[buffalowings]

can anybody compare whether or not a custom IEM (examples being ES2, ES5, JH 13, JH 16 etc etc) is actually superior to a universal IEM (tf10, westone 3, westone um3x, se535 being examples) that has been reshelled into a custom? because I'm considering in the near future whether to reshell a TF10 and a westone 3, or two sell off the two and to simply buy a custom
 
thanks in advance
 
James

 

[NumLock]

I have reshelled TF10's myself. My opinion is that reshelling doesn't guaranty an improved sound or even the same sound quality. Some have even reported a loss in sound quality after the reshell. Best bet would be the high dollar customs like you mentioned rather than reshelling a universal. Though the cheaper route would be reshelling a universal but you take the chance of it sounding the same, better, or worse than when it was a universal.
 
My goal on the other hand was to get a better seal since I use my reshelled TF10 mainly for running, working out, motorcycles, etc.

 

[MR.X]

Full custom iems sound better than reshelled universal iems because they have been specifically designed for custom shell, especially when compared to iems like jh13, jh16 which benefit from the additional driver as well. Reshelling only improves on SQ because it provides better seal.

 

[NumLock]

Quote:

Full custom iems sound better than reshelled universal iems because they have been specifically designed for custom shell, especially when compared to iems like jh13, jh16 which benefit from the additional driver as well. Reshelling only improves on SQ because it provides better seal.

That and because we are comparing $200-$400 universals VS $1,000-$1,800 customs.

 

[MR.X]

Quote:

Quote:

Full custom iems sound better than reshelled universal iems because they have been specifically designed for custom shell, especially when compared to iems like jh13, jh16 which benefit from the additional driver as well. Reshelling only improves on SQ because it provides better seal.

That and because we are comparing $200-$400 universals VS $1,000-$1,800 customs.

YUP

 
I wonder how much different is the sound of 1k customs like jh13,16 vs universals modded and reshelled with 6 or 8 drivers by UM. There are no reivews on them.

 

[buffalowings]

Quote:

Quote:

Full custom iems sound better than reshelled universal iems because they have been specifically designed for custom shell, especially when compared to iems like jh13, jh16 which benefit from the additional driver as well. Reshelling only improves on SQ because it provides better seal.

That and because we are comparing $200-$400 universals VS $1,000-$1,800 customs.

not going that far up the custom ladder, I was wondering how they would compare with a entry level custom ($400-500) but yeah, interesting to wonder just how great the jh16 is, seeing as the law of diminishing returns comes into play

 

[DJGeorgeT]

after reshelling, the sound can either improve, stay the same or worsen. To keep the same sound, the custom iem should keep the original physical dimensions or the bore, the length from the opening to the driver, original filter, etc. I don't think it is worth it or a good idea to reshell an universal iem. I don't think that JHA or UE reshell, so having UM reshell a JHA or UE custom is probably a bad idea.

 

[buffalowings]

Quote:

after reshelling, the sound can either improve, stay the same or worsen. To keep the same sound, the custom iem should keep the original physical dimensions or the bore, the length from the opening to the driver, original filter, etc. I don't think it is worth it or a good idea to reshell an universal iem. I don't think that JHA or UE reshell, so having UM reshell a JHA or UE custom is probably a bad idea.

you would think that it's a bad idea, but that seems like the only way to make a used JHA or UE custom work would be to get a reshell from UM, not that I'm into that since I don't even have a custom in the first place.

 

[QuantumXL]

I too was on the fence about this, but it seems like the only thing I can really afford is a reshell. I have 3 TF10s, one of which I am reshelling to an TF18s, and another which I'm going to use for ACS custom tips (and probably sell the other) But this is a good thread. I was wondering how a TF18 reshell would stand up to other customs (Such as the UE18s)

 

[DJGeorgeT]

Maybe with JHA and UE it is OK to reshell as they were custom IEM's to begin with.
 
Quote:

Quote:

after reshelling, the sound can either improve, stay the same or worsen. To keep the same sound, the custom iem should keep the original physical dimensions or the bore, the length from the opening to the driver, original filter, etc. I don't think it is worth it or a good idea to reshell an universal iem. I don't think that JHA or UE reshell, so having UM reshell a JHA or UE custom is probably a bad idea.

you would think that it's a bad idea, but that seems like the only way to make a used JHA or UE custom work would be to get a reshell from UM, not that I'm into that since I don't even have a custom in the first place.

 

[buffalowings]

Quote:

after reshelling, the sound can either improve, stay the same or worsen. To keep the same sound, the custom iem should keep the original physical dimensions or the bore, the length from the opening to the driver, original filter, etc. I don't think it is worth it or a good idea to reshell an universal iem. I don't think that JHA or UE reshell, so having UM reshell a JHA or UE custom is probably a bad idea.

i agree, it's almost guaranteed the sound sig would change (possibly for the worse for some) but then again, UM knows what they're doing since they also make their own custom line instead of simply reshelling, I honestly believe as soon as you go up to a certain price point (quality level, price doesn't mean everything) it's all about sound sig preferences, for example, the JH16 has more drivers than the Jh13 in each earpiece, but the only difference is in bass level, no increase in detail/resolution...actually this also reminds me of what I said in the past, the human ear has limits to hearing, at one point, all the details become trivial because we might not be able to differentiate the tiny minute details 

 

[MR.X]

Quote:

Quote:

after reshelling, the sound can either improve, stay the same or worsen. To keep the same sound, the custom iem should keep the original physical dimensions or the bore, the length from the opening to the driver, original filter, etc. I don't think it is worth it or a good idea to reshell an universal iem. I don't think that JHA or UE reshell, so having UM reshell a JHA or UE custom is probably a bad idea.

i agree, it's almost guaranteed the sound sig would change (possibly for the worse for some) but then again, UM knows what they're doing since they also make their own custom line instead of simply reshelling, I honestly believe as soon as you go up to a certain price point (quality level, price doesn't mean everything) it's all about sound sig preferences, for example, the JH16 has more drivers than the Jh13 in each earpiece, but the only difference is in bass level, no increase in detail/resolution...actually this also reminds me of what I said in the past, the human ear has limits to hearing, at one point, all the details become trivial because we might not be able to differentiate the tiny minute details 

I agree, infact there customers who have reshelled their JHA customs through UM and have actually found the quality of work better than JHA. Customs made by UM seem to fair very well against customs by JHA if not better.
I wouldnt say reshelling is a bad idea especially considering how many people have done it and are happy with them.
 
buffalowings check out this review by joker, its a review of the 1964 triple driver fully custom iem (~$350) and he has compared it to several universals since this was his first customs purchase
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/530185/review-1964ears-1964-t

 

[DJGeorgeT]

Actually I take back that reshelling JHA and UE customs are bad idea. This is because they were customs to begin with, but it is with universals where there seems to be the largest variations and satisfaction level. I am thinking of getting customs. I may go with a 1964 custom.
 
Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

after reshelling, the sound can either improve, stay the same or worsen. To keep the same sound, the custom iem should keep the original physical dimensions or the bore, the length from the opening to the driver, original filter, etc. I don't think it is worth it or a good idea to reshell an universal iem. I don't think that JHA or UE reshell, so having UM reshell a JHA or UE custom is probably a bad idea.

i agree, it's almost guaranteed the sound sig would change (possibly for the worse for some) but then again, UM knows what they're doing since they also make their own custom line instead of simply reshelling, I honestly believe as soon as you go up to a certain price point (quality level, price doesn't mean everything) it's all about sound sig preferences, for example, the JH16 has more drivers than the Jh13 in each earpiece, but the only difference is in bass level, no increase in detail/resolution...actually this also reminds me of what I said in the past, the human ear has limits to hearing, at one point, all the details become trivial because we might not be able to differentiate the tiny minute details 

I agree, infact there customers who have reshelled their JHA customs through UM and have actually found the quality of work better than JHA. Customs made by UM seem to fair very well against customs by JHA if not better.
I wouldnt say reshelling is a bad idea especially considering how many people have done it and are happy with them.
 
buffalowings check out this review by joker, its a review of the 1964 triple driver fully custom iem (~$350) and he has compared it to several universals since this was his first customs purchase
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/530185/review-1964ears-1964-t

 

[rawrster]

I think reshelling any custom JHA, UE or any other kind of custom wouldn't be a bad idea as long as the person doing the reshell knows what they are doing. I'm not sure about Westone customs since they do have a different material than most customs. I had a pair of Livewire Trips remolded and they sound fantastic to me.
 
For universals it really depends. The only reason I would want to reshell a universal is if I would go add additional drivers via UM to it as many have reported them to be quite good when compared to other customs.

 

[buffalowings]

Quote:

Actually I take back that reshelling JHA and UE customs are bad idea. This is because they were customs to begin with.

 
Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

after reshelling, the sound can either improve, stay the same or worsen. To keep the same sound, the custom iem should keep the original physical dimensions or the bore, the length from the opening to the driver, original filter, etc. I don't think it is worth it or a good idea to reshell an universal iem. I don't think that JHA or UE reshell, so having UM reshell a JHA or UE custom is probably a bad idea.

i agree, it's almost guaranteed the sound sig would change (possibly for the worse for some) but then again, UM knows what they're doing since they also make their own custom line instead of simply reshelling, I honestly believe as soon as you go up to a certain price point (quality level, price doesn't mean everything) it's all about sound sig preferences, for example, the JH16 has more drivers than the Jh13 in each earpiece, but the only difference is in bass level, no increase in detail/resolution...actually this also reminds me of what I said in the past, the human ear has limits to hearing, at one point, all the details become trivial because we might not be able to differentiate the tiny minute details 

I agree, infact there customers who have reshelled their JHA customs through UM and have actually found the quality of work better than JHA. Customs made by UM seem to fair very well against customs by JHA if not better.
I wouldnt say reshelling is a bad idea especially considering how many people have done it and are happy with them.
 
buffalowings check out this review by joker, its a review of the 1964 triple driver fully custom iem (~$350) and he has compared it to several universals since this was his first customs purchase
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/530185/review-1964ears-1964-t

 

after digesting a bit more info, from what I have read so far, all customs and universals use the same balanced armatures and crossovers, except they are tuned a bit differently(don't know if the crossovers are tweaked or the armatures themselves) anywho, from all this, I'm going to assume that if you like the sound sig before, with a better seal/fit, the sound would be even better (assuming the sig hasn't been changed) anywho...guess it's worth a shot, though unique melody wants to charge $163 for the reshelling...