The FreQ Custom IEMs - Impressions Thread (Updates on First Page!)
Jun 9, 2008 at 10:21 PM Post #2,327 of 3,960
Sending two new impressions of my left ear to FreQ for the left earpiece remake.

Was very bummed (and kinda angry) that audiologist ('s receptionist) charged me the full $50 for one ear. I was THIS close to walking out.

In the end, I feel like I got good value because the audiologist suggested and did two impressions -- one open and one closed. He also took a little time to check for mandibular movement -- how much my ear canal opened when mouth was opened. Diagnosis: fair amount of movement, but nothing excessive.

I was also shown how my left ear canal actually flares out like a fan. My right in more tapered and cone-shaped. I'm curious if this is a source of my problem -- it's hard to plug a small hole with something that fans out.

I feel confident that with three molds and my typed up explanations, I should be able to get a better earpiece.

However, the audiologist did say that in the hearing aid world, a more flexible material would be used to solve fit issues like I'm having, but that's obviously not an option here.
 
Jun 10, 2008 at 2:57 AM Post #2,328 of 3,960
Here's my ear impression. Does it seem like the canal part is kind of short? The technician has experience with UE mold, but I tought it would be longer than this. Will this be good enought?

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Jun 10, 2008 at 3:26 AM Post #2,330 of 3,960
Quote:

Originally Posted by dakkar /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Here's my ear impression. Does it seem like the canal part is kind of short? The technician has experience with UE mold, but I tought it would be longer than this. Will this be good enought?

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Yes, those seem pretty short and narrow. I'm not sure how they'll work with it, but they've probably received worse impressions
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Jun 10, 2008 at 5:07 AM Post #2,331 of 3,960
Those canals look very narrow. From what I have heard, length is certainly less important than the circumfrence of the canal portion. If air is able to flow in and out of the canal, your freQs will sound terrible. I had some fairly narrow canal portions on mine as well. Except, from looking at the pics, yours appear even narrower than mine and that's saying something. Luckily for me, my freQs seal perfectly. I made sure to let them know to add a little extra material to the snout of my freQs because I did not want any inflow or outflow of air. My canal lengths on my freQs are relatively short (1 cm) but I can't complain about the seal because the circumference is perfect. Basically what I'm saying is if your canals are truly that narrow then you should be fine, but if the impressions you had taken actually did not fill your canal fully, you will most likely experience a refit. How would they be able to guess how wide to make it if it's a poor impression?? I dont know. But as powertooled stated, I am sure they have seen worse.
 
Jun 10, 2008 at 5:23 AM Post #2,332 of 3,960
hey, guys I need help...
i am about to go for freq show... but is it OK to use freq show without amp??? i really have no plan to use amp on the go...i know it makes big difference....
and also i need a new mp3 player.. and sony's new a729 looks really nice... does anybody has experience with this... or how is ipod touch with it(no amp but do not mind using lineout)...or any other recommendation???
thank you very much
 
Jun 10, 2008 at 6:06 AM Post #2,333 of 3,960
Quote:

Originally Posted by busanblues /img/forum/go_quote.gif
hey, guys I need help...
i am about to go for freq show... but is it OK to use freq show without amp??? i really have no plan to use amp on the go...i know it makes big difference....
and also i need a new mp3 player.. and sony's new a729 looks really nice... does anybody has experience with this... or how is ipod touch with it(no amp but do not mind using lineout)...or any other recommendation???
thank you very much



Hello busanblues,

Several people in this thread have used their Music Maker FreQs without amps and found that the sound was good. Of course, it will sound better with an amp. You can check out the first page of this thread for some impressions of FreQs without amps.

As for the portable players, I have no experience with the ones you mentioned. I'm not sure if anyone has tried the FreQ Shows or Tour de FreQ with the iPod Touch (think it has that special plug that won't fit the FreQ plugs).

Make sure you check with the FreQ about whether the plug on the braided cords can be used for iPhones and iPod Touches.
 
Jun 10, 2008 at 8:43 AM Post #2,335 of 3,960
Quote:

Originally Posted by doggiehowser /img/forum/go_quote.gif
So Headphone Addict.. any mods to the soundpipes that can minimize the midrange boost?


I know the diameter and length can be used to tune the sound, but I forget which change does what. Someone at Westone told me once, but I was distracted.
 
Jun 10, 2008 at 9:01 AM Post #2,336 of 3,960
i've tried a few amps with the MM line.. and it really does make quite a big diff.. i'm not sure if the diff would be more than compared to ML line ampless...

MM line without amp would be pretty good itself, if not for a fairly unexciting sound compared to an amp.
 
Jun 10, 2008 at 9:17 AM Post #2,337 of 3,960
To Headphone Addict:
Man, I just got my Livewires back (send back for maintenance again >_<.) Now I have both Freq Show with Maker crossover and Livewires at the same time.

My Livewires is already burned in enough and I've put about 120 hours on my FreQ Show. So the Burn-in factor would be fair enough.

Both of my LW & FreQ Show have no fit issue. They fit perfectly.

To much of my surprise, the FreQ Show with MM crossover sound more like Livewires than SuperFreQ!!
Also, the sensitivity seems to be in the close range with LW, instead of SuperFreQ.
SuperFreQ (Lover crossover) is far more sensitive than both of FreQ Show(MM crossover) and LW.

I tried them both on the same DAP with the same volume setting. The FreQ Show's sound stage is a bit wider than LW, BUT NOT very much.
Also, sound separation is better with FreQ Show. Their are nearly identical on treble, while FreQ show's mid is a little more prominent, with more forward vocal presentation.

All in all, the FreQ Show is so much like Livewire in sound signature that I'm really surprised by this outcome.

Hope this would some opinion for choosing between Maker & Lover crossover.
 
Jun 10, 2008 at 11:24 AM Post #2,339 of 3,960
Quote:

Originally Posted by dakkar /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Here's my ear impression. Does it seem like the canal part is kind of short? The technician has experience with UE mold, but I tought it would be longer than this. Will this be good enought?


It seems that your earprint isn't very deep: I don't clearly see the second bend (S shape at the end). Might be a problem...
I would suggest you to do it again.
 
Jun 10, 2008 at 12:25 PM Post #2,340 of 3,960
Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I know the diameter and length can be used to tune the sound, but I forget which change does what. Someone at Westone told me once, but I was distracted.


I can try to remind you how it works.

I’m an engine engineer and in one of my previous job I was dealing with a software that aim at tuning the pressure waves to improve the quantity of air that goes inside the cylinders at a specific engine speed. This is done trough adjusting the distance between the cylinder and a sudden diameter enlargement.

What could be the link between engines and IEMs?

What’s the physical?
The driver obviously creates acoustic pressure waves which travel trough the earphone canal and then arrive in your ear canal (hope it’s not a scoop
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). Because of the sudden enlargement from the earphone canal to your ear canal, one part of the wave is transmitted in the direction of your eardrum (which is what we want I suppose
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) and the other part is reflected in the opposite direction back to the driver. This reflection has to be controlled and can be used to tune the sound. The length of the IEM canal deals with the time for a wave to go back to the driver and the diameter ratio between the earphone canal and the ear canal deals with the intensity of that reflection.

How can it change the sound?
Depending on the time to come back to the driver, the reflective pressure wave can arrive in phase or in the opposite phase than other (new) pressure waves. The combination of the reflective and other pressure waves in the IEM canal could modify the original sound signal (in a controlled or uncontrolled way).

Hope it is clear enough (English is not my mother tongue). This is probably a simplification of what can occur in an IEM and I will not risk to give more explanations since I’m not a sound engineer (we should take also into account the interactions between drivers, frequencies…)

I’ve red a few pages backward that a Head-Fier (perhaps you Headphoneaddict?) has enlarged the outer diameter of his canal doing a kind of cone shape and then found it has reduced a problem he had with the mids…
 

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