shotgunshane’s IEM (custom and universal) recommendations, favorites and classics

Thank you. Very helpful indeed. I was more or less leaning towards the P1 anyway, and with the cheaper pricetag and more spacious sound it's perfect for my needs.

 

I have the Pinnacle on loaner. It's not bad, but I wasn't overly impressed, putting the bass aside. I definitely prefer the ex1000 over it. I think the ex1000 is amazing. The clarity on it is unreal.

 

I will definitely give that a shot as soon as I get some blu-tack. Only concern before was the blu-tack wrecking the stock filter but the teabag puts a stop to that problem.

I've been wanting to give it a shot but don't know how much I will lose in other areas of sound by going to a cheaper model. I really don't want to lose that air that makes the EX1000 so special. I think the EX1000 is so close to perfection, just requires a little extra tuning in the treble. I'll probably give a shot at modding it first and report back

 

Well, I've spent about an hour or so trying different mods on the EX1000, removed the stock filter, worked wth blu-tack, teabags, cotton and alcohol swab. Here's the best I've come up with so far and it's safe and easy, so I'd say no harm in giving it a shot. Just leave the stock filter as is, place a narrow strip of alcohol swab across the nozzle and put the tips on:



Calms down the treble just a bit, but without changing the overall signature of the EX1000. Make sure that the strip covers only about 30-40% of the nozzle, because to my ears a wider strip doesn't necessarily yield the best results.

 

Does that work better than eq?

 

Depends. A well-tuned quality EQ will usually do the job more precisely than a fabric filter. But not everyone knows how to tune an EQ and not every DAP offers a quality one.

 

i'm just comparing my newly arrived trinity delta v2 (with tuneable filters...have tried 3 so far)...against my sony 7550.

all i can say is just when i am about to say 'hasta la vista' to my sonys due to fit (but new tips arriving shortly), i understand why they're so adored for their price point (the new sennheiser captune eq i'm using with tidal hi fi is loads of fun, too)....these sony 7550s, despite being 4 or so yrs old now, surely hold their own....

would love to hear how others compare them to the newer campfire andromeda.

i have the sony 7520 cans, too...'love 'em. for the price it's hard to let them go, despite 'newer' technologies etc

thing is, with these sony monitors however (both iems and cans) is that they don't cover anything up...so you really understand how a good source of music is important....here comes my cash for pono flac

will also say i'm most impressed with the new 1more e1001 for their $100 price point: very detailed, too
and i'd put them up against the vsonic gr07 classic as a great alternative..

incoming soon: the flc 8s.

 

I've been reading about the mdr 7550 and was wondering how is the timbre on those? Is it unnatural? I have super small ear canals. Will they be comfortable?

 

My original budget was $1000 and I was planning on either a hd650 on a good budget rig or an omni (if I could find B-stock) or even the focal elear if I can find one used. I currently have the hifiman he 400i I don't like very much because of siblance.

But I've been thinking about what I really want and I've come to the conclusion that the Sony mdr 7550 should be enough to satisfy me and it can be used as portable (complete isolation is not necessary).

They are quite durable right?

 

They're pretty durable and should suit you well if you like the hd650 sound signature. Only drawback for portable use might be wind noise, which gets amplified since they stick out quite a bit.

 

@shotgunshane Have you heard about a new iem coming in September I believe, from Empire Ears? Savage, 5 driver I believe. Not your cup of tea, basshead stuff (of course coming from me). A friend of mine from head-fi has it and loves it.

Or anyone else. Figured SGS might know.

 

I spent the morning yesterday at Inearz. I was able to listen to a couple of prototypes. I was crazy impressed with their attention to detail and customer service. They are the reshell company of the us. I think that has some amazing benefits. they have measurements on just about every iem and have seen inside. I listened to 4 and 8 prototypes along with their lineup. I was fitted for the 4driver custom. I took my iems and they measured them as well. He had already measured a Noble 6 before but was curious about tweaks. The 4 driver that I listened to blew my simple mind and it measured flat without any crazy spikes. Just crystal clear from the bass to the treble...very even sounding. I would suggest that folks give Inearz a shout.

 

Yesterday I received, apparently, one of the first UM Martian's to land stateside. So far I'm impressed! The Martian seems like an improvement over the ASG-1PLUS in nearly every respect, which is precisely what I was hoping for when I shelled out for it. Runs great out of my iPhone, too.

I'd be glad to post some more thoughts, if anyone's interested.

 

I'd love to see some more impressions, how is the fit by the way?

 

The fit is pretty good. The shells are rather, um, hefty, but ergonomically sound. The included tips work well, as do Comply's T-500 series. The memory wire is of good quality, but still somewhat irritating given the angle of the earphone connectors. I might consider removing it in the future, if I can.

Unfortunately, I do experience some modest soreness after prolonged use of the Martian. This is in contrast to the 1PLUS, which practically fits me like a CIEM. The Martian's tubbiness is considerably more endurable than the unpleasant angles of Campfire's various offerings, however. Overall build quality is as good as I've seen on an acrylic design, but take that observation with a grain of salt as my experience is not very substantial.

Quick question for SGS. Is the Martian's cable removable? Because it seems to be very firmly attached, and I'm loathe apply more force than I already have.

 

Impressions please.

@shotgunshane hybrids always seem to end up slightly wonky and lacking cohesion between lows/mids/highs. How did you find Martian in this regard?