[Maxvla]

This is incredibly off-topic, but I just wanted to throw this out there since I was just telling another head-fier about this...

You know head-fi has ruined, and/or, taken over your life when you've spent the last two nights dreaming and having nightmares about a pair of UE11's. Seriously, it's rather disturbing. One night, i had a dream that they finally arrived, and I was just so happy.... until I woke up and realized I didn't really have them- ruined my day.

The next night, I had a nightmare that I got the UPS e-mail from UE for my UE11's; however, every time I checked the tracking number online, the "days until arrival" kept increasing. First it was 2 business days, then 5, then 7, then 14... lol. 

YOU SEE WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE TO ME?!?!?

 

That's pretty bad. I recommend seeking help. We have a doctor on staff here. His name is Dr. Alex Cavalli.

 

[CEE TEE]

^or most of us have had a similar experience...

 
When my first tube amp arrives, I may be as ecstatic as when some of the other purchases have arrived!!

 

[project86]

Quote:

This is incredibly off-topic, but I just wanted to throw this out there since I was just telling another head-fier about this...
 
You know head-fi has ruined, and/or, taken over your life when you've spent the last two nights dreaming and having nightmares about a pair of UE11's. Seriously, it's rather disturbing. One night, i had a dream that they finally arrived, and I was just so happy.... until I woke up and realized I didn't really have them- ruined my day.
 
The next night, I had a nightmare that I got the UPS e-mail from UE for my UE11's; however, every time I checked the tracking number online, the "days until arrival" kept increasing. First it was 2 business days, then 5, then 7, then 14... lol. 
 
YOU SEE WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE TO ME?!?!?
 
 

Been there!
 
It's probably a common thing when waiting for a custom build, whether it is IEMs or a hand built amp/DAC/whatever. But custom IEMs are the most commonly ordered item. You spend so much time researching, designing, ordering, anticipating.... it is bound to be on your mind. 

 

[Elysian]

Quote:

I'm more in the $100-$200 price range.  This is my first foray into more expensive headphones. I bought Ultimate Ears UE600's a few years ago at an airport while traveling, I just wanted something that would seal out background noise.  I think I paid $120, and they are the most expensive ones I own.  I won some Sound Blaster Tactics 3D sigma headphones at a raffle.  I don't play computer games, so I was going to get rid of them, I think I'll stick them on eBay.  I have a simple Logitec computer headset for Skype, but I don't use it too often. 
 
I'll call Audio High, see if they carry stuff in my price range.  

Audible Arts sells Grado and Audeze.  Owner is a very nice guy and does not pressure sales.  Support your local business!
http://www.yelp.com/biz/audible-arts-campbell

 

[rhythmdevils]

Does anyone in the Bay Area want to borrow an HE500 to audition in their home?  And hopefully post some impressions?  If you're interested and can pick up in Palo Alto or San Jose send me a pm.  (and preferably if I've seen you around on the forums or met you at a meet....)

 

[CEE TEE]

^Calling @SanJoseCanJunkie...where did he go?

 

[rhythmdevils]

He's already had them for a week or so. 

 

[tdogzthmn]

^ Id be interested in trying out the HE500.  It would be nice to try them in a private setting to see how the fair against my HD800.

 

[PANGES]

We should get some sort of gear exchange going on around here. Perhaps maybe some sort of Bay Area Head-Fi gear exchange, where we trade gear for 1-2 weeks at a time. That might be fun and people might feel more comfortable and be more inclined to participate if it were a local sort of arrangement. I wouldn't mind loaning stuff out in exchange for an opportunity to try new stuff. It beats buying and selling stuff just to see if you like it.

 

[shane55]

Just a brief update about the UE4-Pro's I had dealt with at the meet.
First. Huge thanks to CEE TEE for the venue.
Second. Huge thanks to UE for their incredible customer service. Willing to go a step beyond to make a customer happy. Kudos.
 
The UE4's I bought last year never fit well. They sounded fine, but were unwearable even after 3 re-fits. I boxed them up and shoved them in the closet.
I brought them to the meet and spoke with UE (at the urging of CEE TEE), and they were very apologetic and took them from me, and told me that they would take care of it. I described the issues and they really seemed to understand the cause. I got a new impression from the same audiologist.
And waited for the re-worked UE4's.
 
They came in last weekend and I had them in my ear for most of Sat and Sun, and several of the evenings after that.
 
The fit is very good. Better, by miles, than before. I get none of the obvious issues recurring. They are good enough for me to actually enjoy them and hear the wonderful sound that they make.
 
The sound truly is great. They certainly beat all my other IEM's for purity, realism and neutrality. They don't have the abject brilliance of the DBA-02 / B2, nor the ridiculous sonority of the UM2, but they are more musical than either, and far superior to many of the other IEM's I've owned. The sound is clean and non-fatiguing, with very good low-end extension (kicking the DBA).
I had them in for many hours while I ripped an LP and edited the files. No discomfort whatsoever.
 
And you knew there had to be a 'but'...
 
I am never going to buy another custom. They are just not for me. I prefer universals that I can wear using Comply tips. It's really that simple. The fit is perfect, but the hardness of the shell and the air-tight seal lend itself to bone conduction and microphonics... big time! It's just a matter of ear structure. For whatever reason, my ears just don't like some of what a hard-shell custom has to offer. And that's just my issue. I wear these and wonder how people can perform, sing, dance, etc. with these things in their ears. If I'm sitting still, they are wonderful, but the slightest move is heard. But again, that's just me.
 
So, aside from these personal issues, the UE4 are wonderful. I will be using them exclusively for recording and editing, since I'm mostly stationary, and they will be fantastic. Their clarity and tonality is perfect for that. I can only imagine what the sound of the more high-end IEM's (UERM) sound like. It must be magic, because these are pretty close to that.
 
Thanks again.
 
Cheers.

 

[hma101]

I just got my impressions for some JH13s. I've never been able to get a good seal with universal IEMs. I hope I don't experience the same problems.

 

[PANGES]

Wow. Must've been really frustrating not getting a good fit after three refits.
 
Quote:

Just a brief update about the UE4-Pro's I had dealt with at the meet.
First. Huge thanks to CEE TEE for the venue.
Second. Huge thanks to UE for their incredible customer service. Willing to go a step beyond to make a customer happy. Kudos.
 
The UE4's I bought last year never fit well. They sounded fine, but were unwearable even after 3 re-fits. I boxed them up and shoved them in the closet.
I brought them to the meet and spoke with UE (at the urging of CEE TEE), and they were very apologetic and took them from me, and told me that they would take care of it. I described the issues and they really seemed to understand the cause. I got a new impression from the same audiologist.
And waited for the re-worked UE4's.
 
They came in last weekend and I had them in my ear for most of Sat and Sun, and several of the evenings after that.
 
The fit is very good. Better, by miles, than before. I get none of the obvious issues recurring. They are good enough for me to actually enjoy them and hear the wonderful sound that they make.
 
The sound truly is great. They certainly beat all my other IEM's for purity, realism and neutrality. They don't have the abject brilliance of the DBA-02 / B2, nor the ridiculous sonority of the UM2, but they are more musical than either, and far superior to many of the other IEM's I've owned. The sound is clean and non-fatiguing, with very good low-end extension (kicking the DBA).
I had them in for many hours while I ripped an LP and edited the files. No discomfort whatsoever.
 
And you knew there had to be a 'but'...
 
I am never going to buy another custom. They are just not for me. I prefer universals that I can wear using Comply tips. It's really that simple. The fit is perfect, but the hardness of the shell and the air-tight seal lend itself to bone conduction and microphonics... big time! It's just a matter of ear structure. For whatever reason, my ears just don't like some of what a hard-shell custom has to offer. And that's just my issue. I wear these and wonder how people can perform, sing, dance, etc. with these things in their ears. If I'm sitting still, they are wonderful, but the slightest move is heard. But again, that's just me.
 
So, aside from these personal issues, the UE4 are wonderful. I will be using them exclusively for recording and editing, since I'm mostly stationary, and they will be fantastic. Their clarity and tonality is perfect for that. I can only imagine what the sound of the more high-end IEM's (UERM) sound like. It must be magic, because these are pretty close to that.
 
Thanks again.
 
Cheers.

 
 

 

[rroseperry]

Does anyone in the Bay Area want to borrow an HE500 to audition in their home?  And hopefully post some impressions?  If you're interested and can pick up in Palo Alto or San Jose send me a pm.  (and preferably if I've seen you around on the forums or met you at a meet....)

Sent PM.

 

[Mkubota1]

Quote:

The UE4's I bought last year never fit well. They sounded fine, but were unwearable even after 3 re-fits. I boxed them up and shoved them in the closet.
I brought them to the meet and spoke with UE (at the urging of CEE TEE), and they were very apologetic and took them from me, and told me that they would take care of it. I described the issues and they really seemed to understand the cause. I got a new impression from the same audiologist.
And waited for the re-worked UE4's...
 

Sounds like maybe you had a bad impression to begin with and there was only so much that UE could do to re-work the shell.
 
I have to say that I'm part with you on the custom thing.  While mine fit nicely and sound fantastic, I have a big problem with stuff touching my skin.  I warm up fast with most headphones so I have to be extra careful there too.  For IEMs, I don't recall ever having comfort problems with any universals that I've tried- everything from Etys to TripleFis.  The thing with customs is you have something (hard) filling your entire ear all the way to the outside, as opposed to universals where it's usually just the tips and maybe part of the shell that is touching you.  Because of both their seal and surface contact area, customs allow no room for air circulation.  Moisture and heat can build up fast.  As for bone conduction, it's true that with something hard like this stuck in your ear, with no music playing in a quiet environment you can hear your own breath and pulse.  Where people complain about noise floor and 'blackness' in the most minute (and often immeasurable) amounts, I'm surprised that no one seems to complain about this.  
 
With all of that said, the only way to know if customs are for you is to try them- no other way.  

 

[daigo]

Sorry to hear it took so long for your UE4 issues to be somewhat resolved, shane55.  
 
I guess I was lucky that my UE11's only took about a week for me to get comfortable with for the fit and have since had them on for extended periods of time without any discomfort (longest was about 11 hours straight while on a flight).  The only thing I've not been too happy with was that I thought the seal would block out more ambient noise than it does (foam ear plugs from work definitely block out more noise), but it blocks out enough that I can listen to music at a fairly low volume and stay in my ear, which was the desired goal switching from universals.