[dfkt]

Nah, I really appreciate your tips - don't think he ever made something like that. He knows his job, but he's bored at it - so he loves new challenges.

 

[gadgetman]

@dfkt: in that case, a few more bits that I thought of after writing that down

- If you ever wash the moulds, be sure to dry the canal holes properly (preferably by canned air). The phonak filters 'dies' if they get wet.
- Just something to keep in mind (and it's a possible ongoing problem for me): The PFE's 'nozzles' are short with a recess, unlike the more common 'straight' nozzles of Etys, Shures and Westones. I'm not sure how long the silicone moulds would last if they're frequently taken on and off, because the recessed areas 'digs' into the material overtime. And AFAIK, they can only drill straight holes into these things, so the recesses are not 'accomodated' properly by the design.
- If you can collaborate more with your audiologist, see if you can make the moulds 'custom molded' to the PFE's housing\body as well

Mine is just flat on the outside part, so the PFEs sort of 'hang'.
- I've heard that a bigger diameter of the hole (thru the mold to the IEM) gives better sound quality. This is something you might want to discuss with audiologist. The position, size and shape\direction of the hole for optimum sound transfer (but also need to be balanced for comfort and durability). I'd be very interested to hear his professional opinion and advise on this matter.

Cheers.

 

[radagast85]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dfkt /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have UE11, and they're a perfect fit.

feeling a lot of envy right now

 

[robm321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gadgetman /img/forum/go_quote.gif From how you described your fitting, it sounds like there's a bottleneck-like shape near the entrance to your ear canals. It's bigger inside than the opening. So you have to pull the olive 'out' to get a seal in the bottleneck area, because if you push it past that 'bottlenect', then the olives would be 'loose' again? You might want to try the comply or use a bigger olive shoved deeper, if the current seal is easy to dislodge.

Wow, you nailed it perfectly. I might try other tips from my Ety ER4 box or Shure E530 box just to try it out, but I am happy with the medium silicon tips. I get a good seal and a bigger soundstage. The bass is just fine.

I would like some more isolation, so I'm going to look into the custom molds locally. I'll post back here what I find. I'm in the bay area, California... US BTW

 

[shigzeo]

sweet action! i will have the pfe in tomorrow or the next day and get a review up in a week or so!! cannot wait.

 

[shigzeo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dfkt /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, I sleep with IEMs under all circumstances. For me it's the best time to really concentrate on the music, right before I fall asleep. I don't move around while sleeping, my phones are save, and I probably won't get strangled either. Would be a shame if I woke up dead some day...

this was a cute post dfkt..

 

[charlie0904]

will IEMs damage when extremely loud volume?

 

[LordBread]

Everything has a limit. Don't dangerous levels of volume. I don't know what's extremely loud to you, so I can't say if you pass the breaking point.

 

[LordBread]

I guess for now PFEs are my choice iems. At least until either Phonak or Etymotic releases a new product. Next step is customs for me, I have my eyes set on ES3Xs.

 

[charlie0904]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordBread /img/forum/go_quote.gif Everything has a limit. Don't dangerous levels of volume. I don't know what's extremely loud to you, so I can't say if you pass the breaking point.

actually there is a few incidents where i turn full vol on my amp w/ my touch. reason because previously i use headphone out so cant get used to lineout. done it 3 times, only one time was on my ear.

i was afraid my PFE would degrade or damage..

 

[shigzeo]

got the pfe in! great phones indeed. hopefully review by next weekend when i have had a chance to try them in every conceivalbe situation other than skydiving!

 

[Bullseye]

loving my PFEs, I fall asleep so easy on them, however I tend to wake up at 6.00 or something like that and my music has stopped. Kind of a pain in the ass, as I have to wake up at 6.50 during the week and those 50 mins really help a lot...

I am also going to look for a kit to clean my ears so i can further enjoy my listening!

thumbs up for Phonak!

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shigzeo /img/forum/go_quote.gif got the pfe in! great phones indeed. hopefully review by next weekend when i have had a chance to try them in every conceivalbe situation other than skydiving!

Look forward to your review.

 

[warehouse]

My cables are getting really stiff where they go over my ears. I haven't been doing anything where they would get sweaty so I'm not sure what's causing it, but I'm starting to get concerned. I know this was a precursor to cracking for some people but was wondering if this is normal for others?

 

[gadgetman]

Got a couple of my canal-only moulds today. They're so much easier to fit and remove, and I'd reckon I still get over 90% of the sound isolation and improved performance!

The biopore models seal very very well and significantly improves the bass quantity, so it's such a perfect pairing with the Phonaks. On the other hand, it RUINS the IE8... the bass just comes off as bloated and even mess with the mid-range.

For my Westone 3, I made a pair of acrylic canal-only mould. These work much better, not super-amplifying the low frequencies, so the W3 work just nice with these on. The acrylic model (hard plastic) can only be fitted on IEMs with straight-nozzle like Westones and Shures. Phonak, Senn's IE series and UEs have the bit of recess and they only work with the biopore models.

Obligatory pics:

Phonak w/ Biopores canal-only moulds:

Senn IE8 w/ Biopores canal-only moulds:

Westone 3 w/ Acrylic Canal-only mould: