[bdshort]

I haven't looked into IEMs much since I bought my Shure E3Gs a few years ago, and I see Shure now has some coated black foam tips in addition to the standard yellow foams. Is there any difference between these as far as isolation and comfort go, or is it mostly a matter of how long each will last before tossing them?

BTW I had been using the soft rubber (grey) inserts for awhile, but recently the phones started falling out of them while they were in my ears, leaving me to have to carefully extract the rubber tips from my ears!

So I switched back to the yellow foams and realized that I actually like the foam more.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

The black ones are more comfortable (itch less).
They last longer, way longer.
They seem to smooth out the sound and make them sound better.
They isolate much better and less sound from the outisde gets in.
They don't look as stupid and cheap as the yellow ones.
They make your **** bigger (okay, so that one isn't true).












[for all of you wondering what the **** said, it was E.A.R.S.]

 

[bdshort]

Sweet! I ordered a set of 5 pair off eBay... I really need to make my **** bigger

And those other reasons sound good too... I'm listening to my nano now and my right ear itches a bit...

 

[kaycha]

I recently went through the same decision. I really enjoyed listening to my e4c's using the yellow foamies; however, they do not last very long. Naturally, I decided to try the black foamies. I gave up on them real fast.

The foam that is used in the black ones are different from the yellow ones. They retain their shape much better. You can tell because they expand back to their original size in 2-3 seconds compared to the 10~ seconds that the yellows require. I had ordered a set of medium sized foamies and they were slightly too large for my ears. Therefore, after extended usage (40 minutes to 1 hour), they started to because uncomfortable because there was too much pressure against my ear canal.

I know that getting the smaller ones might have solved the problem, but, quite frankly, I did not want to throw anymore money at them. If you are set on the black ones, I suggest testing all the sizes before. They are not one-size-fits-all like the yellow ones!

 

[Dexter Morgan]

I disagree on the comfort and sound quality. For me, both are superior with the yellow foamies, especially the sound quality. It's actually quite a significant difference... much less muddy, and soundstage is more three-dimensional. However, the general consensus seems to be that more people prefer the black olive tips, so chances are good that you will too. I've become convinced that the geometrics of your ear canal play a huge role is what works best for you, so the only way to know for sure is to try them all!

 

[kaycha]

In terms of sound quality, I agree with you. The black ones do sound better than the yellow foamies from what I remember. As for comfort, I already explained my reasoning above. I really suggest testing them out yourself. Actually, if you are interested, I can send you a pair of the unused black olive foamies (medium sized) for you to test. They are just lying in some drawer somewhere; might as well put them to good use. PM if you are interested.

PS: Dexter is an awesome show.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dexter Morgan /img/forum/go_quote.gif I disagree on the comfort and sound quality. For me, both are superior with the yellow foamies, especially the sound quality. It's actually quite a significant difference... much less muddy, and soundstage is more three-dimensional. However, the general consensus seems to be that more people prefer the black olive tips, so chances are good that you will too. I've become convinced that the geometrics of your ear canal play a huge role is what works best for you, so the only way to know for sure is to try them all!

Oops, I was in too big of a hurry to play the "lets see if I can be the first reply game" to mention that I started cutting my Black Olives down to the similar length as the yellows. This was to get more bass and less muted high end ,because the hole in the foamies now don't stick as far past the hole of the earphone. I got that idea from another thread discussing back vs yellow.

 

[Nuwidol]

You've lost me...
What bit of the foamies have you cut to get better bass? The larger flat based side or the curved thinner end? I assume its the fat end but i don't wanna mess em up trying to figure it out.
Cheers.

 

[kaycha]

I'm assuming he meant the curved-side so that the end that you insert first is flat and closer to the hole but I may be wrong.

 

[Nuwidol]

I wasn't sure so i've just been testing. I've got a fresh 5 pair pack lying around for my 530s. What i've discovered though is that turning the foam around has the same affect. It looks kinda strange but obviously on your ear its not visible & definately not as unrightly as the yellows.
I'm not sure if its gonna get uncomfortable or not as the black foams seem to have a slightly hard ridge at their base.
Bass seems stronger though & vocals are coming through clearer. This might just be because its louder though as its further in the ear.

 

[jinx20001]

the blacks are deffinately more comfortable,i did not recognise a sound difference personally apart from the extra isolation of the blacks give the impression of warmer sound, personally i love the black foams but this is based on comfort alone,i dont notice massive difference in sound, in fact very very little.

 

[Arjisme]

I find the black tips more comfortable than the yellow. The yellow start to itch after awhile.

On sound, the black tips give the best bass response, in my experience. They are denser than the yellows, so I think that creates more of a "wall" blocking your ear canal. However, the narrower end of the black tips can partially block the sound hole, depending on how you insert them and the shape of your ear canal. That will definitely cut some of the treble. I sometimes have to pull my left ear up after inserting them to correct for that.

The yellow tips are pretty good though. I think they provide slightly less bass, but that means they provide a slight tilt toward the treble end. Still, the comfort and durability and the great sound with the black tips wins it for me and those are what I settled on.

 

[bdshort]

Well, I'll share my experiences here as soon as I get my medium olives. I figured medium would be the correct size since that was the size I used when I used the ultrasoft rubber tips, and the yellows fit me well too. I'm mainly looking for a bit more comfort, and possibly a bit more isolation. I'm REALLY REALLY doubtful I'll notice much of a sound difference, but who knows! I also placed a bid on eBay for some 530's, though I doubt I'll win for the price I bid!

 

[kkreiger]

I my case the yellow foamies are the best fit for my scl4's the grey soft flex sleeves are great too ( i use medium)

the yellow foamies can scrunch up to a small size allowing deeper insertion . i tried the shure black olives but they do not allow deep insertion and the sharp edges are really painful once the foam starts to expand in your ears.

 

[maegnificant]

Well, I'll share my experiences here as soon as I get my medium olives. I figured medium would be the correct size since that was the size I used when I used the ultrasoft rubber tips, and the yellows fit me well too. I'm mainly looking for a bit more comfort, and possibly a bit more isolation. I'm REALLY REALLY doubtful I'll notice much of a sound difference, but who knows! I also placed a bid on eBay for some 530's, though I doubt I'll win for the price I bid!

Did you actually notice a difference though?

Now, 15 years later, you probably remember...