ComfyCan
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2006
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After reading this thread last night, http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=192439 , I spent a couple of hours fooling around with different tips and the E500's. I discovered something really interesting; you can make these things sound quite different by simply changing the tips.
First, a bit of background. In the past, (w/ E4c's or E3c's), I only used Shure yellow foam tips because that was the *only* way I could get any bass. I would use a modified flange tip for exercise, but that was to avoid turning foamies into sweat-sponges and had nothing to do with trying to adjust sound quality (modification = cutting tripple down to a double so it would match nozzle length).
Now, the revelation: unlike the E3c's or E4c's, the E500's have enough bass that you can use tip configurations for reasons other than comfort and convenience--you can make subtle changes in the sound of the IEM's to suit mood or mix by changing the tips, without killing off the bass. The first discovery was that I could use the long, standard length Comply tips and get sound that was a bit more open and airy, with a little less punch in the bass department. I then tried cutting the Comply tips to match the size of the Shure tips. I tried cutting off the side intended to go into the ear canal, as well as the other side. Both configurations were different than each other, and different from the Shure foamies. That led me to playing with the rubber tips. I still don't like the hard plastic tips due to comfort reasons, so I didn't give them much attention. However, the large and medium soft rubber tips fit me well and are pretty comfortable, and give a completely different sound signature to the E500's.
In a quiet environment where isolation is not an issue, the soft rubber tips seemed to offer the greatest power and clarity accross the full sound spectrum. In comparison, the Shure foamies produce a sound that is a bit flat (I'm struggling here to find the right terms; "flat" seems a bit strong--more negative than I intend-- but I don't know what other word to use).
The Comply tips (standard size, uncut) are a bit too long for the E500 nozzles, but they will still stay in your ears. Mechanically, the result is that the end of the nozzle is not as deep in the ear canal, but you still maintain a seal. This seems to give the E500's a sound that is much more similar to the E4c's--more forward vocal presentation with recessed bass. The modified comply tips (lobbing a bit off the back end) give a similar result, with a touch more punch than the standard size but greater clarity--air-- on the low end than you get with the Shure foamies. I don't have any of the short Westone Comply tips, but I suspect they would work much like my modded versions, but would work a bit better (mechanically) because the integrity of the tube would remain intact.
In sum: although my little experiements were not suffieciently comprehensive to allow me to reach definitive conclusions about which tips would best match different kinds of music/listening scenarious, it was sufficiently interesting that I will no longer be ignoring my bag of Shure tips. It's no longer just about the quest for bass, fit, and comfort--it's about tweaking the sound.
I'm sure this is not new news to some IEM users, but for those like me who could never get any bass without foamies, you may want to dust off that bag-o-tips if you have the E500's. They pack enough punch that you can make subtle changes in the sound signature by changing tips without ruining tonal balance.
First, a bit of background. In the past, (w/ E4c's or E3c's), I only used Shure yellow foam tips because that was the *only* way I could get any bass. I would use a modified flange tip for exercise, but that was to avoid turning foamies into sweat-sponges and had nothing to do with trying to adjust sound quality (modification = cutting tripple down to a double so it would match nozzle length).
Now, the revelation: unlike the E3c's or E4c's, the E500's have enough bass that you can use tip configurations for reasons other than comfort and convenience--you can make subtle changes in the sound of the IEM's to suit mood or mix by changing the tips, without killing off the bass. The first discovery was that I could use the long, standard length Comply tips and get sound that was a bit more open and airy, with a little less punch in the bass department. I then tried cutting the Comply tips to match the size of the Shure tips. I tried cutting off the side intended to go into the ear canal, as well as the other side. Both configurations were different than each other, and different from the Shure foamies. That led me to playing with the rubber tips. I still don't like the hard plastic tips due to comfort reasons, so I didn't give them much attention. However, the large and medium soft rubber tips fit me well and are pretty comfortable, and give a completely different sound signature to the E500's.
In a quiet environment where isolation is not an issue, the soft rubber tips seemed to offer the greatest power and clarity accross the full sound spectrum. In comparison, the Shure foamies produce a sound that is a bit flat (I'm struggling here to find the right terms; "flat" seems a bit strong--more negative than I intend-- but I don't know what other word to use).
The Comply tips (standard size, uncut) are a bit too long for the E500 nozzles, but they will still stay in your ears. Mechanically, the result is that the end of the nozzle is not as deep in the ear canal, but you still maintain a seal. This seems to give the E500's a sound that is much more similar to the E4c's--more forward vocal presentation with recessed bass. The modified comply tips (lobbing a bit off the back end) give a similar result, with a touch more punch than the standard size but greater clarity--air-- on the low end than you get with the Shure foamies. I don't have any of the short Westone Comply tips, but I suspect they would work much like my modded versions, but would work a bit better (mechanically) because the integrity of the tube would remain intact.
In sum: although my little experiements were not suffieciently comprehensive to allow me to reach definitive conclusions about which tips would best match different kinds of music/listening scenarious, it was sufficiently interesting that I will no longer be ignoring my bag of Shure tips. It's no longer just about the quest for bass, fit, and comfort--it's about tweaking the sound.
I'm sure this is not new news to some IEM users, but for those like me who could never get any bass without foamies, you may want to dust off that bag-o-tips if you have the E500's. They pack enough punch that you can make subtle changes in the sound signature by changing tips without ruining tonal balance.