[Duncan]

I thought I was the only one still impressed with the EX1000. Got a 2nd pair about 2 yrs ago thinking then the 1st pair would wear out. I was wrong.

I've had them since (iirc) the day before they were due to be released (Easter 2010, again IIRC, the Sony Centre I went to put them out on display too early, and I jumped on them, to be 'exclusive', and a trend setter), and - have had a real love / hate relationship with them, they've been sat, forlorn and alone for many years, but - with the largest foam tips (Monster Fit Tips) that I could find - they actually work for me... The detail / clarity is impressive beyond belief for their (relative) vintage - certainly outclass a lot of the newer to market products / manufacturers!

Maybe it is a thing of getting older, but - all of my old(er) experiences with IEMs were with medium tips, yet now I need large for everything - which has been half of my problem with finding the love for the EX1000...

Thankfully (or not, as the case may be) - having bought these in Europe, I got the EX1000 cable, rather than the EX600 cable that the US got

 

[PCWar]

I had them from 2010, too. Then purchased the Ocharaku Kaedes, the Tralucent 1Plus2, the Tralucent Ref 1 and then re-purchased the EX1000. Sold everything else and recently was about to purchase a 2nd pair for a very good price but didn't at the end. Somebody else is going to be very happy with his purchase I found the best cable for them to be the EX800st cable. It somehow tames the highs. 
 
I believe they are unmatched in terms of bass "rightness", timbre and soundstage. They don't have the precision of balanced armature drivers in the highs but have better coherency. Overall they are the perfect IEM for me.
 
I understand you Duncan when you say a love/hate relationship but I believe this is totally tips/fit related. They can sound harsh and thin if you don't get the seal perfectly right. I use a pair of small tips in reverse and then the jvc piral dots on top to stretch the top-end of the tip and get a better and more stable seal.

 

[Duncan]

Interested in your tip Erm... Tip PCWar... Do you have any pictures to confirm how to do this?

My EX1000s look a little, loved let's say, some of the paint has chipped off, but, with large comply tips (look better than the Monster tips), still sound great, and who cares when they're in your ears, right?

 

[DMinor]

I just love this setup.

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

 
My fave rig

 

[Duncan]

It's funny, getting that Eureka moment after everyone else, however, that bass, the texture and layering, that can definitely show some much more expensive gear how to play! The whole sound is quite fantastic, wish I'd have found the love a whole long time ago!

Had to laugh to myself when I went into a Sony centre the other day to enquire if there were any new high end IEMs in the pipeline, I showed the rep the EX1000s, making specific note of the model number, he was quite insistent that the EX750 was going to be better as it was newer... Told him I had them and didn't like them in comparison, and he looked at me as if I'd just spat on his mother's grave...

He then proceeded to tell me to look online - bricks and mortar isn't what it used to be.

 

[james444]

It's funny, getting that Eureka moment after everyone else, however, that bass, the texture and layering, that can definitely show some much more expensive gear how to play! The whole sound is quite fantastic, wish I'd have found the love a whole long time ago!

Had to laugh to myself when I went into a Sony centre the other day to enquire if there were any new high end IEMs in the pipeline, I showed the rep the EX1000s, making specific note of the model number, he was quite insistent that the EX750 was going to be better as it was newer... Told him I had them and didn't like them in comparison, and he looked at me as if I'd just spat on his mother's grave...

He then proceeded to tell me to look online - bricks and mortar isn't what it used to be.

 
Lol, this made me dig up and old post from 2013, my spontaneous reaction upon listening to the XBA-H3 (then EX1000 successor and supposed new Sony flagship) for the first time:
 

   
I agree on the packaging. And after some first quick listening comparisons, I can only say treasure your EX1000s my friends.
 
Out of the box, the H3 sound much closer to the XBA-4 than EX1000, but with a boomy / muddy bass that's actually worse than the XBA-4's. Mids are pretty good quality, but too warm because of the bass bloat. Highs are unoffensive, but also unremarkable. Sadly an overall pretty underwhelming first impression, considering the tech involved and price asked for.
 
I've never experienced substantial change from burn-in, but nevertheless will let them play overnight. These need substantial change to be keepers, sorry to say.

 
... and unbelievably, in late 2016 we're still waiting for a new Sony IEM flagship that can top the EX1000.

 

[DMinor]

I packed that setup in my check-in luggage yesterday and TSA informed me of the inspection with a notice slip. Good job TSA and that looks suspicious. This was the first time I packed it in my check-in luggage and I wanted to test if they could survive the abuse from handling, landing and taking off during the two flight legs. No problem and to these ears they still sound the same.

 

[Duncan]

I'm seriously considering selling my Layla's, and getting another couple of pairs of these, now that I've found the magical fit, and - more importantly - volume, shame it's taken me six years, but I guess it could be setup matching too...

 

[jkwanness]

Reading all these posts about the love of ex1000... Makes me miss mine!! I still have mine with me, but i had a minor surgery on my left ear drum, ventilation tubes... Now i cant get a seal until the tubes comes out... :'(

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

Reading all these posts about the love of ex1000... Makes me miss mine!! I still have mine with me, but i had a minor surgery on my left ear drum, ventilation tubes... Now i cant get a seal until the tubes comes out... :'(

 
 
Glad the surgery went good and it's just a countdown until you can enjoy again

 
Lotta folks never get a seal and they didn't even have surgery

 
I knew these were special but it took a custom cable that was by luck made perfect (ear hooks angle or something) and once I got a seal the deal was done. There is everything else I have ever heard..... and there is the ex1000 balanced.

 

[thefitz]

Reading all these posts about the love of ex1000... Makes me miss mine!! I still have mine with me, but i had a minor surgery on my left ear drum, ventilation tubes... Now i cant get a seal until the tubes comes out... :'(

What about Comply tips?

 

[jkwanness]

   
 
Glad the surgery went good and it's just a countdown until you can enjoy again

 
Lotta folks never get a seal and they didn't even have surgery

 
I knew these were special but it took a custom cable that was by luck made perfect (ear hooks angle or something) and once I got a seal the deal was done. There is everything else I have ever heard..... and there is the ex1000 balanced.

 
Yeah, I've went through a lot of gears in my days. but finally settled with this as my retirement IEM. Really love it, and was planning to get some cable upgrades for it then my flu happened. Now i have to wait 6 months for the tube to fall of and my eardrum to heal! Anyways, enjoy your ex-1000 while you still can and be careful of flying with a flu. Loosing your hearing is the worst thing that can happen to us. 

 
 

What about Comply tips?

 
It's funny. I can get a seal outside of my eardrums to the outer ear, but because there's a hole in my eardrum, means the other side is open which allows air to pass through the eustachian tube. Thus no seal no matter what i do with my outer ear. I now know that a good seal is not just outside of the eardrums, but both ways, and its just the eardrum membrane between the entire length which catches sound and not a hard stop after the eardrums lol...

 

[darkdoorway]

Has anyone done custom tips on the ex1000? What service did you use? Thinking of getting snugs to do it to get ciem seals for these babies.

 

[awayeah]

Has anyone done custom tips on the ex1000? What service did you use? Thinking of getting snugs to do it to get ciem seals for these babies.

 
I've tried custom tips from Custom Art but they didn't sound that good. Besides, no matter what tips will you use, isolation is still going to be terrible.
For me, they sound best with Klipsch dual-flange tips. The deeper insertion the better with EX1000.