[Big D]

About 4-5 weeks ago I made the decision to invest in a second set of custom IEMs and I finally received them today. There was only really one candidate and from what Lindrone had written I was certain that the UE-10 Pro I already had, would sound different to the Prophonic Soft-2X.

I have been listening to the Sensas for 2 hours solid now and have some initial thoughts.

There are two worries about purchasing custom IEMs; the sound and the fit.

The fit is incredible. Using custom IEMs for the last 3 months has made it much easier to shove something in your ear beyond what you feel is safe! I also know how much isolation to expect so I can tell if they are seated right. At the time I had the impressions done I felt that the audiologist had done a great job. Now I know that to be correct. They feel full in the ear, but not to the point of being uncomfortable. The silicon material feels a bit strange at first but once you have them in (about 5 seconds for me) you don't need to play with them again.

These are initial impressions of the sound and I reserve the right to change my mind at a later date!!

I agree with much of what Lindrone has said about the sound of the 2X-S vs the UE-10 Pro. The Sensas definitely have more decay and musicality, but there is very slightly less detail in the bass. I would say highs of both are the two best I have ever heard, but I feel the UE-10 Pro edges it if clarity is what you are looking for. I still love the sound of the UE-10 Pro and there is no way they will spend long periods of time in the box like Lindrone's. My feeling is that I will spend equal times with both.

A lot has been said and suggested, mostly by those that don't own both!! Certainly any comparison that those who like the Shure E5 will prefer the Sensas and those who like Etys will prefer the UE-10 Pro is ridiculous. The differences between the two are marginal. The UE-10 Pro offer slightly more clarity and the Sensas offer that little extra decay and musicality. This cannot be extended to Shure E5 vs Ety ER4. Neither offers the ridiculously overpowering bass of the E5.

Are the UE-10 Pro worth $150 more? Possibly, possibly not - it's a personal thing like most of the comments here on Head-Fi. Probably of more interest would be whether the 2X-S are worth $200 more than the UE-5c? I was hoping to do this, but for personal reasons I am not getting the UE-5c. Maybe in the future? Maybe if we badger Random Person she'll get the 2X-S??!!

 

[iamdone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big D A lot has been said and suggested, mostly by those that don't own both!! Certainly any comparison that those who like the Shure E5 will prefer the Sensas and those who like Etys will prefer the UE-10 Pro is ridiculous. The differences between the two are marginal. The UE-10 Pro offer slightly more clarity and the Sensas offer that little extra decay and musicality. This cannot be extended to Shure E5 vs Ety ER4. Neither offers the ridiculously overpowering bass of the E5.

Well, I was an ety fan and I am more than happy with the Sensas. Don't feel they are lacking in highs, detail, or anything else. They really excel in my home setup with the PPA w/diamond buffer and emu-1212.

I still haven't gotten the whole fit issue down. Once in they are perfect, it's just getting them in there. I ordered some Oto-ease to help this.

I look forward to a more extended review. Congratulations on your new purchase.

 

[lindrone]

A lot of the additional "clarity" in the treble of the UE-10 Pro comes from the fact that they add additional extended treble regardless of the source. When paired up with my home system, out of a good headphone amp, the treble clarity of both UE-10 Pro and 2X-S are very similar. UE-10 Pro loses its treble advantage when both are being driven to their best performance.

Keep us up to date as you spend more time with them

Edit: Oh yeah... one additional point...

It's funny how our mind works... because at the beginning, the sound signature of the UE-10 Pro and 2X-S isn't a matter of night and day... certainly nothing like Ety and Shure.

However, as I spent more and more time with them, the familiarity with both grew over time, and the initial slight difference between the sound signature of the two became a huge ordeal. Your mind gets trained to hear all these small differences that makes you really start to prefer one sound over another. The gap of their difference just grew more and more over time in my mind.

 

[Welly Wu]

Keep us abreast of the impressions. Do post a formal review. I too have a vested interest in seeing both Sensaphonics and Ultimate Ears custom IEMs succeeding in the emerging audiophile headphone market!

 

[Tyson]

Thanks for the impressions, it's good to have another datapoint about how the 2 "kings of canalphones" stack up against each other.

 

[toaster]

despite all that has been said, i can honestly say it is quite refreshing to read about another opinion on this matter, that is truly based on experience.

 

[kyrie]

Thanks, nice to hear from another person who's tried both Sensas and UEs! The more I hear, the more I'm convinced that the Sensas are for me. I like decay.

 

[bLue_oNioN]

Big D - I envy you

 

[random person]

Hi Big D!

Sooo glad you did this -- for the sake of the community and my own personal interest (yes, it has crossed my mind about ordering the Sensas!

)

Can you comment more about the soft material vs the acryllic of the UE? Are the Sensas as easy to insert as the UE? Oh, and what about the dreaded lint problem (if such problem really exists!) with the Sensas -- is that an issue, or not? And are they more comfortable?

lastly, as you spend more time with them, I wonder if certain types of music cause you to favor one over the other?

Bummer about you not getting the UE5c! Then all questions would be answered!

So we will have to leave that mountain for someone else to climb!

Congrats on your new toys! All Hail Big D!

 

[commando]

What do these things cost, including the audiologist work?

 

[lindrone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by commando What do these things cost, including the audiologist work?

The IEM itself costs $750, audiologist fees varies from person to person.... and tax if applicable.

 

[Big D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by commando What do these things cost, including the audiologist work?

Bought directly from Sensaphonics and I used a local audiologist to make the impressions

Phones = $750
Audiologist fee = $38 (£20)
Shipping = $50 (to UK)

Total = $838

It was valued at $10 on the shipping label so I didn't pay any import duty.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Random Person Hi Big D! Sooo glad you did this -- for the sake of the community and my own personal interest (yes, it has crossed my mind about ordering the Sensas! ) Can you comment more about the soft material vs the acryllic of the UE? Are the Sensas as easy to insert as the UE? Oh, and what about the dreaded lint problem (if such problem really exists!) with the Sensas -- is that an issue, or not? And are they more comfortable? lastly, as you spend more time with them, I wonder if certain types of music cause you to favor one over the other? Bummer about you not getting the UE5c! Then all questions would be answered! So we will have to leave that mountain for someone else to climb! Congrats on your new toys! All Hail Big D!

As I may be suffering a reaction to the soft material of the UEs - I cannot be sure but UE have made me a pair of hard acrylic UE-10 Pro. These UE-10 Pro aren't fitting quite right so I am not going to comment too much on the sound yet of the new pair. At the moment I have both soft and hard acrylic UE-10 Pro in my posession (which are both going back to UE this week so the the new pair can be made to fit like the old, plus Jerry can compare the FR curves of both and make adjustments). Because the fit isn't perfect on the new pair I cannot really compare the hard acrylic and the silicon of the Sensas.

This is my main reason for not getting the UE-5c. As I don't want to be constantly returning my IEMs to the US. In all honesty I think I have been lucky to get the soft UEs and Sensas fitting perfectly first time, given the problems others have had.

I put my Sensas and H-140 down on the carpet by my bed last night and this morning there was a little bit of lint on them. Nothing significant and I don't think it will be a problem in the long-term.

As you asked in the PM I'll mention the bass. The UEs have a slightly deeper bass extension which (I know you are a Daft Punk fan) is noticeable on tracks like Revolution 909 and Da Funk. The opening minute of Revolution 909 with a crowd noise and a deep bass beat feels slightly deeper on the UEs - suggesting that it has a slightly better FR. However once the track gets going the Sensas have slightly more viceral impact and I think the Sensas would be more suited to a bass hound!!

By musicality I mean the notes flow freely into one another. There is very slight loss of clarity with the Sensas, but this is only noticable when switching between the Sensas and UEs. If someone owned the Sensas they would most likely offer exceptional clarity compared to anything else they've ever tried.

Another thing that I haven't seen mentioned before is that UEs offer a 12 month warranty vs Sensas 6 months. The warranty seems to be a bit more limited at Sensaphonics too. Both offer a 30 day fit warranty.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lindrone A lot of the additional "clarity" in the treble of the UE-10 Pro comes from the fact that they add additional extended treble regardless of the source. When paired up with my home system, out of a good headphone amp, the treble clarity of both UE-10 Pro and 2X-S are very similar. UE-10 Pro loses its treble advantage when both are being driven to their best performance. Keep us up to date as you spend more time with them Edit: Oh yeah... one additional point... It's funny how our mind works... because at the beginning, the sound signature of the UE-10 Pro and 2X-S isn't a matter of night and day... certainly nothing like Ety and Shure. However, as I spent more and more time with them, the familiarity with both grew over time, and the initial slight difference between the sound signature of the two became a huge ordeal. Your mind gets trained to hear all these small differences that makes you really start to prefer one sound over another. The gap of their difference just grew more and more over time in my mind.

I'll be interested to see how I feel about them in a couple of months. Certainly I can see why we've yet to have a UE-10 Pro or 2X-S user, who hasn't tried the other, dissapointed with the sound.

I think I'll look at a portable amp once the Supermono is out and some comparisons of the final Supermono and SR-71 have been made.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welly Wu Keep us abreast of the impressions. Do post a formal review. I too have a vested interest in seeing both Sensaphonics and Ultimate Ears custom IEMs succeeding in the emerging audiophile headphone market!

I can't imagine not using IEMs in the future, that's for certain!!

I almost certainly won't do a full review due to time constraints, but will post some impressions from time to time.

 

[kdb650]

Some people have been wondering about lint problems with the Sensaphonics so I just thought I'd post my thoughts. Lint isn't really to much a problem with the 2X-S when theyre just lying around - lint isnt attracted to them or anything (unless you let them coat in earwax... sorry for the description). I usually get the most lint from wiping them down for cleaning if I use the wrong type of cloth. The fact that these headphones are so small just happens to make them look a bit odd when photographed, not to mention it shows every spec of dust on them. I've spent quite a bit of time photographing various phones from shure, etymotic, sensaphonics, and steve's UEs and all required their fair share of dust removal in photoshop... but in all fairness, the case they come with is a lot worse with dust

 

[raisin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kdb650 Some people have been wondering about lint problems with the Sensaphonics so I just thought I'd post my thoughts. Lint isn't really to much a problem with the 2X-S when theyre just lying around - lint isnt attracted to them or anything (unless you let them coat in earwax... sorry for the description). I usually get the most lint from wiping them down for cleaning if I use the wrong type of cloth. The fact that these headphones are so small just happens to make them look a bit odd when photographed, not to mention it shows every spec of dust on them. I've spent quite a bit of time photographing various phones from shure, etymotic, sensaphonics, and steve's UEs and all required their fair share of dust removal in photoshop... but in all fairness, the case they come with is a lot worse with dust

I've had my sensa's for awhile now, and believe those original photo's to be an anomaly, as I have experienced no such problem. Even if I don't clean them for a few days, there is no dirt visible to the naked eye.

 

[gorman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big D I still love the sound of the UE-10 Pro and there is no way they will spend long periods of time in the box like Lindrone's. My feeling is that I will spend equal times with both.

Not surprised by reading this. I would definitely like to see a more in-depth comparison. Happy listening!