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I am back to the head-direct RE2 large clear bi-flange tips, just for some extra comfort, even though the eBay clear bi-flange tips sound similar. The only part that really goes inside my ear is the smaller tip flange which is the size of a medium single flange, but this also provides more support like the Sony tips. The second larger flange section of the bi-flange just sits at the opening of the ear canal, but not inside. This basically makes the sound tube longer like you are getting with the Sony.
I have some replacement Sony tips from office max that are not as good as the ones that actually come with the Sony. Those are on my Denon C700 at the moment. I'm pretty much done trying tips, except for a pair of Shure E2c tips I want to try later.
| Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Okay, this post is being made with the utmost caution, but I think I inadvertently may have stumbled onto a solution for the perfect IE8 tips for my ears. If someone else has posted about this, I am sorry, but didn't even know how to search this massive thread for it. I have a Sony Visa card, and I had accumulated a very modest amount of points, enough to buy a $20 pair of Sony canalphones, the MDREX36V (black), just for kicks. I'm not even sure why I ordered them, maybe it was because they are the most expensive thing I could afford with my meager point total (hardly ever use the card). Anyway, they arrived today and I took them out of the pack, didn't even listen to them, but noticed right away that their silicone flanges (singles) look pretty typical except for one small detail...they have a solid sound tube, not the usual flabby black material that the rest of the tip is made from. It's flexible, but much stiffer and also a different color (yellow). The light went off...maybe I could stretch them over the IE8 sound tube. Sure enough, I somehow wrestled them over the wide IE8 tube, as the Sony posts are narrower (not the usual thickness for Sony canal phones, somewhat smaller). At first, I had some trouble getting them on, but once I shimmied them down onto the tubes, they seemed very secure. The sound? A very strong emphasis on the mids and highs, and not a hint of sibilance. Because they sit on the very tip of the post (not flush against the IE8 body), the are extended a little deeper into my ear than say the OEM single flanges that came with the IE8s. So they go just a little deeper, and provide a perfect seal. The bass is still IE8 bass, but again, the sparkle is much more pronounced than I am hearing with the RE2 bi-flanges I have been happily using (and really the only tips that work for me, until now). So far, I have only listened to a few tracks and I intend to spend more time with the IE8s while watching Syracuse (alma mater) take on WVU tonight. But on acoustic guitar, the sound is excellent. There is a little reverb, but I have to see how these tips compare to the W3s (now that I have found a tip solution for them too). Also want to compare the IE8s with these Sony tips to the PFEs amped as well. I am at about 180-190 hours of burn-in right now, so I know I have yet to hit the max potential for mids/highs with the Senns, but I expect these new sleeves are gonna be keepers (now I have to get some more). Comfort-wise, they are as comfy as any phones I have, with maybe one exception (the X10s, which never cease to amaze me with comfort, if not SQ). Anyway, I am going to post some photos if I can, but just imagine black single flanges silicone tips (standard round, no big deal), but with much more rigid sound tubes that can be stretched over the phone post. That's these. I had never seen them before, maybe this is nothing new to Sony canalphone owners, but it seems that Sony's number of in-ear models has exploded since the old EX51/71 days. They also have added a different type of flange as well. I hope these work, since I don't want to spend any more time or money on the search for the best IE8 tips (for my ears at least). I am already considering the UM56 for the Westone 3s. |
I am back to the head-direct RE2 large clear bi-flange tips, just for some extra comfort, even though the eBay clear bi-flange tips sound similar. The only part that really goes inside my ear is the smaller tip flange which is the size of a medium single flange, but this also provides more support like the Sony tips. The second larger flange section of the bi-flange just sits at the opening of the ear canal, but not inside. This basically makes the sound tube longer like you are getting with the Sony.
I have some replacement Sony tips from office max that are not as good as the ones that actually come with the Sony. Those are on my Denon C700 at the moment. I'm pretty much done trying tips, except for a pair of Shure E2c tips I want to try later.
