[bossnass15]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solid Snake /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think the only way to get them is ordering by phone from their website.

do you have link for their pics? do they sound like the complies? (warm)

 

[sennmann]

The modified triflanges: the biflanges.
Perfect fit, isolation and sound!

 

[qusp]

well I use standard comply the long ones; but i'm going for my impressions for my UM56 tips first thing in the morning, so I hope they are displaced from the top of my list. I use comply on my SE530 too

 

[fredman22]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Barry /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Complys are the preferred tip for the UM2 so I think Westone also tuned the W3 to work best with that tip.

Complys ship with all Westone products - it makes sense that Westone 3s would work with them, but with ears the best tip is the one that fits you. IEM manufacturers know this and design their products to work well with a variety of tips - not necessarily better with one over the other. The biggest issue with Westone IEMs is their short insertion - get a tip that seals/fits comfortably at the outer edge of the canal (usually slightly larger than normal), position the housing correctly (to properly aim the nozzle) and after awhile you'll be hitting the 'sweet spot' every time.

 

[Jim Barry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredman22 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The biggest issue with Westone IEMs is their short insertion - get a tip that seals/fits comfortably at the outer edge of the canal (usually slightly larger than normal), position the housing correctly (to properly aim the nozzle) and after awhile you'll be hitting the 'sweet spot' every time.

I have tried, but unfortunately it's not working for me. I changed from slim to full size Comply tips, but the bass becomes too pronounced and the treble is muted. I think what is happening is that my ear canal is too narrow for the tip, so that when the foam expands inside the ear it actually closes off the sound tube and attenuates the high frequencies. Also, the tip feels uncomfortably large in my ear.

 

[Sideman7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Barry /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have tried, but unfortunately it's not working for me. I changed from slim to full size Comply tips, but the bass becomes too pronounced and the treble is muted. I think what is happening is that my ear canal is too narrow for the tip, so that when the foam expands inside the ear it actually closes off the sound tube and attenuates the high frequencies. Also, the tip feels uncomfortably large in my ear.

I have small ear canals too and can only use the short Comply for that reason. I wonder if this also plays into our issues with the UM56? I spoke to Westone today and they are going to redo both of them for me (for slightly tighter fit and to fix the hole angle on the right one). I don't have high hopes in them magically sounding better after a refit, but we'll see... I'll keep my fingers crossed...

 

[AndrewF]

Can someone answer a question for me? Is the best isolation necessarily the best SQ? I get an excellent seal with large black olives, triflanges modded to biflanges and large complys. the sound quality seems very similar with all the tips. i doubt i would use the complys since they don't last very long.

between the black olives and the modded biflanges, i can hear more outside noise with the biflanges. does this mean i'm somehow "missing" potential sound, or is it just that the silicone is a little less isolating?

i somewhat prefer the biflanges overall, for ease of insertion (not having to squash the tips etc).

sorry if this sounds incoherent. hopefully it will make some sense.

 

[uncle b]

I have had some real changes occur since I got my W3. For years, I have used the tri-flanges with a little bit of the stem cut off with my UM2's. I have really enjoyed how they have worked/worn and sounded. Of course, I thought when I got the W3's, I would just pull out a nice new pair of tri-flanges and audio bliss would follow. Strangely, the tri-flanges were a huge disappointment to me. At the gym, I could hear ALL KINDS of outside noise that I never heard with the tri-flanges and the UM2's. Now, I have switched back over to the standard Comply tips, but they never hold up under my daily use. I may try another new pair of tri-flanges, with or without cutting off a bit. I really want them to work out. Otherwise, the W3's have been absolutely amazing.

 

[Jim Barry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sideman7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have small ear canals too and can only use the short Comply for that reason. I wonder if this also plays into our issues with the UM56? I spoke to Westone today and they are going to redo both of them for me (for slightly tighter fit and to fix the hole angle on the right one). I don't have high hopes in them magically sounding better after a refit, but we'll see... I'll keep my fingers crossed...

Hmmm, I was never able to use the short Comply tips even with the UM2 as they are so short that they don't even go far enough in to make a seal. With the W3 nozzle being even shorter than the UM2's, I can't really imagine the short Comply tips being of any use to anyone. Anyway, good luck with the remakes, let us know how it works out. I can't really understand what can have gone wrong with the hole angle. The impression is a full concha cast and they are supposed to cut it away at such an angle so that the earpiece sits correctly in the concha.

 

[Jim Barry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndrewF /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can someone answer a question for me? Is the best isolation necessarily the best SQ?

Not necessarily. Without a good seal you're unlikely to get any decent bass response, but beyond that, I don't think the amount of isolation is directly related to the sound quality.

 

[pgbass]

It's funny, with other IEM's the medium soft-flex fit my ears and sq tastes perfectly. But for the W3 the large soft flexes sound the best, and I don't need to push in to far to get the sq that I like.

But they tend to feel loose and want to fall out when I'm walking around, which is why I ordered the UM56. I'm hoping that I get the same results with those, but a better fit.

 

[Solid Snake]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bossnass15 /img/forum/go_quote.gif do you have link for their pics? do they sound like the complies? (warm)

I am using the 2nd one from the left.

I just did a quick comparison between the two.

The klipsch ear tips settled the bass down just a little bit and brought the treble levels just a touch higher. But yes, I would consider both the comply tips and klipsch tips have a similar warm sound signature.

 

[Sideman7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Barry /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmmm, I was never able to use the short Comply tips even with the UM2 as they are so short that they don't even go far enough in to make a seal. With the W3 nozzle being even shorter than the UM2's, I can't really imagine the short Comply tips being of any use to anyone. Anyway, good luck with the remakes, let us know how it works out. I can't really understand what can have gone wrong with the hole angle. The impression is a full concha cast and they are supposed to cut it away at such an angle so that the earpiece sits correctly in the concha.

I'll take a couple of photos of the molds when I get home from my gig. It will make more sense then...

 

[GeoD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sennmann /img/forum/go_quote.gif The modified triflanges: the biflanges. Perfect fit, isolation and sound!

This is also what I found to work best for my ears. The triflanges were too big and were uncomfortable. I ended up trimming the stem and turned them into biflanges and found they gave me the best isolation. I go in tomorrow for UM56 impressions, pretty excited. I hope I get the same sound if not better than the biflanges with a tad more comfort. Overall, I've been impressed, but these are also my first set of IEMs so I have nothing to compare to.

 

[Sideman7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Barry /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmmm, I was never able to use the short Comply tips even with the UM2 as they are so short that they don't even go far enough in to make a seal. With the W3 nozzle being even shorter than the UM2's, I can't really imagine the short Comply tips being of any use to anyone. Anyway, good luck with the remakes, let us know how it works out. I can't really understand what can have gone wrong with the hole angle. The impression is a full concha cast and they are supposed to cut it away at such an angle so that the earpiece sits correctly in the concha.

Everyone's ears are different! with the short tips the earphone are neatly snug in my ears and I can barely tell they are there. I tried the long ones for the hell of it and the earphones were hanging out of my ears...

As far as the UM-56's go here are a couple of photos:

This is a bit a hard to see (and even harder to photo), but look at the holes on both:

This is the end result:

Look at where the end of the nozzle on the right one is pointing. I get no high end out of that one at all. Anyway, hopefully it will be better the next time around...