[toucam]

Reading this reminds me of how well Shure E5Cs are built. After 1.5 year it's still as good as new never had any problem with it what so ever. The built quality of Sensaphonics in that picture is horrendous.

 

[iamdone]

Wow, I just looked at that photo too. Pretty bad. With my experience, I have to wonder if they have any quality control. My stem lengths varied greatly from each pair I had to go through (4 in all). Drivers went out on 2 of them. One had a baddly pinched tube and even my last pair might have suffered from this to some degree. I had a slight imbalance. They could at least test them before they ship. I thought I might be a one off but it seems more and more people are having problems. I personally wouldn't recommend them to anyone. As you can see from my signature, they are currently dead.

 

[chrisfromalbany]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlingo Seriously?? Oh my goodness, that sounded very discouraging to me then. :/ for that amount of money.

only thing I would say that I am a daily user and I am workout freak. So that combination doesn't vote well for any IEMs. My brother has UM2s and wife has E5s. Both at times have had issues. The Um2s have been send back once.

Using these types of headphones at the gym is hard on them.

 

[sxr71]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlingo I also own ER-4 matched perfectly with my supermacro Amp. But After listening to Sensaphonics and switching back to ER4, I find the etymotic to be rather thin in mid-range and bass compared to Sensaphonics. Something that I would miss from Sensaphonics feeling. Perhaps I have to get accustomed to the Etymotic signature again. I also find that Etymotic to be very amazing exciting sound. It has a WOW factor, the super clarity. Only if etymotic could improve the detailed in the Bass and mid-range area.

S or P? That is very important. I think the S sounds much better. Also consider that the ER-4S takes to EQ very, very well. I know that may be offensive to a purist, but sometimes international air travel isn't the most ideal time to exercise one's purist tendencies.

As for Sensaphonics, I doubt I'll ever give them a penny of business judging by all the stories I've heard about them. A premium product must carry premium service.

 

[sxr71]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlingo Hmm Westone Colorado. unfortunately, Singapore Airlines doesn't have a direct destination to Colorado. so it will be a harder transit arrangement for me.

You might be able to get fittment in your home country to have them ready for pickup when you get here. Customs are a difficult thing when you are just visiting as you might be the 1 in 10 persons that needs a refitting or two to get it right.

 

[plainsong]

I think it's also pretty clear that Sensa would rather not go for the audiophile market anymore. But while wax buildup is one thing, bad QC is another and I would have ridden them until they either gave me a working product, or my credit card reversed the charges. Given that usually you go through an audiologist with Sensaphonics, let's see how quickly that audiologist would end the partnership if that happened.

I've had them for a couple of hears now, and still going strong. When the day comes that I either loose the good seal, or they just break, that's going to be a bad day, but on the short list would have to be the UE10's and the ACS-t2.

 

[honda]

Sensaphonics Japan is aware of the high rate of failure in the cables supplied by Sensaphonics in the states and has developed a new cable and is also supplying it to Sensaphonics USA. The new cable features higher quality materials, reinforced, heavier-duty 3.5mm plug that can withstand more stress, and a new center barrel design made with a double molding technique to ensure that the solder joint does not fail, and flanges that lock the shirt clip in place. The new cable is made in Japan. So far there are no failures with the new cable design which have been in use here for about 2 months now. The new materials also mean that the cable no longer turns green with oxidation.

 

[iamdone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sxr71 S or P? That is very important. I think the S sounds much better. Also consider that the ER-4S takes to EQ very, very well. I know that may be offensive to a purist, but sometimes international air travel isn't the most ideal time to exercise one's purist tendencies. As for Sensaphonics, I doubt I'll ever give them a penny of business judging by all the stories I've heard about them. A premium product must carry premium service.

The S still does not compare to the ue10. I like it's mids with an electric guitar but it does not have the same kind of balance and the soundstage is much smaller than the ue10. The ue10 comes very close to a fullsize headphone but with a less airy sound. It has a very neutral sound signature that doesn't excite me like a Grado but I'm sure some would prefer it.

As far as getting molds done, if he's going to the lab, let them do it. They'll know whether or not the get them done right. I doubt there'd be refit problems getting them done directly at ue.

 

[plainsong]

Quote:

As for Sensaphonics, I doubt I'll ever give them a penny of business judging by all the stories I've heard about them. A premium product must carry premium service.

FWIW, there was a time when it was UE getting the bad rep, and Sensa were the ones who could do no wrong. They were never too great with email, but they would answer, and Michael Santucci even personally found my audiologist. I lucked out because he was attending a conference in Europe, and he had someone in mind from Helsinki.

All custom IEMs are prone to fit issues at first, and sometimes things don't go right so the basic idea is you have to keep sending them back and back and back until it's right. It's no surprise to them, it's just how things are done - and much of it I think has to do with the quality of the impressions.

Then from all the glowing reviews Sensa got swamped with orders. Who knows, maybe then strategic choice was made to be a little colder to the audiophile market. Maybe morale is low at the company. Their sister company ACS has moved on with upgrades to the product line and yet Sensa still has the 2x-s. That's fair enough considering the UE still has the UE10, but it's things like bad inner company policies that can lead to employees being less than motivated to give you gold star service.

Or maybe it's not that at all, maybe they're wondering why all this bad press. Maybe they don't realize they have one or two bad apples who are dealing with the customers. Perhaps they're working right now to upgrade their products to add wax filters, and as stated above, the better cable. Maybe they're trying to bring people on board who can properly handle emails.

I doubt the last bit, because if they had an internet customer service specialist (not something most companies would need, but I think since they don't seem aware how to use a computer..), they would be reading this right now and PM'ing the OP about replacing that cable.

The point is, who knows what is going wrong over Sensa. Something is, but I guess their future will be decided in the pro market.

 

[jlingo]

Wooooo apparently you can fix Sensaphonics shorted out in Australia:
Phoenix Hearing Instruments
Westone Elite Series and Universal Series in-ear musician’s monitors.
Phoenix Hearing Instruments
Unit 6
49 Butterfield Street
Herston QLD Australia 4006
Tel: +61 7 3852 4622
Fax: +61 7 3852 4633

If you don't have a good seal, you can also send your sensaphonics to them.
Diagnostic only costs AUD$35.-
and replacing internal cable is never more than AUD$100.-
WOW! what a big difference! They said, they could open the sillicone and have the expertise to stick them back together again. It's probably just the internal cable broken according to them.

 

[drarthurwells]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjcha It truly amuses me how you recommend gear when you haven't even heard what the original poster already owns and have no ability to make comparison statements. Please, pray tell, what are the grounds upon which you believe the Etymotics beat the Sensaphonics in terms of noise isolation? The man is worried that the UE-10 Pro are too dry relative to the Sensaphonics. And you recommend the Etys? I wait for the day you recommend the SA5k to someone who asks, "my Qualia 010 is broken, does anyone have a recommendation that has as high a level of detail (but not hyperdetail) with the same level of imaging?" jlingo, I think you're stuck in the same boat I'm in. I like the sound of my Sensas, but am kind of tired that they need replacing yet again. This is the third time now in two years. I may just go UE-10 Pro, but I also like a faster/more clinical sound, which is what I heard from my brief trial of the universal fit version. I might suggest the Westone ES3 as an alternative you should look into. Unfortunately, I've never had a chance to listen to them, but speaking with owners, it appears to be Sensaphonics/UE-10 Pro level. Personally, based on a 20 minute trial, I didn't think the E500 matched the Sensaphonics. They're different, and in my mind, a little shallower in terms of tonal quality. But they are still very very good. You may want to try these instead, as they are cheaper and seem far more durable/replacable than the Sensas. Best, -Jason

It truly amazes that anyone would want to use anything other than the ER 4 for air travel.

I am sure the UE 10 pro is better than the ER 4.

But not for air tavel.


The ER4s 10 db noise reduction edge is critical for air travel.

The ER4 has the best noise isolation of anything[size=medium].[/size]

Even with the superior noise isol;ation of the ER4 - it is not enough for some air travel plane types and seat positions.

Anyone recommending anything other than the ER 4 for air travel is not someone I would listen to.

As it so happens, the BLAudio can be used with the ER4 S and not the UE 10 pro, which is another plus for using the ER 4S on a plane, train, or automobile.

 

[crazyfrenchman27]

Quote:

Originally Posted by drarthurwells It truly amazes that anyone would want to use anything other than the ER 4 for air travel.

Don't the UE-10 offer over 20 dB attenuation? That's why stage performers use them. Are you sure you have a good seal?

-Matt

 

[drarthurwells]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyfrenchman27 Don't the UE-10 offer over 20 dB attenuation? That's why stage performers use them. Are you sure you have a good seal? -Matt

Yes The UE 10 pro does offer good noise isolation but the Etymotic ER4 (P or S) is the Champ of all.

It achieves a 35 to 42 DB noise attenuation or isolation.


The best for listening in a noisy environment.

Listening in my car is like listening to regular HPs in a quiet home environment.

The superior fidelity of the UE 10 pro would be lost by the increased noise, relative to the ER 4, in real noisy environments like an airplane.

 

[jjcha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by drarthurwells Yes The UE 10 pro does offer good noise isolation but the Etymotic ER4 (P or S) is the Champ of all..

Truly, you never cease to amaze me. I commend you.

So you've tried both on a plane? I haven't. I've only tried my Sensaphoncs and ER4P with S adapter cable. And in my experience, the Etys aren't even close.

I guess you've tried both and have come to a different conclusion?

Best,

-Jason

 

[jjcha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by drarthurwells It truly amazes that anyone would want to use anything other than the ER 4 for air travel. I am sure the UE 10 pro is better than the ER 4. But not for air tavel. The ER4s 10 db noise reduction edge is critical for air travel.

And you've come to this conclusion based on experience? You've actually heard the things that you speak so confidently about, right?