Topic: Custom IEM's

[bhoy]

I'm looking into getting a set of custom IEM's made for my ears.  Does anyone here use these?  I would mainly use them for portable listening (iPod), home listening, and monitoring recordings in a live situation.  I'm not a musician, so they wouldn't be used for anything band related.

I see Westone makes several sets, and Etmoytic makes a quasi-ear mold version.  The ET's can be inserted into a custom mold, rather than completely built in like the Westone.

I'd love to hear from anyone if you are using IEM's.

Thanks,
Bill

[page]

I've used the etymotic er-6 w/ customs and the westone um3x with customs. What are you interested in knowing specifically?

[bhoy]

I was just interested in what brands are available and a rough price.

I see two kinds.  First, headphones than can be inserted into a custom ear mold, and stick out of the ear mold.  Hence these can be used with or without the ear mold.

The second kind appear to be built into the ear mold.  I'm looking at a brand called "1964" now.  This is similar to what bands use on stage.

Westone seems to make each type.

[page]

Have you ever had molds made and worn plugs before? If not, I wouldn't drop the major coin until you're comfortable with getting the seal right. Some people get it on the first try, others take a couple of re-molds which can take months.

Sonically I thought the Westones were nice. If I was going to use IEMs a lot, I'd have considered a set from JHAudio which are supposedly the company the beat in the high-end market. Generally, custom units > custom tips on stock units and custom models > reworked stock models in custom molds. A word of caution, when I used them a couple years ago, remolding wasn't working out real well, just buy a set that was intended to be used in a mold.

I suggest you take a gander at the IEM section on head-fi. Take it with a grain of salt, but they have enough info to help make a solid decision.

[George]

I would recommend this thread specifically: http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-244-iems-compared-yamaha-eph-100-monster-miles-davis-trumpet-06-19-12

[anodyne33]

I like my IEMs a lot, but I don't usually take them on the bus for just listening to the MP3 player. I'm nervous that I'm going to destroy them, and they'd be a lot more expensive to replace than the $10 ear buds that I do take. I went through Microsonic Music for mine. I actually prototype tested them and the president of the company, Monika did my molds and they worked out pretty well. They don't seal as tightly as my Sure E2s with a universal tip, but I'm pretty sure that's due to the material and not a fault of the mold as they are damn comfortable.