[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by killkli /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just did a intense listening of Vivaldi Four Seasons' Summer Presto & Winter Allegro Non Molto. I'm comparing FreQ with Livewires. With this two string symphony, I think I'd withdraw previous opinion that SuperFreQ is better than LW on highs. They are actually two kind of great treble. They both got clarity but the signature is really difference rather than better or not. And it's hard to decide which one I like better @@. Though on this field, they are both better than TF10 pro in MY OPINION ONLY. This is very subjective really. If I must put some words on both of this two IEM, I'd say that LW is more prone to analytical sound and SuperFreQ emotional. LW would be better for monitor purpose, no wonder the Super Idols are using lots of them. But as for normal music lover, I'd say that SuperFreQ wins somehow marginally, with that more emotional like sound. You could tell their difference immediately, and somehow My first impression is always that the SuperFreQ got an upper hand on the first sight. But after a few moment longer listening, the balance would somehow restored to par status. Conclusion so far is that both of them would not be out of my favor really....

Now all the Livewires peeps are gonna want you to post this in the LW CA Dreaming thread

 

[powertoold]

I bet there's no such thing as FreQs > LW or whatnot. If you like bass, then go with FreQs. If you like studio neutrality, then you'd probably like the LWs.

 

[Elluzion]

from what I am hearing, I am glad I got the livewires. I like that more neutral/natural sound. not overwhelming bass or anything like that. We will see though...

Good little review killkli.

 

[base669]

Hey powertoold, would you happen to have any tips, if I was to make the ear impressions myself? How would I be able to measure the distance of the ear canal to the eardrum? Thanks.

 

[Milner]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elluzion /img/forum/go_quote.gif from what I am hearing, I am glad I got the livewires. I like that more neutral/natural sound. not overwhelming bass or anything like that. We will see though... Good little review killkli.

Ironically I can say the same thing....Sort of. I am Glad i ordered the FreQs. I like a little mores bass a a warm sound....
Coming from the stereo world, kinda sounds like the comparison between my NHT's and the B&W's I was trying to decide between.

We may dog on each other a lot, but once you get beyond a certain level of performance, it really is a matter of taste and preference.

 

[Fr3sH]

I just hope the bass of FreQ is as good as E500(but not like UM2, too boomy and not detailed). They are one of the best I have ever heard so far. Too bad I had to sell them to fund PS3. Now I rarely touch my PS3. I need to find another home for my PS3

.

 

[powertoold]

Quote:

Originally Posted by base669 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey powertoold, would you happen to have any tips, if I was to make the ear impressions myself? How would I be able to measure the distance of the ear canal to the eardrum? Thanks.

I made my own impressions by basically following the instructions on this website and buying all the materials that were missing from the kit:

http://www.earplugstore.com/kitinstructions.htm

I cut the tip of my bullet shaped earplug to make the foam stopper and then used a needle to sew a thread through it - make sure the end of the tread is big so that the stop can be pulled out without the thread slipping from the hole. I used a Q-Tip to stick the foam stopper deep in my ear, using the Q-tip as a guide to how deep I wanted it. Basically, before putting the foam stopper in, I would stick the Q-tip in my ear and then mark where my finger was for X deep, then reuse the same mark when I put the stopper in. When you put the stopper in correctly, a good amount of sound should be blocked. Then, I bought the biggest oral syringe I could find at my local pet store ($2.50). Then stuck the gooey stuff in my ear. Before using the gooey stuff, I would first take two tiny pieces from the kit and mix them to make sure that it actually hardens and works. A lot people have been getting faulty kits. Overall, the procedure feels risky, and I totally would not recommend it. If you were doing it by yourself, you always feel like you don't know what's happening (especially how deep the foam is or if it's in correctly).

Trust me when I say that you'll likely regret making your own impressions. Not only is it riskier than getting professional impressions, no matter how good they turn out (mine turned out looking pretty good), down the line, you'll be thinking about how much better it would have been if you had gotten professional impressions.

 

[base669]

Quote:

Originally Posted by powertoold /img/forum/go_quote.gif I made my own impressions by basically following the instructions on this website and buying all the materials that were missing from the kit: http://www.earplugstore.com/kitinstructions.htm I cut the tip of my bullet shaped earplug to make the foam stopper and then used a needle to sew a thread through it - make sure the end of the tread is big so that the stop can be pulled out without the thread slipping from the hole. I used a Q-Tip to stick the foam stopper deep in my ear, using the Q-tip as a guide to how deep I wanted it. Basically, before putting the foam stopper in, I would stick the Q-tip in my ear and then mark where my finger was for X deep, then reuse the same mark when I put the stopper in. When you put the stopper in correctly, a good amount of sound should be blocked. Then, I bought the biggest oral syringe I could find at my local pet store ($2.50). Then stuck the gooey stuff in my ear. Before using the gooey stuff, I would first take two tiny pieces from the kit and mix them to make sure that it actually hardens and works. A lot people have been getting faulty kits. Overall, the procedure feels risky, and I totally would not recommend it. If you were doing it by yourself, you always feel like you don't know what's happening (especially how deep the foam is or if it's in correctly). Trust me when I say that you'll likely regret making your own impressions. Not only is it riskier than getting professional impressions, no matter how good they turn out (mine turned out looking pretty good), down the line, you'll be thinking about how much better it would have been if you had gotten professional impressions.

Thanks for the link and informative post. I will most likely just get it done professionally, I called quite a few places in the NYC region and most of them quoted me with $50 a set. I was hoping more along the lines of $30, I'll probably call up a few more places tomorrow while I wait for the return envelope from the home kit. At first I wanted to give the home kit a try and one of my roommates agreed to do it for me, but after reading all the posts about accidentally pulling out your eardrums, I was a bit hesitant, it actually scared the living crap out of me. I actually wanted to see how the mold would turn out if I did it on my own and if it turned out freakish looking and not deep enough, I'd go to a professional in the end. But I guess i'll just skip the whole DIY method and just get it professionally done. Thanks again!

BTW anyone know of any audiologists cheaper than $50 in Manhattan, preferably downtown area (yea I kinda made a thread earlier today about this too).

 

[Fr3sH]

Hey powertoold

Were you the one who compared FreQ with E500 ? If you were, please direct me to your posts. I am having a hard time finding it. I remember someone else other than killkli made a comment about E500 and FreQ

 

[powertoold]

There's no comparison, the FreQ is better, lol. I don't want to repeat everything I said! The FreQ bass is on par or better than the E500 bass... and regarding the highs, they are definitely better, so you win.

 

[Fr3sH]

Quote:

Originally Posted by powertoold /img/forum/go_quote.gif There's no comparison, the FreQ is better, lol. I don't want to repeat everything I said! The FreQ bass is on par or better than the E500 bass... and regarding the highs, they are definitely better, so you win.

Glad to hear that. I am worried about the highs. That's the only thing that I did not like about E500.

Also, I found the post hehe. It's on page91 of this thread =P

 

[dlui1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by powertoold /img/forum/go_quote.gif I personally don't like the idea of a "converter". The one that UE provided with my SF5Pro causes the sound to feel sterile and bland. If you want to eliminate hiss, get a good portable amp like the iBasso D2. I say the D2 is good to eliminate hiss because you can change the opamp, which is the main factor in producing hiss.

Hmm, that's a good idea, I didn't think of that. Is there an online store that has international shipping to Sydney that sells the D2 cheap (or cheaper than RRP)? I'll most likely get an alternative that I can get easier if it ends up being too expensive.

 

[doggiehowser]

I just got my UE tf10p custom mold tips.

And I realized there may be a reason why there seemed to be a difference in my ranking of tf10p vs killkli's.

I am using ES2 cables on my tf10p and IMHO there's an improvement in clarity and balance.

Anyway, after getting the custom molds, my initial impression was that there was very little change in the sound signature. But as I am listening more carefully now, I noticed that the midrange seems more enhanced as well. Not as pronounced as in the SuperFREQ but definitely there. Wonder if this midrange boost is a result of the way the custom molds interact with the sound?

 

[Ohji]

Quote:

Originally Posted by base669 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the link and informative post. I will most likely just get it done professionally, I called quite a few places in the NYC region and most of them quoted me with $50 a set. I was hoping more along the lines of $30, I'll probably call up a few more places tomorrow while I wait for the return envelope from the home kit. At first I wanted to give the home kit a try and one of my roommates agreed to do it for me, but after reading all the posts about accidentally pulling out your eardrums, I was a bit hesitant, it actually scared the living crap out of me. I actually wanted to see how the mold would turn out if I did it on my own and if it turned out freakish looking and not deep enough, I'd go to a professional in the end. But I guess i'll just skip the whole DIY method and just get it professionally done. Thanks again! BTW anyone know of any audiologists cheaper than $50 in Manhattan, preferably downtown area (yea I kinda made a thread earlier today about this too).

I agree with powertoold. I was going to do the impressions myself, but I went to an audiologist instead. I was surprised when she inserted the cotton dam into my ear, as it felt very, very deep. It didn't hurt, but it was placed far further in my ear than I've ever stuck a Q-tip. I would never have inserted the tip as far in as she did if I had been doing the impressions myself, nor would I have felt safe doing so.

 

[wquiles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by doggiehowser /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just got my UE tf10p custom mold tips. And I realized there may be a reason why there seemed to be a difference in my ranking of tf10p vs killkli's. I am using ES2 cables on my tf10p and IMHO there's an improvement in clarity and balance. Anyway, after getting the custom molds, my initial impression was that there was very little change in the sound signature. But as I am listening more carefully now, I noticed that the midrange seems more enhanced as well. Not as pronounced as in the SuperFREQ but definitely there. Wonder if this midrange boost is a result of the way the custom molds interact with the sound?

Cool - glad you got them

I really can't say that I have noted any significant difference between the universal tips and my custom tips. I have to do more carefull back to back to see if I can hear differences such as the ones you are hearing. Of course, comfort-wise, there is no comparison - I love the custom tips!

I finally got the box to send the ear impressions for the FreQs, so I hope that in about two weeks or so I will also (like you) be able to test the UE TF vs. the SuperFreQs

Will