[snowb]

Hey all,

Just received my SE530s today. Been listening to them for the past hour. I am using the black foam eartips that came with the IEMs. The sound quality is great, but I seem to have problems with the fit.

According to the Sensaphonics seal test, I have an incomplete seal. I have tried all the eartips and found the small foam ones to be the best fitting. What other tests are there for a good fit ? I find the bass response to be just slightly lacking.

Also, I have an irritating, burning sensation in my ear canals after not one hour of use. Should I put some Nivea on the eartips ?

By the way, what volume do you guys listen to the SE530s on your iPhone ? I put it at 35%. Is that too loud ?

 

[Jewmeister]

I use the small olives most of the time and dont get irritation and pass the test. I enjoy the bass response but agree that it lacks in comparison to the medium greys, my bi-flange mods, and the nozzle mod. I dont get good isolation from the biflange or nozzle mods and the medium greys get uncomfortable. You might want to try the comply foams, I have not picked up a pair for SE530 yet but have heard it muddies the bass as well. I still get very good bass with the small olives compared to other iems i have owned/heard. you might not have them in properly which is what it sounds like with your irritation.

 

[twylight]

If they slide easily out of your ears they dont have a good seal - they should be a little snug getting them out

I have 2 different sizeed ear canals o.O

Do the bi flange mod and see if you like that

 

[jyle_t]

iPhone 3G? i listen at 60-65% volume, heh.
which IEM did you come from, or SE530 is your first?

 

[Arjisme]

Quote:

Originally Posted by snowb /img/forum/go_quote.gif According to the Sensaphonics seal test, I have an incomplete seal. I have tried all the eartips and found the small foam ones to be the best fitting. What other tests are there for a good fit ? I find the bass response to be just slightly lacking.

I just tried that seal test and passed with flying colors. My tips of choice are the tri-flange tips, modified by cutting the stem shorter so the largest flange is almost touching the IEM body.

When I first tried tri-flange tips, I could not get them to seal worth a damn. And they were very uncomfortable. So I settled on the black olives for almost a year. Then I tried the tri-flanges again and figured out how to insert them correctly. They go in pretty deep and it was a bit weird at first (even invoked my cough reflex). They were not as comfortable as the black olives, but I persisted and soon enough became comfortable with them. I now use them all the time and can listen for many hours with them.

You might want to try experimenting with those tips again. Since the small foam ones worked best so far, I would think the tri-flanges will not insert fully into your ears. Still, you should be able to insert them and get a good seal. If you can succeed at that, then look at trimming them to your particular needs. You might need to cut off the largest flange, for instance. Lots of folks modify these by cutting off the smallest flange and convert them into bi-flanges. Just some ideas to consider...

 

[limin]

i have about 50-60% on the iphone depending on the track volume, i would suggest that the irritation is just sensitivity that should eventually diminish, which leads me to this hypothesis: irritation is causing you to size down, because the less pressure there is on your ear canals, the less irritation, which has resulted you in using a size too small. see what your seal is like with a medium, if it's good, then try to get used to something in your ear with the smaller tips at whcih point you may want to size up to the medium

i've had similar irritation when i first got them, it went away so i would not recommend putting anything on the tips

 

[evu325]

Whoa is the volume output on the iphone the same as the ipod touch? I typically listen at around 20-25%, maybe a LITTLE more if the track is quiet. Just wondering about hearing issues down the road.

 

[snowb]

OK, first of all, theres no denying that these IEMs sound bloody amazing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by twylight /img/forum/go_quote.gif If they slide easily out of your ears they dont have a good seal - they should be a little snug getting them out

They're pretty sung and dont fall out. Thats a good sign

I did the biflange mod for my right ear (cut off the biggest flange) ... it felt a bit weird; the bass response wasn't as good as the black olives. I couldn't get my left olive eartips off this time (even after behaving with them like they were some cheapo $5 'phones) so I'll probably stick with them for now

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyle_t /img/forum/go_quote.gif iPhone 3G? i listen at 60-65% volume, heh. which IEM did you come from, or SE530 is your first?

These are my first. I can put the volume at around 55% to make it sound nice and loud.

Quote:

Originally Posted by limin /img/forum/go_quote.gif i have about 50-60% on the iphone depending on the track volume, i would suggest that the irritation is just sensitivity that should eventually diminish, which leads me to this hypothesis: irritation is causing you to size down, because the less pressure there is on your ear canals, the less irritation, which has resulted you in using a size too small. see what your seal is like with a medium, if it's good, then try to get used to something in your ear with the smaller tips at whcih point you may want to size up to the medium i've had similar irritation when i first got them, it went away so i would not recommend putting anything on the tips

The irritation is when Im putting them in again after taking them out. A burning sensation which stays for some time. Maybe its cuz my ears are dry or something. I tried the medium tips first and they didnt fit that well in my ear. The small ones have the Goldilocks effect. I dont know how well they'll hold up in a 16 hour journey.

I dont understand how you guys passed the Sensaphonics seal test. Maybe its how I perceive the bass or something. These really feel like they have a helluva good seal ... can't hear myself rubbing my fingers near my ear ... or almost anything when the music is playing. To me, the two tones in the test sound like the have the same intensity, but the 500Hz one sounds louder. Maybe I feel that a higher pitched tone sounds louder than a lower pitched tone. When I turn the bass booster EQ on, they sound like they have the same volume, but that setting messes up how the rest of my songs sound. Aargh.

 

[qusp]

you are compressing the black foams arent you?? you should compress them between you fingers and then insert and hold them there until they expand again. also the comply T400 are preferable to me, but dont last as long as the black foams; they dont muddy the bass at all IMO, they tend to absorb the highs a touch on my W3, but with the SE530 already being a touch rlled off there I dont notice it. I find the comply help the midrange to really sing as they stop the bass from overwhelming them. I normally listen with cuystom sleeves though and only use the comply when I need a little less isolation (or use PTH) I limit my iphone at 80% and usually listen pretty loud; around 60-65% of that; so I guess about 50-55%

its also possible that you have two different sized ear canals and need to use a different size in each ear.

 

[XXXSB]

i turn my volume to 40-50% at outside
and 15-25% when i lying on bed before sleep

 

[snowb]

Quote:

you are compressing the black foams arent you?? you should compress them between you fingers and then insert and hold them there until they expand again.

I did that, but I have this burning sensation in my ear canals when I wear them. The bi-flange mod doesnt give me much isolation at all. I dont think I'll be able to wear these with the black olives for more than two hours.

 

[Rayko]

Quote:

Originally Posted by snowb /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey all, Also, I have an irritating, burning sensation in my ear canals after not one hour of use. Should I put some Nivea on the eartips ?

This product fixed the discomfort for me, its like astroglide for the ear...

OtoEase Lubricant for Custom Plugs, Molds and Hearing Aids - Earphone Accessories

I eventually had custom tips made for my UE Super.fi 5 Pro's. Those I can wear all day without irritation.