[tennisets]

I'm selling my RS-1s since they don't really work for my living situation right now because I can't use them when my room mate is sleeping. I'm going to get a pair of high end IEMs instead so that I can use them both portably and at home.

I'm really undecided between the Sensaphonics phones or Westone at this point (not sure about ES2 vs. ES3 either, I sent a PM to digihead about that).

Advantages for Sensa: I live outside of Chicago, so I could get my impressions done at Sensaphonics, which is a plus. They're supposed to be the most comfortable of the IEMs. Disadvantages: lots of people have reported problems with them after about a year, and the silicone may shrink over time. The consensus seems to be that they're not really suited to rock music? Is this in the same vein that Senns are not suited to rock music (IMO)?

Advantages for Westone: Greater durability due to the hard casing. A more exciting sound. Disadvantages: Have to send impressions from an audiologist to Westone, maybe not as high a chance of success on first try as with Sensa. Probably not as comfortable.

Another question: is the "soft" casing that Westone uses similar to what UE used to use that would crack and dry after a while? Here is what is said on their website:
Quote:

Unlike many of the soft monitors currently available, Westone encases the monitor's sensitive electronics in a hard acrylic inner shell. This keeps these components, vital to the monitor's performance, safe from the often-abusive wear and tear monitors must endure on the road. The hard inner shell is then surrounded in a soft body-temperature reactive skin that is approximately an eighth inch thick.

Is that like what UE used? If so it would likely display the same problems, right?

Lastly, there was a flurry of activity around August and September of this year with a lot of members' Sensas shorting out. I haven't seen anything about that issue since then. Have there been any new instances of peoples' Sensas breaking? This is a real concern for me.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[raisin]

The shorting out situation was addressed by Sensaphonic's quite a while ago, no worry's there. My 2-xs is almost 18 months old, and i have experienced no shrinking of the silicone.
Fit seems to be critical in most people's eventual satisfaction, so being in Chicago is a great advantage.

 

[plainsong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by raisin The shorting out situation was addressed by Sensaphonic's quite a while ago, no worry's there. My 2-xs is almost 18 months old, and i have experienced no shrinking of the silicone. Fit seems to be critical in most people's eventual satisfaction, so being in Chicago is a great advantage.

For my part, my Sensas still sound as great as the day I got them. The only thing that has happened is the ritual turning green of the cable, not the teflon cable, the silver stuff that connects inside the pod in the middle. I've noticed no degredation in sound quality. I contacted Sensa, who confirmed that this is only a cosmetic issue. It's not cheap silver ring type green, but more of a darker hue than it was. Again, I'd like to stress there's no degredation in sound quality.

But why a lot of Sensa owners went away was that I think a lot of us got sick and tired of the IEM flame wars. It's fine if someone prefers UE to Sensa or Sensa to UE, but there are a loud minority who want ownership of the board go to UE. It's a big waste of time to post about the Sensas because you'll just be shouted down.

Who knows, maybe I'd just fall all over the UE10's if I heard them, but even from the good impressions of them, they just don't sound very good for my ears.

edit - I've had my Sensas for a year and some change and worn them in some rather extreme weather.

 

[Kiwiclx]

No shinkage for the raisin... because he shrinks, too!

 

[tennisets]

Eh, nevermind. After some more reading I've definitely come to the conclusion that I'll be getting Westones, I just don't know which ones yet (ES3 or ES2). So nevermind about the problems with the Sensaphonics. But it's good to hear they fixed the shorting problems none the less.

 

[Salt Peanuts]

Let us know how you like the Westones once you get them. I've been thinking about them myself, but I just haven't been able to justify the cost.

 

[raisin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by plainsong But why a lot of Sensa owners went away was that I think a lot of us got sick and tired of the IEM flame wars. It's fine if someone prefers UE to Sensa or Sensa to UE, but there are a loud minority who want ownership of the board go to UE. It's a big waste of time to post about the Sensas because you'll just be shouted down.

Yes, the loud minority, i know them well- bass heads, the lot of them, with their switchs, and their mods, and the constant trolling of the threads...

 

[Kurt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by raisin The shorting out situation was addressed by Sensaphonic's quite a while ago, no worry's there.

That’s the first time I read something like this. Do you have a link?
6 months ago they wanted 150 bucks from me for fixing one shorting earpiece. Not the design flaw. So, the problem could have reappeared at any time if I would have let them do the repair.

TIA

 

[raisin]

The shorting seemed to be caused by excessive strain on the wire connections inside the earpiece. Sensa began looping the cable end within the silicone to provide relief from this stress.

 

[Kurt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by raisin The shorting seemed to be caused by excessive strain on the wire connections inside the earpiece. Sensa began looping the cable end within the silicone to provide relief from this stress.

Mine have this "knots". Despite that, one driver shorted out after 8 months of very rare and careful use.

Cheers

 

[Kameleon]

Why did you discount the UE-10s?

 

[iamdone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurt Mine have this "knots". Despite that, one driver shorted out after 8 months of very rare and careful use. Cheers

Same here, I have the knotted version too and the whole right side went dead. No strain on the wire. Plus I never saw anyone from Sensaphonics post about this here. If they were fixing them for free regardless of the warranty period, I'd say the problem was partly addressed. The other issue to address is if they did anything to keep this problem from happening in the future (aside from the supposed knot fix).

Edit: I never believed it was the strain but the slight movement of the soft material from inserting and removing them. I guess in some cases, that little bit of internal movement is enough to short the drivers.

 

[digihead]

Having the ability to go straight to Sensaphonics (or UE, or I'd imagine Westone) is a great advantage. Never been to Sensas office but have read great things about the mold process and the overall experience people have had there. If I were to do it again, I would have just traveled to Chicago and had Sensa make my molds and ear pieces. Return the next day for a fitting and have any fit issues addressed right then and there. Would also give me a good excuse to go to a great city like Chicago and hang out for a couple of nights/days. Always a good thing.

For me, the next best thing to going to one of the facilities was the fitting I got from Westone. Everyone's experiences differ, but my Westones fit great from the first time.

 

[tennisets]

Well, initially I decided the UEs probably wouldn't fit my tastes as well as the Sensas, and they're $150 more to boot. Then I discovered that Westone makes customs too, and PM'd digihead about them.

However, I've come to the conclusion that the ES2s are just not in the same league as the Sensas or the UE10. So I'm actually not getting Westones.

I'm getting the Sensaphonics. The sound is supposed to be very close between them and the Ultimate Ears, just a little warmer and with a little less clarity and treble extension. I'm not sure about the soft material as far as attracting dust goes, and also for ease of insertion, but it should be quite comfortable anyway.

But here is the big reason I decided to go with Sensaphonics: I can get the impressions done at their office. After reading a lot of threads about the various IEMs, there is one thing that has jumped out at me more than anything else: fit is critical. The better the fit people got, the more they liked any given phone. If the Sensas and UE didn't have the same fit, people liked the one that fit better the most. People have also gotten the best fitting process at the companies' respective offices. If I can ensure a great fit by getting my impressions done at Sensaphonics, then I'll choose Sensaphonics. That is the most important thing I've come away with. Sensa is in Chicago; therefore, I will buy the Sensas.

Anyway, I know I've jumped around a lot in what I think I want, but I think having the impressions done actually at Sensa will be a huge advantage, one that outweighs any slight differences in sound there may be. Thanks for your help everyone, I'll get my impressions done this week and report back on what I think of the sound once I get the phones.

To those who have had their impressions done at Sensa: how long was it from the time of impression to the time you received the phones?

 

[MarcusH]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tennisets Well, initially I decided the UEs probably wouldn't fit my tastes as well as the Sensas, and they're $150 more to boot. Then I discovered that Westone makes customs too, and PM'd digihead about them. However, I've come to the conclusion that the ES2s are just not in the same league as the Sensas or the UE10. So I'm actually not getting Westones. I'm getting the Sensaphonics. The sound is supposed to be very close between them and the Ultimate Ears, just a little warmer and with a little less clarity and treble extension. I'm not sure about the soft material as far as attracting dust goes, and also for ease of insertion, but it should be quite comfortable anyway. But here is the big reason I decided to go with Sensaphonics: I can get the impressions done at their office. After reading a lot of threads about the various IEMs, there is one thing that has jumped out at me more than anything else: fit is critical. The better the fit people got, the more they liked any given phone. If the Sensas and UE didn't have the same fit, people liked the one that fit better the most. People have also gotten the best fitting process at the companies' respective offices. If I can ensure a great fit by getting my impressions done at Sensaphonics, then I'll choose Sensaphonics. That is the most important thing I've come away with. Sensa is in Chicago; therefore, I will buy the Sensas. Anyway, I know I've jumped around a lot in what I think I want, but I think having the impressions done actually at Sensa will be a huge advantage, one that outweighs any slight differences in sound there may be. Thanks for your help everyone, I'll get my impressions done this week and report back on what I think of the sound once I get the phones. To those who have had their impressions done at Sensa: how long was it from the time of impression to the time you received the phones?

Though I own the UE-10s I would recommend the Sensas in your case - for the reasons you mentioned already: As a good fit is critical (I'm on my second refit now *sigh*) it's always better to get them done at the "source". There are many people who don't need a refit at all, but better be save than sorry. I don't think these two, UE-10 and 2X-S, are too far apart with regard to sound quality, I bet most discussions on which phone is better are based on simple fanboy-ism (as most of us don't own both). Congratulations on your decision - custom IEMs are completely different experience

Though getting your impressions done by the company itself doesn't guarantee a perfect fit, all necessary refits or tweaks are just a few minutes aways. Another plus is that you can talk to them in person, describe and show your problems directly.

Good luck,
Marcus