El Fid
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2011
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Review of Starkey Tunz Custom In-Ear Monitors
This is my second set of custom IEMs I've tried to date. My first pair were Ultimate Ears' Pro 7s which, up until recently, were performing well for my purposes. I play drums in a fairly small space with the usual rock instrument line-up of loud guitars and over-driven vocals. Luckily, we have a board that I use for monitors so I'm able to use these custom in-ears to save my ears from the savage abuse they would otherwise undergo. Though it is a rare event these days, I also get to use them playing live if house equipment allows.I'd always enjoyed the sound of the UEs but there was an issue with the physical fit of them from day one. With custom IEms it's SO important to have a perfect fit so there is no sound leakage either in or out of the ear. My UEs were comfortable enough but there was always a noticeable amount of leakage which, to me, severely affected the low frequency response that I needed (as a drummer, bass is so important to hear for obvious reasons). There were a couple of attempts by UE to get them right but the remakes never fit quite right and I didn't want to send them away anymore so I decided to live with it.
In my hunt for a replacement set of monitors I came across the Starkey "Tunz" line. The Tunz Trio were on par with the UEs in terms of price and, being that they are made by the renowned manufacturer of high-tech hearing aids, I thought they ought to contend with competing products.
I opted for the Tunz Trio which, as the name implies, utilize 3 drivers (tweeter and 2 woofers).
The first thing I noticed when I took them out of the box was the overall build quality. I was impressed with the flawless shell and attention to detail with regard to the placement of the drivers, tubing, and wiring. The packaging was very professional as well and it even came with a personalized card that displays the serial numbers and warranty expiration date. That's a nice added touch.
Below are some specs from the website:
Tunz Trio at a Glance
• Natural, balanced sound with pure, rich tones
• Custom earpieces provide comfortable fit
• Flexible 53” cable with Gold Plated 1/8” connector
• Can be used with MP3 player, laptop, or gaming system
• Feature three balanced armature drivers: a tweeter, and two woofers
Specifications:
• Triple Drivers (Stage Use)
• Frequency Range: 20 to 15,000 Hz
• Sensitivity: 123dB @ 1mW
• Impedance: 132 Ohms
• Warranty: 60-day fit and One Year Workmanship
I have to say I am very impressed with the sound quality of these IEMs. Coming from our monitor board, the vocals and guitars are brilliant - very natural sounding. The bass comes through very nicely as well. But, the bass response is what I was really after and these monitors do not disappoint. With my UEs I had to compensate with the board mix for low frequency loss and this made it sound very unnatural. The Starkey's, however, create such a natural bass with amazing tonality that I don't even think about having to compensate by cranking it up on the board. It's so nice to hear instruments as they are supposed to sound and it makes playing a lot more enjoyable. As for the fit: the shells fit my ears perfectly and are very comfortable even when worn for extended periods.
Starkey has been in the business of making hearing aids and other audio gear for a long time and they have clearly perfected their processes that ensure customer satisfaction. I know there is a lot of hype for the Ultimate Ears and other custom IEs but I'm happy with decision to give these IEs a try and I'm excited about trying other custom products from them in the future.
