[skoog5600]

From Tomo @ HFI, he gave me a good deal that is hard to resist :wink_face:

Hopefully I will get it before xmas...

Yeah I bought my first pair if Rooths from him. It took two months, but that was more than two years ago.

Was considering purchasing the LS8+ but will be going for FitEar.

Looking forward to hearing your impression when you get them.

 

[djvkool]

Yeah I bought my first pair if Rooths from him. It took two months, but that was more than two years ago.

Was considering purchasing the LS8+ but will be going for FitEar.

Looking forward to hearing your impression when you get them.

 
will do mate for sure...I hope it gets to me before xmas this year

 

[skoog5600]

I was just at e-earphone in akihabara and Demo'd the LS8+ customs
Sounds good, but don't think I have the patience to wait three or four months. So will
go with another brand which shall not be named in this thread.

 

[Nulliverse]

I waited 2 months for mine through Tomo, so the wait time has unfortunately gone up. 
 
After a good deal of time with my LS8+, I am increasingly impressed, though frustrated in one crucial respect. In terms of fit and comfort they exceed anything else I've tried. Bass response is exceptional, more capable than the AUD-8X and only slightly less reverberant than the 1plus2. Quantity is greater than either. That is, nnoticeably north of neutral, but not excessively so. The deepest registers can be positively thunderous on bass heavy electronica, without intruding or dominating - no mean feat. 
 
Mids have outstanding clarity, are cleaner, more liquid, and more transparent than both the AUD-8X and 1plus2, equating to a very natural presentation. Soundstage falls somewhere between the two - more spacious and laid back than the AUD-8X, but dwarfed by the larger than life 1plus2. No shortcomings here at all.
 
Treble is the best I've heard, making each of the others sound comparatively strident, and aggressive, without losing any ground on detailing. As with the mids, there is a musical liquidity that paints a vibrant picture of incredible resolution.Furthermore, it doesn't draw attention to itself, unlike the 1plus2, despite it's obvious boost. 
 
Cable wise it responds very well to descent silver, and even better to silver / copper hybrids. 
 
So... why the frustration? Because I can only achieve the above sound, by looking down! Seriously. With my head up, they feel as right as rain, more comfortable than anything I own... but soundwise cut off the highest registers, and compress the soundstage. Putting my head / neck down - with my chin closer to my chest - remedies this, leading to the above descriptions. I discovered whilst tying my shoe laces one morning!
 
My guess is that this is something to do with the angle of the treble sound tube... though due to inexperience, I can't be sure. I'd appreciate the input of Tomscy2000, or anyone else more qualified than myself. I don't need a 're-fit' due to said comfort / seal, but may well need some tweaking - something I've been putting off due to Rooths not inconsiderable wait times.

 

[average_joe]

It seems like you may have identified the issue...a sound tube is pointed in the wrong direction, blocking a sound tube.  I have received CIEMs with the wrong exit angle before, and it greatly affects the sound.  If you get another (deep) set of impressions, you can look to see how your ear is configured vs. how the sound tubes are angled.  
 
Another thought is to see how much play there and move the shell around in your ear and see if you can get better sound.  There is soft tissue, so you should be able to move it around, change the angel, etc.  If you can get a better angle when upright, maybe you can then figure out what is causing the issue.
 
Whatever the case, you should let Tomo know. I am sure he will get the issue remedied.
 
On the other hand, I am glad that the sound is great as you described.  I do remember thinking the universal demo of the LS8+ performed better than my custom LS8 in many ways, which was a nice feat!  I am surprised more people haven't jumped on this CIEM.

 

[skoog5600]

  It seems like you may have identified the issue...a sound tube is pointed in the wrong direction, blocking a sound tube.  I have received CIEMs with the wrong exit angle before, and it greatly affects the sound.  If you get another (deep) set of impressions, you can look to see how your ear is configured vs. how the sound tubes are angled.  
 
Another thought is to see how much play there and move the shell around in your ear and see if you can get better sound.  There is soft tissue, so you should be able to move it around, change the angel, etc.  If you can get a better angle when upright, maybe you can then figure out what is causing the issue.
 
Whatever the case, you should let Tomo know. I am sure he will get the issue remedied.
 
On the other hand, I am glad that the sound is great as you described.  I do remember thinking the universal demo of the LS8+ performed better than my custom LS8 in many ways, which was a nice feat!  I am surprised more people haven't jumped on this CIEM.

I owned a pair of LS8s for a long time and was very pleased with the sound and fit.
To answer your question why more not on the CIEM is that the word is not out about Rooth, many do not know. Also the wait time is so long. I demo'd the LS8+ at E-earphone in Tokyo and they told me the wait time is 3 or more months. Too long in my opinion.

 

[tomscy2000]

So many factors go into sound occlusion that it's tough to say whether Nulliverse's sound issues are the cause a 'blocked' sound bore or not. Some of it has to do with the way Rooth chooses to "fill in" the thickness of the canal portion --- some manufacturers fill in the inner bend of the canal, others do the other side of the bend, and sometimes more on the bony portion while sometimes on the soft tissue portion ---- still others (like FitEar) choose to build up the thickness of the cavum portion.
 
When the head goes up and down, or when you open/close your jaw, not only do your ear canals change shape, but the air pressure within your pharynx changes as well, due to the open/closure of your Eustachian tubes (there are muscles that tense and relax them voluntarily and/or involuntarily) and the air introduced or evacuated through gaps between the CIEMs and the ear canal.
 
The specific geometry of the second bend may also contribute to this problem. If the canal portion after the second bend decreases in diameter (it's commonly just a straight-tubed cylinder all the way to the tympanic membrane, which is the way ear simulators model it, and why they require the reference plane to be at the second bend) then it's easy to run into issues with occlusion.
 
So, any one or several of these factors may contribute to someone not obtaining a "proper" seal with CIEMs, especially acrylic ones that do not conform to the shape of the ear canal. Personally, if I move my jaw side to side, I get occlusion issues because of the way my canals bend. I'm constantly fiddling with the fit; sometimes it fits perfectly and the sound is ideal, but often it's a compromise. You personal state of health also contributes, as you may have a mild cold or other infection that may swell up the ear canal and/or Eustachian tubes; even when this effect is mild, it may affect the compliance of your tympanic membrane.
 
The point is that while taking another pair of impressions again and examining the range of variation in ear canal anatomy (you'd need both a closed and open mouth impression, or a digital impression that supplies interpositional information, like the ones from Lantos) would help the lab determine what's going on, but it might not completely solve the issue at hand. Building the CIEM beyond the second bend would most likely solve the problem, but deep canal CIEMs are somewhat uncomfortable in that you always know they're there.

 

[Smgwee1]

Dear Folks,
 
after some waiting both my LS8+ and Null Audio Elpis are here!! 
 
i still can't post photos, please bear with the link.
 
http://postimg.org/image/jub4oiiwz/
 
regards
 
Gwee

 

[Andreas2402]

@smgwee
I am interested in the LS 8+. How does it sound compared to your other iems/phones? Any part of the spectrum enhanced? Sounstage depth/width? Attack/Decay ability?

 

[Smgwee1]

@smgwee
I am interested in the LS 8+. How does it sound compared to your other iems/phones? Any part of the spectrum enhanced? Sounstage depth/width? Attack/Decay ability?

Hi Andrews, I am not able to comment at the moment. I remember greater bass and wider sound stage on the demo universal unit. Guess seal is not good enough. Will be sending back to refit.

I still like my SE846

 

[Smgwee1]

 
 
 
Finally, i am able to post my CIEM. on the left is the LS8+, the right is the Null - Rooth hybrid
 
regards
Gwee

 

[Joe-Siow]

My LSX5 finally arrived after 8 weeks, could have been 7 weeks, but Rooth had some issues with the art, so it was delayed by a week.
Sounds pretty ok fresh from the box, this baby will require around 300 hours to sound optimal.
 

 

[SenG]

  My LSX5 finally arrived after 8 weeks, could have been 7 weeks, but Rooth had some issues with the art, so it was delayed by a week.
Sounds pretty ok fresh from the box, this baby will require around 300 hours to sound optimal.
 

Hey Joe, the artwork looks awesome, congratulations!

P.S. Arrived in time to burn-in before Christmas too, lol.

 

[Joe-Siow]

 
Hey Joe, the artwork looks awesome, congratulations!

P.S. Arrived in time to burn-in before Christmas too, lol.

 
Hey man, thanks
The Gypsy Danger head could be sharper actually
 
But yeah, lucky it arrived in time for X'mas
My Miracle also arrived in Dec 2 years ago, quite a coincidence
Burning it in now as we talk, bass is still very tame now

 

[djvkool]

Have had my LSX5 for 2 days - this is my first entry into custom universal, and higher end product
 
To be perfectly honest, first impression is not that great, I am hoping that this will get better.
 
Bass is great, excellent speed and impact, details are ridiculously good, transparency is excellent too...
 
...however, the mid is recessed, and treble is so full of sibilance
 
Could be tips issue, or perhaps I am not getting a perfect seal...more to come soon