Author Topic: IEMs advice (Read 22164 times)

tjcaustin · « **Reply #50 on:** Thu, 30 May 2013, 16:27:52 »

Quote from: thegunner100 on Thu, 30 May 2013, 16:19:46

Very nice! How long did it take for you to get used to the feeling of CIEMs? My ear canals got sore after about an hour or so, and the left cymba area was a bit too tight. I think i'm supposed to get used to the feeling/pain after a week or so, but the left symba area definitely needs to be shaved down a bit.

The JH13 is probably the safer choice over the UERM. The UERMs are definitely very revealing of sibilance and harsh recordings.

Hence the R in the name, heh.

It took me no time because my molds and the resulting piece were perfect(I think I got lucky). From what I've read, most, if any, pain is due to imperfections in the mold to shell making process.

Also, the 13s are a bit more neutral than the 16s (even if they're only $50 more, it's for one more bass driver, so eh) and if I don't have the perfect recordings and the UERM right next to me to compare, I doubt I'll ever feel any doubt in my decision.

Batmann · « **Reply #51 on:** Fri, 31 May 2013, 16:10:35 »

you guys got some very desirable Ciems,
and thegunner that's some good schiit I see in the backround of that picture, I love the look of tube amps

I had a deal on some UM3X-RC that unfortunately got cancelled by seller,
I then seriously considered the klaxoning deal on the Jh5 but with earmolds, shipping, and waiting time I gave up the idea.

So finally I grabbed a pretty good deal on a pair of near mint aurisonics asg-1 rev 1.2, 180$ shipped.
I red that these lack treble but I am no treble head so I hope I won't be disappointed. I also red that using an equalizer can bring them back if needed.
I should get them next week, I'll post a picture along with a short feedback

And also could we get a glimpse of those JH13s ?

thegunner100 · « **Reply #52 on:** Fri, 31 May 2013, 16:37:17 »

The tube amp in the background is my Little Dot MK IV SE

. I think i'll probably return the schiit asgard 2 though, I prefer the Little dot with my hd600, t70 and as a preamp for my speakers. While the Asgard 2 is very nice with my UERMs, i found them to be a bit bright when combined together. The headstage arrow isn't that far behind the asgard 2 when it comes to driving my UERMs and I don't plan on using them much when I'm at home anyways.

Ultimate Ears really exceeded my expectations of what good customer service is. Props to them. They offered me 3 choices:

1. I send my set back and they remake it with the proper colors.
2. I get a "significant discount" on my next future purchase, whatever it may be.
3. I get a free pair of UE900.

I'm still very satisfied with how my UERMs came out, so it's no problem. Most likely going to go with choice 2, especially if I can combine it with the head-fi meet's 20% discount. I definitely wouldn't mind buying from UE again, especially with the kind of service that I've gotten from them.

And Batmann, a lot of people like the ASG 1.2s; i'm not a big fan though. I can't stand anything with significantly rolled off treble

. Still, it's a good deal!

Batmann · « **Reply #53 on:** Fri, 31 May 2013, 16:44:41 »

a free pair of ue900!
that is some serious customer service

bear95 · « **Reply #54 on:** Fri, 31 May 2013, 21:46:15 »

Yeah... that is really awesome...

tjcaustin · « **Reply #55 on:** Fri, 31 May 2013, 21:56:31 »

Speaking of klaxon deal, I have a order for a pair of jh5 that I'm now not going to fulfill if anyone wants to give me $350 and ear molds for it

TheQsanity · « **Reply #56 on:** Fri, 31 May 2013, 22:18:23 »

Just got some Sony Xba-3. I'll let you know how's it goes. Dem Shures shure looks nice.

Batmann · « **Reply #57 on:** Sat, 01 June 2013, 05:53:09 »

Btw, how did you guys get your impressions done for your Ciems?
did you do it yourself?

thegunner100 · « **Reply #58 on:** Sat, 01 June 2013, 06:41:30 »

Quote from: Batmann on Sat, 01 June 2013, 05:53:09

Btw, how did you guys get your impressions done for your Ciems?
did you do it yourself?

I went to a UE certified audiologist. Any audiologist that makes impressions for hearing aids would work too, but it's better to find someone who is familiar with making impressions for CIEMs. Some companies send you a kit for some DIY impressions.

thegunner100 · « **Reply #59 on:** Mon, 03 June 2013, 08:48:29 »

joker finally made a recommendations guide for IEMs under $200! It's good to see the gr07 mk ii, gr02 BE, and re-400 on there. There's also a pretty long chart of IEMs and ratings on the home page.
http://theheadphonelist.com/articles/earphone-buyers-guide/#comment-93

TheQsanity · « **Reply #60 on:** Tue, 04 June 2013, 02:42:55 »

I got my Sony xba-3 today. I don't like them. They sound like nothings there! It seems pretty balanced. You can hear a bunch of instruments and vocals at once. The bass is lower than what I'm used to. I don't think they are marketed as IEMs though.

Anyone have balanced armarture headphones around the sub-100 price range? I am kinda interested in the 100 dollar Shures. I am not sure if they are good or is there a better one at that price range?

I am kinda into the ear tips. Sony makes some nice ones. I have kinda small right ear cannal. The Shures ear tips looks pretty nice too.

Anyone have multiple headphones to compare?

I buy Sony because I'm too savvy to jump on the other non discounted brands. ><

Lbeuol · « **Reply #61 on:** Tue, 04 June 2013, 02:45:04 »

Anyone have experience with the Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5? Been eyeing it on Amazon for awhile.

Jocelyn · « **Reply #62 on:** Tue, 04 June 2013, 02:47:15 »

Quote from: TheQsanity on Tue, 04 June 2013, 02:42:55

I got my Sony xba-3 today. I don't like them. They sound like nothings there! It seems pretty balanced. You can hear a bunch of instruments and vocals at once. The bass is lower than what I'm used to. I don't think they are marketed as IEMs though.
Did someone say IEMs have to be custom molds? I think there are lots that aren't custom molds.
Anyone have balanced armarture headphones around the sub-100 price range? I am kinda interested in the 100 dollar Shures. I am not sure if they are good or is there a better one at that price range?

I am kinda into the ear tips. Sony makes some nice ones. I have kinda small right ear cannal. The Shures ear tips looks pretty nice too.

Anyone have multiple headphones to compare?

Is this your first BA? They are IEMs, but you're probably used to dynamic IEMs

PS - I've been cutting down on coffee, so I'm way too tired to give you a full reply right now.

TheQsanity · « **Reply #63 on:** Tue, 04 June 2013, 02:57:29 »

Quote from: Jocelyn on Tue, 04 June 2013, 02:47:15

Quote from: TheQsanity on Tue, 04 June 2013, 02:42:55
I got my Sony xba-3 today. I don't like them. They sound like nothings there! It seems pretty balanced. You can hear a bunch of instruments and vocals at once. The bass is lower than what I'm used to. I don't think they are marketed as IEMs though.
Did someone say IEMs have to be custom molds? I think there are lots that aren't custom molds.
Anyone have balanced armarture headphones around the sub-100 price range? I am kinda interested in the 100 dollar Shures. I am not sure if they are good or is there a better one at that price range?

I am kinda into the ear tips. Sony makes some nice ones. I have kinda small right ear cannal. The Shures ear tips looks pretty nice too.

Anyone have multiple headphones to compare?

Is this your first BA? They are IEMs, but you're probably used to dynamic IEMs

PS - I've been cutting down on coffee, so I'm way too tired to give you a full reply right now.

Yes ma'am

they are my first. My last favorite dynamic earphones:(I'll update you tomorrow lolz)

What makes something IEM? What does c in CIEM mean?
(Yeah I should be sleeping also, I don't mind if you reply tomorrow

)

Jocelyn · « **Reply #64 on:** Tue, 04 June 2013, 03:05:20 »

lol I'm still awake, I just can't give in depth posts right now. I'm literally withdrawing from caffeine

IEM = in ear monitor
CIEM = custom in ear monitor, that are fitted for your ears specifically and they cost a lot of money. Also, you'd can't really share them with friends lol.

Personally, I prefer BA or a quick dynamic over a dynamic that provides tons of bass in quantity. To me it sounds like you want more bass quantity

Last important question for the evening lol. What are you driving the xba-3 with?

thegunner100 · « **Reply #65 on:** Tue, 04 June 2013, 06:27:54 »

@TheQsanity, if you could tell us why you went for the XBA-3, it would help us recommend something. What kind of sound signature are you looking for? Joker's buyer's guide is a good place to start if you haven't taken a look at it.

TheQsanity · « **Reply #66 on:** Wed, 05 June 2013, 02:08:42 »

Sorry it took so long. Busy day. Sony MDR-EX210B were my old ones. 15 bucks when I bought it. Great buy.

I went for sony because of the price. I got it for about 80. I have yet to use balanced armature and thought that would be a good entry level. I heard good reviews for them over the xba-4. I like Sony because they dont really have price locks. I got the Xba-3 mistly out of curiosity. Xba-3 looks alright when I wear it out, though it is a little big. I wanted something that didnt stand out too much and if it did stand out, id want it to look a bit cleaner than sore thumb. If you get what I mean.
I think my next pair of headphones may be the Klipsh II for Android, or the 100 dollar Shure. I'm just waiting till they get a price drop on Amazon

.
I am a collector><. If I could I would want to try all different types.

Oh yeah. Comfort is a big deal to me. I wear my 'phones all day.

TheQsanity · « **Reply #67 on:** Wed, 05 June 2013, 02:15:58 »

Quote from: thegunner100 on Tue, 04 June 2013, 06:27:54

@TheQsanity, if you could tell us why you went for the XBA-3, it would help us recommend something. What kind of sound signature are you looking for? Joker's buyer's guide is a good place to start if you haven't taken a look at it.

I have seen the one on headfi. Its pretty long so I haven't really read it all and taken it all in.

I just want to say ive tried the JVC explosives and they arent too comfortable.

thegunner100 · « **Reply #68 on:** Wed, 05 June 2013, 06:17:59 »

I think the Shure SE215 might be what you're looking for then, if you're okay with the cable. It'll have the bass that you're looking for, plus it's a dynamic driver so you'll get better bass impact out of it as well. Thats not to say that BA IEMs don't have enough bass though, the UE18 and JH16 have ridiculous amounts of bass.

TheQsanity · « **Reply #69 on:** Wed, 05 June 2013, 11:29:40 »

Quote from: thegunner100 on Wed, 05 June 2013, 06:17:59

I think the Shure SE215 might be what you're looking for then, if you're okay with the cable. It'll have the bass that you're looking for, plus it's a dynamic driver so you'll get better bass impact out of it as well. Thats not to say that BA IEMs don't have enough bass though, the UE18 and JH16 have ridiculous amounts of bass.

Yup. I'm watching the Se215 on Amazon. Waiting for it to go on sale... if ever. I am guessing Ue18 are ultimate ears? Jh16 are from what brand? How many armature are there?

Xba-3 are the clearest headphones that ive tried yet.

tjcaustin · « **Reply #70 on:** Wed, 05 June 2013, 13:04:08 »

Quote from: TheQsanity on Wed, 05 June 2013, 11:29:40

Quote from: thegunner100 on Wed, 05 June 2013, 06:17:59
I think the Shure SE215 might be what you're looking for then, if you're okay with the cable. It'll have the bass that you're looking for, plus it's a dynamic driver so you'll get better bass impact out of it as well. Thats not to say that BA IEMs don't have enough bass though, the UE18 and JH16 have ridiculous amounts of bass.

Yup. I'm watching the Se215 on Amazon. Waiting for it to go on sale... if ever. I am guessing Ue18 are ultimate ears? Jh16 are from what brand? How many armature are there?

Xba-3 are the clearest headphones that ive tried yet.

UE - Ultimate Ears

JH - JHAudio (original owner/inventor of Ultimate Ears style IEM)

UE18 has 6 and JH16pro 8 drivers per monitor, but they're high end CIEMs, both some of the best from their respective companies. I prefer the 13pros from JHAudio and thegunner the UERM from UE, as reference, but yeah.

I also have a pair of entry level JH5s (three per monitor) waiting for earmolds if you're interested in going full CIEM for the most comfort (what with them being fitted for your ear alone)

TheQsanity · « **Reply #71 on:** Wed, 05 June 2013, 13:21:43 »

For the uneducated: gernerally does more drivers give out better or more range in sound?

thegunner100 · « **Reply #72 on:** Wed, 05 June 2013, 13:59:37 »

Quote from: TheQsanity on Wed, 05 June 2013, 13:21:43

For the uneducated: gernerally does more drivers give out better or more range in sound?

In general, yes. However, there are exceptions like the UERM which only has 3 drivers but outperforms IEMs that have more. The spiral ear SE 5-way Reference has only 5 drivers, but it is basically the best technical sounding CIEM out there right now.

@tjcaustin, I agree with you there. I would prefer the JH13 over the JH16 and the UERMs over the UE18. The JH16 and UE18 have too much bass for their own good imo, but the UE18 was designed for stage performers in mind so I can understand why it's tuned that way.

tjcaustin · « **Reply #73 on:** Wed, 05 June 2013, 14:39:31 »

Quote from: thegunner100 on Wed, 05 June 2013, 13:59:37

Quote from: TheQsanity on Wed, 05 June 2013, 13:21:43
For the uneducated: gernerally does more drivers give out better or more range in sound?

In general, yes. However, there are exceptions like the UERM which only has 3 drivers but outperforms IEMs that have more. The spiral ear SE 5-way Reference has only 5 drivers, but it is basically the best technical sounding CIEM out there right now.

@tjcaustin, I agree with you there. I would prefer the JH13 over the JH16 and the UERMs over the UE18. The JH16 and UE18 have too much bass for their own good imo, but the UE18 was designed for stage performers in mind so I can understand why it's tuned that way.

Really, unless the expensive UEPRM are godlike, I think that the JH13 and UERM are the best high end on the market for overall performance. OR that westone that's around the same price.

Batmann · « **Reply #74 on:** Thu, 06 June 2013, 00:38:35 »

You should have a look on head-fi's classifieds, when I bought my asg-1 I remember seeing one of those Shure.

Still having mine in the mail, I'll let you know my opinion as they are famous for being really dark with plenty of bass and mids but not so much trebs. With a massive 15 mm dynamic driver, maybe something you would like

habitualapse · « **Reply #75 on:** Thu, 06 June 2013, 02:57:04 »

This looks likes a dangerous place to be lost in.

Batmann · « **Reply #76 on:** Thu, 06 June 2013, 04:45:34 »

True that!

thegunner100 · « **Reply #77 on:** Thu, 06 June 2013, 06:24:46 »

Quote from: habitualapse on Thu, 06 June 2013, 02:57:04

This looks likes a dangerous place to be lost in.

Yeah... hi-fi is a way more expensive hobby than keyboards xD. However, it really doesn't cost much to get a decent sounding system.

Batmann · « **Reply #78 on:** Thu, 06 June 2013, 10:58:30 »

I like how people there share their passion. Some reviews are so well written and so incredibly detailed, they give you instant buy urges

Batmann · « **Reply #79 on:** Thu, 06 June 2013, 10:59:11 »

I like how people there share their passion. Some reviews are so well written and so incredibly detailed, they give you instant buy urges

TheQsanity · « **Reply #80 on:** Thu, 06 June 2013, 12:34:41 »

So when I bought my sony xba-3, I noticed a lot of range. Do you guys think a 5, 6, 7, 8 driver iem will be noticeable broader in range? I thought my mind couldnt have been blown more. I didint know there were other sounds to hear till I got these. Is there more sound that.I haven't been exposed to?

thegunner100 · « **Reply #81 on:** Thu, 06 June 2013, 12:53:33 »

Quote from: TheQsanity on Thu, 06 June 2013, 12:34:41

So when I bought my sony xba-3, I noticed a lot of range. Do you guys think a 5, 6, 7, 8 driver iem will be noticeable broader in range? I thought my mind couldnt have been blown more. I didint know there were other sounds to hear till I got these. Is there more sound that.I haven't been exposed to?

I suppose so... but don't get too much into the more drivers = more extension. The important thing for frequency extension and detail is a neutral FR and fast decay. Combine that with a transparent dac and amp and you'll get very good results. Maybe you can look into the Westone 4, which has a neutral FR, but may not suit your bass needs.

tjcaustin · « **Reply #82 on:** Thu, 06 June 2013, 15:36:52 »

Got my ears impressioned today and gotta say it's still a weird process. And that the first lady I went to was an amateur compared to this one.

Looking forward to my 13pros...

tjcaustin · « **Reply #83 on:** Fri, 07 June 2013, 20:10:57 »

I posted it in the great buys section, but massdrop is carrying the fiio e17 for 30% off for the next four days.

Batmann · « **Reply #84 on:** Sun, 09 June 2013, 08:21:04 »

So here they are:

it took me some time to get used to it because the sound signature is very special,
trebles are clearly not in front and the result is a sort of flat output, no sparkles.
that does not mean that you can't hear them they are just not loud, separation and soundstage is great with huge subass and vivid mids.
You can completely fix the sparling issue by equalizing, I do it for specific tracks but that also tends to bring fatigue in.
I have been using them for about 20 hours and I now can say that I really appreciate the sound. With abolutely no fatigue (important point for me as I use them 5+ hours a day).
On the not so bright side the fit is just not for me, they have some little bump that feels like it's piercing my right ear ( I knew some people complained about that but I took the chance...and lost!)

So next step is trying to get into the upgrade program and get a pair of ASG 2 that don't have those stupid bumps.
You'll see pics whenever that happens

Oh and also, the extra 3 to 400$ means no fiio for me!

thegunner100 · « **Reply #85 on:** Sun, 09 June 2013, 11:43:44 »

Maybe you can look into sanding down the bump with sandpaper?

Batmann · « **Reply #86 on:** Sun, 09 June 2013, 11:52:22 »

I thought about that but if that doesn't work, they gonna be hard to sell and I am not sure aurisonics would accept it for the upgrade program,
so I'll get in contact with aurisonics and see what's next (plus ASG2 seem great

)

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Author Topic: IEMs advice (Read 22164 times)