[TedGamble]

Just got my UM1's a couple of days ago. They're a huge step-up from my Senn CX-300's in the mid's and hi's, but the bass is severely lacking. The CX-300's are known for their darkness, but I'm really disappointed in the UM1's lack of low end. I'm using the standard Comply tips. Are their any tips that will help, or is this just the way it is with these?

Will burn-in help?

 

[mierenneuker]

The bass on the UM1 is lacking yes, they also got recessed highs

 

[Scott549]

If everything is recessed, then just turn up the volume and that will solve it.

 

[boomy3555]

UM1 is a Balanced Armature Driver whereas Senn's are Dynamic By nature the dynamics are more bass heavy than balanced armature. Especially Senns. In adition, single driver B/A's are more often the flatest because they must run all frequencies through one driver instead of dividing among multiple drivers. If you're use to Dynamic drivers it will take a few days or weeks for your brain to adjust to B/A.

Also the Comply memory foam type tips will isolate the tissues of the ear canal from the "feel" of the bass. which is why memory foam is so comfortable and noise isolating compared to silicone/rubber tips. Not a good trade off IMO

 

[TedGamble]

Quote:

Try using Shure foam tips since they're more dense then comply's foam tips.

Any chance that you can provide a link please? It seems that everyone sells replacement tips, so I want to be sure and get the right ones

 

[Ntropic]

You're looking for Shure black foam. You can find it at B&H and J&R for good prices.

I found the Shure black foams to only slightly improve bass quantity compared to UE silicone biflanges. Fit, however, increased significantly, as the foams are softer and hold on to my canals better than silicones. My Fiio E5 helped significantly. You'll never match CX300s in bass quantity, however.

 

[TedGamble]

Are you guys talking about the Shure "olives" or something else?

 

[Punnisher]

Shure foamies, olives yes. Same thing.

Foam tips will give you more bass and a darker sound in my experience. I think this is because the tip absorbs some of the high frequency sound.

 

[TedGamble]

Thanks for the advice. I just ordered some olives from Earphone Solutions. They have super service.

 

[bik2101]

I've tried the olives and still found the bass to be lacking. No idea how much difference an amp with bass boost might have but I'm just throwing it out there.

 

[TedGamble]

I received my Shure Olives. bik2101 was right - the UM1's still lack bass.

There has been one very positive side however. When I ordered the Shure Olives, I also orders some Comply tips to try on my CX-300's. The Complys made a world of difference in livening them up. The bass is no longer so dark and boomy.

 

[Sherwood]

UM1s sound okay, but danged if they aren't just extremely comfortable. I could live with a whole host of problems for that kind of comfort.

 

[Punnisher]

Tips can only go so far for an earphone like that. Improvements are subtle but noticeable.

 

[scompton]

I got no seal at all with comply tips which kills the bass. The only tips that give me a seal with the UM1 are the largest Shure tips. You may be having the same problem. For an IEM that goes farther in the ear, like my Klipsch X5, I use the small Shure tips or the short Comply tips. Ear canal geometry can be an odd thing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sherwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif UM1s sound okay, but danged if they aren't just extremely comfortable. I could live with a whole host of problems for that kind of comfort.

x2. During allergy season, I can't use any other IEM on my daily commute. So it's either UM1 or no music.

Lack of microphonics is also a great feature compared to the CX300.

 

[Bilavideo]

The better the seal, the better the bass. Leakages in pressure drain bass. Finding that leak and sealing it will work wonders. On the other hand, the UM1 is using a wide-range driver, not a dedicated woofer. You can change the sound signature by changing the filters. Thicker filters eliminate more HF, suppressing it so you can build bass. In this way, they act like a mechanical equivalent of an L-Pad. When I first built my sound system, I was disappointed in how little bass I got, that is, until I got a pair of L-Pads, which allowed me to attenuate the HF, allowing my woofers to catch up. The difference was like night and day.