[tengen]

Quote:

What is bone conduction? Is that the sound you hear when you walk and such?

 
Pretty much. It's also if you prop head on on your hand on the table and hear a lot of extra vibrations, which I find annoying but unavoidable.

 

[dj nellie]

I haven't fully confirmed this, but it seems that the vinyl/acrylic hybrid tip on my Westone ES5 produces less bone conduction noises than my all-acrylic JH16 tips. I don't hear my footsteps or breathing quite as loudly with my ES5.
 
Anaxilus, do the shells of the UERM fit properly into your ears? If so, that's quite a nice coincidence. Or if they're at least comfortable. I imagine that the shell can vary quite a bit depending on the size of a person's outer ear and the shape of a person's concha.  The part of the shell that goes into the top part of the outer ear (Fossa triangularis?), in particular, seems like it could really irritate you if it didn't fit exactly right.

 

[Anaxilus]

 
Quote:

 
Anaxilus, do the shells of the UERM fit properly into your ears? If so, that's quite a nice coincidence. Or if they're at least comfortable. I imagine that the shell can vary quite a bit depending on the size of a person's outer ear and the shape of a person's concha.  The part of the shell that goes into the top part of the outer ear (Fossa triangularis?), in particular, seems like it could really irritate you if it didn't fit exactly right.

Oddly yes!  It's not a perfect custom fit obviously but there is no discomfort at all.  I actually insert them like a custom first with the canal (silicone bi-flange in this case fitted over it) and twist and lock the earpiece in.  It does lock in pretty much the same place it is supposed to.  So hooray for smaller ears and my dumb luck.  Sitting in my ear it looks like I am wearing my own customs but with less of a low profile.  It sticks out maybe an extra couple of millimeters.  It really feels no different than a universal demo that locks into my Fossa triangularis.
 
I also heard back from Adam at Kozee and feel quite confident about his responses.  Now I have to balance out whether to try out the silicone remold versus having a high end universal.  The biggest question that remains to is how to reconcile a non detachable cable w/ the silicone remold.
 

 

[CEE TEE]

I'm lucky that bone conduction for me is pretty slight (can go on 2 hour walks no problem) and I only hear my breathing on rare occasions.  I have been wondering why they seem bigger lately but then I figured out that it has been me gaining weight!  So warning to all about that...time for me to diet and get out from behind the computer.
 
Because we have a window for re-fits, I have considered making them a bit shorter sometimes because my ears can get a little ticklish or itchy at the ends of the customs occasionally but the length is not affecting the sound.  I can wiggle them around and hear that they are clear.  (I wondered before if the openings might be pointed incorrectly but I think that with really high levels of suction/seal they can have a "dulling" effect that goes away when I allow a little more air in.)  I'm going to keep them just as they are.
 
I love my customs (isolation, putting them in, creation of a headstage, portability for the level of quality) and now plan to always have <at least> one set of customs.  I also love the balance/mids of the IERM and the bass is usually at a good level but I tend to miss a bit of top-end so I boost treble  I definitely don't find these "lean or thin" nor "bloomy" but a nice presentation and the right choice for me if I can keep to only one pair...
 
Negatives?  They don't look like they are made out of glass or crystal like do on the website, they are polished plastic.  The openings were a little rough at the edges but they smoothed out nicely.  I had a little residual piece of tube still attached on one side where it was cut and I removed that myself, not a big deal.  One tube on one side does not sit flush with the end of earpiece like the other one does but I don't see how the slight variation can affect sound.  More of an OCD thing looking for symmetry. The cleaning tool wire is not quite strong enough if really trying to scrape the inside of the hard acrylic openings, I will try to find another tool to supplement the one supplied.
 
vs. Universals?  I am one of those that actually find the TF10 with it's memory wire and stock medium tips (single flange) to be very comfortable.  Even more so than the IE8 when I had them.  TF10 are so comfrotable that I can forget about them.  I don't have any pain or bad pressure points with the customs but there is a feeling of "fullness" that takes some getting used to.  Any soft/sore outer pinnae points went away for me (had one on my right ear that is just gone now).  Again, some of that may be due to gaining some weight as HeadphoneAddict has said can affect his fit too.  Trying some deep different double-flange universal tips on other universals that are a bit too soft lately has been annoying.  An important criteria for any future universals that I own will be that they fit at least as well as the TF10 or IERM to me.  I did figure out how to get a pretty good fit with the IE8 too, it just took a long time and many tips as that was my first universal that I kept and got to know.
 
Goals?
One pair each of "neutral" Customs and Universals. 
One pair each of "fun" (low bass and upper treble boosted- ends) Customs and Universals. 
I think I have 2 out of 4 and am going to try several universals out soon!
 
Note: love the old Benchmark but with the IERM and low-level listening, the left channel comes in first.  At regular levels they seem balanced.  Maybe Shane55 can comment on the new Benchmark with variable gain and low-level channel balance with iems?    

 

[Anaxilus]

Second CEE TEE on the shell finish.  It is more of a matte finish and dark grey faceplate than black.  I wish the previous owner had got the Capitol Records logo on one of the shells rather than UE on both.  Surely would have improved the sound.  

 

[shipsupt]

Quote:

I'm lucky that bone conduction for me is pretty slight (can go on 2 hour walks no problem) and I only hear my breathing on rare occasions.  I have been wondering why they seem bigger lately but then I figured out that it has been me gaining weight!  So warning to all about that...time for me to diet and get out from behind the computer.
 
I'm not gaining weight... they are defintiely growing!!
 
 
vs. Universals?  I don't have any pain or bad pressure points with the customs but there is a feeling of "fullness" that takes some getting used to.  Any soft/sore outer pinnae points went away for me (had one on my right ear that is just gone now).   
 
That's exactly what I expereience.  A fullness when they are in, a sort of emptiness when they are removed until my ears sort of relax.  I also got a good sore spot in one ear that took a while to go away, like over a week, but it's now completely gone and both ears are super comfy.
 
Goals?
One pair each of "neutral" Customs and Universals. 
One pair each of "fun" (low bass and upper treble boosted- ends) Customs and Universals. 
I think I have 2 out of 4 and am going to try several universals out soon!
 
Crazy, but I feel like I want a set of the IERM's to go with my 11's!!??  Maybe the 18's would have been the right compromise, and it's insane to consider another custom.... but I am!

 
Note: love the old Benchmark but with the IERM and low-level listening, the left channel comes in first.  At regular levels they seem balanced.  Maybe Shane55 can comment on the new Benchmark with variable gain and low-level channel balance with iems?    
 
I get that slight imbalance at very, very low volumes on the Pico, below what I normally would listen at.

 
 

 

[shane55]

@ CEE TEE. My DAC1-Pre has no volume disparity at low levels. Mine has the ability (you have to open it and move some jumpers) for a 'normal' gain, -10db and -20db settings. This allows you to set them for the different sensitivity of the different cans (IEM's, whatever). Currently I have them at -10db so that normal listening level for the UE-4 is at 9:00. The only reason it's that low is because it allows me to also use the DT880's which are power hogs.
 
If I get rid of the DT880's, I'll 'permanently' drop the gain to -20 and that should put the normal listening level at about 12:00. Where it should be. That gives it more volume range.
 
Hope that answered your question...

 

[CEE TEE]

@Shane:  Yes, thank you!  Though I am also around 9:00-ish on the dial with the IERMs...will pay attention when I listen to my Benchmark at home again.  That is a great explanation of the newer Benchmark gain options.
 
@Shipsupt:  We're always gonna wonder what we "might" be missing, eh?  Yep, I would love to listen closely to the UE11 and the UE18 again at the next meet!  Good to know about the Pico, maybe we should have a "Portable Mini-Meet" to compare amps after I get the mini3.  My iBasso now has an issue taking optical input though, so I will probably send it in very soon

.
 
Quote:

Second CEE TEE on the shell finish.  It is more of a matte finish and dark grey faceplate than black.  I wish the previous owner had got the Capitol Records logo on one of the shells rather than UE on both.  Surely would have improved the sound.  

@Anaxilus:  They don't look like crystal, but I still look at them more than any of my other phones and find them really cool to look at.  Certainly will always want "see-through" bodies (mkubota has transparent & color bodies with solid faceplates) and wonder what they would look like with clear faceplates (plus more drivers) also...hmmm.

 

[melomaniac]

Quote:

I'm lucky that bone conduction for me is pretty slight (can go on 2 hour walks no problem) and I only hear my breathing on rare occasions.  I have been wondering why they seem bigger lately but then I figured out that it has been me gaining weight!  So warning to all about that...time for me to diet and get out from behind the computer.

 
oh darn. and I really thought I could go online and ignore my weight for a few minutes as I digest dinner...
fwiw I have probably lost and regained about 5 pounds since first starting with IEMs, and have not notice a
big difference, so your mileage may very well vary on this one.

 

[CEE TEE]

^^Well, I now need to lose around 10% of body weight.  (And I don't weigh 50 pounds.)
 
Here you could argue "a point" for universals.  Or "a point" for customs being a good incentive to not be a fat-head.

 

[tengen]

I really doubt that an extra 20 or so pounds would negatively affect IEM performance. Fat doesn't accumulate there - it's all skin, bone and cartilage.
 
Maybe if you're obese you'll breathe heavier...

 

[sFrog]

Mine have just landed and I'm listening with them while tipping in the moment. The just sound as I have expected them to sound... 
 
Just got to say, I haven't thought they would be that comfy. 

 

[melomaniac]

was a little surprised by some of the comparisons in http://media.avguide.com/earphones_buyers_guide.pdf - how about you guys?

 

[Mkubota1]

Quote:

was a little surprised by some of the comparisons in http://media.avguide.com/earphones_buyers_guide.pdf - how about you guys?

I flipped through that quickly the other day and thought overall it was not a bad general overview of the ear monitor world- lots of good illustrations, photos and breakdowns.  I thought most of their assessments were in the ballpark (again, I only did a quick skim)- although at times closer to the parking lot area.  They did make one rather notable mistake when they said that the TripleFi 10 "is one of the only two three-way earphones in this group... features separate, miniature bass, midrange, and high-frequency drivers."  And of course like all reviews tied to commercial publications, they mostly listed the strengths of these IEMs and side-stepped or minimized their short-comings.  But overall, not a bad IEM-101.
 

 

[tengen]

Well, I noted that the customs section, if they were going for neutrality, shouldn't the writer be using the JH13 to compare instead of JH16? The JH16 is regarded as bassier according to HF consensus. But overall interesting viewpoints. I got a general feeling of more drivers = better.

Edit: The scores were very liberal, none of the earphones got less than a 6 in any category other than RE262 in sensitivity. Sensitivity isn't really a valid score category....

Edit 2: If you disregard sensitivity, then only the Skullcandy Smokin Buds got 6's in a sound-related category, unsurprisingly. The only other 6's awarded were 2 Ety's and a Denon in comfort. Since I would look at the scores first to determine whether it's a good choice or not, having everything in the 7-10 range means "everything's pretty good comparatively" and doesn't really help me choose. I also lol'd at TF10 receiving a 7 in value. The whole thing feels like one large advert catalogue.