[BloodSugar00]

I've just recieved my set of 3 extra Shure tri-flanges and so will conduct some further tip/fit testage with my W3 in a bit and see what I find! Meanwhile, I've done some listening with my image X10s, Senn IE8s and Shure SE530s over the last few days and, though I feel in no way near a plateau of conclusiveness on each IEMs SQ/reproduction and/or sonic character etc, nor of how they compare/contrast to one another, I have to say, desite the other 3 producing great sound, the W3 have left the strongest impression on me so far!

 

[kite7]

I was a little bored today and decided to try some sleek tips. The stalk of the tip is very short but after fiddling I did eventually get a fit. Very comfortable, and great sound as well.The bass is there (loses a little impact compared to grey silicon tips) and doesn't cover up the mids.The overall sound seems more transparent than using comply tips. I'd like to try the shure olive foam tips next since these sleeks don't isolate too well. If I use the medium gray silicon tips, would the shure olive mediums fit me or would I have to go large?

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I tried some sleek multiflanged tips when I borrowed a pair of sleek last year, and they sounded good on the sleek but were uncomfortable. I returned the sleek a month or two before I got the W3, so I didn't have tips to try out. Which tips did you try on the W3, a bi or tri-flange, or a single flange?

 

[kite7]

Bi-flange sleek tips, I'm not aware that single or triple flange sleek tips existed. I don't see anything like that on their site

 

[FrederikS|TPU]

So far I have been very happy with the medium sized shure olives, and the cut down triple flanges that come with the earphones.

 

[moseboy]

I thought the triple flanges sucked for sound quality.

 

[tstarn06]

No, actually if you mod the stalks (trim them a bit) to me, they deliver the best sound. I admit to using the acoustic EQ setting on my Touch (and tweaking the highs a bit on my Sony and Clip too), but when I do a comparison between the bi-flange (the tri with the smallest flange removed) and the tri-flanged with the stalk trimmed, the former sounds congested, while the deeper tri-flange sounds excellent. In fact, the modded tri-flange is the only tip that works for me with the W3s (absolutely no sibilance). My next move is the UM56, which may also take care of the treble roll off.

Anyway, for me, the tri-flanges do not suck at all.

 

[Edward Ng]

I, too use shortened triflange tips.

-Ed

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kite7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Bi-flange sleek tips, I'm not aware that single or triple flange sleek tips existed. I don't see anything like that on their site

The borrowed Sleek SA8 from last fall and it's tips were mixed in with other tips including the X10 I was borrowing at the time. I ended up buying the X10 from him and returning the Sleek, so I don't recall all the tips that came with the Sleek. Just that some multi-flange worked, but didn't feel good in my ears.

 

[BloodSugar00]

I've been using my 3's with a cut 'ringlet' of a shure yellow foam tube (could probably use that of an olive or comply etc) pushed down to the nozzle base to make installed tips then project further from the nozzle, allowing for somewhat of a deeper fit/seal. I've only been using my 3's casually the last few days, amoungst my other IEMs, but, though I could certainly do with further experimentation with the thickness of these added ringlets and/or attaining the right width in these for the required insertion (depth) in each of my respective ears- attentive refinment in this, as it were-, with both olives and T-100 complys tips I was struggling to achieve a strong, secure seal with with the 3's without the 'extenders' in place, I am now achieving a much better seal/fit with these tip types installed, much quicker and easier and minus much fiddling etc! Not only this but, certainly with the complys, sibilance levels on 'vunerable' tracks, is now much quashed and stifled out and very near how it's reproduced and conveyed with unmodded tri-flanges installed! I get a bit now and again but it's piercing shrillness of old is very much quelled.

BTW, I'm pretty sure the Sleeks only come with bi-flanges (in 3 sizes) bundled.

 

[DJ_JonnyV]

I finally have a few minutes to post up some impressions of my W3s. I received them last Thursday and gave them a quick run out of the box with my iPod 5g and the stock Comply tips on them. At first I'll be honest, I was thinking that I'll be sending these straight back to the vendor. The lows were way too boomy, mids (esp. male vocals) were cracking up...maybe becoming distorted is the word. But, I thought I had made a huge mistake. Mind you I'm coming from some 2-3 year old Shure E4c, and have been used to their sound signature over the years as well.

I really didn't have that much more time to play with them, but Friday at work I switched to the triple flange tips as I remember reading on here that they were recommended for out of the box tips. I didn't even mess with cutting them down yet or anything, just stuck them on. Well, that made a huge difference right away. The bass tighted up and didn't sound muffled. The mids cleaned up tremendously. Now, they still seemed a little off kilter and somewhat overbearing to the mid/low side of the scale. I enabled the treble booster on my iPod and, as others on here have stated, it seemed to balance things out nicely by that little goose for treble. I spent the good part of Friday listening to them, then for grins went back and listened to a couple of the same songs with my E4cs, and it was absolutely night and day difference in every regard. Oh, that's what bass sounds like from an IEM...wow, the music sounds so much fuller and wider...etc., etc. I was listening to just about everything from rock to electronic to hip-hop to Diana Krall. I have to admit, Diana sounded pretty damn good. It was burned off of the "Girl in the Other Room" SACD Hybrid and I think it's an extremely clean recording. Good stuff for IEMs. Anyway, I'll post back more as I have time and try trimming down the stalks.

 

[tstarn06]

I am with you 100 percent. I even revisited the home made bi-flanges (the tris with the smallest flange cut off) and soon returned to the tri-flanges. As you have read, I did trim the stalk a bit (about halfway to the bottom flange), mainly for a more comfy fit. And I feel better now that I am not the only one who finds the acoustic EQ setting (I prefer it over treble boost, but it's close) to be the only tweak to make the W3s sound wonderful - no doubt what they are supposed to sound like. Would I prefer no EQ? Sure. But it really doesn't impact the SQ negatively at all in my view.

I like the idea of BloodSugar's minor mod (using the yellow foam tube "extension") and I may try that too, see if it in fact doesn't roll off the highs like the tri-flanges do. But right now, I am very happy with the W3s. And I also struggled and considered selling them.

 

[tstarn06]

One question...since the W3 sound tube is so short, are you worried the T100s will come off in your ear? Or do they grip the W3 tight enough to stay put. I am just concerned they will keep coming off. Also, you prefer this to using the large or thin P series Complys? Just curious what the SQ difference is, since those two foamies are very long on their own, and come with the W3s. I could not get a good seal with the thins, and the standards are way too large and really muffle the sound for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BloodSugar00 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've been using my 3's with a cut 'ringlet' of a shure yellow foam tube (could probably use that of an olive or comply etc) pushed down to the nozzle base to make installed tips then project further from the nozzle, allowing for somewhat of a deeper fit/seal. I've only been using my 3's casually the last few days, amoungst my other IEMs, but, though I could certainly do with further experimentation with the thickness of these added ringlets and/or attaining the right width in these for the required insertion (depth) in each of my respective ears- attentive refinment in this, as it were-, with both olives and T-100 complys tips I was struggling to achieve a strong, secure seal with with the 3's without the 'extenders' in place, I am now achieving a much better seal/fit with these tip types installed, much quicker and easier and minus much fiddling etc! Not only this but, certainly with the complys, sibilance levels on 'vunerable' tracks, is now much quashed and stifled out and very near how it's reproduced and conveyed with unmodded tri-flanges installed! I get a bit now and again but it's piercing shrillness of old is very much quelled. BTW, I'm pretty sure the Sleeks only come with bi-flanges (in 3 sizes) bundled.

 

[BloodSugar00]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif One question...since the W3 sound tube is so short, are you worried the T100s will come off in your ear? Or do they grip the W3 tight enough to stay put. I am just concerned they will keep coming off. Also, you prefer this to using the large or thin P series Complys? Just curious what the SQ difference is, since those two foamies are very long on their own, and come with the W3s. I could not get a good seal with the thins, and the standards are way too large and really muffle the sound for me.

I would need to try the P-serie's longs again- I will in a sec and get back to you- but, regarding whether the T-100s come off W3 short nozzle easily and/or in ears, no, surprisingly not for me! To clarify, you can pull em off nozzle very easily with the 'ext6enders' in place, as when you go to remove a tip to put another on in it's place, but I have not yet, in fairly extensive useage with the added ringlets in place, had any tips, T100s nor olives, come off in my ears (nor any close encounters, so to speak, where they nearly come off in ears)! I did have to make the thickness of the cuts of soundtube as thin as I could physically cut with a standard pairs of scissors, however (one I cut and tried first, say twice as thick as what I eventually used with my W3, meant tips came off very easily/did not hold onto nozzle securely at all). I think you could get away with a little thicker than what I'm currently using, however (and I mean to try that). Also, using rubbing alcohol on the tips and W3 nozzle might mean you can go thicker and still enforce the tips to stay on the nozzle securely and not come off (in your ear).

EDIT: The 'extenders' I'm currently using are approx 2-3mm's in thickness by my guess. However, I cannot find a ruler just now to clarify this.

EDIT 2: The P-series longs I've just briefly ampled again; they give me a snugger more full fit, for sure, and they affect SQ only slightly to my ears, subduing the dynamism and transparency of the overall sound reproduction slightly, increasing bass defintion and slightly stifling highs sparkle and extension. Sibilance is, however, to my ears, pretty much fully extinguished with these. I can't say for sure, yet, but I probably prefer the crispness and realism of the T-100s plus extenders in place, with a touch of sibilance still in place, over the sound transpired by the P-series longs.

 

[Edward Ng]

Hey, everybody; I found a way to cut down sibilance with the Comply P-series tips by gapping them further into the ear using de-cored Comply T400 tips at the base. Here are images of what I mean:

Pretty snazzy looking too, if I might add! Listening to it now and really enjoying the brighter sound compared to shorted triflange, but with less sibilance than just plain Comply P-series narrow tips.

-Ed