[EFN]

[size=medium]UPDATE:[/size]

Last night I decided to give another try at the long Complys. I was frustated with the stock ER-4 foamies which seems to lose their tangible form after 1 week of use.

This time I was very careful with the insertion. Not too deep and not pushing in with force. And yes! the muffled sound is no longer there! So after using it for another 3-4 hours I was convinced that they will get muffled if the front tips are forced to touch something in the ear canals - they get squished or something like that. Because if observed carefully, the front end of the Complys are rather portruded.

Now they sound strikingly similar to the black ER-4 foamies except that they are more, much more comfortable.

So, I'll eat what I have said before. These babies are cool after all.

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Original Review:
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After a long journey of exchanging various tips, I ended up using the good ol Ety Black foamies because the recent expreriment with Comply gray tips has been sour at best.

The Pro:
- They are super light and comfortable. Arguably the most comfortable tips in existence
- They expand and contract easily for seasoned and non seasoned IEM users to easily plug in the ears - proper insertion -> good seal -> audio bliss
- Will last longer than most tips because of a very durable construction
- Will not be affected by extreme weather change

The Cons:
- The highs are recessed sounding and one could not discard the feeling of a veil being drawn down like a blanket
- The bottoms becomes very slightly muddy (VERY SLIGHTLY)

Perhaps it was my own mistake to use the longer version of the Comply tips but this has inflicted doubts for me to order the shorter ones. Instead I ordered the good ol Ety black foamies because they gave the best seal and the best SQ - the only problem with stock Ety blackies is that they have a short life span of 2 weeks max on heavy usage and after that they will lose the "spongy-ness" and need to be replaced.

And just a side note, I don't like Shure Olives either because they itch like insane used over long period of time. I have given up on rubber flanged tips long time ago.

And some of you may remember that I had a pair of HearYourSelf custom mold over a year ago. Unfortunately I was clumsy enough to lose the right side mold (mispalced) and have not bother to replace them since. But I would say that I didn't miss them much because I can get sonically good seal with the stock Ety foam as well. The good thing with custom mold is that they are super easy to wear once you have get used to the twisting insertion method and will not be affected by compound recession like the foamies did. Perhaps I will give HearYourself another call and have them re-made.....plus they have some cool designs now

 

[4agze]

wow... apa mod you done to your ER4...

 

[uberburger101]

I fully agree with you on your observations with the long complys. These problems are less apparent on the short complys but only when they're new (which is around 3-4 days) and then they start muffling your music all over again.

 

[Calexico]

I thought Comply tips died fast (not durable)

 

[antonyfirst]

They are not nearly as durable as Shure Olives, but are more durable than Ety stock foam.

 

[FlyPenFly]

Are these worth it over the provided tips from Shure and Nuforce if I can get a good seal with the stock tips? Do they really enhance the sound?

 

[oldschool]

For ER-4P I prefer the stock triflanges over the stock foamies.

I have ordered a set of Olives and will also receive a sample of the new glider tips by Ety. Will be interesting to test with those.

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldschool /img/forum/go_quote.gif For ER-4P I prefer the stock triflanges over the stock foamies. I have ordered a set of Olives and will also receive a sample of the new glider tips by Ety. Will be interesting to test with those.

What glider tips? Can't find them on the Ety site.

Update: I see them as listed with the ER4P, but not listed in accessories. Interested in trying a pair.

 

[jhoff80]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif What glider tips? Can't find them on the Ety site.

See this thread: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/ety-er4-tips-388329/

I emailed Etymotic for more information myself, but no response yet. (I assume because its the holidays).

Edit: Also, this thread just reaffirms my belief that Etymotic needs to sell a relatively inexpensive cable that attaches to the earphone as a right angle, like the picture of ERN's mod and like the APureSound cable.

 

[ak40ozKevin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldschool /img/forum/go_quote.gif For ER-4P I prefer the stock triflanges over the stock foamies. I have ordered a set of Olives and will also receive a sample of the new glider tips by Ety. Will be interesting to test with those.

Are the glider tips the ones that are kind of like a shure olive (glossy coated foam) except shaped like some sort of anchor? Because I haven't seen these mentioned on the site before but my ER4p set came with them and they are pretty good. I could see them becoming a favorite around here.

My only problem is that if I use this anchor type for over an hour or two they stretch my ear canal out a little bit and my seal breaks intermittently.

EDIT: Just read that other thread linked that I missed. So it seems I am talking about the same tips. Cool, everyone should try them out.

 

[4saken]

They're not listed on the website. So-called "mushroom foams" have a thread about them somewhere here.

added: Two posts too late!

 

[boomy3555]

Here's my take on "Memory Foam" tips, Whatever brand or color. The Sound isolating properties of memory foam also isolates the skin of your ear canal and therefore "Atennuates" some the bass response that would normaly be felt directly through the skin. Also sound travels in waves similar to any EM wavelength so when the sound comes out of the sound tube of the IEM is can no longer relfect off of the inner surfaces of the tube and is then absorbed by any foam that extends beyond the opening of the ear tube.

Simply put, they absorb too much of the sound. This may be good if you want to soften a "Bright" pair of IEM's but in general I say keep the memory foam on the matress.

 

[Spyro]

I respectfully disagree. First, keep in mind there is an inner rubber piece on the comply that slides over the IEM nozzle that is completely shielded from the foam itself. It's not like you are sliding foam onto the nozzle. Second, when compressing the foam one should compress it slightly back towards the IEM to keep the end of this inner rubber piece un-obstructed. If this is done and inserted properly it should not have any effect on the sound and one is guaranteed a "perfect" fit.

The tiny "dot" opening on a plastic or silicone tri-flange tends to obstruct the nozzle opening more altering the sound more artificially.

 

[tstarn06]

X2. Whatever their downside (durability being the main problem), I never find that foamies blunt or "absorb" the sound. The inner sound tubes are not foam, but hard plastic. If it weren't for foam sleeves, I'd give up on canal phones based on the way most silicone tips work with my ear canals. Only silicone/soft material so far that works for me are the Klipsch gels, with the X10s. Anxious to see if the Westone 3 soft silicones also work for me. Didn't get a chance to try them yet.

 

[NicktheNorse]

Whatever IEM i've listened to I've always preferred the sound through a set of complys compared to the stock silicone tip. For me the silicone attenuates the highs and lows and makes things sound overly dynamic. The foam tips keeps everything in check for me and gives a natural sound.