[VicAjax]

@Spyro - good to know, I won't waste my time with the gliders.

Actually, the Shure Fit Kit arrived today. I haven't had much time at all to try them out, but I can tell you I'm already in love with the medium Soft Flex. So comfortable, good isolation, and open highs and punchy bass seem to live happily together.

i've only had about 3 minutes to listen, and my ears are sore from trying out all the other tips, so i'll have more thoughts later. but early impression is that we may have a winner.

 

[tnmike1]

Now that I know they'll play nice with my Minibox E+, I'm really tempted tobuy from one of the sources here that offer a 30-day return. I mean, after A/Bing with Ety4p for 25 days, you gotta know which you like???

 

[VicAjax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnmike1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Now that I know they'll play nice with my Minibox E+, I'm really tempted tobuy from one of the sources here that offer a 30-day return. I mean, after A/Bing with Ety4p for 25 days, you gotta know which you like???

just make sure you have a selection of tips to play with. it seems everyone has a different preference, and it really does affect the sound.

 

[jussssss]

i think when i tried the w3 and um3x they had Shure tips on and it was surprisingly good, because i remembering disliking Shure tips from my 115s (maybe i just didnt like the 115s altogether lol ).

is this shure fit kit the same as normal shure tips from the 115s

 

[Ubijza]

I had a wonderful 4 hour bus journey to London with Um3x+Shure yellow foams and my imod playing Beatles 2009 remastered!.. Really loved it

 

[VicAjax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VicAjax /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually, the Shure Fit Kit arrived today. I haven't had much time at all to try them out, but I can tell you I'm already in love with the medium Soft Flex. So comfortable, good isolation, and open highs and punchy bass seem to live happily together. i've only had about 3 minutes to listen, and my ears are sore from trying out all the other tips, so i'll have more thoughts later. but early impression is that we may have a winner.

well i've had a bit of an epiphany. i've never realized it before, but i think i have small ear canals. the medium Shure Soft Flex tips are fine and comfy, but i just decided to try the small Soft Flex, just to see how they'd fit.

it turns out, they slide right in and settle at the perfect spot inside my canal, fitting with a good snug seal without irritation or any threat of pushing back out. i can bite down and move around without breaking the seal.

and the best part: they sound fantastic. all high-end muffle is gone, and the bass is satisfyingly present, tight and impactful. soundstage is not jammed inside my head, but neither is it unrealistically large. while it still doesn't quite have the treble magic of the Etymotic ER4 (i'm convinced nothing other than the ER4 can do that), the highs are sweet and smooth and unfatiguing, but not smeared... detail is still there.

isolation is not as complete as the ER4, but it's actually nice (and safer!) to be able to hear a little bit of ambient noise in between songs on my walk through the city to work everyday. while the music is playing, it's not an issue whatsoever.

in sum: with the small grey Shure Soft Flex, the UM3X sounds like a true high-end can and feels incredibly comfortable. i'm a happy camper.

 

[Spyro]

I liked the soft flex sleeves but they have a small sweet spot. Can't really move around.

I have settled on Ety tri-flanges which are different than the Shure ones because there is no stalk. It is already cut flush to the bottom of the largest flange just as is. They sound great, they are comfy and they stay put.

 

[VicAjax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro /img/forum/go_quote.gif I liked the soft flex sleeves but they have a small sweet spot. Can't really move around.

see, this is interesting because my experience is totally different. i'm finding that the soft flex have total consistency. no matter how i wiggle them around, the sound doesn't change at all. and the seal really sticks firmly without being uncomfortable.

Quote:

I have settled on Ety tri-flanges which are different than the Shure ones because there is no stalk. It is already cut flush to the bottom of the largest flange just as is. They sound great, they are comfy and they stay put.

my experience with the tri-flanges is what yours was with the soft-flex.. very fiddly with a small sweet spot. they were the first tips (other than the Comply) that i tried with the UM3X, and even when i had the right spot, they still seemed to constrict the highs too much. i believe it's because the UM3X nozzles are shorter than the ER4, so the end would collapse or bend in as i inserted them.

ultimately, i really think it depends on the shape of one's ear canal and which tip works best for you. it's remarkable, really, how tip/canal dependent these IEMs are.

 

[Spyro]

Not sure if everyone else does this but I always use one of each type of tip in each ear when trying to decide which sounds better. Sometimes it's so close to tell.....

 

[animalsrush]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro /img/forum/go_quote.gif I liked the soft flex sleeves but they have a small sweet spot. Can't really move around. I have settled on Ety tri-flanges which are different than the Shure ones because there is no stalk. It is already cut flush to the bottom of the largest flange just as is. They sound great, they are comfy and they stay put.

That is the exact tip tip i useand after multiple tries with other tips. Now my Um3x sounds as it should with my Sony X. The shure ones need a little extra mod

 

[dissembled]

The grey silicone tips from the Westone fit kit looks identical to the Shure Flex sleeves. I hope they're similar because those silicone tips are the only ones I used that don't muddle the sound. I also can't find any merchant selling the Westone silicone tips.

(Personally tried the Klipsch Ear Gels, default Comply tips, medium-sized Shure olives, clear Westone silicone tips and they all muddled the sound for me.)

Damn my weird ear canals.

 

[VicAjax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dissembled /img/forum/go_quote.gif The grey silicone tips from the Westone fit kit looks identical to the Shure Flex sleeves. I hope they're similar because those silicone tips are the only ones I used that don't muddle the sound. I also can't find any merchant selling the Westone silicone tips.

I'm reasonably certain that the Westone sleeves and the Shure sleeves are the same.

 

[the_dong146]

Hey guys, I'm about to finally pull the trigger on a pair of UM3Xs. So please reassure me, I've read in some places that they sound "flat" and even "boring" - thoughts on this.

Certainly worth mentioning that the X10s I have/had sound a little more consumer geared (lows/highs), and I'm not a fan of the sound sig. Enjoyed that of the IE7s, and from descriptions the good bass, slightly forward/smooth mids of the UM3X/SE530s is what I'm looking for.


Reviews on "boring": Westone’s Top-of-the-Line Stage Monitoring Universal IEM: UM3x in Review | TouchMyApps
jon's weblog: Westone UM3X IEM review

 

[Nirmalanow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dissembled /img/forum/go_quote.gif The grey silicone tips from the Westone fit kit looks identical to the Shure Flex sleeves. I hope they're similar because those silicone tips are the only ones I used that don't muddle the sound. I also can't find any merchant selling the Westone silicone tips. (Personally tried the Klipsch Ear Gels, default Comply tips, medium-sized Shure olives, clear Westone silicone tips and they all muddled the sound for me.) Damn my weird ear canals.

Based on the reports on here, I would say we all must have weird ear canals. Everyone seems to have a different experience on what tips sound best. There is no such thing as normal

 

[Oomingmak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_dong146 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey guys, I'm about to finally pull the trigger on a pair of UM3Xs. So please reassure me, I've read in some places that they sound "flat" and even "boring" - thoughts on this. Certainly worth mentioning that the X10s I have/had sound a little more consumer geared (lows/highs), and I'm not a fan of the sound sig. Enjoyed that of the IE7s, and from descriptions the good bass, slightly forward/smooth mids of the UM3X/SE530s is what I'm looking for. Reviews on "boring": Westone’s Top-of-the-Line Stage Monitoring Universal IEM: UM3x in Review | TouchMyApps jon's weblog: Westone UM3X IEM review

If you're coming from an IEM with a more U shaped sound, then until you get used to the sound signature they will sound not boring but polite. Once you get used to the sound signature you'll see that they aren't exactly flat, just more flat than what you're probably used to. The level of detail that they have is amazing and the bass is tight and defined meaning it never splashes, but is very present.