[hotdog108]

Resale value and ability to share the goodness with friends. I'm in the same situation as you. Can't get on with universals. Love the fact that my CIEM's are bespoke for me alone.

That part I do understand, the resale value, the sharing. But like my Bells, I personally use custom tips with them, and when I want to share them with friends, I bust out the universal tips. Is that all there is to it? The people that have listened to my Bells have placed orders for them, and they're going to get custom tips for them based on the recommendation from myself and another co-worker who got custom tips made for his Etymotic buds. It's very convenient for us because we have audiologist offices that offer these services all over NYC, is it just not that common of a thing elsewhere? Could that also be a factor?

 

[DaveStarWalker]

Customs tips are not the panacea because it can affect the best angle of insertion, and the distance between the bores of the UIEM and the ear drums.

Or... tips rolling demonstrate that is is very important.

 

[hotdog108]

1) You have to be sure that your CIEM is "the one"... because it's yours and only yours.

2) If not... the selling is far more difficult than UIEM... because it's yours.

3) By the way... A reshell is possible... but it is a reshell... And it can be picky, risky and pricey.

4) You can greatly affect the presentation of an UIEM with tips rolling. Kind of fun.

5) The results (isolation) can be really great and not too far from a CIEM, with good tips pairing. I use exclusively my UIEM in metro and other transportations... And it's just great.

6) Your internal ear morphology is moving and can demand... a reshell... because at a certain amount of time, the seal can be less than perfect.

Maybe there is a seventh point, but I don't know

Yes those are all very good reasons, but I'm only talking about a custom tip, not a full on CIEM. I got my custom tips made for my UE900s, and I swap them onto my Etymotics from time to time, now I use them with my Bells, so they can be very versatile. The experiment part can be fun, I get that, but wouldn't you want a certain level of consistency? Plus you can potentially take them to CanJam, and instead of using the tips at the show, you can use your own custom tips for a better seal and experience.

 

[hotdog108]

Customs tips are not the panacea because it can affect the best angle of insertion, and the distance between the bores of the UIEM and the ear drums.

Excellent point, I had not thought of that, thank you.

 

[DaveStarWalker]

My experience ?

With UIEM, best tips are the more simple and open design. If the tuning of the UIEM is good (tonal accuracy, etc.) you get a pristine immediacy.

This is the case with Kaiser Encore and these tips (Tennmak Whirlwind).

 

[hotdog108]

Thanks for sharing, great information, I learned something new today

 

[DaveStarWalker]

Thanks for sharing, great information, I learned something new today

I do think too that the royal way is the CIEM way...

But... UIEM and... tips rolling... can be a very interesting path too

 

[FullCircle]

I'm genuinely curious, I've seen tons of knowledge and experiences being shared about tips of all shape, sizes, and material, is there a reason why these are preferred instead of custom tips? I get that not everyone's ears are suitable for CIEMs, but the custom tips are just the ear canal part, if you can use a universal IEM, you can use custom tips, at least in theory. Or am I missing something? I ask because I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum, I can't use universal tips because I just can't stand the pressure from any type of these tips over an extended amount of time. So I've had to get custom tips made for my universals, and they're a godsend for me, or just wear my CIEMs if I know I'll be wearing headphones all day. I switched to custom tips 5 years ago and never looked back, so I'm very curious in this seemingly relentless search for better universal tips in the community. Please enlighten me, I'm all ears, so to speak.

The bore width on the flagship universals is pretty wide..... one would need a fairly large ear canal to make it possible to use custom tips.

I'm not saying it is not possible..... just a bit difficult

With the bell, a custom tip is a no brainer.

 

[hotdog108]

I do think too that the royal way is the CIEM way...

But... UIEM and... tips rolling... can be a very interesting path too

I've been down the path of searching for the best tips for my UIEMs before, so I know about the excitement and frustrations. Which is why I decided to take the custom plunge with the UERR and now the Encore, and my ears have never been happier.

 

[hotdog108]

The bore width on the flagship universals is pretty wide..... one would need a fairly large ear canal to make it possible to use custom tips.

I'm not saying it is not possible..... just a bit difficult

With the bell, a custom tip is a no brainer.

Another excellent point, thanks John.

 

[krismusic]

That part I do understand, the resale value, the sharing. But like my Bells, I personally use custom tips with them, and when I want to share them with friends, I bust out the universal tips. Is that all there is to it? The people that have listened to my Bells have placed orders for them, and they're going to get custom tips for them based on the recommendation from myself and another co-worker who got custom tips made for his Etymotic buds. It's very convenient for us because we have audiologist offices that offer these services all over NYC, is it just not that common of a thing elsewhere? Could that also be a factor?

I started with custom tips and they were very good when I finally got a set that fitted well. By the time I went through numerous refits I decided that next time around I would go for full CIEM. Never looked back. CIEM manufacturers seem to get it right. As I say, the pleasure of a bespoke unit is not to be underestimated.

 

[hotdog108]

I started with custom tips and they were very good when I finally got a set that fitted well. By the time I went through numerous refits I decided that next time around I would go for full CIEM. Never looked back. CIEM manufacturers seem to get it right. As I say, the pleasure of a bespoke unit is not to be underestimated.

Amen, custom tips are good, but CIEMs are the holy grail.

 

[krismusic]

Buy Noble and you are unlikely to want to sell. Especially TOTL.

 

[Watagump]

Amen, custom tips are good, but CIEMs are the holy grail.

When you posted a picture of your custom tips the first thing I thought was they looked weird and made me question if it would affect the sound. Just from the picture, it appears there is a bend, where as coming right out of the Bell its a straight shot. Is it just that picture, or do they indeed bend?

 

[Watagump]

Buy Noble and you are unlikely to want to sell. Especially TOTL.

But then again, some are always jumping to the flavor of the month.