more on the smooth and warm-ish side than strictly neutral and analytical. It doesn't have any coherence or cohesiveness issues and it's just a nice-sounding earphone with noticeable improvements on the RE-400 here and there, but not a 100% match for what you want. The TDK BA200 is a viable budget/mainstream alternative to the SD-2, with similar caveats.
 
A couple of others come to mind but all with their own reservations:
 
The DUNU DN-2000 may be the closest I've heard to a good "analytical" IEM with a sizable bass lift. But again, you do give up some clarity in parts of the spectrum compared to a strictly flat earphone and the very top end is tuned a little brighter.
 
The Audiofly AF180 seems very promising so far and is a little clearer than even the SD-2, but it has a clarity-adding peak somewhere in the treble just like the DN-2000 which might cause issues coming from an ultra-smooth RE-400. Need to spend more time with this one to form a more conclusive opinion.
 
 
 
ZapX629 provided the link. I do need to re-write all of my innerfidelity reviews and re-post them here; just haven't found time to do it.


Hi, I have exactly the same issue as MrGuzmanWhite. I have had the pleasure to use the ER4 for many years, had them customised with silicone and I would love to find a CIEM that is superior, both in clarity and adding perhaps a touch of bass. I see all these fancy IEM coming in the market with more and more driver every year and I don't have a chance to try them. I am wondering: can they beat my ER4 legendary clarity? Or shall i stick to this great classic despite its flaws (cable noise when I am moving, odd shape, average confort).
Do you have now a different opinion after the recent arrival of new CIEM on the market?  
Noble 4S? 
Unique Melody Miracle?
Hidition New Tears-6 Pro?
Spiral Ear SE 5?
...
all IEMs that i will never have a chance to try: it is too complicate. And that is what makes this quest so difficult.
thank you so much for your feedback on this.
 

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