Ya to be honest. It is tough to go back to stock tips after the mod. To me the complys diffuse the sound in my ears a touch and I can hear the difference. Stock silicones limit the dynamics of the sound.
This mod creates a natural cone to the inner ear. The results are an expansive magnified version of the great dynamics on the HEM8.
Spiral Dots FTW. I am using one of the small silicones provided in the HEM8 box on backwards. The nozzle is then effectively much more thicker but even better yet. It has a natural cone from center nozzle out when put in backwards. Crazy how that worked out. Then I put the Spiral Dots on top and the sound just expands in the ears.
It is kind of like having your HEM8 amped vs non amped inside the ear. Love the effect. Extremely engaging after the mod.
If you guys have never used the Spiral Dots before. I would call them absolutely necessary for iem enthusiasts. They literally make every earphone I use them on sound better. Worth every penny they are asking for a box of 3 pairs pictured here.
Ya to be honest. It is tough to go back to stock tips after the mod. To me the complys diffuse the sound in my ears a touch and I can hear the difference. Stock silicones limit the dynamics of the sound.
Spiral Dots FTW. I am using one of the small silicones provided in the HEM8 box on backwards. The nozzle is then effectively much more thicker but even better yet. It has a natural cone from center nozzle out when put in backwards. Crazy how that worked out. Then I put the Spiral Dots on top and the sound just expands in the ears.
It is kind of like having your HEM8 amped vs non amped inside the ear. Love the effect. Extremely engaging after the mod.
Glad I am not the only one hearing them with this mod. First time I did this the sound blew my mind. Lol! It was so much more engaging than stock configuration there was no doing back for me.
I was loving the stock sound but I had to try this as this expanded the sound on the Primo 8 in the same way. The fact that these HEM8s are tuned better imo just adds to just how much better sounding it was to me after the mod. It was like I turned on the amp switch in my ears.
If NuForce made some stock tips to that do the horn thing, that would be very cool. I once contacted Westone back in the early W4 days about the same thing and was greeted with crickets.
If I had a gripe about the package it would actually be the tips selection. They are standard and the added Complys are Ok. Optimizing sound through proper earphone tips makes sense to me. This is proof positive tips make a big difference in the dynamics of a sound..
This tip mod makes about a much sonic difference as using an amp with your source. That is substantial if you ask me. This is an easy way of optimizing the sound. I am sure this might not work with everyone and some might much prefer the stock tips or the Complys. But I would definitely give this simple mod a try.
Even if you guys don't own Spiral Dots. You can try with similar wide bore tips. Should give similar results.
Stream of consciousness writing. These are brief notes from initial impressions before I do a second round. Only first two so far. Not listening for anything specific; just have music playing and letting it filter into the back of my mind, scribbling notes down in between.
I haven't read anything that you monkeys have said yet.
HEM2
- very low noise from NuPrime uDSD; not super sensitive which I prefer
- not the clearest... let me rephrase; top end feels kinda muted; it's there, but missing something
- but cohesive, all the parts seem to flow nicely together... just too polite
- smallish stage
- doesn't pull me in
- relatively flat response though rolled off at either end
HEM4
- picks up more noise from my amp
- though noticeably higher sensitivity
- immediately seems fuller and more capable than the HEM2
- top end has opened up
- better bass extension
- a bit heavier in the mids
- is that the crossover I hear? there's a double dip around 2.5kHz (broad) and 5kHz (sharper)
- feel like the 2 had a touch more punch in the midbass
You find HEM4 sounds fuller than HEM2? Huh. I've found HEM4 sounds leaner than all the others with a couple different sources used so far. I'll give another listen tonight...
Fuller not in terms of frequency response... just that it felt more "satisfying" than the 2. One of those weird unquantifiable feelings. I will go back later for further listening and decipher my scribbles later.
Also using the silicon tips instead of foams (which never fit me properly).
In the meantime, here's 6:
- same sensitivity as the 4
- less top than the 4? feels like that slight mute again; or a very very broad scoop from the mids to low treble region
- ah there's some more satisfying midbass again, though perhaps slightly humped
- bottom reaches deeper? feels cleaner
- I have the same feeling as the 2; all the pieces are there but it doesn't quite pull me in; missing some energy in that upper midrange; transients feel sleepy
- but it's more competent than the 2; clarity is better
- except for a slight added grain??; I felt something similar in the 2 which was broadband but here it feels more localized but I can't pinpoint where
I've put that down and am about to head out for a walk with the 8. I'm trying to give each one some decent uninterrupted head time before anything more extensive.
mini thought stream on the 8...
- higher sensitivity/noise than 6
- quicker and clear
- flat bass response, good extension
- has a similar scoop as the 6 but comes up sooner
- overall feels slightly restrained, but more capable than the rest
Despite feeling like it's being held back somehow, I was most easily absorbed by this one and forgot to take notes as I was listening. That's a good sign right?
edit: I'm just catching up on the thread... looks like you guys are playing with new tips to bring up the top end? I wonder if that would explain this "restrained" feeling that I'm getting??
My take on the HEM8 http://www.head-fi.org/products/nuforce-hem8-reference-class-hi-res-in-ear-headphones-with-quad-balanced-armature-drivers/reviews/15596
Okay so this is going to be a bit of a shotgun-style review. Normally I live with a new headphone/iem/dac/whatever for a few days and accumulate my thoughts slowly during that time. With 4 members in the HEM family to go through in a short amount of time, a somewhat more intense approach was required.
I essentially started with the HEM2 and listened randomly to music for a couple hours at a louder-than-normal level (for me), jotting notes as I went. I did not go through specific test tracks; I simply let music play and let my impressions come naturally. In this way, I proceeded through the 4, then 6, then 8. In between, I “re-calibrated” my ears with some quiet time, some low level listening with my HE-6, and some more quiet time again.
For the second round, I repeated the whole thing but with a different set of tips (with the closest equivalent I could make of the “Dsnuts tip mod”) and again repeated the note-taking. Round 1 was with the smallest silicon tips. I did not try the comply foams as they never fit properly for me
Round three consisted of more rapid style A/B switching between the various models and tips to verify my notes and impressions from round 1 and 2. More specific music was used this time. It is by no means utterly complete given the timeframe, but sometimes those initial impressions are best left as is in their raw format.
Furthermore, my mindset during the grind was very critical and, to be blunt, not nice (fatigue and grumpiness and illness also factor in). So keeping that in mind, this shotgun review is not going to be flowery and tell you all the wonderful things about the HEM series. There are other people who will tell you the nice stuff. No, this is going to be me as a nitpicky little bogun telling you what I don't like about each one. I will try to be equally discriminatory across the board. I repeat: Do not take this to mean that I disliked each one. Some I quite liked. No I won't tell you which one I liked the best either.
Things will be presented in point form. Round 1 notes start with a dash, round 2 notes start with an asterisk I'm not even going to delete anything I write, though I will expand upon them later on as I edit.
Packaging
- holy crap this box is heavy
- ok that's seriously impressive packaging... but far too excessive
- as cool as that pelican case is, it's not even functional for use... but hey it's big enough to fit my dap into or something
- c'mon, I can barely even wrangle the shells out of the foam, argh!
Body
- smaller body housing, makes for a slim profile in the ear
- that's actually a comfortable shape for me as I have small ears
Cable
- braided cable: microphonics very low; super flexible and soft; actually hey it's not a braid, just a tight twist; an actual splitter would have been nice but oh well, that heat shrink looks a little funny
- mic cable: slightly more microphonic, but otherwise nice
HEM2
- very low noise from NuPrime uDSD; not super sensitive which I prefer
- not the clearest... let me rephrase; top end feels kinda muted; it's there, but missing something
- but cohesive, all the parts seem to flow nicely together... just polite is the friendly way to put it
- smallish stage, low down in front of me
- doesn't pull me in though
- some sort of low level broad distortion across the upper mids? interferes with clarity
- relatively flat response though rolled off at either end
- at least nothing in the frequency response sticke out at me
* tip mod... moves it further away from the ear; maybe better isolation
* still kinda muted (less so) but at times the music seems to jump out, kinda odd
* deep bass seems improved, but lost some kick
* better immersion this time around
* cohesiveness seems the same
* still not overly engaged
* moved back to original tip, yeah feels more muted again, not as dramatic as I first though, but regular seems to have a bit more upper energy “clarity” while modded tip is clearer in the mids
HEM4
- picks up more noise from my amp
- noticeably higher sensitivity than the 2; why this trend of super sensitivity? I'd rather moderate sensitivity and higher impedance so that amplifiers have an easier job
- initial impression is it immediately seems “fuller” and more capable than the HEM2 in terms of energy, but not fuller in terms of bass, rather in the sense of overall energy and involvement
- primarily the upper mids and top end have opened up
- where the 2 felt rolled off, especially in the top, the 4 here is notably improved
- better bass extension, though not as dramatic as the treble improvement
- a bit heavier in the mids though, slightly pushy
- but after a bit notice a discrepancy
- is that the crossover I hear? there's a double dip around 2.5kHz (broad) and 5kHz (sharper)
- creates a slight disjointed feeling; at first I didn't know what that was, but now that I know to listen for it... ugh stupid brain
- I feel like the 2 had a touch more punch in the midbass, makes the 4 seem a bit leaner
- does not feel quite as cohesive as the 2
* lost the weight in the mids
* seems to have fixed up the dips?? or at least widened them so they are more scoops rather than notches; creates a slight wonk but this is maybe preferable to the notch which is harder to notice, but when you do it seems more prominent
* for some reason I feel less engaged
* I don't think this was an improvement
* with so many models right next to each other, I have a feeling the HEM4 is going to be like the Shure SE315; the weird middle child
HEM6
- geez it's a good thing they're all different colours or I'd be lost about now
- same sensitivity as the 4
- less upper presence than the 4? feels like that slight mute again from the 2
- when I was more heavily in modding, this has that feeling like I stuck some felt in front of the driver, or that something is blocking the sound
- or a very very broad scoop from the mids to treble region
- can't call it a recessed, more like a lowered shelf
- but at least there's some more satisfying midbass again, though perhaps slightly humped
- perhaps the most thump of the family so far? doesn't quite feel right to say that, but feels that way coming from the 4
- bottom reaches deeper? feels cleaner than the 4
- I have the same feeling as the 2 where... all the pieces are there but it doesn't quite pull me in; missing some energy in that upper midrange; transients feel sleepy (not sloppy... sleepy)
- but it's more competent than the 2; clarity is better
- except for a slight added grain; I felt something similar in the 2 which was broadband but here it feels more localized but I can't pinpoint where; like there's a bee in my bonnet
- nitpicking since with the 2 I could hear it once I knew where to listen, but here it's mostly with sine sweeps or very very specific song passages
* again feels recessed, but in a different place
* meh it's different but I wouldn't call it an improvement
HEM8
- slightly higher sensitivity/noise than 6; this could become an issue with those who don't have amps with ultra-low noise floors
- quicker and clear, articulated
- flat bass response, good extension, most energy of the group
- has a similar scoop as the 6 but comes up sooner
- so it's missing “less”
- definitely brings the energy that the 6 was missing
- while the 6 felt sleepy, overall the 8 feels like it's there but is slightly restrained
- most capable of the family
- despite feeling like it's being held back somehow, I was most easily absorbed by this one
- I still hear this narrower not-a-buzzing thing that I can't describe; I've heard it in the 4/6/8 and it always kicks in around the mids (with the 2 it was a broadband thing)
- if I had the time I would experiment with different amping on this one; I wonder if it's an impedance interaction or a distortion artifact, or maybe a tip thing, or maybe my ear goblins are playing tricks on me
* maintains mid levels a bit longer before scooping down, but then the drop is more apparent
* also lessens the rise afterwards... essentially trading some upper treble for more lower treble, and shifting energy from one spot to another
* loses some deep bass energy but seems to reach extra low (added subharmonic distortion?)
* vocal range gains presence, but the upper end and the defining range lose out
* so it gains strength, but loses refinement
* it's a tossup, but I think I prefer the original tips
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