[Anaxilus]

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Going for a nice tight punchy bass, clear mids, and a slightly hot treble, without sibilance.

DBA over both easily for me.  If you want a hotter treble than the DBA then CK10 but the bass is less punchy but more extended.
 
Here are those pics I promised.  Ignore the finger prints and smudges.  They are perfectly clear and transparent.  I got careless handling the tips after I took pics of my ES5.
 

 

 

[FlySweep]

Man.. those look awesome.. how do they sound now, Anaxilus.. and how much was the custom sleeving? I'm seriously considering this if it doesn't cost an arm & a leg..

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Man.. those look awesome.. how do they sound now, Anaxilus.. and how much was the custom sleeving? I'm seriously considering this if it doesn't cost an arm & a leg..

The initial listen was quite positive.  I want to have more of a listen before I give them an enthusiastic thumbs up.  I'm currently focused on writing up my ES5's atm but I'll try to offer more concrete impressions soon enough.  They are UM56's but bored out to match the DBA sound tube.  To clarify it's bored out on exit not entry so it's a tight fit but works.  Details can be found here:
 
http://www.westonemusicproducts.com/music-products/pro-audio/custom-earpieces
 

 

[rawrster]

Those are acrylic right? I've always had question marks regarding to custom tip and the closest was when I thought about the CK10 but it would be spending a good amount of money for what I suspect to be a minor change. I'm looking forward to your thoughts on the DBA-02 with your custom tips and without.
 
I also no longer have any earphone worth putting custom tips on for the time being but it will ultimately depend on how much i like my next universal earphone.

 

[Anaxilus]

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Those are acrylic right? I've always had question marks regarding to custom tip and the closest was when I thought about the CK10 but it would be spending a good amount of money for what I suspect to be a minor change. I'm looking forward to your thoughts on the DBA-02 with your custom tips and without.
 
I also no longer have any earphone worth putting custom tips on for the time being but it will ultimately depend on how much i like my next universal earphone.

 
They are vinyl actually but can be made in silicone too.  Ironically they are designed for Westones like the W4 you have coming.  

 

 

[rawrster]

How's the comfort on those? I may consider tips if I like the W4 enough to not sell them since I'm thinking about using the W4 for a while and selling it later to fund another custom if I want something a bit different and the W4 is about halfway to the ES5

 

[Anaxilus]

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How's the comfort on those? I may consider tips if I like the W4 enough to not sell them since I'm thinking about using the W4 for a while and selling it later to fund another custom if I want something a bit different and the W4 is about halfway to the ES5

The comfort is very good.  They require more precision than the ES5 since the material is less maleable unless you choose silicone.  So the odds of needing a refit might be higher, I'm good so far w/ my fit.  I decided to give these a decent listen tonight so I could refocus on my ES5 for the rest of the week.  Listening is via DACPort pre-amp'd to Arrow default settings w/ BB set to 'I'.  To keep it simple, the port matched bore opening really lets the clarity and transparency reach its maximum potential.  Isolation is up a few dB putting them at or juts above my old preferred Ety's w/ Klipsch gels.  I'm going to have to demo these against the IERM again to see how things may have changed but in regards to clarity and transparency they are a noticeable step up over my Klipsch gels and any tip w/ a bore constriction.  Now for the 'bad' part.  Bass takes a fractional step back compared to the deeper position of the Klipsch gel'd DBA's.  Just a fraction, but not bass light like some of the stock tips or other non deep insertion types.  Here's the silver lining though for me.  With my old gel tips I would keep switching back and forth between '0' and 'I' on my bass boost searching for that perfect bass response.  '0' was a hair shy at times on certain songs.  'I' was a hair over other times.  Now w/ the UM56 for me the BB on the Arrow set to 'I' is perfect all the time and the added clarity and transparency is even more sublime.  I think resolution has picked up just a touch and I'm beginning to notice nuances and micro detail I was getting on the IERM.  I'll try to get a demo to see how accurate this impression is.  I imagine the IERM to take SS and imaging up a notch but we'll see.  For those wondering how it compares to my ES5, apart from not having enough time to evaluate it fully, it's just a completely different beast.  Something like the DBA, UE4, IERM are much closer in signature for comparison purposes.  Where they are playing Baccarat the ES5 is playing strip Poker w/ SI swimsuit models.     
 

 

[ahmadmfz]

Thanks. I'll audition both and i'll see which one i like better. Getting rid of my p3 though. Battery drains quite fast and it's irritating to keep putting in new batts every 3 days or so. Should i just sell of my diymod and go for a s:flo 2 or upgrade my amp? 
 
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[LJH01]

I have been listening to my DBA-02's for a week now and I have some changes to my initial thoughts on the DBA-02's.  here is the link to my first thoughts: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/542507/a-newbie-s-comparison-between-reo-s-and-dba-02-s .
 
After 20 hours, or so, of pink noise burn in and another 20 hours of listening the DBA-02's have changed a bit and all for the better.  I spent an hour last night going back and forth between the DBA-02's and RE0's and I am liking the DBA-02 better and better.  I am not sure if I was ever a believer in burn in but I feel that it had a significant affect on the DBA-02's.  The DBA-02 now sound just a touch warmer than they did before burn in and there seems to be less sibilance then there was before...all in all I feel the sound has just gotten "bigger" and better with time and a bit easier to listen too then the RE0's.
 
I am very happy with my choice of going with the DBA-02's.
 
Cheers,
Jim

 

[shane55]

@ Anaxilus.
Thanks for the pic, and the initial write-up. Positive.
 
So... do I understand correctly that you can not get as deep an insertion with the new tips and that the bass has decreased slightly? (or did I missread ?)
 
Also, why did you choose vinyl ?
 
thx

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

@ Anaxilus.
Thanks for the pic, and the initial write-up. Positive.
 
So... do I understand correctly that you can not get as deep an insertion with the new tips and that the bass has decreased slightly? (or did I missread ?)

Correct.  The tips obviously are deep inserting but the phone itself sits outside the ear like it would in normal fitment.  I used to have most of the housing go in my ear w/ only the back nub poking out.  Now it looks 'normal' in that you can see the whole phone in my ear and read 'Fischer Audio' on the side.  I wan't to be clear they did NOT become bass light, it was just an ever so slight shift that ironically worked out better for my gear and ear synergy.  
 

 

[FlySweep]

I'm curious if anyone wears these "reversed" in their ear like I do ?  As Anaxilus noted above, "normal" would be over-the ear and the Fischer Audio label on the IEMs facing outward (people can read it).. I turn the DBAs one more time so the nub actually faces out (and the FA writing is hidden) cause I have a hard time inserting them in the "normal"/intended direction (nub facing inward toward one's ear).

 

[andrewliu6294]

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I'm curious if anyone wears these "reversed" in their ear like I do ?  As Anaxilus noted above, "normal" would be over-the ear and the Fischer Audio label on the IEMs facing outward (people can read it).. I turn the DBAs one more time so the nub actually faces out (and the FA writing is hidden) cause I have a hard time inserting them in the "normal"/intended direction (nub facing inward toward one's ear).

I wear them so the housing points straight up, cable pointing straight forward, instead of the housing going straight back in the traditional over-the-ear style. My ears aren't big enough to fit them comfortably that way. I also don't get a seal at all wearing them cable-down.
 
This way, the cable still goes over the ear, but there's much more room for the housing.
 

 

[FlySweep]

^^ Nice ^^  Being the doofus that I am, I never thought of trying that and I really like that fit.. insertion is even easier as it contours to the shape of the inner ear (scooping upwards).
 
For those still fighting with tips.. I've settled on the Sony Hybrid's for these.. I went through the stock tips, Klipsch ovals, and Comply p-types, then finally the Sony Hybrids.. while the p-types sounded the best (until I got to the Hybrids), I got tired of the whole pinch/insert/wait to expand process.. and for some reason.. people love to bother me when I'm wearing the DBAs so I'm frequently removing/reinserting them sometimes.  The Sony Hybrids have the perfect thickness so I get a wicked good seal and deep insertion to boot... HELLO BASS.  Might take a stab at customs if I want my wallet to stab me in the ass (Anaxilus' tips look too tempting).
 
Just another tip (pun intended) for those still struggling with a good fit.. not sure too many people had suggested the Hybrids but they're definitely something to try, pretty widely available, and not very expensive.

 

[gimbertt]

I might have read incorrectly but I thought people hadn't thought hybrids suitable but this is good to hear. I like the large hybrids on my RE-0 but for the DBA's wold I have to use a smaller one to get the deep insertion?
 
Quote:

^^ Nice ^^  Being the doofus that I am, I never thought of trying that and I really like that fit.. insertion is even easier as it contours to the shape of the inner ear (scooping upwards).
 
For those still fighting with tips.. I've settled on the Sony Hybrid's for these.. I went through the stock tips, Klipsch ovals, and Comply p-types, then finally the Sony Hybrids.. while the p-types sounded the best (until I got to the Hybrids), I got tired of the whole pinch/insert/wait to expand process.. and for some reason.. people love to bother me when I'm wearing the DBAs so I'm frequently removing/reinserting them sometimes.  The Sony Hybrids have the perfect thickness so I get a wicked good seal and deep insertion to boot... HELLO BASS.  Might take a stab at customs if I want my wallet to stab me in the ass (Anaxilus' tips look too tempting).
 
Just another tip (pun intended) for those still struggling with a good fit.. not sure too many people had suggested the Hybrids but they're definitely something to try, pretty widely available, and not very expensive.