[Ken]

I have been experimenting with getting the thrid seal to be effective on er4s. I dont know if anyone has worked it out that it probably is not actually sealing for most of us. The seal is the biggest seal , it just doesnot have the stiffness to push out and make a correct seal. Remember what shape the inside of our ear is , its not an easy thing to get a seal

I notice the the er6 has now just 2 seals .

I have worked out a way to put a small layer of foam under the 3rd seal. This for me increased the outside sound exclusion to almost total silence. The sound of the etys was much improved bass and improved midrange , just like you would expect if am improved seal was found.

anyway my first thoughts with this mod was that the etys fitted very snug , probably too snug at the start. In the first couple of days they started to almost hurt after a couple of hours listening. They fitted so snug that they never ever wanting to get loose ect. I found that in the past sometimes i continually adjust the etys in more to reseal. No so with this mod they required no more adjustment.

I listened to this mod now for some 6 weeks and during that time the foam settled down and the original tightness with slight discomfort eased away and I was very happy with it , but still very snug.

so just the other day the foam mod fell out , no problem when I get around to it ill just make another. I had forgotten what it was like to listen without it. where was the bass and full sound gone.
I checked the settings on my net md ... yes the bass was set where it usually is but ..... no bass ...well not like normal...

So i will put back that mod and it will become the way I will listen.
To it was like night and day I had just gotten used to the better bass and fuller sound. Just for the record I feel that the foamies provide even less full sound than the 3 seal plugs. So I never use foamies. I always used the 3 seal plastic plugs to get better sound. Well the foam mod is way better than the standard 3 seal white plugs.

I had in the past felt that i would like custom ear plugs. Im certain that this foam mod under the third and largest seal in the ety earplugs can not be improved upon , for getting a seal and making certain you get the best possible sound from the wonderfull ety's

all this is IMO and some of you may alreay be getting the full sound I claimed to have found. But for me I just cant go back.

 

[HappymaN]

That is awfully deep, usually when I insert mine, the 3rd flange is still clearly visible if I look at the side of my ear in a mirror. Ic an feel the flange with my fingers.

 

[Ken]

there must be a reason that the third seal was designed as a part of three.
Yes I do put them right in as far as possible.
If its not put in that far the sound drops right off.
Its all normal for me now

 

[acs236]

Even as a very happy Ety 4 user for the past couple months, I have to admit that some of these "ety insertion" threads still make me a bit queazy!

 

[AngusMcToon]

Quote:

Originally posted by acs236 Even as a very happy Ety 4 user for the past couple months, I have to admit that some of these "ety insertion" threads still make me a bit queazy!

How true. I also find looking at the silicon tips after removing them sort of nauseating, like a big greasy pork sandwich after a night of heavy drinking.

It took me a long time during the initial phase with my Ety's to get a decent seal and to get comfortable with them. All during this time, I kept wondering why any animal would do such a thing to itself...it's so...unnatural.

After a few weeks of daily use, though, I am indeed amazed at how easy and comfortable it's all become, and have warmed up to these phones profusely.

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by AngusMcToon I also find looking at the silicon tips after removing them sort of nauseating, like a big greasy pork sandwich after a night of heavy drinking.

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww..............

 

[dandrewk]

Yes, typically we are not supposed to stick things in our ears.

And, if we do, we should know to STOP whenever we feel resistance.

One has to wonder about our Aussie mate, and how he can stick the ER's in that far...

Of course, if I were to ask my Kiwi friend, he would have an expanation for that.

 

[Ken]

yes it is quite an invasion of the ears.
but remember its the most for the least.
the further the sound source gets from the ears the more money you need and the more problems there are to over come.

these days inserting the etys is a piece of cake.
with the foam mod I use the eys are reluctant to come out and when i have snagged a cord and the etys of course pop out , well I always amazed just how tightly they are in there.

The piece of foam mod I use is a modified foam ear plug. I hollow out the plug with the tip of a small soldering iron , then slide the hollowed out plug over the ety with the tripple seal removed. When I modify the foam ear plug the tip of the soldering iron leaves a small hole that will be the hole for the ety with the sound filter bit to ge thru , then the tripple seal ety thing can be put back. but now you should have the 3 seal with the foam underneath it.

I suppose it comes down to the soldering iron you use and the foam ear plug.

the ear plugs I have been modifying are 3M 1100 , but i expect anyone will do. The modi with the soldering iron hot takes just minutes and I only keep half the length of the plug that I modify. The final result should be a layer of foam under the third seal of your ety.

Ill be interested if anyone can inprove on this or if anyone can tell me if the sound is equal or better than custom molded ear pieces.

 

[lextek]

I think they might touch each other. Ouch. So I guess the answer is no.

 

[d_wilson]

Why don't you try the foam eartips? They do come in three sizes now to fit any size ear.

It is a tough road to re-educate people about their ears.
People have been inserting earplugs and hearing aids in their ears for many decades without their ears falling off.

The white eartip is based on an earplug as are the foam eartips. It is not necessary to push the eartip in until the third flange seals. If you have trouble getting a seal with the white eartips, as I do, stick with the foam ones, or try custom earolds.

The earcanal is about 1 inch long and has two bends before the eardrum. After the second bend there is little cartilidge or fat between the skin and the bone. It will most likely that it would get too uncomfortable to get close to the eardrum, assuming you can snake the ER-4 around the two bends.


Don wilson
Etymotic Research

 

[eric343]

Hmm.. when I insert my Etys, the 3rd flange isn't really visible - they're in pretty deep. Sometimes I have trouble with the 3rd flange "folding" due to the compression, and creating an uncomfortable pressure point.


And no, Lextek, I haven't had the Etys touch eachother yet, as much of a danger as that might be

And MacDEF, I second that opinion...

 

[Ken]

Thanks don for your comments.

The other advantage for me getting the third seal to work was that I could get the background noise to virtual silence and then I could listen at very low volumes and still have a very satisfying experience whereas if the background noise is higher as we all know we tend to chase the increased background noise with more volume . Anyway sometimes I love near silence. I have found its just the music and me.

I also find that while etys are amazing , I IMO find that at lower levels of listening there is slightly more appeal to the sound quality. I do however like to turn them up so that they are very punchy. I do have the advantage of having a net md mini disc which allows me to up the bass a little for low level listening.

 

[flashbak]

Ken,
I came up with a similar mod about 1 year ago. I actually cut a foamie into 2 - 1/8" pieces. I then remove the inner tube from each, insert them first onto each element (pushing them to the back of the stem), and then install the flange tips making sure the 3rd flange covers that piece of foam. I definitely agree that it improves the bass response seal as well as the isolation.

 

[Ken]

im glad someone agrees with this simple mod.
your idea is also a good one. lets face it the small assistance the third seal needs would be a cheap thing to make professionally by someone.

do you still use your foam idea

 

[Suedama]

flashbak:

Nice mod. Thanks!