[Mazz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mchang /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've been unable to permanently unseal my SF by opening my mouth, moving my jaw or tilting my head back. The left one seems to "want" to get loose, but doesn't seem to. With my motions, I hear a little sound in my left ear, while my right is still silent.

Hmmm, that sounds much better than mine. Maybe I need a fit tweak. If I move my jaw (just about any direction) my right SF seems to lose a bit of seal. I'm not sure but I think I can make my left SF lose a bit too, but the motion required is more extreme.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mchang /img/forum/go_quote.gif BTW... I also don't get total isolation -- even with the refit. With no music playing, I can hear my wife talking when she is 5 feet away, but I can't really hear the words. She's already glared at me a few times. When I'm typing, I can very faintly hear the clicks. And the same with my (rather loud) air conditioning. I think they are a bit less isolating than a pair of pretty good -25db foam earplugs.

With no music, I can hear and understand conversation quite clearly from 5 feet away and I can fairly clearly hear the clicks when I type.

Maybe I should try putting some moisturiser (or do it properly and obtain some Oto Ease) to see if that improves the seal and/or isolation.

But I'm thinking they are going to need some tweaks to the fit. I wonder if an audiologist can do it here in Australia rather than ship them back and forth?

 

[slowth]

after another afternn of tryin it outside i realize i do have a fit problem...
there's just too much traffic sound and engines of buses when i'm walkin along the street.

and I can't shove it so far in cos it starts to hurt.

I realize that if i press the front part of the face-plate which sorta makes it "rotate" forwards, i hear a tighter bass and i'm more closed in...

so could it be lack of material on the back part of the faceplate? hmmm.. it's like the angle of insertion feels abit wrong...

i can't get a good tight, 'suction' fit as well..

wonder how to describe this to todd.. haha

 

[CLum]

Well after a month after I placed my order(04/20) I finally got my impression kit. I was unfortunate in the fact that they were switching to a new kit which required you to sign a waiver. A waiver that they were still in the process of writing. It basically says that I will not sue them if I rip out my eardrum blah, blah, blah. Being the man that I am I went forward with the process despite all your warnings

.

Anyways, the kit comes with foam blocks so it was pretty safe. I wish they would have given me enough material for two sets of impressions instead of 1.5 but I think it went well. Seeing as how you have to pay for the kit now I would suggest paying a little extra for professional impressions. If they were still free I would have no problem endorsing the kit.

Heres a pic. Don't click the image if earwax makes you quesy.

 

[slowth]

is it weird that I find the bass and all fantastic and home but when i'm out it's disappointing and I hear so much of everything else? I'm listenin at a higher vol than I did with my UM1 with trip flange.

 

[slowth]

can I just conclude that the freq shows are harder to drive than the um1 and so i need a higher volume? It's either that or it really has less isolation than the um1 with trip flange... but I hope not of course...

 

[powertoold]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CLum /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well after a month after I placed my order(04/20) I finally got my impression kit. I was unfortunate in the fact that they were switching to a new kit which required you to sign a waiver. A waiver that they were still in the process of writing. It basically says that I will not sue them if I rip out my eardrum blah, blah, blah. Being the man that I am I went forward with the process despite all your warnings . Anyways, the kit comes with foam blocks so it was pretty safe. I wish they would have given me enough material for two sets of impressions instead of 1.5 but I think it went well. Seeing as how you have to pay for the kit now I would suggest paying a little extra for professional impressions. If they were still free I would have no problem endorsing the kit. Heres a pic. Don't click the image if earwax makes you quesy.

That's odd that they don't give you enough impression material. On the kit picture from the website, you can see that there's 2-3 packages of impression material. Maybe each package has less material now, but I remember when I used their free "kit", each silicone package allowed me to do one pair of impressions. Perhaps they should include an extra silicone package they gave for free in the past.:

 

[Elluzion]

wow i could be an audiologist with that thing ^ LOL

 

[powertoold]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowth /img/forum/go_quote.gif is it weird that I find the bass and all fantastic and home but when i'm out it's disappointing and I hear so much of everything else? I'm listenin at a higher vol than I did with my UM1 with trip flange.

Hey slowth, I'm just wondering if you did your impressions in the morning or afternoon. I've found that in the morning, my ear canals are smaller than in the afternoon. Over the past few days you've had the FreQs, did your fit problem change over time, or has it been the same?

I'm also sort of worried that maybe the fit problems are due to some technique that the FreQ company is using? Out of 10 FreQs, it seems that only one has a perfect fit at the very beginning. I'm not sure if this is due to us moving our jaws during the impression process or the FreQ not modeling our impressions correctly

 

[slowth]

ha that's been interesting =)

eh i did it after lunch...fit's been the same i guess...

I just don't really understand my situation... haha and I haen't found much enlightenment...

 

[Stelixus]

I did my impressions in the evening, means Im probably gna get larger than normal FreQs?

Hm, is the fit problem that bad? Who's the one with the perfect fit? Could it be the self-impressions?

 

[slowth]

the weird thing is.. if the fit should be bad. doesn't make sense why in a quiet environment, the bass is to die for and outside it's tough to isolate even when I'm listenin to a higher level than with my um1s.

UNLESS, it's already the best fit possible, and it's harder to drive which explains the higher volume needed...

powertoold, or anyone really, i hear some say the best seal is when there's slight suction in the canal..does it have to be that way?

 

[Stelixus]

Hm, its possible that could be reason. How bout comparing the loudness of the music using both IEMs in a quiet enviroment?

Also, can someone describe a perfect seal? I know on my universal IEMs, theres this sorta suction. Not sure for customs

 

[powertoold]

I would describe a perfect seal as one where you have the nozzle touch your inner canal with a tiny bit of pressure all the way around. Also, the custom fits snugly against your anti-helix.

I don't think you can get a perfect seal right when you get a custom, but that's just my opinion. When you first use a custom, it should feel tight, but after a while, your canals adapt and then you get "the perfect seal" that doesn't release even when you eat. For the first two weeks, I had some discomfort when I used my FreQs, but after a while, they were easy to insert and seal great.

Personally, I don't think it's some mysterious thing. When you have a good seal, you'll know it. At least I had a good idea of what it would feel like before I got my FreQs.



Regarding the "suction", I do get it after I use my FreQs over an hour. The suction is caused my a thin layer of moisture that develops in my canal after a certain period of use. The reason that universals create a suction is because the tips are usually made of silicone, which sticks to your canal easier. Acrylic does not have this characteristic, so I don't think a suction is necessary. As long as the acrylic touches your canal, that is a good seal. A suction may come after some use because of the sweat that forms.

 

[slowth]

hmmm yeah it's snug... and yeah i think there's just that lil bit of pressure.. that when i try to push it further it in hurts..

when I move my jaw up and down I don't feel like there's a break either? I don't hear a sudden change in sound or air "rushin in"

Maybe I've just been expecting too much...

really? interesting.. so I shouldn't just jump at sending them back now huh hahaha... ok ok I should give it at least a week more then.. prob try a few amps this wk as well. maybe that'd help..

 

[mchang]

slowth's description below matches what I'm getting -- except the hurting when I push further (I don't have that).

I've been thinking about it and I don't see how a hollow plastic/acrylic shell can block out that much of the ambient sound? Sure, it's got some components inside, but I have to imagine mine (largish ears) is mostly hollow. If it were packed with silicone or dense earplug foam, then I would expect total isolation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowth /img/forum/go_quote.gif hmmm yeah it's snug... and yeah i think there's just that lil bit of pressure.. that when i try to push it further it in hurts.. when I move my jaw up and down I don't feel like there's a break either? I don't hear a sudden change in sound or air "rushin in"