(UE) custom monitors--perfect fit in the beginning, but down the road...
Mar 4, 2008 at 9:23 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 12
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I saw these UE 10s on eBay two days ago and thought if i could have UE in Irvine, about 35 minutes from my house, take my ear impressions then they could make customs to perfectly fit my ears and this might be a good deal.

so i called UE customer service and to my surprise UE said no can do. a few hours later i called back and asked, if i am an original UE10 owner and two or three years later my ear canal changes as a result of wearing them, age, or gaining or losing weight would UE recast in the event they no longer provided a secure fit. again, the UE rep said no. she explained the recasting process could possibly damage the drivers.

i am still a bit surprised--spend $900 plus and get an incredible product, you can't sell nor get any fit guarantees past the first 30 days.

has anyone with custom monitors noticed the fit changing over time, specifically getting looser? do any of the iem companies provide custom recasting?
 
Mar 4, 2008 at 1:29 PM Post #2 of 12
I believe that they are able to add or remove material to tweak the fit of the IEM, but it wouldn't be hard to believe that a recast would damage something. The work it would require to dig every driver out of the plastic, clean it up, reconnect it and recast would probably also be prohibitive.

If you want a bargain in custom IEMs I'd take a look at livewires. $250 plus impressions seems like a pretty good deal and I've heard a lot of positive reviews.
 
Mar 4, 2008 at 1:48 PM Post #3 of 12
Quote:

Originally Posted by 909 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I saw these UE 10s on eBay two days ago and thought if i could have UE in Irvine, about 35 minutes from my house, take my ear impressions then they could make customs to perfectly fit my ears and this might be a good deal.

so i called UE customer service and to my surprise UE said no can do. a few hours later i called back and asked, if i am an original UE10 owner and two or three years later my ear canal changes as a result of wearing them, age, or gaining or losing weight would UE recast in the event they no longer provided a secure fit. again, the UE rep said no. she explained the recasting process could possibly damage the drivers.

i am still a bit surprised--spend $900 plus and get an incredible product, you can't sell nor get any fit guarantees past the first 30 days.

has anyone with custom monitors noticed the fit changing over time, specifically getting looser? do any of the iem companies provide custom recasting?


I think the rep was wrong, as there are ue owners here who have had them recasted due to their ear canal changing.
 
Mar 4, 2008 at 2:43 PM Post #5 of 12
well they certainly can do recasting within the first 30 days, but thereafter it doesn't seem like something they are willing to do since it seems to entail exchanging a used one with brand new. i wasn't 100% satisfied with the UE rep's answer so i left a message with a higher up. hopefully, i'll hear back today.
 
Mar 4, 2008 at 2:46 PM Post #6 of 12
Quote:

Originally Posted by fumashirou /img/forum/go_quote.gif
So what will happen if the UE10 doesn't fit the owner's ear cannal very well? Will UE throw them away and build a new pair?


they can do minor fit adjustments such as shaving it down, though, she wasn't as specific with respect to making it larger. however, a substantial change seemed to imply tossing them and making a new pair.
 
Mar 5, 2008 at 9:28 AM Post #8 of 12
Quote:

Originally Posted by 909 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I saw these UE 10s on eBay two days ago and thought if i could have UE in Irvine, about 35 minutes from my house, take my ear impressions then they could make customs to perfectly fit my ears and this might be a good deal.

so i called UE customer service and to my surprise UE said no can do. a few hours later i called back and asked, if i am an original UE10 owner and two or three years later my ear canal changes as a result of wearing them, age, or gaining or losing weight would UE recast in the event they no longer provided a secure fit. again, the UE rep said no. she explained the recasting process could possibly damage the drivers.

i am still a bit surprised--spend $900 plus and get an incredible product, you can't sell nor get any fit guarantees past the first 30 days.

has anyone with custom monitors noticed the fit changing over time, specifically getting looser? do any of the iem companies provide custom recasting?


I have owned a pair of UE-11's for about 8-9 months and there has been zero change in the quality of the fit. If you think about it - the ear canal and the ear where the IEM sits is primarily cartilage. It doesn't grow, sag or distort over time unless you exert some significant force an a regular basis (Think heavy earrings, stethoscope pulling on a regular basis) the only way the ear canal (not lobe, etc) would change might be due to illness or scar tissue formed over time and in that case you would probably want reconstructive surgery so you would be able to hear.
 
Mar 18, 2008 at 9:29 AM Post #10 of 12
Quote:

Originally Posted by Lifter59 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
If you think about it - the ear canal and the ear where the IEM sits is primarily cartilage. It doesn't grow, sag or distort over time unless you exert some significant force an a regular basis (Think heavy earrings, stethoscope pulling on a regular basis) the only way the ear canal (not lobe, etc) would change might be due to illness or scar tissue formed over time and in that case you would probably want reconstructive surgery so you would be able to hear.


my ear canal has increased slightly as a result of wearing the e4s over a three year period. now i no longer achieve a quality seal and the next size is too big.
 
Mar 18, 2008 at 7:45 PM Post #11 of 12
Quote:

Originally Posted by 909 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
my ear canal has increased slightly as a result of wearing the e4s over a three year period. now i no longer achieve a quality seal and the next size is too big.


Unless you kept them in place for significant amounts of time every day I would have a hard time understanding how that would be possible. I think you should go see your ENT specialist as you might be the first documented case of this situation. I searched Google, National Institute of Health, Web MD and Center for Disease Control. None of these sites came up with a hit anything remotely close to this - except for a couple of hits on the head-fi forums.

On the other hand, there may be something else going on that warrants a closer look by a medical professional so I wouldn't just assume it was the IEM's and forget about it.
 
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