IEM general discussion thread

I can't answer all your questions but what do you find uncomfortable about the ER4P and SE530?

In my experience, there are more comfortable iems, but they lose out on isolation so you have to listen to music louder...

 

For the ER-4p, it's the... well, for lack of a better word, penetration. Jamming it that deep into my ear, and pulling it out again afterward is painful from a friction perspective, and I don't want to lube my ears. (Plus, it just never feels right, and every time I move them slightly the sound changes drastically.) For the SE-530, it's that depending on the tips, they tend to either keep slipping out or else exert uncomfortable pressure on the side of my ear canal to avoid slipping out.

 

As far as "Lubing," I almost always give my finger a light lick and wet the eartip. That being said, I'd consider trying the Westone star-tips. I've used them w/ both Etymotic and Shure iems. By far the most comfortable tips I tried. Some guys only like the triple flange tips on the etymotic, but I think the etymotics w the star trips still sound good if you get a good seal. I can do that with the Westone tips and not jam them in my head.

The red Nobles iem tips (which don't fit etymotic or Shure) offer pretty good isolation, too. I like those so you may consider trying out the Noble line.

But I'm kind of sensing you may not be a great candidate for iems. I believe what you dislike about ety may nix customs for you also. They're intrusive. You won't have the same problem with friction, but you do have to a kind of twisting motion to get them in that may make it inconvenient in an office environment, to take them out quickly and frequently. Another problem I've had with iems in an office environment is that people don't know you have them in. So they talk to you like you can hear them. I think over ears can work better in that environment...

 

Westone Star tips are my favorite tips ever. I wish they were made for other IEMs. Best fit, isolation, and very comfy. Why aren't they made for other IEMs? Or why doesn't another company make them? They might have been my favorite part of my Se846.

 

I agree. Custom IEM comfort is overstated a lot of the time IMO. If you have ears that are sensitive, and you've tried "training" yourself to tolerate IEMs and have failed in the past, they're still going to be uncomfortable to you, to a degree. However, it is less pressure on the inside and outside of the ear, if the fit is right, so if it's specifically the pressure that bothers you, then there's hope.

 

I think closed back on/over ear headphones in general are a better idea for an office unless you don't interact with people much during your shift.

 

Not to mention over-ear headphones signal "I'm wearing headphones, don't bother me," whereas IEMs are much more subtle.

 

Yeah, it sounds like that might be the case. TBH, part of my motivation is that I was on a flight recently and I realized that I actually kind of hate the SE-530, but it is zero percent defensible for me to buy expensive IEMs for the handful of times that I fly every year. If I could use them at work, though, well, it's go time. But it sounds like I'll just have to put up with suboptimal IEMs when flying.

 

Definitely. It seems every time I put my iems in one of my employees has to come up to me and bother me. I'd swear they plan it. porkers.

Even when I try and hide, uses to do that in the break room, hoping they'd realize I'm trying to take a break, setup my tube amp, put my headphones on... Sure enough here they come.

 

And now Empire Ears has teamed up with Effect Audio to give us a $3,600 IEM: http://www.effectaudio.com/arthur-856.html

I can't tell if it's just a Zeus with a fancy schamncy cable or if it's a whole different 14-driver IEM.

 

Ahhh, okay. That's a pretty penny to pay over the already large sum of money the Zeus-R goes for.

 

What are the thoughts on the earsonics SM64? They good? I've read that they have a really nice midrange. Do they?

 

Effect Audio, quite pricey. Has anyone heard any of their uber expensive cables? I'm a cable whore for some reason. I love fancy cables, even if I don't hear a difference I usually love the look of them.

The only Earsonics I've heard were the Velvet. I was very disappointed in the build quality. Sound was OK, to me nothing special. I returned them to Amazon within a week, before they broke.

There are plenty of people who love ES on HF. For whatever that's worth. Probably not much.

 

Anyone here heard the Westone W80? Sound aside, the W30 was the most comfortable IEM I've ever owned.

 

indeed... i auditioned the Velvet once and was not impressed by how cheap it looked/felt. I suppose others liked its tweakability and largely inoffensive nature.

if you are a cable whore, have a look at Wagnus*... i have briefly tried out Effect audio's thor at a local retailer with my Orion for shits and giggles, it does sound denser but at least within a busy shop environment, its "effect" over CA Litz was less substantial than the jump from CA tinsel to CA litz, plus it's too ostentatious for my daily commute lol.

*Wagnus is a japan brand for die hard cable heads, they source their NOS cables from weird sources (Soviet era missiles ?!!, 70s West German recording studios etc etc)... Beataudio is another one that is part voodoo, part wtf that asian head-fiers swear by...

 

Have my Sony EX800st and ex1000 back. Been a while since I've heard them. Went right to my ex800st, after taping the vent of course, I'm finally happy again!! These iems always shock me. Absolutely love this sound.

 

Just received my MDR7550 in the mail, cable leaves much to be desired and i must resist getting an aftermarket cable......
So far:
Sony Hybrid silicones are still the best
Bass is similar in quantity to the Harmony 8.2
Subbass decay is fantastic, has a certain punchy-bloated quality that even the 8.2 falls short of imitating. Going to tape the vent ASAP, my understanding is a small piece of tape over the vent and a needle sized pinhole?.

Sneaky edit, bass is slightly greater in quantity on the Sonys. 8.2 has a more linear/sharp decay.

 

I don't do the needle hole. Just black electrical tape. Cable does suck, agreed. PETEREK made me a custom joint, I've yet to try it. Later today I definitely will.

Just snuck a quick listen to my ex1000, damn those things are crystal clear. Reminds me a bit of Vegas, just less bass.

 

In case anyone is interested I just got some spam saying that Clear Tune Monitors is having a Black Friday Sale - 20% off their customs.

Personally I've never really liked their IEMs, but different strokes for different folks I guess.

Cheers