Objectivist friendly and wallet friendly IEM?

[edahl]

Moondrop Variations may be pushing the budget but its the best measuring IEM I've come across. Sounds amazing.

 

[wacomme]

I can't wear the new dual-flange tips for more than 10mins without intense pain. Even size S is too large for me. The standard fit triple flange is fine for hours.

Ear tip comfort is entirely subjective, so recommending to others what works for you is completely useless.

We all have to try different tips ourselves to find what works best.

I've tried most of the Etymotic tips available and cannot find comfort. Would it be worthwhile to order some custom Ety tip (audiologist mold and send to Ety for the custom tips)? Would this affect (degrade) the sound quality? And for $300 IEMS, is ordering custom tips worth it?

 

[Slapo]

I've tried most of the Etymotic tips available and cannot find comfort. Would it be worthwhile to order some custom Ety tip (audiologist mold and send to Ety for the custom tips)? Would this affect (degrade) the sound quality? And for $300 IEMS, is ordering custom tips worth it?

You could always try Comply's foam tips. Their P-series tips are pretty long and for me, they're the only ones I can comfortabley insert deep enough.

 

[Aperiodic]

I can't wear the new dual-flange tips for more than 10mins without intense pain. Even size S is too large for me. The standard fit triple flange is fine for hours.

Ear tip comfort is entirely subjective, so recommending to others what works for you is completely useless.

We all have to try different tips ourselves to find what works best.

Obviously. My experience is the exact opposite which is why i responded to the request for suggestions.

 

[staticV3]

If it's obvious to you that recommending those ear tips to others that work for you is a useless waste of time, then why did you respond to a request for suggestions with:
"The ear tips A are much more comfortable than ear tips B", as though there was such a thing as an ear tip that's universally comfortable?

 

[Aperiodic]

I've tried most of the Etymotic tips available and cannot find comfort. Would it be worthwhile to order some custom Ety tip (audiologist mold and send to Ety for the custom tips)? Would this affect (degrade) the sound quality? And for $300 IEMS, is ordering custom tips worth it?

Westone and Shure tips also interchange. I think I tried every tip on the market. Memory foam provided the best comfort, seal, and isolation but require regular replacement.

I had custom tips done- twice. Ety doesn't' handle this- they refer you to Sensaphonics (which I recommend) or ACS Custom (which I don't) to have them made. They do not degrade sound at all; if anything, they improve sound because of their virtually perfect seal (assuming the impressions are taken properly). Comfort is also great because the exact match to your ear canal means no pressure points. That's the good news.

However, the not-so-good news is, IME they provide a relatively modest (if any) improvement over a pair of well-fitting memory foam tips, at a very steep increase in cost. You can replace a lot of memory foam tips for the $250 or so you will be out, including having the impressions made. Also omitted from the marketing is the fact that ear wax is very acidic and degrades silicone over time (for more, see https://periodicaudio.com/pages/wtf-is-sebum ). So they may not last long enough to be cost effective. Mine were clear as glass at first but became hardened and opaque over time. As if that weren't enough, your ear canal changes shape over time (!) with cartilaginous growth and body weight changes and you may end up doing all this over again every few years. My overall feeling about customs is, not worth the money. Find a memory foam or flange tip that works and is comfortable and replace regularly.

 

[Aperiodic]

If it's obvious to you that recommending those ear tips to others that work for you is a useless waste of time, then why did you respond to a request for suggestions with:
"The ear tips A are much more comfortable than ear tips B", as though there was such a thing as an ear tip that's universally comfortable?

Who are you talking to?

 

[staticV3]

@Aperiodic
I'm confused. Here's a timeline of the conversation, please excuse the paraphrasing (it was done in good faith):

wacomme: "I have this IEM. Sounds great, but the comfort is terrible. I've tried many ear tips, but nothing works. Any suggestions?"

Aperiodic: "The new dual-flange tips are much more comfortable than the older triple-flange tips."

staticV3: "The new dual-flange tips are horrible for me. There's really no use in recommending ear tips to others based on your comfort.
Everyone has different ears, everyone has to find their presonal comfort on their own"

Aperiodic: "Yeah of course comfort is entirely subjective. That's why I gave a suggestion based on my subjective experience."

staticV3: "Huh?! If you agree that your own experiences are useless to anyone else, then why would you give suggestions based on your own
experiences?

Aperiodic: "Who are you talking to?"

 

[digitalfrost]

Moondrop Variations may be pushing the budget but its the best measuring IEM I've come across. Sounds amazing.

I just got Moondrop Arias and they really are as good as everybody says. Amazing experience. They rival my speaker setup and this is the first time with any headphone kind of product that applying EQ makes them sound worse to me. They really are amazing.

Thinking of getting the Moondrop x Crinacle Blessing2:\Dusk as that is about the max I would pay for any headphones anyway. Just interested in how different/better they are. Not sure if worth. But for now I'm enjoying the Arias.

 

[Chyżwar]

I don't like the Aria They are a bit muddy and that peak around 14kHz just ruins the sound IMHO. I don't like them without EQ. And with EQ I prefer the Aonic 215 because of the much better isolation and comfort.

 

[digitalfrost]

I don't like the Aria They are a bit muddy and that peak around 14kHz just ruins the sound IMHO. I don't like them without EQ. And with EQ I prefer the Aonic 215 because of the much better isolation and comfort.

Can't hear 14khz anymore

 

[Chromatischism]

I just got Moondrop Arias and they really are as good as everybody says. Amazing experience. They rival my speaker setup and this is the first time with any headphone kind of product that applying EQ makes them sound worse to me. They really are amazing.

I feel the same about the FiiO FH3. Nice, huh? They've been compared online a few times to Moondrops. Look at FH3 reviews and search the page for Moondrop.

 

[digitalfrost]

I feel the same about the FiiO FH3. Nice, huh? They've been compared online a few times to Moondrops. Look at FH3 reviews and search the page for Moondrop.

After being...well not disappointed but the Moondrop Chu were okay but not great, I ordered the FiiO x Crinacle FHE:Eclipse. Looking at the bass, I think I might have overdone it, but let's see what happens when they get here

They are quite different to the standard FH3, and I'm a bit scared about the 3khz peak. But anyway, I'm curious. Maybe they're great.

 

[staticV3]

this is the first time with any headphone kind of product that applying EQ makes them sound worse to me.

Please try these two:

The effect should be subtle but beneficial

 

[raif71]

If it's obvious to you that recommending those ear tips to others that work for you is a useless waste of time, then why did you respond to a request for suggestions with:
"The ear tips A are much more comfortable than ear tips B", as though there was such a thing as an ear tip that's universally comfortable?

Sigh, I guess giving tips are not that useful

 

[staticV3]

Not in this case, I'm afraid

 

[digitalfrost]

Please try these two:
View attachment 208517 View attachment 208518
The effect should be subtle but beneficial

Yeah this is nice. How did you arrive at these? Doesn't alter the general characteristic, but it makes it smoother.

 

[staticV3]

Yeah this is nice. How did you arrive at these?

I arrived at the target after A/Bing about 35 different IEM targets using the individual RA0045 measurement of my ER4XR. I'm using it with a bunch of different IEMs and it works great everywhere.

As for the Aria frequency response, I first collected every measurement I could find, about 15 or so in total. Comparing them all in REW, I felt like either Crinacle's or Ear-Fi's would be the closest representation of the Aria's actual FR, just with different insertion depths.
(If I had an Aria myself, I'd probably A/B all the frequency response measurements)

Finally, the PEQ I whipped up manually in REW. Frequency response of that was double-checked using Mathaudio Headphone EQ for foobar, Audacity's Wasapi loopback recording feature, and the 'Import sweep recordings' function in REW.

Btw, which of the two PEQs do you prefer?

 

[digitalfrost]

Btw, which of the two PEQs do you prefer?

It's funny. In general I don't like a lot of energy around 3khz. I use a BBC dip with my speakers to get that region down. Main reason is probably because I listen to a lot of distorted guitars and 3-4khz is generally boosted. Anyway. I don't feel the Arias need that dip. Like in general I would say the first EQ with the dip around 2.3khz would be the safer option, but the Arias as so nice anyway that you can get away with just the 3 band EQ.

I have to say. I am new to IEMs and I don't like deep insertion depth, I specifically mounted some Spinfit L tips today to get a good seal without deep insertion.

 

[Aperiodic]

@Aperiodic
I'm confused. Here's a timeline of the conversation, please excuse the paraphrasing (it was done in good faith):

wacomme: "I have this IEM. Sounds great, but the comfort is terrible. I've tried many ear tips, but nothing works. Any suggestions?"

Aperiodic: "The new dual-flange tips are much more comfortable than the older triple-flange tips."

staticV3: "The new dual-flange tips are horrible for me. There's really no use in recommending ear tips to others based on your comfort.
Everyone has different ears, everyone has to find their presonal comfort on their own"

Aperiodic: "Yeah of course comfort is entirely subjective. That's why I gave a suggestion based on my subjective experience."

staticV3: "Huh?! If you agree that your own experiences are useless to anyone else, then why would you give suggestions based on your own
experiences?

Aperiodic: "Who are you talking to?"

Well, we can't all be perfect I guess. I am putting you on Ignore because I don't appreciate your snotty attitude, something you don't find too much of around here, thankfully.