[tcz515]

Hey guys, longtime lurker first time poster as well. First of all, thanks to project for his awesome review of the V3's.
 
I currently have a TF10 and am looking to upgrade to customs. I have had the TF10's for a while and found them satisfactory but just bought a Sennheiser Momentum which just blows them out of the water with their crisp yet non-sibilant highs. In comparison the TF10 now just sounds muddy and vocals just don't shine. I listen to a variety of alternative, pop, vocal, and instrumental music, so it's important to have some bass presence yet really allow vocals to be sweet.
 
My budget is around $500 and based on the custom iem review by joker some potential choices include the V3, CTM200, and alclair reference. Would any of these be a noticeable upgrade over the TF10's? And do any of these offer sound that resembles the Momentum's sound signature? FYI I don't actually like completely neutral headphones like the Sennheiser HD380's which just sound too dull and muted.
 
Thanks in advance!

 

[project86]

All three of those you mentioned are probably improvements over the TF10. I like the TF10 in general but I can only take so much of it, while I could listen to the V3 for hours. 

 

[PaulF]

So...I finally got around to sending the moulds and paying for them and all that jazz, and I got my V3's yesterdays.
I love them.  I promised pictures which I will take soon, but for now I've got a set of iphone pictures:
 

 
This is my second set of IEM's so I am nowhere near as experienced as some people on this site, but here goes my opinion on these.
 
Love the fit, love how they look.  I was worried about them being my first customs, and not fitting right or something...but wow, they slip in and just disappear.
Before these, I used etymotic hf5's which I've had for a few years now.  Going from regular headphones to they etymotic's was a massive change, and I was dreaming for the same change from etymotic to customs, but I can't say thats true.  Sound isolation I think is about the same as etymotics+klipsch gel tips (those are what I use), which is really really good isolation.
Sound wise they are very different, I really loved listening to music with my Ety's when I first got them, so many details!  I'd say these V3's have just as many details, except one big difference...they have bass!  Coming from Ety's, the bass almost scared me , I can't image what the Quad drivers sound like.  These V3's are perfect for me.

I've only had them a day, will be using them a lot more.  I'm really impressed with the build quality, and I like the sound a lot.
I haven't gotten around to playing music with them (I'm a drummer), but I'll be doing that in a bit so I can't wait to hear how that sounds (sadly I run a mono mix, for now anyways ).
 

 

[yipcanjo]

Quote:

Sound wise they are very different, I really loved listening to music with my Ety's when I first got them, so many details!  I'd say these V3's have just as many details, except one big difference...they have bass!  Coming from Ety's, the bass almost scared me , I can't image what the Quad drivers sound like.  These V3's are perfect for me.
 

 
I've had my V3's for a few weeks now....after having demoed both the Quads and the V3's.  In my opinion, the V3's sounded "more fun" and with "more bass" -- although the Quads perhaps extended deeper.  The big decider for me, though, was the fact that the Quads had some sibilance (to my ears) that I just couldn't get past. 
 
So, the Quads were smoother all-around, but with some sibilance.  The V3's were more fun, no sibilance, and a bit cheaper.  I decided to go with the V3's

 

[yipcanjo]

Question for fellow V3 owners......
 
Do you get a "popping" or "crackling" sound when you're wearing your IEMs?  It not electrical at all -- it's almost like my ear canals are sticking and unsticking from the acrylic molds over and over when I move my head or jaw.  My IEMs fit very well -- not too tight or loose -- and I'm not losing seal, but I can hear that sound A LOT when I'm wearing them.  It would almost seem like I have very waxy ears, but I don't.  I clean them regularly, and both my doctor and the technician making my impressions noted how clean my ears are.
 
Any thoughts???  It makes me sad

 

[PaulF]

I noticed my left ear does that when I open my mouth.  Since the right one has never done that, and the left one does, I think I might send them back to get them fixed. 
I'm a drummer so it doesn't bother me, but if I were a singer I could see how that would be annoying.

 

[yipcanjo]

Quote:

I noticed my left ear does that when I open my mouth.  Since the right one has never done that, and the left one does, I think I might send them back to get them fixed. 
I'm a drummer so it doesn't bother me, but if I were a singer I could see how that would be annoying.

 
Thanks for posting, Paul.  It's just good to know that I'm not crazy
 
I was working out this morning, and definitely noticed that my left ear is the bigger culprit -- but both have seemed to do it.  I've been in contact with 1964ears (just this morning, actually) and the advice is to send my IEMs back and they'll build up the ear tip portions.  I'm also checking to see if switching to silicone ear tips might help.

 

[project86]

Sorry, I missed the last few posts somehow.
 
Yes, that is likely the sound of your tips making, and then losing, contact with the deeper part of the ear canal. Most of my CIEMs do that as well - unfortunately some of us just have a lot of movement in there. I've tried really deep fitting acrylic tips and it never quite goes away in my case. I get best results from using silicone, though even then it's not completely eliminated. Hopefully you can get it taken care of or else learn to live with it. I have. 

 

[JonRGM]

Hi guys,
 
I'm thisssss close to grabbing a pair of these. This is a silly question but has anyone had these and the Brainwavz B2s? I'm looking for the B2 sound sig, just a tad more bass.

 

[patrickrussell]

Hi guys,

I'm thisssss close to grabbing a pair of these. This is a silly question but has anyone had these and the Brainwavz B2s? I'm looking for the B2 sound sig, just a tad more bass.

You may want to look at 1964's quads. By what I understand, those are made for heavier bass response, made with two bass drivers.

 

[tomscy2000]

Quote:

Quote:

Hi guys,
 
I'm thisssss close to grabbing a pair of these. This is a silly question but has anyone had these and the Brainwavz B2s? I'm looking for the B2 sound sig, just a tad more bass.

You may want to look at 1964's quads. By what I understand, those are made for heavier bass response, made with two bass drivers.

 
No, the Q would have too much bass for "a tad more bass" than the B2. In the 1964 lineup, the V6 would come closest to what you're looking for, but I assume that's out of your budget? The V3 is very nice, but the highs will be quite a bit more laid back than those of the B2. You really should be looking for something like the UERM or Hidition NT6, but both of those are even more expensive than the V6. In the budget category, I really can't think of anything that matches what you're looking for. However, the V3 is an excellent-sounding custom for its price. Yes, the highs are more laid-back than those on the B2, but that shouldn't deter you. It's just a pleasant-sounding monitor, suitable for multiple types of music and not unforgiving at all. With the Memorial Day weekend sale, it's an even better deal. However, with the V6 at $550 right now, you could perhaps consider upping your budget. I wasn't a huge fan of the V6 demos I heard, but it's definitely the best-sounding 1964 monitor, while the V3 is the best overall value. At $550, the V6 is probably an unbeatable deal (for CIEMs), while the V3 at $375 is a really great deal as well.

 

[JonRGM]

Thanks for the feedback tom, I'd say the v6 were out of my budget before the sale, but maybe if I can unload some of my full sized cans I'll be able to up the budget. This isn't the sort of thing I'm going to be purchasing multiple of until I have another digit added to my salary, so why not get the best I can, especially considering this is a company that is decidedly on lower end of the pricing spectrum (for which I am thankful!)

 

[JonRGM]

Also I should add I've had more than a little loss of hearing for frequencies above 13-14k so I think one of the reasons I love my B2s are because I can't hear what others call a but harsh top end.

 

[tomscy2000]

Quote:

  Also I should add I've had more than a little loss of hearing for frequencies above 13-14k so I think one of the reasons I love my B2s are because I can't hear what others call a but harsh top end.

 
The "harsh top end" people claim to hear is usually reflective of the B2's boost from 6-9k, rather than anything above 12k. Depending on your age, loss of hearing >13k is indicative of normal physiological causes. If it's noise-induced hearing loss, most people have a notch at 4k, 6k, 3k, or 8k (in descending order of prevalence, but endemic prevalence depends on ethnicity and geographic region).

 

[JonRGM]

Anyone know what driver setup is used for the triple V3 and the V6?