[Watagump]

   
 
   Mathew, do you have any exsisting CIEMs that you like the fit, and if so I also need to know if it sits deep and low into the ear, maybe photos of them out and in the ear would be helpful as well.   We really don't like to accept CIEMs over ear mold impressions, but this may be a case where we can.
 
Use PMs if you can.
 
I have covered the topic of ear mold impressions , hearing aid specialist, and audiologist.   In short hearing aid technology has grown to the point that ear mold impression skills are becomming less essential. Unfortunatley a lot of folks don't understand that CIEMs require "A" grade ear mold impressions.

Its interesting you mention CIEM's being used as molds over impressions. Mine are at Inearz right now being redone. They didn't ask me to send the impressions, they are just using the customs for the molds. I specifically asked them before I mailed them.

 

[FullCircle]

 
Its interesting you mention CIEM's being used as molds over impressions. Mine are at Inearz right now being redone. They didn't ask me to send the impressions, they are just using the customs for the molds. I specifically asked them before I mailed them.

 
 
Yes the thing about that, it is technically can be done, and we dont dispute that. But in some cases it really is not a good idea. For example, the shell of a Noble 4 may not protrude much at all, as the drivers really do not require the extra space....   where as a K10....   different story.
 
So if say your CIEM sits nice and shallow in the ear, it may be useless when attempting to use it to build the K10.

 

[Watagump]

   
 
Yes the thing about that, it is technically can be done, and we dont dispute that. But in some cases it really is not a good idea. For example, the shell of a Noble 4 may not protrude much at all, as the drivers really do not require the extra space....   where as a K10....   different story.
 
So if say your CIEM sits nice and shallow in the ear, it may be useless when attempting to use it to build the K10.

I am getting mine done purely for looks. It makes sense that they use my customs, since the impressions used made me send my customs back for a refit. So fingers crossed doing them this way should produce a perfect fit, knock on wood.

 

[FullCircle]

  Does the Nobel 4 sound anything similar to the 4.Ai or quite different?

 
The DNA is the same, but they were tuned differently.....   that really is all I can say, as that is factual.
 
As far as a subjective opinion regarding their sound qualities etc,  some one else may be able to answer that better than I.
 
 
(forum rules prevent MOTs from discussing matters such as this)

 

[Rappo]

  Does the Nobel 4 sound anything similar to the 4.Ai or quite different?

It's been a while since i've auditioned the 4.Ai, but i believe that the N4 sounds quite different. They may share the same components, but as John mentioned they differ in the tuning, and that makes a lot of difference. The 4.Ai got that dip around the 5k frequency range, which makes them sound a lot ehm... darker (not sure what the correct term is) than the N4. If you have ever listened to the tzar350, i think that you would find that they got a lot in common soundwise. That said i find the N4 a lot more forgiving than the tzar350, but it still has those sparkling clear highs. The "correction" of that 5k frequency dip, may be the only difference between the 4.Ai and the N4, but if that is the case, it really makes a hell of a lot of difference.
 
I really enjoy my N4s btw. I really couldn't live with the tzar350 as an everyday use IEM, but i did love the sparkling highs of it. You get those sparkling highs with the N4, but without the sibilans and they still deliver a close to neutral and very balanced sound with a smooth midrange and deep controlled bass. Actually i am quite impressed by the bass and the punch that it packs.
 
Edit: I've just done some minor editing of my post, so now it actually makes sense. 

 

[Sauntere]

Can anyone give a comparison in sound between the Noble 4 and Fitear F111 ?
 
I have the Fitear and want to know if the 4 represents an upgrade in clarity and bass..

 

[geagle]

  It's been a while since i've auditioned the 4.Ai, but i believe that the N4 sounds quite different. They may share the same components, but as John mentioned they differ in the tuning, and that makes a lot of difference. The 4.Ai got that dip around the 5k frequency range, which makes them sound a lot ehm... darker (not sure what the correct term is) than the N4. If you have ever listened to the tzar350, i think that you would find that they got a lot in common soundwise. That said i find to be the N4 a lot less forgiving than the tzar350, but it still has those sparkling clear highs. The "correction" of that 5k frequency dip, may be the only difference between the 4.Ai and the N4, but if that is the case, it really makes a hell of a lot of difference.
 
I really enjoy my N4s btw. I really couldn't live with the tzar350 as an everyday use IEM, but i did love the sparkling highs of it. You get those sparkling highs with the N4, but without the sibilans and they still deliver a close to neutral and very balanced sound with a smooth midrange and deep controlled bass. Actually i am quite impressed by the bass and the punch that it packs.

Rappo, could you please elaborate a bit on that? The Tzar 350 are already well known for being VERY unforgiving on poor recordings etc. … You find the N4 to be even more so? And yet the N4 is not sibilant etc.? What do you mean?
 
For the record, I have the Tzar 350, Heir 4.ai, Noble 6 - and I like the Tzar 350 A LOT 

, though I'm now listening almost exclusively to the N6 (which, however, IMHO does NOT have similar sparkling highs to the Tzar 350 - the highs ARE there in the N6, but the overall balance is somewhat on the "dark" side), so this is not meant, at all, as a dissing on the Tzar 350.

 

[Rappo]

Rappo, could you please elaborate a bit on that? The Tzar 350 are already well known for being VERY unforgiving on poor recordings etc. … You find the N4 to be even more so? And yet the N4 is not sibilant etc.? What do you mean?

For the record, I have the Tzar 350, Heir 4.ai, Noble 6 - and I like the Tzar 350 A LOT  , though I'm now listening almost exclusively to the N6 (which, however, IMHO does NOT have similar sparkling highs to the Tzar 350 - the highs ARE there in the N6, but the overall balance is somewhat on the "dark" side), so this is not meant, at all, as a dissing on the Tzar 350.

What i meant to say was, that the N4 is A LOT more forgiving and less sibilant than the Tzar350.

 

[geagle]

What i meant to say was, that the N4 is A LOT more forgiving and less sibilant than the Tzar350.

Ah, ok , I see now, thanks.

 

[FullCircle]

Rappo, could you please elaborate a bit on that? The Tzar 350 are already well known for being VERY unforgiving on poor recordings etc. … You find the N4 to be even more so? And yet the N4 is not sibilant etc.? What do you mean?
 
For the record, I have the Tzar 350, Heir 4.ai, Noble 6 - and I like the Tzar 350 A LOT 

, though I'm now listening almost exclusively to the N6 (which, however, IMHO does NOT have similar sparkling highs to the Tzar 350 - the highs ARE there in the N6, but the overall balance is somewhat on the "dark" side), so this is not meant, at all, as a dissing on the Tzar 350.

 




You Sir are a "Collector."

Thanks for the info as well.

 

[Rappo]

  Ah, ok , I see now, thanks.

No problem. I should probably read my posts properly before posting, especially when it is saturday morning and i haven't had coffee yet. 

 

[geagle]

Originally Posted by FullCircle /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
 
You Sir are a "Collector."

Thanks for the info as well.

 
And you, Sir, are most definitely welcome, and to be complimented on creating all of them

.
 
I could add something more to my impressions of the N6, but I'm still in the process of "understanding" the N6, and I'm the habit of remaining silent, if I'm not sure of what to say

.
 
One small thing that I've noticed, and that I can say as it might also benefit others, is that shallow insertion seems to make the N6 brighter, though, of course, it's a very fine line: too shallow an insertion and you break the seal, sacrificing the bass. I'm currently using a pair of complies TS-400 for tips on the N6, which, I found, gave my ears -which are definitely NOT easy to find a good fit for, unfortunately for me- the best sealing and the best bass: a very deep insertion (to the point of having the outer shell of the N6 almost flush with the outer part of the ear) makes the N6 quite dark, and almost a bit "congested" to my ears, while a relatively shallow insertion (with the IEMs sticking out, a bit, from the ears, but with the tips still very much inside - meaning that, if you grab one and try to pull it out, it doesn't, unless you do exercise some force), makes things a lot "airier". 
 
I use the same comply TS-400 tips with the Tzar 350, BTW, and I would definitely recommend those tips to anybody who would like to boost the bass on the Tzar 350 without sacrificing any of the treble (and no, the N6 definitely does NOT need a boost in the bass - it's just that, for my ears, the complies TS-400 are currently the tips that work best also for the N6, compared to the 4 different stock ones that I tried).
 
 
Edited, because what did appear on my screen was quite different from it should have been, with some parts missing ….

 

[feverfive]

 

Originally Posted by FullCircle /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
 
You Sir are a "Collector."

Thanks for the info as well.

 
And you, Sir, are most definitely welcome, and to be complimented on creating all of them

.
 
I could add something more to my impressions of the N6, but I'm still in the process of "understanding" the N6, and I'm the habit of remaining silent, if I'm not sure of what to say

.
 
One small thing that I've noticed, and that I can say as it might also benefit others, is that shallow insertion seems to make the N6 brighter, though, of course, it's a very fine line: too shallow an insertion and you break the seal, sacrificing the bass. I'm currently using a pair of complies TS-400 for tips on the N6, which, I found, gave my ears -which are definitely NOT easy to find a good fit for, unfortunately for me- the best sealing and the best bass: a very deep insertion (to the point of having the outer shell of the N6 almost flush with the outer part of the ear) makes the N6 quite dark, and almost a bit "congested" to my ears, while a relatively shallow insertion (with the IEMs sticking out, a bit, from the ears, but with the tips still very much inside - meaning that, if you grab one and try to pull it out, it doesn't, unless you do exercise some force), makes things a lot "airier". 
 
I use the same comply TS-400 tips with the Tzar 350, BTW, and I would definitely recommend those tips to anybody who would like to boost the bass on the Tzar 350 without sacrificing any of the treble (and no, the N6 definitely does NOT need a boost in the bass - it's just that, for my ears, the complies TS-400 are currently the tips that work best also for the N6, compared to the 4 different stock ones that I tried).
 
 
Edited, because what did appear on my screen was quite different from it should have been, with some parts missing ….

 
Thanks for your impressions, and I totally w/ the bolded/underlined.  I wish universal IEM makers would come up w/ a way for extending the ear piece nozzle (the part that holds the ear tips) to allow for deeper insertion depending on type of ear, or even offer different nozzle diameters so different ear tips could fit snugly.  I likewise am a tough fit at times, and I likewise am leery of going the custom route (I can be aggravated easily by having to re-ship things to get it right, and making multiple trips to have goo stuffed into my ears by an audiologist doesn't appeal to me either, so knowing that about myself, I am avoiding it).
 
For example, I have the Earsonics SM64 for about a year now.  The ONLY way I can get proper insertion depth & good seal, so far, is by using a large (light blue) Sony Hybrid tip, but the diameter of Sony bore is too big to fit snugly on the SM64 nozzle.  I had to de-core an included Comply tip, and the Sony Hybrid tip fits on that snugly; I then slide the Comply core onto the SM64 nozzle.  This allows me to use the Sony tip, BUT, it also allows for a bit deeper insertion as the Comply core adds extension.  Hope this makes sense.

 

[OK-Guy]

isn't there a new 'flexible' ear-bud out that allows for the bud part to move independently of the stem?... would they be a solution?

 

[kova4a]

  isn't there a new 'flexible' ear-bud out that allows for the bud part to move independently of the stem?... would they be a solution?

Yeah, spinfit or something - I want these but apparently they are still not available for sale anywhere