|
Post by Mr Trev on Mar 4, 2018 21:47:45 GMT
So I managed to knock a few pairs off. Note to self: next time don't buy the black Sugru - my hands looked like a coal miner's What tips did you guys use as starters. I found the Sony type (coloured stem) worked OK. The pair of tips I wanted to custom the most didn't work well at all. They are a short stem and made of a very thin silicone. As soon as they got into my ears the silicone would crease and blow my seal all to hell. They worked pretty good with foam inserts since the foam would expand and prevent the crease. At least I'll have a use for my next spent pair of Comply - that's what I originally had done with them I just hope that I didn't end up fusing the nozzles of my GR07 and Deltas to the iem bodies. The 07 were tricky with the adjustable nozzles - the right nozzle is pretty loose, and that side has always been a pain for me to get a decent seal - the main reason they have very little use. Hoping this all works out in the end, I've been getting back into iems after hearing how well they match up with the Vali2. I'm starting to feel the itch to get a good pair of multi-BA's again
|
|
Rabbit
Administrator
Posts: 7,087
|
Post by Rabbit on Mar 4, 2018 22:25:18 GMT
I used Spinfits. They’re very soft and mould easily with no resistance. I think the secret is insert them to a point just before they actually seal properly. If you go too far, then you end up jamming them in to get a proper seal later.
I find that I just need to insert them and the seal happens on its own with no real effort.
Sugru does come off if you peel the tip back and just rip it out. I ripped out the old stuff from my iems before renewing it and they were fine.
This sounds disgusting..... try wetting the tips when the Sugru has hardened. You might get a better seal.
|
|
jello
extremely active
Posts: 1,569
|
Post by jello on Mar 5, 2018 20:29:01 GMT
I use JVC Spiraldot tips whenever possible (IEMs need to have quite a wide bore). Very comfy and supple and they have a wider hole on the end of the tip than most which I find works well SQ wise. They don't need a deep insertion to get a good seal either.
Have tried Spinfits too and like them a lot to my ears the Spiraldots sound a touch better with most of the IEMs I've owned. Ian has tried both too but think he'd likely lean the other way from me.
One good thing about the Spiraldot is you can buy them in intermediate sizes and as I often struggle to get a good seal with M tips (just too small) or L tips (too big) discovering their ML tips was a bit of a godsend.
|
|
Rabbit
Administrator
Posts: 7,087
|
Post by Rabbit on Mar 5, 2018 20:37:31 GMT
I like the Spiraldots more Mark. Only tried them when you sent some down with the JVC I think it was. I think they were less inclined to allow harshness through and to me, they seemed very mellow.
I can’t remember why I didn’t get some. It might have been because I already had the Spinfits on the way or more easily available. I think the Spirals were also quite expensive at the time due to not many suppliers.
They’re a tad more stiff than the Spirals so they hold better.
|
|
jello
extremely active
Posts: 1,569
|
Post by jello on Mar 5, 2018 22:12:04 GMT
Ah, okay. We're in agreement then. I think you describe the Spiraldot quite well Ian. They do tend to keep the highs in check a bit more than many tips I've used and also find they seem to plump up the bass a bit which can add some body and richness to the sound. They are a bit harder to source and you really need to import from Japan or Asia. Not cheap either. The reason you probably didn't buy some was because I sent them down along with the JVC and your order of Spinfits that had just arrived from Amazon Japan. By that point I think both our wallets were likely begging for mercy I think I ended up spending about £40 on tips and Sugru to get those flippin' Masters to fit my ears!!
|
|
Rabbit
Administrator
Posts: 7,087
|
Post by Rabbit on Mar 5, 2018 22:25:32 GMT
The worst part is that you didn’t even keep them did you?
Mine are still going basically because of the Sugru. The first post here reminded me that my Sugru needed replacing!! I still like the Masters. It’s just getting that crucial fit.
|
|
jello
extremely active
Posts: 1,569
|
Post by jello on Mar 5, 2018 22:55:25 GMT
That's the daft bit. I didn't. Ended up trading them with Joe for his DT990 (your pair originally I think).
Even though I could get a good seal by that point the relatively large and angular capsules really aggravated a 'spur' I have in the cartilage (directly below the concha) on my left ear. That little lump almost seemed to want to forceably eject the Master whereas the shallow nozzles dictated otherwise. Think the Master were doomed from the outset if I'm honest. Shame as they did sound very good.
|
|
|
Post by Mr Trev on Mar 6, 2018 0:31:21 GMT
And… strike two.
I think part of the problem this time was I just didn't use enough Sugru. For kicks I tried rotating the tips, heck I even swapped left for right and it made no difference to sound or seal. The eartips do have a squashed ovalish shape to them, but I'll still get a seal regardless of their orientation.
I think the other part of the problem is I'm just not fond of the eartips in the first place. Like Mark mentioned a few post back, I find widebore eartips far better than the smaller bore ones I ended up using. Unfortunately the only wide tip I have ATM are the thin pair which don't seem to work with Sugru and some KZ eartips which have fins on the inside (made applying the Sugru a royal PITA since the tip won't fully turn inside out)
Good news is nothing got fused to the IEMs - something I was a tad concerned about with my Delta's removable nozzles. The Sugru really is easy to remove afterwards so not even the tips were written off - wouldn't have bothered me anyhow since I have spares.
Now that the Spinfits and Spiraldots can be had from Amazon.ca at a half-assed reasonable price, I'll have to check them out (for the record, I still like Comply the best out of what I've tried)
|
|
jello
extremely active
Posts: 1,569
|
Post by jello on Mar 26, 2018 20:55:03 GMT
Got some Symbio W tips in a few days back. These are probably the closest tips I've used to the Sugru DIY customs in terms of fit and feel. www.ebay.co.uk/sch/garcs5522/m.html?item=123031131307&hash=item1ca53a14ab%3Ag%3AG5IAAOSwN6JY%7EugP&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562They're a bit like the Sony hybrid tips in the sense they are foam filled silicon tips, but whereas the Sony are filled with 'regular' foam the Symbio use memory foam. The bores are also much wider on these (W version at least, not tried the N). Once inserted they conform to the ears in a similar way to the Sugru tips and give me a similarly secure fit. Great isolation and although you never forget they're there (feel like firm little pebbles much like the Sugru tips do) comfort seems very good to me. Although the ebay listing makes reference to them having a neutral influence to an IEMs sound signature I'm not convinced. When I use them with my IEMs with the default black filters (elevated bass) fitted the bass sounds heavily overcooked on a number of tracks, whereas with the stock silicon tips, my trusty Spiral Dot or some other random tips I have around the bass sounds more restrained. But swapping to the blue filter (balanced) the Symbio sound flippin' fantastic! Bass is tastefully elevated and mids and highs are nicely proportioned resulting in a lovely musical yet detailed presentation. With my Audiofly AF78M I found the bass overly boosted sounding again whereas with the JVC HA-FX850 the bass, although increased a bit compared to the Spiral Dot, remained at what I'd call a pleasant level. But results will likely vary from IEM to IEM which makes it hard to recommend without reservation. But if you have an IEM that has variable bass settings or that uses tuning filters then you have a few bites of the cherry and that makes the Symbio a less 'hit & miss' purchase I think.
|
|