Hollow vs. filled IEM for isolation: does filled IEM actually seal better?

[HalmondD]

Hello everyone,

I am thinking about going from a hollow IEM to a filled one, mainly for isolation - looking for feedback from Daybreak owners

Right now I'm on the Truthear Blue2 and I'm trying to squeeze out better passive isolation. I've already done the obvious thing: spent time finding a pair of tips that actually seal and stay comfortable. That helped a lot - isolation went up noticeably - but I can still hear outside noise, just quieter than before. So I've kind of hit the ceiling on what tip-rolling alone can do for me on this shell.

That got me looking at the Crinear Daybreak, and I wanted to sanity-check my reasoning with people who actually own it.

Why the Daybreak specifically:

• It's a filled IEM rather than a hollow one, which I'm hoping helps with isolation
• The stock FR already tracks JM-1, which is basically what I EQ my IEMs toward anyway (plus some ear-gain correction)
• The Daybreak tuning has tamer treble than the Blue2 - no giant peak in the treble/air region - which makes it way easier for me to EQ to my taste

To be clear, I don't really care about the stock tuning as a selling point since I'm going to EQ it regardless. This is more of a quality-of-life move than a sound-signature upgrade.

What I'm actually hoping owners can tell me:

• With a good tip (fit + comfort sorted), does the Daybreak isolate noticeably better than a typical hollow IEM like the Blue2? Or is the "filled" thing overstated in practice?
• How's the ear pressure? Any build-up over time, and how does the vent behave? I'd rather not trade isolation for a plugged-up, uncomfortable feeling.

Appreciate any firsthand impressions, especially on the isolation and pressure side. Thanks.

 

[Redacted]

I doubt "filled" or "unfilled" will make any big difference to sound getting into your ears from outside. Cases conduct, bones conduct etc.

I wear IEMs with industrial ear protectors on top.

 

[HalmondD]

I doubt "filled" or "unfilled" will make any big difference to sound getting into your ears from outside. Cases conduct, bones conduct etc.

I wear IEMs with industrial ear protectors on top.

Interesting, can you share more about your use case? How much noise isolation or in this case, sound leak into your ear, when you use ear protector on top. I thought that you can still hear conversation noise level when you wear those and only block loud noise like the one you wear on gun range?

 

[beeface]

I’m gonna be that annoying guy and suggest something different: true wireless earbuds with ANC. Samsung, Sony, Apple, Bose, whatever. Sorry/bye

 

[HalmondD]

I’m gonna be that annoying guy and suggest something different: true wireless earbuds with ANC. Samsung, Sony, Apple, Bose, whatever. Sorry/bye

Nah, until the day where you can easily change the battery on those TWS earbuds, I will only look for those as a last result, I still think that wired IEM is far more superior and if I can fix the isolation issue, that will be my endgame.

 

[Redacted]

Interesting, can you share more about your use case? How much noise isolation or in this case, sound leak into your ear, when you use ear protector on top. I thought that you can still hear conversation noise level when you wear those and only block loud noise like the one you wear on gun range?

I simply don't allow talking or walking when I'm listening to music and wear an audiophile-grade bobble hat to reduce skull transmission. I also wear completely opaque sunglasses...

Ear protectors reduce all external sound, some frequencies more than others.

 

[Redacted]

I’m gonna be that annoying guy and suggest something different: true wireless earbuds with ANC. Samsung, Sony, Apple, Bose, whatever. Sorry/bye

So long as you use the ones that don't hiss or use noise gates....

 

[gzost]

For maximum passive isolation the answer continues to be Etymotic with Comply P foam tips.
I like the dynamic driver ER2 better than the balanced armature ER3/4 since the latter becomes "grungy" in the midrange when listening to orchestral recordings at concert levels, though the ER2 need EQ.

 

[somebodyelse]

Nah, until the day where you can easily change the battery on those TWS earbuds, I will only look for those as a last result, I still think that wired IEM is far more superior and if I can fix the isolation issue, that will be my endgame.

https://www.fairphone.com/fairbuds - designed to be repairable, with standard batteries in the buds at least. I'm not sure how standard the one in the charging case is. The USB port is also replaceable. Details at ifixit. I've no idea what the sound is like though.

The passive isolation from anything using deep insertion tips (mostly Etymotic but Koss have done one or two) is a lot better than any shallow insertion model I've tried. Rtings tests put it up there with the best of the ANC buds, but the frequency profile is rather different - passive isolation works best at high frequencies where ANC isn't so good, and vice versa, so a combination of the two would be ideal. Something like Ety's Music Pro Elite but with added headphone capability. Unfortunately I don't know of anyone making that.