[CodeNameMLs]

I'm in the process of looking for a custom IEM. I was told about the option of re-shelling my Shure 530s.

I'm getting really interested in doing this, and just want to know if anyone has gone through the process over at UM.

I'm looking to re-shell and upgrade to 6 drivers.

Idk how this company is with the whole reshelling and how badly with my Drivers will be out of balance since I've clocked in Many Many hours on my Shure 530s. 

My other option I as thinking about was Buying a set of Westone 4Rs and getting their shelling option, but I like the look of a full blown custom better. which will run me a lot more. almost $800 for almost kinda real customs.

Can anyone help me out.

The Upgrade will be costing roughly $545 before taxes and shipping. But this brings the total with the Headphones I bought years ago to bout with the new sets about $800, but obvs that other money is gone and done with.
 

 

[UniqueMelodyAus]

For what it's worth we'll never re-shell something with the drivers performing less than optimally without informing you first.  We've seen it pop up a few times with the Shure's before and we usually just replace the under-performing driver at cost.
 
That being said, re-shelling is a sub par option compared to the things we develop from the ground up

 

[cubasesx]

I had a pair of E500s with a cable split and out of warranty. Shure offered me a discount of list price for replacement SE530s but as I was able to purchase them at a lower price than this I went ahead thus leaving me with a fragile but still working pair of E500s.
 
I am happy with my SE530s but having read loads about UM and their build quality on the reshell thread I became interested in the whole custom IEM idea. Having decided that I would eventually have to go down the custom route I thought it would be best to test  the whole Unique Melody process by getting my E500s reshelled  (I also asked for 3 drivers to be added).
 
Being in the UK I went through the UM dealer here, Ampcity UK. The prices on their site seem to be £1= 1$ which is expensive but I suppose it does include shipping and takes out all insurance/customs worries (does not include cost of impressions).
 
I placed my order on Nov 1^st  and received a mail telling me that I would be informed when my phones were received and would continue to be updated on the progress of my order.  One week later I had not heard anything and sent mails to query whether they had received my impressions and phones - no response. I telephoned and was told they had been received and had been sent to UM and the turnaround is 4 weeks. I hope Amp City customer service does not let down the UM product.
 
So I am eagerly awaiting my upgraded reshelled E500s. These will be my first customs and I expect them to sound better than my SE530s if only because they are custom fitted. They should sound better according to the few reviews of SE530x6 I’ve seen but I am prepared for the worst.
 
I don’t compare the price of my E500s+drivers+reshell to a brand new set of customs as I had a pair of E500s sitting around too fragile to use anyway.
If the 530x6 customs suit and if UM quality is as good as is told and customer service proves to be ok then I will definitely consider the UM Miracles as my next purchase sometime in the future. If not then I shall look elsewhere (Westone, JH, 1964 ears etc).
 
I will report back when they arrive.

 

[davidcotton]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/443197/unique-melody-remold-appreciation-and-impressions-thread
 
Should give you a few more answers
 
Happy reading.

 

[kryten123]

Guys,
I had a pair of JH13 reshelled by UM via Ampcity. Apart from hassles I had with the audiologist, it was a painless process. Once I managed to get the impressions done, I sent them to Ampcity and got my reshelled JH13 back in about 5 weeks - they even included the broken up shell from the orginal JH13.
The quality is excellent and you would be hard pushed to know that they are reshells.
 
The only minor issue I have is that I am not sure about the fit. Let me clarify that....
I have the ACS T1 and they fit tight and the top part fits under my Helix. However the reshells have a channel where the Helix with 2 raised sides (imagine a river bed with steep banks either side). The inner bank doesnt quite fit under my helix and partially rests against it. I dont know if this is by design because unlike the T1, the JH13 has 6 drivers and so the body has to be wider. However, it is not too much of an issue as its not uncomfortable and doesnt seem to affect the isolation.
 
So, overall my experience was good.

 

[bebop7]

I thought i would post as i sent my JH 16's to be re shelled in Feb to Amp City UK.
Here i am nearly eight weeks later and no sign of them.
The communication is a joke with Amp City (call them and they say they will call back and they don't).
I even emailed the guy in China with my order number he asked for and he has not got back in touch either.
Has anybody elses re shell took so long ?
 

 

[cubasesx]

sent my Shure E500s to UMUK on 1st Nov11. Got them back on 27th Dec but they did not fit. I was advised by UMUK (Ampcity) to hold on until after Chinese new year so I sent them back with new impressions on Feb 7th.
 
I called Ampcity after 3 weeks for a progress report and was told they were being finished in the labs and that they woudl be ready in a week to 10 days. At the same time I asked if I could borrow the demo sets of the Merlins and Miracles which were duly sent to me.
 
On 13th Mar 12 I mailed Matt at UM Global to check on my order as I heard nothing from Ampcity. I also complained about the lack of feedback from UM regarding delays. It seems if the customer doesn't chase then UM does not update them on any delays in the quoted completion date. Matt did not respond until I chased him with another mail and then I received this:
 
"It's not that I'm intentionally trying to not get in touch with you.  I've been mulling over how best to proceed.  It's very difficult for us to come over the top of UMUK and say we'll be handling this one.
 
At the same time...well you obviously have your concerns.
 
I'm thinking alright mate.
 
As for your refits, I'll have to look further into it, though they are either en route to UMUK or at UMLab.
 
Matt
 

 
Matt Wong | Director
Unique Melody Global

 
Since then I have heard nothing and have not chased as I still have the Merlin and Miracle demos. I refuse to waste anymore time chasing for my reshells.Please note that I do not even know if my reshells plus 3 added drivers (£489) sound any good!
 
Unfortunately I love the demo Miracles but cannot imagine dealing with UM again after my prolonged/unpleasant reshell experience. I can honestly say I have not experienced Customer Service as bad as this before and that is saying something living in the UK.
 
Hello Heir Audio I think
 
 
 

 

[planx]

UM does an excellent job of re-shelling IEMs. They even went through the hassle of re-shelling my E3c with 2 completely different drivers to make it into a 3-way crossover. Sounds superb and also the quality is top notch

 

[cogsand gears]

Quote:

sent my Shure E500s to UMUK on 1st Nov11. Got them back on 27th Dec but they did not fit. I was advised by UMUK (Ampcity) to hold on until after Chinese new year so I sent them back with new impressions on Feb 7th.
 
I called Ampcity after 3 weeks for a progress report and was told they were being finished in the labs and that they woudl be ready in a week to 10 days. At the same time I asked if I could borrow the demo sets of the Merlins and Miracles which were duly sent to me.
 
On 13th Mar 12 I mailed Matt at UM Global to check on my order as I heard nothing from Ampcity. I also complained about the lack of feedback from UM regarding delays. It seems if the customer doesn't chase then UM does not update them on any delays in the quoted completion date. Matt did not respond until I chased him with another mail and then I received this:
 
"It's not that I'm intentionally trying to not get in touch with you.  I've been mulling over how best to proceed.  It's very difficult for us to come over the top of UMUK and say we'll be handling this one.
 
At the same time...well you obviously have your concerns.
 
I'm thinking alright mate.
 
As for your refits, I'll have to look further into it, though they are either en route to UMUK or at UMLab.
 
Matt
 

 
Matt Wong | Director
Unique Melody Global

 
Since then I have heard nothing and have not chased as I still have the Merlin and Miracle demos. I refuse to waste anymore time chasing for my reshells.Please note that I do not even know if my reshells plus 3 added drivers (£489) sound any good!
 
Unfortunately I love the demo Miracles but cannot imagine dealing with UM again after my prolonged/unpleasant reshell experience. I can honestly say I have not experienced Customer Service as bad as this before and that is saying something living in the UK.
 
Hello Heir Audio I think
 
 
 

 Damn. That sounds pretty awful.
 
I contacted UMUK for more info before taking the plunge getting my TF10 reshelled. It took them over a month to send me an email in responce. At the time I thought that was bad, but from what I seem to be reading, thats a pretty fast responce time!
 
I didnt go ahead with the reshell because the slow responce really put me off.

 

[cubasesx]

Just to say that I did get my reshells back eventually (beginning of Apr).
 
I am really impressed with them. They compared really well with the Miracle demos. I know that the actual Miracle custom will sound a lot better than the demo but I was surprised how good the E500x6s sound.
 
I have been using them with my DX100 and the bass is stunning, the mids lovely and smooth and the highs sparkly but not fatiguing. The soundstage is what really sets them apart from the Shure E500s I had originally. It is really wide in each dimension and the imaging is really clear. I have found that the stock UM cable really didn't do them justice since I have been using a pure silver cable from Toxic.
 
Having said how wonderful I think the finished prod is I really would not go through the process again, it was just too painful.
 
When you spend a large amount of money (for me at least) you expect an appropriate level of customer service. UMUK (AmpCity UK) did not even come close to that level.
 
Since I only dealt with UM Global to sort out my problems with AmpCity I have no idea what the experiance would have been like if I had gone directly through them.
 
If and when I upgrade (which will be a lot later than I had expected before I heard my reshells) I probably would not go with UM even though I think I would really like the Miracles.
 
Really likeing what I hear about Heir Audio, but then again UM had really good feedback before they got bigger so you never know.