Ultimate Ears 4 Pro Custom In-Ear Monitors

[thorthor]

Was looking to get some nice in ears, and then I remembered there was a thing called custom IEM's. But don't know if these are the right thing for me.

(audio equipment owned; klipsch custom s3, grado sr60, ak hd 241, sennheiser cx300, audioengine a5 speakers)

I don't really have a budget, but I do have to explain to my parents why I'm spending 500 bucks on a pair of earphones!
 

Anyone has experience with custom IEM and can tell me if these are right for me?

 

[infam0ussteven]

Well, it depends. Is isolation very important for you? Do you have a hard time getting a good fit with universal IEMS? I know that those are probably the top two reasons as to why I went the custom route. You also have to take into consideration that you'd need to be patient because first it takes some time for them to be made and once you get it, you may not get a good fit and might have to send it back more than once for a refit.

 

[dnullify]

May i ask how old you are? I only ask because if you are under 16/17 it may be advisable to wait to get customs, as your ear canals do change a bit as you grow. However, this is purely case by case, as different people grow at different rates. I got my JH5s (which i do recommend you take a look at if you are genuinely interested in customs), in highschool, and they do still fit, if not better now than when i got them. However, the custom drummer's earplugs i got in my freshman year don't even remotely fit.
 
Another bit of advice should you go the custom route, remember to tell the audiologist "semi-open mouth impressions". I believe this is one of the only reasons i still get a good seal.
 
As far as the process goes, it's relatively painless. Call the audiologists around you, and see what they charge for ear impressions. they tend to charge anywhere from $20-100. I lucked out and found a fantastic gentleman near me who charged only $20, and did a great job.
 
Custom in-ears are great if you want an end-all pair of headphones for the foreseeable future. I'd read some reviews on the subject, there are a number of entry level professional grade custom in-ears, with 2-ways starting at $360.