[DS21]

I've been using these things for about two months now. I bought them because I got tired of buying filters for my Altec-Ety iM716's.

One thing I noticed is that the small tips give much cleaner midrange and upper-treble. The tips vary not only in diameter but also in depth, so I wonder if the improvement is due to a cavity resonance on the big ones. I get a good seal with them.

The screw-off, cleanable filter is really great.

I was surprised that they seem a little power-hungry, and do benefit from amplification beyond just the crossfeed. However, they're not that current hungry. Unlike the Sennheiser HD580s but like the Denon AH-D2000's They sound the same through my Mk. 1.5 Total AirHead and 2006 Portable Micro Amp with the Desktop module.

I recently auditioned the Shure 530's, and heard no reason to upgrade.

 

[12thgear]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alleggerita /img/forum/go_quote.gif Okay, back to topic, anyone tried the Comply foam tips for the ADDIEM yet?

Yeah I have the ADDIEMs and bought the Comply T-140 tips. Apple's medium silicone tips are the ones that fit me, but the seal is mediocre and if I'm being remotely active (walking down the street) the slip out of position enough to ruin the seal and kill any semblance of bass.

The Comply T-140 in medium creates an outstanding seal for me, and once I found the ideal angle (harder to find in my right ear for some reason) they're very comfortable and stay firmly in place. For me, this combination sounds really good. Bass extends quite low and. Mids sound excellent, probably the strength of the headphone. The highs are very detailed, but a little laid back compared to my speakers.

My quick review is the tonal balance is pretty neutral and overall I'm surprised at the level of performance. It's about as balanced as my speaker system, which I've carefully balanced and measured. I was expecting this to be a lifestyle headphone for my iPhone. The ADDIEMs are actually very good, but you definitely need to find the right fit and in my case it took a little experimenting. I'm still sort of shocked that an Apple branded headphone is a credible entry. I'm an Apple fanboy when it comes to computers and phones, but their headphones have been sub par up to this point.

I also have Sony's Hybrid silicone eartips on deck, but I'll wait to try them out until my first set of Complys wear out. I just put them on a few days ago and I'm not sure how to remove them without damaging them.

 

[12thgear]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DS21 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was surprised that they seem a little power-hungry, and do benefit from amplification beyond just the crossfeed.

Yeah my large headphones are Alessandro MS-1 which sound about the same direct out of my iPhone and with an outboard amp. The ADDIEMs mellow out and are richer with an amp.