[Gilly87]

Wow, non-US friendly, raising prices, AND pressuring customers into buying...these are off my list on principle. I'll stick to UM3X.
Quote:

Just a heads up for the people complaining about the price: InEar told me they will raise the price after the first few batches.

 

[Gilly87]

What do you mean "custom technology?" There is nothing special or magical about customs that makes them better than universals, beyond the fact that, until recently, customs occupied a higher tier of sound tech due to the inherent cost of creating them; they began as a niche product for musicians who wanted the highest quality sound and custom fit for maximum isolation (read: hearing protection) while on-stage. But since audiophiles have taken interest, prices are dropping, and there are plenty of low- or mid-tier customs that are only the equal, sound-wise, of upper-tier universals. They don't sprinkle extra special voodoo powder in customs, or use some kind of special tech that isn't in regular IEMs; they just use really high quality drivers and spend extra time tuning them to get as close to perfection as possible.
Quote:

the live pro 3 is the real custom-the big brother if you like to put it that way, but it sounds the same, like it says in the title CUSTOM to Universal, but not like "Just Custom Shell" to Universal sound(=Fake Custom). the sd3 does not look like that(design and size) for no reason. Custom technology needs more space.
 

 

[Ultrazino]

Wow, non-US friendly, raising prices, AND pressuring customers into buying...these are off my list on principle. I'll stick to UM3X.

Someone call the waaaaaaaambulence! We have a cryer!
Go buy Shure!

J/k, a small joke!

 

[Ultrazino]

The difference is, that customs feature the space for clean crossovers. This needed space is not given in a small shell so the soundstage is small or fake.
That's what I've heard others say that have more experience than me.

 

[Nestroit]

google translate this then:
 
Weil in den bisherigen kleinen Gehäusen der Universal InEars keine gescheiten Frequenzweichen 'reinpassen. Die Frequenzweichen von Customs sind viel größer und aufwändiger. Bei den Frequenzweichen der bisherigen Universal Inears muss man Phasenverschiebungen an den Übergängen in Kauf nehmen. Das erklärt diese verschiedenen Effekte wie "verhangene" Mitten, unnatürlich breite Bühne, keine gescheite Tiefenstaffelung. Oder (wie bei Westone UM3x etc) gute Tiefenstaffelung, aber dafür eine sehr enge Bühne.

So einige verbaute "Frequenzweichen" in Universals (wie z.B. im Westone 4) verdienen genau genommen gar nicht die Bezeichnung "Frequenzweiche"; da stecken nur Dämpfungsfilter, ein Kondensator und ein Widerstand drin.
 
source: Bad Robot(Markus Kraus)
 
Ultrazino has told the short version.

 

[Gilly87]

Ummm...ok?
 
I have a pair of Shures, the SE215s. They're great, especially for $100. Replaceable cable, built like a tank, and good sound considering the price even without any other factors.
 
Most of the equipment we see on here is already overpriced to begin with...most of us are looking for max bang for buck, and if these are going to wind up costing as much as mid- and top-tier customs, what's the point? Just making them easier to use? Seems pretty pointless, and if nothing else I would hope to counter the hype that I initially added fuel to, for which I am kind of sorry now, especially seeing the approach this company is taking.
 
These piqued my interest because what I read suggested they would exceed the SQ of most top-tier universals, and be available for only marginally more; less, in some cases. If that's not the case, I'm not really interested; it's just a custom company making a universal. Nothing to get excited about.
Quote:

Someone call the waaaaaaaambulence! We have a cryer!
Go buy Shure!

J/k, a small joke!

 

[Nestroit]

so? still custom quality sound and technique built in, just explained that and why they are so huge...and now let's see how many "CUSTOM to Universal" are out there and for what price? keep looking.

 

[Gilly87]

You point to their marketing shpiel as proof?
 

 
Even if there is some truth to it, calling it "custom technology" just adds to the voodoo hype that customs are inherently better than universals, which, as |joker| has demonstrated with his extensive collection of top-tier universals and mid- and low-tier customs, they are not. If you had said "They made the shell bigger to use bigger and better crossovers," I wouldn't have even opened my mouth.
 
Quote:

google translate this then:
 
Weil in den bisherigen kleinen Gehäusen der Universal InEars keine gescheiten Frequenzweichen 'reinpassen. Die Frequenzweichen von Customs sind viel größer und aufwändiger. Bei den Frequenzweichen der bisherigen Universal Inears muss man Phasenverschiebungen an den Übergängen in Kauf nehmen. Das erklärt diese verschiedenen Effekte wie "verhangene" Mitten, unnatürlich breite Bühne, keine gescheite Tiefenstaffelung. Oder (wie bei Westone UM3x etc) gute Tiefenstaffelung, aber dafür eine sehr enge Bühne.

So einige verbaute "Frequenzweichen" in Universals (wie z.B. im Westone 4) verdienen genau genommen gar nicht die Bezeichnung "Frequenzweiche"; da stecken nur Dämpfungsfilter, ein Kondensator und ein Widerstand drin.
 
source: Bad Robot(Markus Kraus)
 
Ultrazino has told the short version.

 

[Gilly87]

Ever heard of Aurisonics?
Quote:

so? still custom quality sound and technique built in, just explained that and why they are so huge...and now let's see how many "CUSTOM to Universal" are out there and for what price? keep looking.

 

[Nestroit]

their marketing? Bad Robot does not belong to the company "InEar", he is the most popular in-ear hifi-forum.de User he owns over 100 in-ears(about 20 Customs... just a lot) so if anybody knows what he's talking about, then him, you should better try the sd3 or at least listen to people who can compare them to such "top-tiers" like earsonics(fake soundstage), westones(either just wide like w4 or just deep um3x), tf10(fake soundstage) and shure universals(no competition for customs).

 

[Tangster]

Quote:

Ever heard of Aurisonics?

The ASG1...eww. Massively overpriced faceplate options as well.
 
Quote:

Wow, non-US friendly, raising prices, AND pressuring customers into buying...these are off my list on principle. I'll stick to UM3X.

Oh dreadful. A company doesn't price through the floor for the US. Now you know how the rest of the frikking world feels.

 

[Ultrazino]

I will just jump in and say there is nothing "voodoo" about the sound!

Personally, I love the tonality and tuning of UE900 (and to some point W4). But the StageDiver does sound like the next level!

 

[esuhgb]

At the end of the day what matters to me is if the sound quality matches my preference whether its a custom or universal, cheap or expensive. Surely that's what matters regardless whether or not the iems are technical beasts or not. Having said that, the SD3 do pique my interest, but since they are aimed as staged monitors has me worried that they may not have the treble presence I am after. That's why I am waiting for the comparison to the ie800's.
 
@Gilly if your interested in the SD2's/3's ill be willing to act as an intermediary, so I can send them to you at a much cheaper cost than Thoman would considering I am based in the UK. Regards.

 

[davidcotton]

I've been making my way (love the google translation BTW!) and it seems promising.  Conflicting reports but at least one user states it (or at least that's how I read it)as an improved westone 2/3 without the bass issues of the 3.  That's just my reading of the translation.  However then one other user says there's almost too much bass and the sd2 would be a better bet for a more balanced sound (but as ever ymmv, and I haven't heard either obviously!).

Cheers

 

[Nestroit]

the sd3 sound signature is not for everyone, the sd2 is the more balanced, but it's technically slightly worse(regarding: soundstage, details, resolution).
 
the fitear334 is highly recommended here and the bass is even more powerful than the SD3 Bass(from what I've heard)  just different definition(I guess less upper bass?!)
 
imo the sd3 has got the perfect amount of bass.
 
some people may lower the 150-200 Hz area,
 
best sound-delivering eartips: look at my avatar.