[Subhakar]

i don't know if this is the 'right' way , but i tend to just bite the 2 middle fingers (those next to my index) in line (not upside down) , when making my impressions and my fit is simply great in my customs 


it keeps my mouth slightly open so i can hear fine both with my mouth closed/slightly open


just my 2 cents


 

Could I borrow those two fingers when I go to the audiologist next? PayPal on me.

 

[shiggins9]

Hey everyone, I wanted to post an update on how my JH16fp in ear monitors reshelled my Inearz turned out.  You can see me making my earmolds a few posts back:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/578855/things-to-consider-before-getting-your-custom-iem-impressions-done-the-perfect-fit/165#post_12688624
 
I love my original UE18s but if I smile the seal breaks letting in a bunch of room (stage) sound and losing all of the bass.  So for this new mold I smiled just about as wide as I could while biting on two fingers. 
 
Results:
This fit is awesome!  They are darn tight though!  I must warn you that if you are sitting at a desk not smiling to your music, this is probably a bit overkill.  But if you're a musician using these onstage all of the time, smiling, and entertaining your audiences this is the way to go.  Many of my bandmates complain of the same thing -if they smile they lose the bass.  My ears do get a bit tired after about 1 hour of having these in as they are quite tight -really fit to the shape of my smiling face -so while my face is relaxed they will be even tighter.
 
But I'm so glad I made them.  Purposely not smiling while trying to entertain people is not good for your business!  I hope it helps people with questions about the remold process - many I had before I went through the process.  Good luck!
 

 

[KillerQ]

I recently went through this process....
 
I purchased a pair of the new Wireless Bose SoundSport earbuds solely for working out at the gym.  With the design of the StayHear+ tips, the soft silicone flange seals around my ear canals perfectly, and the sound is amazing for what I need it for.  Rich, low ends....that's what I was after.
 
Well, never allowing myself to be happy with anything, I am always looking how to make something better, or tweak it.... so I decided to order a custom set of molded eartips from www.averysound.com.  Upon their recommendation, I had full-ear, deep-canal impressions made locally and then sent them to the lab to have the molds made.
 
When I received the molds, and fitted them onto my SoundSports, i was initially impressed with the sound quality.  Well, it turns out that the sound was only decent in a COMPLETELY isolated, quiet room.
 
When I went to the gym, or anywhere else there were people or noise around, that ambient noise seemed to actually be amplified and totally drowned out my music.  That being the case, the music, at BEST was muddy, flat, and had ABSOLUTELY no low end bass....
 
I went back and forth with several dozen emails and they said they never had problems with the particular set of Bose earbuds, and they even made a set of tips there for them to try - and they had no issues.  They also said that hey have made these tips for Soundsports for many other people, and they were all happy.
 
When i replaced the custom tips with the stock Stayhear tips, the music was back to the rich, beautiful sound that it was initially.  The issue was clearly with the new custom tips.
 
They agreed to remold them with a slightly larger canal so that the seal would be better.  I received the new re-done set of tips.  Same crap.  Flat, no seal, no bass.
 
They say that they can't help me out and that the problem is not with their eartips.
 
Again, i put the stock tips back on and the sound goes back to being amazing.
 
So, here's my question - are my expectations too high in thinking that custom molded eartips would provide better seal, sound, and isolation?
 
Perhaps it's my fault that I didn't know better.
 
I just thought that for $150, I was getting custom tips that actually worked.
 
Any feedback would be appreciated.
 
Thanks,
 
Matt!

 

[Cagin]

  I recently went through this process....
 
I purchased a pair of the new Wireless Bose SoundSport earbuds solely for working out at the gym.  With the design of the StayHear+ tips, the soft silicone flange seals around my ear canals perfectly, and the sound is amazing for what I need it for.  Rich, low ends....that's what I was after.
 
Well, never allowing myself to be happy with anything, I am always looking how to make something better, or tweak it.... so I decided to order a custom set of molded eartips from www.averysound.com.  Upon their recommendation, I had full-ear, deep-canal impressions made locally and then sent them to the lab to have the molds made.
 
When I received the molds, and fitted them onto my SoundSports, i was initially impressed with the sound quality.  Well, it turns out that the sound was only decent in a COMPLETELY isolated, quiet room.
 
When I went to the gym, or anywhere else there were people or noise around, that ambient noise seemed to actually be amplified and totally drowned out my music.  That being the case, the music, at BEST was muddy, flat, and had ABSOLUTELY no low end bass....
 
I went back and forth with several dozen emails and they said they never had problems with the particular set of Bose earbuds, and they even made a set of tips there for them to try - and they had no issues.  They also said that hey have made these tips for Soundsports for many other people, and they were all happy.
 
When i replaced the custom tips with the stock Stayhear tips, the music was back to the rich, beautiful sound that it was initially.  The issue was clearly with the new custom tips.
 
They agreed to remold them with a slightly larger canal so that the seal would be better.  I received the new re-done set of tips.  Same crap.  Flat, no seal, no bass.
 
They say that they can't help me out and that the problem is not with their eartips.
 
Again, i put the stock tips back on and the sound goes back to being amazing.
 
So, here's my question - are my expectations too high in thinking that custom molded eartips would provide better seal, sound, and isolation?
 
Perhaps it's my fault that I didn't know better.
 
I just thought that for $150, I was getting custom tips that actually worked.
 
Any feedback would be appreciated.
 
Thanks,
 
Matt!

Hi Matt, could you post photo of your custom tips attached, and then a side shot with them on you? To verify they are well locked under the crux of antihelix

 

[KillerQ]

Thanks for the quick response. Here are some quick photos I snapped the few weeks ago while troubleshooting with the company. I can send better ones later if needed.

 

[BigKD]

I was going to start my own thread, but I'm new here so I can only post in pre-existing threads.

What do you guys think of these impressions? Should i not even bother sending these to Westone? I am personally less than "impressed" with them. The audiologist had her student do the
ear that shows splitting in the impression. I was already pissed that a student was doing the impression for IEMs that are going to cost mega bucks. The other

ear she redid with some type of insert as part of the impression. My right ear is notoriously difficult to get a correct impression. So tough that I ended up getting further hearing damage in my right ear due to a bad seal with my musician's ear plugs​

​

 

[JackKontney]

Weird that no foam oto-block was used in the untipped side. I assume it just fell off? I further assume that the goldish tip on the other side is a substitute for the the foam-with-string oto-block I'm used to seeing.

To answer your question, these don't look great, but every manufacturer has different standards. I doubt Sensaphonics would accept them, but I don't work in the lab. Here's a thought: Why not send the photos to Westone and ask them?

 

[BigKD]

Weird that no foam oto-block was used in the untipped side. I assume it just fell off? I further assume that the goldish tip on the other side is a substitute for the the foam-with-string oto-block I'm used to seeing.

To answer your question, these don't look great, but every manufacturer has different standards. I doubt Sensaphonics would accept them, but I don't work in the lab. Here's a thought: Why not send the photos to Westone and ask them?

Yea, I'll give them a call. I wasn't terribly impressed by the service I got last time I called Westone, though.

Oddly enough, the audiologist was trying to convince me to buy from Sensaphonics. Apparently one of her former students works there now.

I'm also concerned about how good of an impression was created of my outer ear. I actually inserted these molds into my ear last night, and the left ear mold done by the student seems to fit nicely with my outer ear. And this is corroborated by observing the sheer amount of material used for the left ear outer mold. The mold done by the audiologist on the right ear seems to be much less substantial on the outer mold.

 

[Mython]

To me, they look borderline, as in "close, but no cigar"

Add that to your remarks about poor seal leading to hearing damage, and the net result is that, if it were me, I'd get a better set of impressions. We're talking about the importance of keeping loud noise out of your hearing, rather than an audiophile seeking the best seal for the best sound quality (which, of course, is still important, but it's just that musicians need to protect their hearing first & foremost).

It's just not worth the expense, health risk, or hassle, to go ahead with marginal impressions.

For example, the outlined section, below, is critical in getting a good seal, and although a skilled lab technician could fill in the imperfections, there's no guaranteeing that the end result would fit to your ear canal perfectly:

If you've read through this entire thread, you'll have seen me remark that it can sometimes be embarrassing to be a demanding client, when one goes to an audiologist for impressions, but, provided one remains very polite, one is absolutely entitled to firmly-but-politely insist on a high standard, and on having them done a certain way, so please be confident in your communication with your audiologist. You're investing over a thousand bucks, and your future hearing, so you are the one in the driving seat, not the audiologist!

 

[BigKD]

To me, they look borderline, as in "close, but no cigar"

Add that to your remarks about poor seal leading to hearing damage, and the net result is that, if it were me, I'd get a better set of impressions.

It's just not worth the expense, health risk, or hassle, to go ahead with marginal impressions.

For example, the outlined section, below, is critical in getting a good seal, and although a skilled lab technician could fill in the imperfections, there's no guaranteeing that the end result would fit to your ear canal perfectly:

I agree. The separation on that mold is unacceptable. I may even go to a different audiologist. I was NOT happy that a student was doing my impressions for something that is actually going to a lab to be produced and cost more than 1k.

 

[JackKontney]

Those are legit concerns, BigKD, and the difference between left and right impressions may be a red flag.

Hard for me to comment further, as Sensaphonics does only deep-canal, full-shell IEMs, where the silicone earpieces actually reach as far in as the impression is made.
That is typically not possible with acrylic products, which tend to be made with less insertion depth and looser fit.

 

[Mython]

Those are legit concerns, BigKD, and the difference between left and right impressions may be a red flag.

Hard for me to comment further, as Sensaphonics does only deep-canal, full-shell IEMs, where the silicone earpieces actually reach as far in as the impression is made.
That is typically not possible with acrylic products, which tend to be made with less insertion depth and looser fit.

I appreciate that you're trying to be diplomatic However, as someone who's been through the impressions process several times, for acrylic and for silicone CIEMs, I'm willing to stick my head on the block and clearly state that the area I highlighted in the edited pic I posted is important even for acrylic CIEMs. As we both know, that area tends to be heavily chamfered on many acrylic CIEMs (Noble Audio tend to run theirs deeper, though), but even those that are heavily chamfered are invariably chamfered only at a point beginning a few millimetres past that circled area. The importance of getting that circled high spot precisely matched to the ear canal is not to be underestimated, if a reliable seal (particularly whilst performing) is important.

There were some even worse impressions here:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/thi...-the-perfect-fit.578855/page-10#post-12366824

but I'd still vote for BigKD playing it safe and getting a better set of impressions done.

 

[JackKontney]

Hi Mython, we basically agree. Please note that my post was a response to BigKD, and was a cross-post to your evaluation.

And yes, as a MOT, my comments require a certain amount of diplomacy. It only chafes a little.

 

[Mython]

Hi Mython, we basically agree. Please note that my post was a response to BigKD, and was a cross-post to your evaluation.

And yes, as a MOT, my comments require a certain amount of diplomacy. It only chafes a little.

LOL - my 'However' wasn't intended to sound like a retort to what you said - I meant it in the sense of 'However, since I am not a member of the trade, and therefore do not need to be super-diplomatic, I will stick my neck on the block... yadayadayadah...'

Apologies for any ambiguity!

 

[Mython]

@ BigKD:

Did you proceed with the existing impressions, or did you decide to get a fresh set of impressions taken?