Iem tip rolling / tip advice thread

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by rhythmdevils, Jun 11, 2020.

  1. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    My favorite tips are Ortofon tips (or Grado tips; iems and tips made by same entity). They are expensive but they are they most comfortable tip I have tried and I’ve tried dozens upon dozens. (or is it hundreds upon hundreds?)

    Aside from Ortofon tips. My staples are:
    JVC Spiral Dots (original and +; ++ are likely the best of both worlds but dummy expensive)
    Sony Hybrids and/or Final E tips (for narrower standard bore)
    MeeAudio dual flange (for added depth)

    the big course there are the really narrow bore iems like Westone, Earsonics and Shure that require a deferent type of tip. Those brands aren’t worth worrying with IME. If you do, then Westone probably makes the best silicone and foam tips for those.
     
  2. assassin10000

    assassin10000 New

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    Did you see the new heat sensitive Azla tips? TPE that softens like foam tips do with body heat. Only available from Japan, release was a day or two ago I think.

    Shure foam (black 'olives') are my favorite small bore T100/3mm size tips. Westone silicone as far as silicone tips in that size.
     
  3. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Bought the Shute olives to try on my EDC3!

    I can’t find any info about the new Azla heat sensitive tips. But I’m not sure about azla yips not coming in different nozzle sizes. They don’t fit all iem’s well. And they’re expensive.
     
  4. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    More tips!


    [​IMG]

    The Azla and Symbios tips are nicely made but only come in one nozzle size which is annoying. The Symbios tips compensate by selling a “different size” with little adapters that are plastic tubes you stick in the nozzle hole to make it smaller. They make 2 sizes of adapter but don’t even bother with the smallest size. The bigger adapter is already smaller than advertised and will likely fit the EDC3. Though I haven’t confirmed yet. The bigger size adapter was too small for the B400 which has a fairly small nozzle.

    This is kind of a shady money shakedown by Symbios. If they’re going to go this route and make their one size tips fit other iem’s with super cheap little pieces of plastic they should sell them as a kit with 3 pairs of tips and 3 pairs of each size adapter all in one for the same price as 3 pairs of size “W” or a little more. Instead I had to spend like 60 dollars to get all sizes. Then I immediately lost two of the best adapters somehow.

    But I have to hand it to Symbios when I contacted them about it they immediately said they’d ship me some extra adapters for free.

    So that balances it out. I think they just didn’t realize how expensive what they’re doing is. They’re clearly a good company.

    the nice plastic containers full of foam tips are rando eBay tips which wound up being the same thing sold by different companies. And I already have one container full of the same so I’m well stocked!!!
     
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2020
  5. assassin10000

    assassin10000 New

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    Yeah, a lot of the generic/cheap foam tips all appear to be the same.


    For larger bore IEMs my favorite tips are some 'TS400' style tips in 4.9mm & 6.5mm bore sizes from AliExpress.

    These ones:
    https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32846139355.html


    They're a copy of the comply 'comfort' (TSxxx) tips, in a foam that probably won't degrade near as quickly. I haven't seen any U.S. supplier that stocks them.
     
  6. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Thank you, unfortunately the size large is 12.5mm in outer diameter and I’ve discovered that my ears are 14mm. I can get away with a little smaller in foam tips no one makes 14mm foam tips anyways. But I think for silicone I need at least 13.5mm.

    my current frustration is iem’s not displaying the nozzle or outer diameter size. I can figure out the nozzle size if the tips are meant to replace tips for a specific iem which they often are, by going to the comply website and inputting the model and seeing which comply size they are. But I can’t buy them if they don’t mention the outer diameter size.

    I found this daunting list of tips in an “eartip review”. I wish he measured outer diameter but that would be a lot of work of course.

    https://aftersoundblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/08/eartips-reviewed/

    And this “how to” guide has a list of recommended tips with links. https://www.headphonesty.com/2018/04/ultimate-guide-selecting-perfect-iem-ear-buds-tips/


    A lot of nice looking tips I can’t buy because they don’t mention how big size large is.

    I wish I had smaller ear canals then it wouldn’t matter.

    So my current favorite iem’s are the B400 and EDC3.

    The B400 has great weight to notes and awesome tonality with flat lower mids and no resonance or upper midrange- treble peaks at all. But they’re a bit in the warm side with what I suspect is an upper midrange-treble dip in FR.

    the EDC3 is, with silicone tips, decidedly brighter than neutral with some resonance that is very apparent to me and bothersome. I can’t fathom how so many people say these are neutral-warm.

    so I’m currently trying to find a 3mm foam tip for the EDC3 that tames the upper midrange- treble but doesn’t dull them out making them have that dull HD650 tonality where the leading edges of notes sound rounded off. Which most foam tips do to them. The 2nd best I’ve found is the Comply audiophile/comfort version tip but that might be partly because they are slightly too small for me so I think that tilts the FR upwards less bass more treble. I’m not sure if other people with a good fit would experience the same sound. My favorite by far is the Symbios F all foam tip (not the hybrid tip) https://symbioeartips.com/termek/symbio-f-3pairs/. They almost fully tame the upper midrange and treble- better than the comply while maintaining complete clarity. They are advertised on Symbios website to have a special foam that doesn’t mute treble and they are right, at least as far as foam tips go. They still do some which is good. The combo has a magical transparent sound to it that’s highly addictive while maintaining pretty flat lower mids and great bass. I think most people would love this combo and wouldn’t hear the slight remnants of brightness and resonance so I highly recommend it. I’m not fully satisfied yet though. The quest continues.

    With the HM400 I’m trying go find a silicone tip that doesn’t make them bass heavy (many do including the earphones plus and spinfit tips) while bringing up the upper frequencies in a nice way. The Azla tips fit super loose on them but just tight enough to hold on and have a brightening effect while the bass remains tight but there’s something forced and too “dynamic” sounding about the upper frequencies. My favorite is a silicone tip from a ten dollar Sony iem, the mdr-ex14ap https://www.google.com/search?safe=...IABAIgBAJIBAJgBAA&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp

    the Sony mdr-ex14ap eartips fits them perfectly and renders a very smooth overall sound with tight bass. It’s still a bit too warm and rolled off/shelved up top but it sounds good and the tips are super comfy. I can wear them for 48 hrs straight and not even feel them in my ears. This may be partly due to a good but not super tight fit but I don’t know.

    I now find myself going back and forth between the two iem’s with these tips and wishing for a sound that is right in the middle. I prefer the B400 with Sony tips but the transparency of the EDC3 is gorgeous. Reminds me of the HP1000 in many ways (with Symbios foam eartips). In fact the whole sound signature of the EDC3 with these tips reminds me of the HP1000.

    so I also just highly recommend folks try out the Symbios F tips if you like foam but don’t want too much roll off or fullness or bass boom.
     
  7. Nash

    Nash Acquaintance

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    If possible try the JVC Spiral dots with the B400, though the fit is not tight it doesn't fall off easily. They have a wide bore size so feel it reduces the mid bass and sounds more open than spinfits.
     
  8. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    They’re coming in the mail but will take like 2 months to get here. :mad:
     
  9. Nash

    Nash Acquaintance

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  10. assassin10000

    assassin10000 New

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    The large tips are listed as 13.5mm on those TS400 4.9/6.5mm ones. 12.5mm on the first picture is the medium tips. Go to the 5th picture, bottom row.

    They list the smaller bore 4.9mm as 11.3mm O.D. but mine are actually 11.7mm and my 6.5mm bore are listed as 11.0mm O.D. but are actually 11.5mm. I don't know if the large size will also run larger as well. May be worth a shot for $2.


    Did the Shure foam tips come in? Large on those is 15.2mm. Given how soft their foam is at body temperatures I would say those may work well on the ECD3. They also have a smooth 'skin' so may not mute the upper treble details as much as complys would, YMMV.


    Fyi you can order those sony tips from https://sony.encompass.com/ individually. So if you know your size, you can stock up on them. They even sell the oddball sized (ss,ms,ml) triple comfort tips (beige only) found under the z1r. Never seen those sizes FS separately anywhere else.
     
  11. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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  12. Gazny

    Gazny MOT: ETA Audio

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    Heard many great things about the xelastec-azla I have only tried their other models and like their inner bore design.

    The tips I wish I had more pairs of are the Sony triple comfort. Well made, fit is sublime. Near 0 pressure on my inner ear. A too much for shipping atm on ebay. They are truly some of the most comfortable tips I have ever used. [​IMG]
     
  13. OldDude04

    OldDude04 Friend

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    As a big fan of the regular Azla SednaEarfits, I had to order up some of the Xelastecs as well, should be here Tuesday. For $20 for 2 sets, they better be worthy of all the hype.
     
  14. Tchoupitoulas

    Tchoupitoulas Friend

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    I’ll echo what @james444 had to say about the Xelastec tips, namely the that they sound good and provide an easy and comfy seal (thank you for making me aware of them, I’m very grateful).

    They’re also nicely springy - meaning that you can jiggle the IEM in your ear and the tips will keep their seal. These tips would be great for those who wear IEMs while on the move. I’d also guess that they’d do a decent job supporting IEMs with a larger housing, like the OG Solaris.

    I'll just say that I typically have a terrible time getting a proper seal with shallow-fitting IEMs in spite of trying Spinfits, Symbios, various foam and silicone tips, including the Final Audio E tips, and double- and triple-flange tips. (I’ve not tried Azla, Spiral Dot, Sony triple comfort, or Ortofon tips yet). The Xelastec tips have worked perfectly with the Andromeda 2020. If you’re someone who had a hard time with the Andro’s shallow fit, these may work well for you.

    Here's hoping that, for the price, they prove long-lasting.
     
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  15. OldDude04

    OldDude04 Friend

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    Holy hell gents, the Azla Xelastec tips really are good. They have the sound that I already liked of the wide bore regular Azla SednaEarfits, but the seal is like vise grips, lol. I've not had a silicone tip ever achieve this kind of seal, and to still maintain comfort makes these my new favorite ear tip. I've been using them this morning for about 2 hours doing all kinds of stuff and didn't lose seal no matter how I moved around. Worth $20 for 2 pair imo.
     
  16. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    Size wise how do they run? For instance Ortofon tips run small, so I use large. However JVC spiral dots run big and I may use medium or ML depending on fit depth I need to achieve.

    I wasn’t a fan of the old Fender SureSeal tips, which seem similar to these (in theory). But willing to give a try.
     
  17. OldDude04

    OldDude04 Friend

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    I also thought the large (14mm) Spiral Dots ran slightly large, but the L for the Azlas seem to be spot on to the claimed 14mm size. If you end up with some, I'd be curious to know what you think.
     
  18. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

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    Sorry, might be a bit slow this morning (coffee still taking effect) - are you saying that L Spiral Dots are a bit fat for you but L Azlas are a good fit? Trying to correlate sizes...

    Size charts for each, for other viewers, are here and here.
     
  19. OldDude04

    OldDude04 Friend

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    I would not say they are way larger, or even too fat for me really, just that they run slightly larger than other 14mm tips I've used in the past. If a 14mm tip is the very largest a person could tolerate comfortably, then I'd recommend they go with a ML (13.3mm) Spiral dot in that case.
     
  20. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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