Shure Black foam sleeve, sound quality help
Mar 9, 2011 at 10:32 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 11

koonyue

New Head-Fier
Joined
Mar 9, 2011
Posts
20
Likes
11
Hi all,

Got the Shure SE115 last week and used the default medium size black foam sleeves for a few days, but found they are just too big for my ears.
 
Then I change to small size today, now the sleeves can fit perfectly in my ear and the isolation is excellent. However, I found the sound also changed as well. Bass are stronger than before and high are almost dull, compare with previous the high are airy and detail.
 
Is it because of better isolation which give me more bass and less high??
 
Any help would be appreciated
 
ps. already burn in for around 15 hours
 
Thanks
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mar 9, 2011 at 10:47 AM Post #2 of 11
You might be inserting the tip too deeply into your ears.

Try fiddling with their positioning a little bit. The muffled bass and reduced highs may usually be the case if the exit apertures of your tip are almost flush with the wall lining in your ear canal.
 
Mar 9, 2011 at 11:19 AM Post #3 of 11
Thanks for the advice.

But then i have a problem, medium size sounds good but too big, small size provide excellent isolation but sounds bad because it is too deep to my ears...

So i should give up on Shure black foam sleeves??
 
Mar 9, 2011 at 11:26 AM Post #4 of 11
Doesn't sound like the Olives are for you.

You might wanna experiment with other tips or even de-core the Large Olives to experiment with different tips you can fit onto the Olive tip core.
 
For example, I'm using a de-cored Olive core holding a Shure E2 Large silicon sleeve onto my Klipsch Custom 3 to get, to me, the best sound out of it.
 
Mar 11, 2011 at 10:13 AM Post #5 of 11
Hi all,
 
After a few days playing with difference tips, I have the following conclusion:
 
- The more isolation, the more bass, but highs are dull, human voice is like wearing a mask
- The less isolation, the reserve.
 
What I mean good isolation, I can still hear my keyboard typing sound when no music is playing, when the music is on, I can't hear outside noise anymore (is it good enough for isolation?)
 
Moreover, how can I get a balance between isolation, and detail and airy highs? Any others tips u guys can recommend?
 
Thanks
 
Mar 11, 2011 at 11:59 AM Post #6 of 11
Probably the Olives are just being pinched around the earphone nozzle, causing the trebles to get muffled.  The small Olives fit perfectly my HF5 and ear canal perfectly, and perfectly clear and balanced sound L/R.
 
You might want to try the Comply T100 tips.
 
Mar 11, 2011 at 8:27 PM Post #7 of 11
Hi,
 
After all I am really not impressed by the Shure 115, and using the same volume, I plug in my Apple ipod eaephone (non in-ear), and u know what?
 
The sound is BETTER then the Shure, yes, the bass is weaker than it (I think because it is not isolate), but everything else are just better, even sound stage ...
 
Are I having a broken 115? or I really choose the wrong tips ...
 
Mar 13, 2011 at 5:56 PM Post #8 of 11
Drill the hole in the tube of the earphones, that'll make them much better sounding (assuming the 115's are basically repackaged E2c, like they appear to be). Also I can't stand the rubber or rubberized-foam (Olives as KM called them), as they either make too little of a seal, or too MUCH of one :\ I only use the expanding foam tips (which for my E2c are orange cylinders, and for my SE210s they are black 'olive' shaped), as that is the only way I can get a good seal that doesn't create positive pressure from them in.
 
Mar 13, 2011 at 11:30 PM Post #9 of 11
Drill a hole on the tube ?? !! It sounds very very scary ...
 
Do you have more information about this? e.g.
Drill the hole at the start / end / middle of the tube?
How about the hole's diameter?
 
Thanks, I am very exciting on this
 
Mar 19, 2011 at 1:13 AM Post #10 of 11
Drill the hole in the tube of the earphones, that'll make them much better sounding (assuming the 115's are basically repackaged E2c, like they appear to be). Also I can't stand the rubber or rubberized-foam (Olives as KM called them), as they either make too little of a seal, or too MUCH of one :\ I only use the expanding foam tips (which for my E2c are orange cylinders, and for my SE210s they are black 'olive' shaped), as that is the only way I can get a good seal that doesn't create positive pressure from them in.

haha Reading what I wrote... Holy crap did I sound like an idiot :xf_eek:

Drill a hole on the tube ?? !! It sounds very very scary ...
 
Do you have more information about this? e.g.
Drill the hole at the start / end / middle of the tube?
How about the hole's diameter?
 
Thanks, I am very exciting on this

Anyways. What I was trying to convey was this mod: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/131100/e2c-mod-56k-warning

Helped my E2c's a ton. Widened the sound stage a touch, but really livened up the highs.

Keep in mind, I haven't listened to the SE110 or 115 to say whether or not this would even be needed. If you think the sound has a bit too much bass, no matter what, or that you could use more mids or highs, then it's something worth trying. Just remember this is NOT reversible and will void any warranty! With the price of SE215s though, it seems far less risky now and I might even go at my SE210s a little bit! Anyways, start small and if you feel you are happy, don't go any further. If there is any green 'filter' down the tube, you'll want to be careful not to hit that, OR remove it and LISTEN FIRST! I removed them from my 210s and that changed the sound considerably, which turned a little too bright and it needs to be amped now, but sounds great then :D
 
Mar 19, 2011 at 5:42 AM Post #11 of 11
I haven't heard these IEM's but have you asked what others think of the sound sig? Maybe you should experiment with some aftermarket tips before you do an irreversible mod on a brand new headphone. Try getting some triple flanges and cutting the stalks or last flange off. These work well with my 215s whereas I can't get a good seal with olives. 
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top