[thestumper]

The ones you really enjoy. Seriously. Thats all that matters.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thestumper The ones you really enjoy. Seriously. Thats all that matters.

True enough. The leading candidates seem to be:

UE 10-Pro
Sensa 2S-X
Westone ES2 or ES3
Shure E500 (available in May)

There may be others as well, and it will be interesting to see what Sensa comes out with.

One of the difficulties is that all of these products (other than the E500's) are custom fit, and thus very few people have heard more than one so the available (objective) comparisons are quite limited.

In my view, you can't really go wrong with any of them, and if I were just now entering the game, I'd probably go with the Shure E500 because they can be sold if you don't like them, plus they can be shared with friends, etc.

 

[nadavnaz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeeeMeS I own the $900 UE-10 Pros I think it's safe to say they are considered one of the top 3 IEMs

Wow you actually own them? That's scaryy...

 

[IZCool]

If you poke around and use the search a bit you'll find quite a few people have the UE-10pros, Sensa 2X-S, and other stupidly expensive earphones.

Myself, I'm planning on ordering the ACS T2PROs (£499) in the next few days. (Tho I'm in Australia and the exchange rate is lousy so I'll pay a bit of a premium

)

 

[mcygn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IZCool If you poke around and use the search a bit you'll find quite a few people have the UE-10pros, Sensa 2X-S, and other stupidly expensive earphones. Myself, I'm planning on ordering the ACS T2PROs (£499) in the next few days. (Tho I'm in Australia and the exchange rate is lousy so I'll pay a bit of a premium )

At last, someone mentions ACS!

If you REALLY REALLY want to get into the IEM comparison scene here,
you may want to
look for posts with both "sensaphonics" and "acs" in the header and you'll see some pretty detailed discussions about these products. You'll even find reviews of people who have both UE's and sensa's and compare them.

One of the things i recall in comparisons of the UE and the Sensa's is that the sensa's soft silicone seemed to get the nod most of the time. ACS's is reputedly more comfortable because of use of a softer tho equally durable silicone.

Root did a highly detailed review recently of the ACS T2pro and T2i; lindrone did a very good one of the sensas.

UE's are made by guys who started as musicians, i believe. Both sensa's and ACS's are made by audiologists who's profession is caring for hearing. So slightly different philisophical approach to the product. ACS's are certified to be within the criteria for hearing protection. ACS's founder also is dubious of triple driver IEM's - for their potential to increase hearing damage. So, lots of variables.

Hope that helps.

mcygn

 

[Geoff Rymer]

As somebody who can in no way afford, but dreams about both the UE10s and the Shure E500's, how are triple drivers more likely to damage hearing? I'm interested to find out!

 

[UAndy]

Westone ES3
I own the UE10Pro and the ES3. Both are top; but it´s a matter of preference: If you like it a bit darker and softer then UE10, if you like highest resolution and ultrafast response then ES3.

 

[fierce_freak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geoff Rymer how are triple drivers more likely to damage hearing? I'm interested to find out!

bump for this

 

[BRBJackson]

I own the UE10's, and have heard both the E500's and *another* universal triple driver IEM's. For now, I still prefer the 10's, and consider them top dog.

 

[bangraman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geoff Rymer As somebody who can in no way afford, but dreams about both the UE10s and the Shure E500's, how are triple drivers more likely to damage hearing? I'm interested to find out!

I suppose the way they move more air especially in the lows (with all three drivers possibly active at any given time) may mean that it's possible that these will easily exceed safe levels of hearing. But really, I think the same goes for any IEM. It's VERY easy to turn them up too loud. Their stated aim (for stage use at least) is to protect hearing by allowing artists to monitor better and at lower effective sound levels due to the high isolation, allowing the mix to come through much more clearly than the traditional monitors in front of them. However there is nothing preventing you from turning up the IEM's to levels that cause long-term hearing damage either.

 

[MD1032]

Quote:

Originally Posted by max-9 "Believe it or dont" The best earbuds known to man are the white earbuds from ipod. I cant use them , Im allergic to them.

Read: "known to the ignorant, average comsumer-man", not "the educated headphone enthusiant".

I didn't get to hear the UE10's at the national meet, and even if I did, they probably would sound different from the real thing, but I'd say the E500's were the most impressive IEM I heard there. The imaging and soundstage was out of this world.

 

[fierce_freak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRBJackson I own the UE10's, and have heard both the E500's and *another* universal triple driver IEM's. For now, I still prefer the 10's, and consider them top dog.

Do you have any guess as to when silence will be allowed to be broken on things like *another* universal triple driver IEM?

 

[Vic]

I think I have to give you this info although someone might disagree, because if someone would have told me this seven months ago he would have saved me $900 adn avoid the most stupid purchase I have made in this hobby.

Custom made IEM (probably some of the non-custom as well) have a problem of build up of wax which can very quickly (and I mean very quickly) ruin the drivers. I believe the UE10 have a filter that prevents in part this problem (correct me if I am wrong), while Sensaphonics doesn't (maybe on purpose).
Neither of the two covers in their warranty the problem. I believe Ultimate Ears charges around $100 (again I may be wrong), while Snsaphonics charges $300 for each driver, which equals $600 for the two.
I have had my Sensaphonics for about 7 month and used about a couple of hour a week in average, so about 60-80 hours (I gave them 100 hors break-in, but not in my ears, just playing in a drawer).
I only used them in public transports, which I take rarely, as IMO they are not suitable for home or even office use: They have an excellent sound quality, but they totally lack soundstage, to the point that I would never reach for them when any regular headphone is available.
I did not clean them after each use (extremely unpractical in portable use) but I did inspect them regularly and they were generally totally clean; from time to time there was a tiny trace of wax which I removed with the tool supplied.

All of the sudden the right one stopped working: the mid and treble disappeared; only from time to time, pressing on the ear, or turning the head the sound would come back for a second and then off again. Through the transparent shell no trace of wax was visible. I though of a loose contact in the driver, as it happened at wance, not progressively.
To cut it short I send them to Sensa and they sent me an email saying that they will charge $600 to replace the drivers because accumulation of wax is not covered by warranty and apparently the right one was practically almost gone too. I did not even bothered to reply to the email.

I have posted this fact in another thread were I was attacked by the usual fanboys, but anyway out of the 10 poster 4 had the same problem.
Considering that in most case the Sensa were less than one year old, you have 40% of chances of having to pay a $600 maintenance fee to Sensaphonics for using hearing devices good only for portable use, on top of the $900 initial cost.

I find quite outrageous that Sensa cashes full profit on a repair due to a bad design of their product, other may disagree. The funny thing is that all the one who had the problem agreed with me. I just think that the main reason of a forum like this is to give good suggestions and warnings to less experience users.
I don't want to go that far, but what if it was really a loose contact in the driver and they just claim that is wax accumulation, which is not covered by warranty, who can argue?

 

[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nadavnaz Wow you actually own them? That's scaryy...

They aren't rare around here.

 

[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vic I think I have to give you this info although someone might disagree, because if someone would have told me this seven months ago he would have saved me $900 adn avoid the most stupid purchase I have made in this hobby. Custom made IEM (probably some of the non-custom as well) have a problem of build up of wax which can very quickly (and I mean very quickly) ruin the drivers. I believe the UE10 have a filter that prevents in part this problem (correct me if I am wrong), while Sensaphonics doesn't (maybe on purpose). Neither of the two covers in their warranty the problem. I believe Ultimate Ears charges around $100 (again I may be wrong), while Snsaphonics charges $300 for each driver, which equals $600 for the two. I have had my Sensaphonics for about 7 month and used about a couple of hour a week in average, so about 60-80 hours (I gave them 100 hors break-in, but not in my ears, just playing in a drawer). I only used them in public transports, which I take rarely, as IMO they are not suitable for home or even office use: They have an excellent sound quality, but they totally lack soundstage, to the point that I would never reach for them when any regular headphone is available. I did not clean them after each use (extremely unpractical in portable use) but I did inspect them regularly and they were generally totally clean; from time to time there was a tiny trace of wax which I removed with the tool supplied. All of the sudden the right one stopped working: the mid and treble disappeared; only from time to time, pressing on the ear, or turning the head the sound would come back for a second and then off again. Through the transparent shell no trace of wax was visible. I though of a loose contact in the driver, as it happened at wance, not progressively. To cut it short I send them to Sensa and they sent me an email saying that they will charge $600 to replace the drivers because accumulation of wax is not covered by warranty and apparently the right one was practically almost gone too. I did not even bothered to reply to the email. I have posted this fact in another thread were I was attacked by the usual fanboys, but anyway out of the 10 poster 4 had the same problem. Considering that in most case the Sensa were less than one year old, you have 40% of chances of having to pay a $600 maintenance fee to Sensaphonics for using hearing devices good only for portable use, on top of the $900 initial cost. I find quite outrageous that Sensa cashes full profit on a repair due to a bad design of their product, other may disagree. The funny thing is that all the one who had the problem agreed with me. I just think that the main reason of a forum like this is to give good suggestions and warnings to less experience users. I don't want to go that far, but what if it was really a loose contact in the driver and they just claim that is wax accumulation, which is not covered by warranty, who can argue?

This makes me really glad I decided to go UE when I went custom. I haven't had the issues you have had so I can't really comment on having similar problems, but I have seen them support their products time and time again. One such occasion happened recently when they replaced the metal SF5P case and accessories for a friend of mine when he lost them while on a flight. No questions asked, replacements were on their way the following day after I mentioned it to Mike.

The only other company I've ever seen treat their customers this well is Shure which is why I'll be a life long customer of both companies.


To the O.P.: Your taste will determine which are the best IEMs for you, but some of the top contenders are: UE-10 Pro, Westone ES2/ES3, Sensaphonics 2xs, and the upcoming Shure E500 and UE Triple X (potentially; I haven't heard the Triple X yet). Other outstanding performers are the Shure E4 and E5, UE's Super.Fi 5 Pro, Westone's UM2, and Etymotics ER4 (I actually don't think the ER4 should be listed, but they have such a strong and faithful following that I'll represent them here simply because there are quite a number of people who think they should be here).