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

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by shotgunshane, Jun 7, 2016.

  1. Poleepkwa

    Poleepkwa Friend

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    I have no experience with CIEMS, for the various reasons mentioned a posts above. (poor resale, possible fit issues, ect).
    Inear also does CIEM's based on the universals they have, that is why I suggested it. Shells are acrylic or wood. No idea what materials they use for CIEMS.
     
  2. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    Did a search and didn’t find any mention.

    Has anyone listened to the Lypertek TEVI TWS buds? They seem to have pretty positive external reviews, and some say the sound signature similar to the Momentum’s, but a lot cheaper of course.
     
  3. haywood

    haywood Friend

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    The stock tips really don’t do these any favors. It’s not hard finding tips that sound better, but finding ones that fit into the charging tube is very tricky. I’ll try the linked tips (from the uk so I’ll prob see them in 2020 lol) and see how those work out.

    In the meantime some monster gel tips and regular monster turbine tips from an old pair of miles davis tributes sound pretty good if you don’t mind them not fitting in the charger. I usually like Sony hybrids but the stiffer inner tube rules them out here.
     
  4. Panohm

    Panohm Friend

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    Yes for the most part I prefer custom to universal, mediocre resale value, ability to share, wait time are the things I'd cite as negatives. To be perfectly honest customs are not inherently better sounding than Universals. All acrylic, I like how they can be quickly slipped in and out of the ear when I'm commuting or at the office. I previously had a custom art silicone iem which fit fantastically but personally I prefer acrylic, YMMV.
     
  5. james444

    james444 Mad IEM modding wizard level 99

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    Not only the stiffer tube, but also the smaller tube diameter, which would make the Vervebuds sound too bassy.

    That very much depends on one's ear shape. In my case, it's pretty much the opposite, I need both hands and much more time to slip my custom UERMs in than my universals.
     
  6. EagleWings

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    I believe, in that sentence, he was talking in comparison to silicone customs.
     
  7. james444

    james444 Mad IEM modding wizard level 99

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    Maybe, but it's a fact that some people can slip their customs in and out very easily and others can't, depending on outer ear shape.

    Unfortunately, I belong to the latter group, which is one reason why I rarely use my customs on the go... just too much hassle. The other reason being insane footfall noise, which is another thing people might want to consider before buying acrylic customs.
     
  8. Bruno

    Bruno New

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    And isolation? Because I use it in a noisy place
     
  9. 8man

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    Anyone else who just can absolutely not get a proper fit with Noble X's?

    I got a pair of MD Nobles based on the recommendations here and a decent sale. I have to say when I first tried them I was pretty angered by the lackluster SQ, they had some thin rubber tips which were uncomfortable and the bass was obnoxiously absent. As soon as I got a pair of foam tips (comply L's) I almost can't believe BA's can have a bass range this good...clean enough, hard mid bass. Treble is also surprisingly not offensive, be it edm, female vocals or alternative rock, but the problem with these is that the foam tips never really stay in place, they eventually get dragged out by the ear hooks and the bass is gone. I thought maybe the L tips were at fault so I got a pair of M's - so far it's not really better.
    Such a shame, I think these are ridiculously fun for a setup on the go. Even an old Zune has enough power to drive them.

    Is there actually any decent, budget bluetooth stuff that doesn't have overemphasized/etchy treble? Most of the cheap stuff I've tried has a mid-range so bad to a point that the drivers have ringing issues.
     
  10. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    Noble’s universal shells have terrible figment. I’ve read it’s done on purpose, so as only to wet the appetite for a Noble custom. Then again I’ve also read at one point they thought of going universal only. Not sure if either is true.

    At any rate, Noble’s uni shells back out slowly. I’m constantly trying new tips. Can’t remember what I landed on. I still think the Noble X tuning is relevant in today’s sea of iems. It’s a tuning that I find very satisfying every time I come back to it. Sure would be nice to have it in a better fitting housing.

    What is considered budget bluetooth? I’m assuming anything cheaper than regular AirPods; if so, I haven’t really tried anything in the budget price bracket besides the Drop Move, which ended up with production issues.
     
  11. 8man

    8man Acquaintance

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    Spot on! Even after a short while with them I still get pleasantly surprised by how fun they are, seems good tuning is just good tuning above any other trends. I guess it makes sense that they would do this, might be a bit coy, but clever marketing nonetheless. Heck, the tuning alone made me think pretty highly of Noble (pun not intended) if they managed to give you this bass quality for the price. Had to write this quickly before taking another glimpse at the massive stack of ear tips crammed in a box... and the irony is that there's not one in 20+ pairs that has a nice fit (I have like spirals, some random silicone tips I found on amazon, double-stacked tips, some noname foam that doesn't even fit, Comply's,etc.).

    Well, I was looking at something like JBL's in the 80-100$ range, but usually reviews that point out ringing in the drivers make me immediately rule them out. Then again I probably shouldn't expect sport earphones to focus on sq that much.
     
  12. M3NTAL

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    @8man - the Manadrine ES tips with the foam still inside work pretty well for me with the Noble X. Everything else works their way back out.
     
  13. Stuff Jones

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    Is the 64 Audio Tia Trio any good? It's now 30% off, which puts it in direct competition with the CA Solaris and Sony Z1R hybrids.
     
  14. E_Schaaf

    E_Schaaf MOT: E.T.A Headphones

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    I have the Fourte and have heard the Trio a few times. My Fourte are modded so they're a bit flatter in the upper mids and higher compared to stock, which actually makes them sound a bit more like the Trio.

    Trio and Fourte have absolutely fantastic staging, microdetail, and dynamics - some of the best I've heard from an IEM. These things slam and have more tactility than anything else I've heard from the form-factor. Very fun signature for certain genres, but a bit picky because of some wonkiness in the midrange response and timbre is off.

    Trio has better tone than Fourte, with less fatiguing treble and a fuller midrange.

    That's about where their strengths end. Cohesion between drivers is a bit rocky. I don't mind these things for commercial music, EDM, hip-hop, but if you listen mostly to acoustic stuff you might find this a bit off-putting.
     
  15. james444

    james444 Mad IEM modding wizard level 99

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    Try to use the foam tips reversed (wide side first). This usually works for me with that kind of ear hook IEMs.

    The Motorola Vervebuds 300 aren't half bad for $50. Bass is a bit emphasized and not all that fast, but the mids are nice and treble isn't etchy.

    https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/shotgunshane’s-iem-custom-and-universal-recommendations-favorites-and-classics.2229/page-97#post-278049
     
  16. Ishara

    Ishara New

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    I'm a total outsider to the IEM market, but borrowing someone's collection to test for purchase has me thinking it seems IEMs are better than the closed HP market at all the price points I've heard them at so far. I ended up purchasing the JH Angies from them, which I think may do warmth better than Audeze IMO. I'm wondering if someone could give me a quick primer on TOTL options in line with my tastes - my top genre is progressive metal, which means most audiophile reviews aren't quite aiming at me. How close would you say the Angies are to the "top"? The jump from LCD-3 to LCD-4 was enough to turn them from "awesome most days but I still crave the HD800 to cleanse my palette with something less muddy" to daily driver for everything for over a year.

    Headphones I've loved: the LCD-4, HD800 with both mods installed and EQ bringing 6Khz down just a tad further, I thought the Eikon sounded way better than the Atticus and now the vast majority of my listening is on a Verite Closed.

    Probably 65% of the time I'm listening to extreme/progressive metal, another 20% is very focused on vocals above all else as I'm dabbling in learning to sing (the Angies are the best thing I've heard for this up to now), the other 15% is "literally everything" - experimental jazz to old outlaw country to pop. I dabble occasionally, but I basically don't listen to classical.

    It's impossible for me to make it to meets, ever. After ordering and returning and trading for so long it got clear that it is obviously better to wait, save, and just go TOTL blind by the time I go through all of that. So what's everyone's opinion on what I should be looking at as a complement to the VC (and maybe the Angies, or maybe an upgrade from them)?

    Warranty, durability, etc. is really important to me too.
     
  17. EagleWings

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    Fibae7 would be a good option for vocals, but it can be a bit too intense in the upper-mids for certain vocals and there are other IEMs that might work well for Metal. U12t works well for Metal, but might not give you the same intimate vocals that you are getting on the Angies. Anole VX is a raw sounding IEM and is quite genre agnostic. But some of us find it a bit bright/aggressive and it exhibits BA timbre. U18t is not too different from the Anole VX in terms of signature, but has a touch more relaxed presentation and has a super wide soundstage. It is definitely on the bright side, but I don't find it as harsh as the Anole VX. If you are okay with going customs, the custom version of the U18t might work. But once again, the vocals wouldn't have the engagement you get on the Angies. I haven't heard the Solaris, but I feel that might work out for you, based on your requirement.

    If you own an iPhone or typically use your IEM from your PC, I'd highly recommend the LCD-i4. With the iPhone you can run it using the Cipher Lightning cable and on the PC you would use the Reveal Plugin.
     
  18. Rockwell

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    I would second the Solaris (I'm surprised you haven't heard it @EagleWings ).
     
  19. mscott58

    mscott58 Friend

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    I'd third the Solaris (which is what I recommended to @Ishara when he asked the same question in the general IEM thread)
     
  20. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    I don’t think Solaris will match the warmth and smoothness of Angie vocals but it will better it with its forwardness and they way it pops out from the headstage. So yeah, I’ll agree with that recommendation.
     

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