[Cassadian]

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Yikes! I am a little disappointed that Westone hasn't notified ES5 owners since our IEMs have come with a bottle of Oto-Ease.

 
If you really wanted.  I'm sure you could attempt a frivolous law suit (we already have a ridiculously litigious society).  However, I'd advise against it, us Head-Fiers gotta stick together though the possibility of our well-being being endangered and no notification to all potential purchasers.  That's disappointing.

 

[cooperpwc]

Nah, I'm not litigious, just a bit miffed.

Meanwhile my Otoi-Ease is two years old so is it safe? The recall has a paucity of detail to say the least...

 

[zeitfliesst]

I received mine about 2 months ago, so I guess I should be concerned? I hope Westone could just send me a new bottle of lubricant. Maybe it's worth contacting them about it?

 

[googleli]

Try KY.

 

[cooperpwc]

nvm  

 

[pekingduck]

KY stands for?
 
EDIT: Nevermind...found the answer myself... 

 
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Try KY.

 

[Anaxilus]

I've been using the stuff myself w/o issues for nearly two years but I will be making a call.  I am curious about the bacteria comment as it does have a touch of alcohol in it.  I actually apply another coating after use to disinfect the ES5s and leave some lubrication on the tips for preservation against shrinkage....

 

[Girls Generation]

I've tried all the "big name" cables, except Silver Poison. Almost all of them color/alter the original sound, which I find is ridiculous as I paid $1000 for the sound the ES5 original produces. The cable that seemed to clear up the muffle I hear up top, while everything else stayed the same was Double Helix Cables' IEM cable. They're on the affordable side as well. The other cable that did the same but seemed to produce even more silky mids was the Piccolino; but that's way out of my budget. I personally dislike Toxic Cables; their tactics, and some other annoyances steered me clear away from them. Just my preference though. I can't say anything about their cables' sound.
 
As for the clear cable oxidizing, it does not alter the sound in any way it seems. I hate that blue-green color though.
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From what I read (somewhere in this 300+ page thread) no, does not effect sound quality.
 
Whiplash Audio TWag is spoken about a lot, you may want to check that out. There are also other options too from Moon Audio and other companies.

 
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Yeah, I just checked out the TWAG cable, but I might need some time before I can justify dropping $325 on a cable. My wallet's still healing...

 
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Toxic cables are another manufacturer however the pre order special is over already

 
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Just wanna know since u use toxic cables for ur es5, what differences are there between it and the stock cable??

 

[Cassadian]

Quote:

I've tried all the "big name" cables, except Silver Poison. Almost all of them color/alter the original sound, which I find is ridiculous as I paid $1000 for the sound the ES5 original produces. The cable that seemed to clear up the muffle I hear up top, while everything else stayed the same was Double Helix Cables' IEM cable. They're on the affordable side as well. The other cable that did the same but seemed to produce even more silky mids was the Piccolino; but that's way out of my budget. I personally dislike Toxic Cables; their tactics, and some other annoyances steered me clear away from them. Just my preference though. I can't say anything about their cables' sound.
 
As for the clear cable oxidizing, it does not alter the sound in any way it seems. I hate that blue-green color though.
 
 
 

 
What annoyances does toxic cables have?  Just wondering.  I asked him around 15-20 questions and he was pleasant and responded to them around the clock (literally around the clock from middle of the afternoon to 5AM in the morning).

 

[Girls Generation]

He's a seemingly good guy, and of course we'd expect him to have top notch customer service since it's a growing business. Just some small stuff that I'd rather not discuss which annoyed me and many other people. Looking at all the praise his cables are given, if not hype, I'm sure his customers will not be disappointed by his products.
Quote:

 
What annoyances does toxic cables have?  Just wondering.  I asked him around 15-20 questions and he was pleasant and responded to them around the clock (literally around the clock from middle of the afternoon to 5AM in the morning).

 

[Lillee]

which I find is ridiculous as I paid $1000 for the sound the ES5 original produces.

Sorry but I have to laugh at how ridiculous this sounds. It's equivalent to saying "but i paid $10,000 for these speakers, I shouldn't have to pay for cables or interconnects to make them sound different/better". "but I paid $400k for this ferrari, why do i have to pay for fuel too?" Headfiers have some strange and warped expectations honestly.

The $1000 goes straight into nothing else but the CIEMs. Sure Westone can charge $1400 and include a high end silver cable too but that's not their strategy and completely understand.

I don't have a problem dealing with Toxic. Actually even if he is (not saying that he is) so long as the sound is good, who cares about everything else? It's like going to a fancy resturant with a very rude head chef or waiters, but the food is out of this world. You still go right? Cause of the food and not the service, cutlery, tables or location?

One has to ask yourself, what are you in this for? I know my answer is sound quality above all else...

 

[Girls Generation]

You're assuming alteration to the original sound will definitely bring about benefits. Then I invite you to try a TWag with the ES5 and behold the terrible 'thinness' to the sound from which you will definitely cringe. (A bit exaggerated to illustrate my point.)
 
Your ferrari example doesn't correspond to this situation. It'd be more like replacing the engine with a different one. Why would you, when you paid all that money for all the engineering that went into producing such a final product?
 
Your restaurant example fails as well. Define "fancy." If I wanted delicious food, I would go to any highly rated restaurant out there that had amazing food. However, I specifically chose to go to a "fancy" restaurant for a purpose that holds more than just the quality of food. I expect great service, clean and fine cutlery, and comfortable furniture. Why? Because it's a "fancy" restaurant. 
 
I still stand by my "strange and warped" position. I chose and paid for the ES5 for the specific sound it provides. I do not want anything to alter the sound in such a way that changes its signature by even a bit, otherwise, I would've chosen another brand and product, or just simply EQ.
 
You're mistaken that sound quality comes with any and every upgrade to a system. You must consider your personal tastes, and synergy of the whole system before concluding that an "upgrade" really did in fact "upgrade." I beg you to think over my words a bit more carefully. I intend no offense.
Quote:

Sorry but I have to laugh at how ridiculous this sounds. It's equivalent to saying "but i paid $10,000 for these speakers, I shouldn't have to pay for cables or interconnects to make them sound different/better". "but I paid $400k for this ferrari, why do i have to pay for fuel too?" Headfiers have some strange and warped expectations honestly.
I don't have a problem dealing with Toxic. Actually even if he is (not saying that he is) so long as the sound is good, who cares about everything else? It's like going to a fancy resturant with a very rude head chef or waiters, but the food is out of this world. You still go right? Cause of the food and not the service, cutlery, tables or location?
One has to ask yourself, what are you in this for? I know my answer is sound quality above all else...

 

[Lillee]

I too intend no offense, just pointing out that this hobby is a money pit and no necessarily for the better.

I will be trailing a piccolino equivalent cable next week

 

[uelover]

Quote:

I know my answer is sound quality above all else...

 
I have nothing against aftermarket cables. Some of them are great, but most just don't work well with the ES5. Sure, they worked for other CIEMs such as the JHs, but just not the ES5. I think this is the point that GG and some of us are making.
 
It is easy to be convinced that a USD300~500 aftermarket cable, some made of silver (and of course the prestige that comes after that name), will bring positive SQ benefits. I had my twag before I even received the ES5 back then. I immediately started used the ES5 with the twag. I believed that the stock cable was junk. The twag seems to bring out all the 'details' and I found the stock cable to sound muddy in comparison. Further, the Twag cost me USD300+ and the stock is just less than USD50 and is so thin and looks cheap. How can the twag ever be worse?
 
It was only after I became much more acquainted with the ES5 that I find twag, as well as many other aftermarket cables I bought subsequently, are actually doing more detriments than positives to the sound.
 
We are all after SQ, if not we won't dump such monies into getting the ES5. A westone ES2 would suffice for bringing to us the noise isolation and comfort the ES5 would bring.
 
Of course, nobody is stopping you from using aftermarket cables. We are just sharing our experiences with everyone around as well as the mistakes we made along our way.

 

[wahu]

Your ferrari example doesn't correspond to this situation. It'd be more like replacing the engine with a different one. Why would you, when you paid all that money for all the engineering that went into producing such a final product?

Actually it's more like changing the tires. Tires can have a subtle and sometimes not so subtle effect on a car's handling characteristics. Lots of reasons to want to try different tires on a Ferrari.