[Leroy Jenkems]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gdpeck /img/forum/go_quote.gif I know somebody is going to accuse me of being an olive fanboy, but I spent some listening time over the last 24 hours with the supplied gel tips and I noticed the cable microphonics much more with them than I do with the shure olives. I think maybe it's due to increased isolation with the olives. Also, the Custom-3s seem to respond very nicely to external amplifications. I've been listening to my ipod nano amped through my headfive, and it definitely provides some subtle improvements to the sound. I don't think an amp is a necessity for these, but it does provide some benefit. Thanks! George

more isolation would mean more microphonics

 

[Trager]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leroy Jenkems /img/forum/go_quote.gif more isolation would mean more microphonics

Not necessarily -- I'm pretty sure that the foam would provide additional damping which would would attenuate the transmitted microphonics. The thin rubber flanges are great for isolation, but I would be almost certain that the foam is better for holding the shaft of the earphone in place.

 

[gdpeck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trager /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not necessarily -- I'm pretty sure that the foam would provide additional damping which would would attenuate the transmitted microphonics. The thin rubber flanges are great for isolation, but I would be almost certain that the foam is better for holding the shaft of the earphone in place.

Thanks, you said it better than I did. It probably isn't increased isolation that causes me to hear less cable microphonics, but better stability provided by the foam tips.

On an entirely different subject, I notice that you had Shure SE310s once. Do you have any recollection of how they sounded compared to the Custom-3s? I'm still wondering if these are worth nearly $300 or if I should look at stuff in the high $180-$250 range like q-JAYS or Atrios or SE310s.

Thanks!
George

 

[Trager]

Actually, I still have my SE310s. I kept them as backup phones for when I left my Atrios at home/work/wherever. My q-Jays mostly perform that function now, but I haven't gotten around to selling the Shures.

It's hard for me to characterize the C3 sound still. I'll probably start in on my detailed review in another day or two (I like to give my ears at least a couple of days to get used to new phones before I listen to them critically). My impression at the moment (and that's with no head-to-head listening and not having used the Shures for several months) is that the C3s have better highs and cleaner sound in general. The Shures might have a prettier midrange (which was really their strength). Bass is kind of hard to tell, because I've become spoiled by the Atrio bass, but I think the Klipsch phones have better impact if not extension. My favorite things about the Shures were their beautiful mids and really excellent soundstage for a pair of IEMs -- without more critical listening, I can't say whether the C3s win out in either way.

If money is an issue, I htink I can still fairly confidently say that the Atrios win on bang-for-the-buck. The C3s are certainly not twice as good, the improvement is incremental. However, if you're like me, and almost-but-not-quite satisfied with the Atrio sound, the C3 might provide what you're looking for.

 

[cn11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trager /img/forum/go_quote.gif If money is an issue, I htink I can still fairly confidently say that the Atrios win on bang-for-the-buck. The C3s are certainly not twice as good, the improvement is incremental. However, if you're like me, and almost-but-not-quite satisfied with the Atrio sound, the C3 might provide what you're looking for.

I agree. I just got mine, and have been doing initial listening. I don't hear the price difference either. I know I've got a good seal, but they're just not that 'blow-me-away' effect I was hoping for. As for another comparison, the Denons are back in, and they are more natural sounding to my ear. I hear all the detail of the C3, with deeper bass, and it does it all more naturally to boot. I find the Denons still the king for bang-for-the-buck. But then again these are just my very first impressions. I'll do a more in-depth report soon. I do have some more tips on the way- the Shure silicone tips that fit the Atrios, and I was thinking of ordering some Comply short foam tips. I'll see if either of those work as a good match with the Klipsch.

 

[Del Griffith]

I'm getting a little nervous. I'm not seeing alot of "wow factor" as stated above from anyone. Mine will be here tomorrow.. I am almost scared to open them... I know they can be returned for full refund even after listening, but I hate to think of doing that.

 

[gdpeck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trager /img/forum/go_quote.gif If money is an issue, I htink I can still fairly confidently say that the Atrios win on bang-for-the-buck. The C3s are certainly not twice as good, the improvement is incremental. However, if you're like me, and almost-but-not-quite satisfied with the Atrio sound, the C3 might provide what you're looking for.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cn11 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't hear the price difference either. I know I've got a good seal, but they're just not that 'blow-me-away' effect I was hoping for. As for another comparison, the Denons are back in, and they are more natural sounding to my ear. I hear all the detail of the C3, with deeper bass, and it does it all more naturally to boot. I find the Denons still the king for bang-for-the-buck.

Money is always an issue a little bit. I'm not concerned about spending $300 for the C-3s, as long as what I'm getting is better than I could get for $150-200. Incremental improvements are fine too, but it almost seems as if there is a price/performance sweet spot around $200 for IEMs, and not so much at $300. I'm going directly from d-JAYS at $100 to Custom-3s at $300, and I haven't had a chance to audition any of the $200 offerings out there. Before I decided to check out the Custom-3s, my leading candidate for next IEM was the q-JAYs at $179 MSRP. If I tried real hard, I think I could get both q-JAYS and Atrios for the same $300 that the Custom-3s cost (setting aside for just a second the fact that I didn't pay $300 for them).

I do feel that the Custom-3s are a substantial improvement over the d-JAYS and compared to those I have no problem with the cost of the Custom-3s. If I were to attempt to quantify this in terms of the Custom-3s I'd say that the d-JAYS are 70 percent of the Custom-3s. Now, if the q-JAYS or Atrios are 90+% of the Custom-3s and I could get them for $100+ less then that would be pretty compelling.

Also, I don't know what SE310s end up going for with discounts that are available, but those may be an option as well. My IEM journey started with E2Cs a couple of years ago, and I know that Shure makes a solid product...

 

[slwiser]

I got my Custom-3 today. I enjoy them a lot when I get a good seal but that is easier said than done. I am going to have to play with the tips that come with it. The default tips are so big that I have to push them deep in to get them to stay in place and I have big ears. Where do they get the ideal that this is 60% population fit? Must have been a group of giants, maybe a football or basketball team for testing with big heads and ears. And the default tip is not even the biggest one. The cord looks very delicate to me.

But the sound is the best thing. I just replaced the default ones with the next smaller size. This is working better for me. They also need to fit down into the open and sort of lock in to place for the great sound to materialize. If you just have them laying on your ear opening you are losing out big-time with the sound.

I just moved my eye-glasses and knock them out of position even with the smaller tips. This is going to be a problem I think with the design. The body is just to large to sit where it should sit to get the tight closure to sound right unless you keep fooling with them. They take a little bit of time, every time you place them, to even come close to a proper fitting for the sound to be right.

Time to go over to the site and register my earphones.

 

[pretzelb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slwiser /img/forum/go_quote.gif I got my Custom-3 today. I enjoy them a lot when I get a good seal but that is easier said than done. I am going to have to play with the tips that come with it. The default tips are so big that I have to push them deep in to get them to stay in place and I have big ears. Where do they get the ideal that this is 60% population fit? Must have been a group of giants, maybe a football or basketball team for testing with big heads and ears. And the default tip is not even the biggest one. The cord looks very delicate to me. But the sound is the best thing. I just replaced the default ones with the next smaller size. This is working better for me. They also need to fit down into the open and sort of lock in to place for the great sound to materialize. If you just have them laying on your ear opening you are losing out big-time with the sound.

I'm also having a tough time with the seal. Strangely I get the best seal (I think) with the huge gels that you mention. My ears are pretty small or average but with the big gels I can fill my ear and create a block. With the smaller ones I feel like I have to push them in further and I can't do that because the ear pieces are too big. Maybe I'm spoiled by the Image.

The sound is pretty darn good. I don't have much to compare it too though. I'm hearing more detail in my good recordings that I had previously. I'm starting to get an idea which recordings were done at high quality and which were not, or at least I think I am.

I wish I were better at wording these reviews.

 

[visia]

I had these for couple of weeks now and comparing them to Atrios, C700 and X3i, I am very happy with them. Granted I am not much into analytical listening, to me Custom-3 combines best features of Atrios and C700. Bass is on par with Atrios, has good texture and punch, but not nearly as insane as X3is. The mids are much better and up-front, similar to C700s. I am using Shure olives and have no problem with the fit (I usually use large tips for all IEMs). Cable microphonics are real, but are not a big deal when the music is playing. In comparison, I used to have Shure 500 and hated them, primarily because highs tended to get way too splashy with them. Are they worth 2X price tag of Atrios or C700? I have no idea. Its hard to say if anything above 200$ is worth the money, but these are definitely keepers for me

.

 

[PeterDLai]

It's been about a week and a half, and I think my ears are adjusting much more to the sound signature of these puppies.

I have since equalized (which I didn't really want to) the top end up a little bit and found a sound very close to what I was looking for, except for one thing, which is soundstage. I'm not sure if soundstage can get much better since it seems like a physical limitation of IEMs in general. I'm curious as to how the soundstage of custom-fitted IEMs would compare, nonetheless.

I don't quite notice the microphonics these days as I used to, perhaps I got used to them.

These are definitely the best IEMs I've heard to date in terms of resolution. Feed it high quality material and you will be impressed by how well they perform.

Beside that, though, they still sound very much like headphones to me, but very good ones. They put you right in the middle of the music, and everything plays tightly wound close around you. This is not really a good thing or a bad thing, it comes down to your personal preference. I think I prefer a little more air and spaciousness than the C3's provide.

Listening to my KSC35 is a bit painful right after a long listening session with the C3's because of the immense resolution advantage of the more expensive C3 (there's a lot more distortion and artifacts using the KSC35 in comparison), but I think I still like the overall presentation of the KSC35 more.

 

[PeterDLai]

Just a quick note of something I have realized recently: the sound of the C3's get better the deeper you put them into my canal, but this in effect also reduces the soundstage. The sound very much so comes from inside of the head instead of outside.

You are in the middle of the music, and it swallows you whole.

Some people may love this aspect when listening to their music, but I think I'm getting closer and closer to realizing that I need more space around me...

 

[cn11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeterDLai /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just a quick note of something I have realized recently: the sound of the C3's get better the deeper you put them into my canal, but this in effect also reduces the soundstage. The sound very much so comes from inside of the head instead of outside. You are in the middle of the music, and it swallows you whole. Some people may love this aspect when listening to their music, but I think I'm getting closer and closer to realizing that I need more space around me...

That's exactly one of the things I had a problem with on the C3's. I don't know if it's my specific canal shape, but I couldn't get a good seal unless I jammed them waayyyyy in there. It was not comfortable at all. I actually thought if I had tried to use them for more than an hour, I would have developed some serious pain from the pressure down in my ear canal. It didn't feel right. Actually the seal was not reliable at all even with stuffing them in as far as they'd go. But there were moments of reasonbly decent sound when the seal sort of 'hit' for a few seconds.

So now I have the Sleek SA6, and they are the opposite end of the spectrum. One of the simplest earphones to insert quickly, and it stays put. Very nice.

-Cheers.

 

[pretzelb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeterDLai /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just a quick note of something I have realized recently: the sound of the C3's get better the deeper you put them into my canal, but this in effect also reduces the soundstage. The sound very much so comes from inside of the head instead of outside.

That concerns me. I'm using the largest gels to get a good seal and they basically just block the outer area of my canal. They don't go into the canal because I can't get any of the smaller ones to go in and hang around my ear. It seems like they are too short for my ear or something.

It makes me feel foolish because it's like you need a teacher to figure out how to make these things fit "right". Kind of like asking someone to teach you how to tie your shoes.

 

[pretzelb]

One thing that is really nice is the cloth covering on the cord. It not only feels pleasant to the touch but I think it really helps cut down on the line noise. When I switch to the Image I immediately become aware of the cord and the noise it generates. But I hardly ever notice the cord when I wear the C3.