[Nintendo Maniac]

Protip: Before I complain about something's audio quality, I should make sure that the issues aren't possibly being caused by something else.
 
Case in point, I just discovered today that my white 9963 IEMs seem to have a noticeably lesser amount of bass in the right channel than the left channel; not only that but the tone in the right channel seems lower as well.  I compared against my black 9927 IEMs which I think exhibit a little bit less bass in the right channel but nothing noticeable in normal listening not to mention it had no noticeable (or very minor) tone difference, and even then that may just be placebo.  It's definitely not my audio source since I also tested by physically swapping the left and right channel going into the headphones via some adapter cables, and even then the right channel had weaker bass.  It's not my physical ears either because when I swapped the actual IEM speakers to the opposite ears, the weaker bass was still on the right channel IEM, even when it was in my left ear and was being fed the left audio channel.  Lastly, it's also not the tips because I swapped those around a bunch between nearly all the tips I got in my LostEarBuds tips sample pack.
 
Anyone else have the issue of weaker bass in the right channel IEM speaker?

 

[HAMS]

 
Anyone else have the issue of weaker bass in the right channel IEM speaker?

 
You can test them by 20-20khz tone. you can download it from audiocheck.net.

 

[Nintendo Maniac]

   
You can test them by 20-20khz tone. you can download it from audiocheck.net.

What more is there to test?  I tested with a 50hz sine wave I generated in Audacity and with the first couple seconds of the following song in lossless quality (cause YouTube's AAC encoder butchers the bass) as a real-world test:
 

 

[HAMS]

what about the upper mid? my last pair has stronger bass and lesser upper mid at left channel. I simply tune it by adjusting the vent.

 

[Nintendo Maniac]

I tested with both a 1KHz and a 5KHz sine wave I generated in Audacity and both sides seemed to be the same, or at least within the my hearing's margin of error.  There was one song that did make me think that the treble (but not the midrange) was weaker on that same right channel though, so either way there's something up with my IEM's right speaker.  I'm gonna try contacting Monoprice's support since the IEMs are only like 3 months old (my seemingly fine black IEMs are 5 months old by comparison).
 
For reference, the song I spoke of was the following in a lossless data rip sourced from Metroid Prime Trilogy's "Extra" menu (aka the "frontend" folder on the disc):
 

 

[jaejw1]

So, basically, when you made the molds, you kept the tube (sleeve) part of the tips just so the you could remove the actual earbud itself, then put it back in and give it a place to lock into?

 


yep.. im able to remove them and place them on other earphones

 

[Nintendo Maniac]

Holy crap, Monoprice is awesome.  They're actually sending me a new 9963 IEM free of charge without me having to send back the old one!
 
Assuming the new one works properly, I'll definitely see if I can recable my black 9927 IEMs with the cord from the white 9963 IEMs.  That way the good drivers will have the good cord while the bad drivers will have the crappy cord!
 
...of course, this means I have to do the fin-shaving mod for a 3rd time now.

  I mean, it's stupid easy for me, but it is somewhat annoying to do...

 

[Tom22]

  Holy crap, Monoprice is awesome.  They're actually sending me a new 9963 IEM free of charge without me having to send back the old one!
 
Assuming the new one works properly, I'll definitely see if I can recable my black 9927 IEMs with the cord from the white 9963 IEMs.  That way the good drivers will have the good cord while the bad drivers will have the crappy cord!
 
...of course, this means I have to do the fin-shaving mod for a 3rd time now.

  I mean, it's stupid easy for me, but it is somewhat annoying to do...

 yea monoprice is awesome like that they replaced my other 8320 when the fabric cable ripped and exposed the cable within a week
 
its actually more of a hassle for them to send it back and check so they just ship a new one 

 

[blupblup]

Just got my MP 9927s, very nice.
Stock tips are awful but swapped for Sony Hybrids (my fav tip) and boom.... much nicer.
 
For £4.72 these are amazing.
 

 

[Nintendo Maniac]

I always kind of wondered, how do the sony hybrids compare to the LoastEarBud single flange tips?

 

[Tom22]

  I always kind of wondered, how do the sony hybrids compare to the LoastEarBud single flange tips?

just gotta hope on the sony hybrid bandwagon to find out
 
i'm a fan of their tips too they do alter the sound but they seal so well (something about the material they used on the outer silicone)

 

[Nintendo Maniac]

  just gotta hope on the sony hybrid bandwagon to find out

If I wanted to "hop on the bandwagon" just to do science, then I would have made my own comparison and posted about it rather than asking about it.
 
Perhaps you misunderstood that the question was not directed solely at you but rather to anyone in this thread?

 

[Staida]

So I received my 9927's and posted my review on Amazon if you're interested in finding it there
(site will not yet allow me to post offsite links though I'm thinking they should treat links to amazon as "in-site" links since they are harmless and everyone has a natural tendency to link there for comparisons, etc.)
 
**TLDR: They are astonishingly good. Truly great value. Would definitely buy more (and will) for the price.
Replace the tips, mod them if you like (they are so cheap, why not?!) and tape over the porthole for better bass.

REVIEW: As too many other reviewers have gone into the technical details of frequency response and comparisons of factual sonic performance, let me instead just say that to my ears they sound correct. Very clear, bright with medium soundstage and unexpected mid-range punch considering I would probably label these as 'reference' or 'analytical'.

I too found that the bass is not that fantastic out of the box. It is clean and is not distorted (unless you have it too high on your post processing or equalizer) but it’s not that emphatic or loud. As others in the thread have mentioned, this can be improved in several ways and I will add my two cents to that in a minute.

The fit is ok, I suppose. They now include slightly better tips than they did when this thread was started and they include a small, med and large pair in the package (with the medium pair already fitted and the other 2 in a small Ziploc bag)
If you have thus far avoided in-ear phones like I have because they don’t fit at all or they fall out of your ears or you simply hate them for being terribly uncomfortable… these may not be too much better but the sound is worth it, and I find myself wearing these more than my over-ear Sennheisers and Sony's now.
 
It has been prominently recommended in this thread that for the best overall fit and sound the tips should be replaced with the Comply T-400 foam tips.These, presumably, work very well and provide the CRUCIAL seal, and do not fall out. But I will be going in a different direction with Jabra Ear Gels (that I haven't yet received so more on that when I get them)
If I’m successful I’ll have the equivalent of the $300 custom Westone (or similar) monitors that you see everyone wearing on singing competitions now, but for roughly $18
 
Burn them in!! I know MOST people don’t do this, especially average non-audiophile listeners and it’s unfortunate since first impressions are everything. You should do at least overnight once. Just open up your iTunes playlist and put it on shuffle at about 75% volume and leave them doing that while you sleep. Leave them in some other room if you have to, it won’t be that loud.
 
As everyone has mentioned, they are ported and this detracts from the seal, thus from the bass but this is fantastic as it means that those of us who prefer cleaner highs, light mids and less bass (and less ear-suction that is typical with this kind of driver) can leave them as they come and enjoy great sound after burn-in.
Those who prefer more bass (typical V shaped curve) will want to tape over the porthole as has been so often noted. Now when you push them into your ears you’ll get that suction that makes you have to “pop” your ears once but you’ll enjoy a very audible amount of improvement in bass immediately.
 
I see there's been debate about whether to use masking tape, clear 3m "scotch" tape (or equivalent) or duct tape with a hole punched in it. I've even seen doping with superglue mentioned but I found this to be the best way to get the benefit of the improved bass with a U shaped curve and without the terrible ear suction. Use a fine mesh tape.
I'm sure that sounds like some specialty item, and indeed I tried a few of these: cloth medical tape, Nexcare micro-perforated plastic tape, gaffer's cloth tape and low-tack paper tape for releasing decals. (Don't ask, I have an awful lot of different tapes around here as I make signs and banners with a vinyl plotter to sell on eBay. Well, I used to, now I just still own all the stuff.) 
 
But the best one I found for the fit and sound (and thankfully as this is the easiest to obtain and you have one in your house somewhere) is a cloth Band-Aid. The PERFECT one (Don't laugh, I even sampled a few different cloth band-aids) is the Nexcare Soft n' Flex. Just take a hole puncher to a Nexcare bandage and voila. Little perfect circles for the job.
 
That braided cloth cord... It sounds like a great idea and looks awesome but it is SO TANGLED UP ALL THE TIME. It's also QUITE microphonic in that every time it brushes against your shirt or bumps something you hear that, amplified, in your ear. Bringing the can up behind your ear first and putting it on looped around your ear is both more secure and less microphonic so I wear it this way as several have recommended. I don't know what to do about this permanently... but I have just (CAREFULLY) dragged the cord back and forth across an edge (like the edge of your desk) repeatedly to break it in. Do this too hard and you might pull the cord out. Do it calmly and purposefully and you'll straighten them out nicely and the cord will become much softer and more pliable.
 
For my purposes (voice work and solo singing) it sounds truly impeccable. Forget about your political beliefs for a second and listen to Rush Limbaugh using these (or listen to someone else who uses excellent equipment. His 'Golden EIB Microphone' is an EV RE-20 condenser mic, probably the pinnacle of that technology. Voice is super clear and accurately reproduced.
I love these.

 

[Nintendo Maniac]

I don't mean to yet again advertise the rubberized cord of the white 9963 IEMs, but... ya know.

 
 
Also, regarding comfort and fit, you felt no need to do the fin-shaving mod?

 

[Staida]

No, I have a smallish ear canal but large ears externally, thus the thing doesn't really touch my ear much. AND I'm going to strip a lot of that plastic off when I mod them into the gels (as they are not 'tips' exactly but are much larger, intended to go over earbuds - and they have a built-in canal pipe molded in the gel)