Custom fit IEMs

[saxnbass]

My guitarist and I have decided to go to the audiologist in a few days to have molds of our ears made to have some custom fit in-ear monitors made. I have a set of Nady transmitters and receivers and had some Shure earphones. However, we're stuck at who to go with to have our custom earphones made. Do you guys have any recommendations on brands that do the custom fit ones? I remember seeing that some make removable chords so that if your ruin a chord, you can just get a new one instead of whole new in-ears, can't remember who it was or anything about the brand or it's even worth getting that.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[Drkwdsman@yahoo]

I am currently looking into that as well.
Westone, Ulitmate Ears, Fidelity, Alien Ears and Sensaphonic are a few that I am looking at

[saxnbass]

Westone, that's the brand I was thinking of. I've heard of them in the past. Anybody have any feedback as to quality and worth the price? I looked, and it looks like I'd need to lay down around $800 for a pair (looking at the triple driver ones), though I'm willing to get the 5 driver if it's worth the extra $150.

I have heard of Ultimate Ears before too, but Westone keeps coming into my head, not sure why.

[fokof]

Your audiologist probably knows who to deal with.

I made some for my sure SCL5 and the audiologist I went to gave me the finished product. I had to leave him my IEM.

[jaywa]

The impression I've gotten from personal research and user feedback is that Shure and Westone are the "premier" brands but that IEMs of equivalent if not better performance can be had from lesser known companies for much less $$.

There has been much love on this board for the FutureSonics Atrios and it looks like you can pick up a new set of those on eBay for under $200.

Unless you're a full-time pro $800 is a hell of a lot to lay down for IEMs. I would definitely do a lot of research, even though unfortunately due to their nature IEMs aren't exactly something you can try and return.

[KeithAlanK]

You know, I recently spotted an item at Academy Sporting Goods that contained all you need to make your own custom-molded earplugs for shooting.
Sorry--no idea of the brand or product name.

I considered trying this for our last singer since she was a small girl with tiny ear canals.
None of the foam or rubber pieces that came with her Shure IEMS would fit inside her ears so we ended up using the rubber from the outside of an XLR cable!

Anyway, this molding kit retailed for around $30.
I would love to see someone find this product and try it with IEMs.
The audiologists charge way too much for such a simple process.

[Longhornhombre]

Totally depends on your budget.

For less than $300, you can go with 1964 (http://www.1964ears.com/)or Fidelity (Fidelity Custom Earphones). I used LiveWires (the predecessor to Fidelity) for two years before switching to Sensaphonics.

I've heard that 1964 is very willing to do artist deals too, so ask them -- could cut your price.

Love my Sensaphonics, but they're certainly expensive...Worth every penny, if you ask me. I wrote a review of my pair a few weeks ago on here, just search for Sensaphonics 2MAX.

I know a lot of guys who use Westones. Those have always been great ears; the choice of many top pros.

Our guitarist uses Ultimate Ears. He loves them because they have an ambient feature that lets in a variable amount of stage noise.

Good luck!

[billhilly66]

I just orderd the 1964 quads after spending hours on head-fi reading reviews. They are supposed to be the cat's azz for bass players an drummers. That and they're way cheaper than comparable UE's, Westone, JHA, etc. due to their introductory pricing. I'll post a review after I get them and live with them a while.

[svtb15]

I use Westone ES2.. I love them! the ear canal part gently transforms from the harder mold of the transducer body to a soft piece that goes into your ear canal.. Very Comfy.. and great sound!

Originally Posted by saxnbass

My guitarist and I have decided to go to the audiologist in a few days to have molds of our ears made to have some custom fit in-ear monitors made. I have a set of Nady transmitters and receivers and had some Shure earphones. However, we're stuck at who to go with to have our custom earphones made. Do you guys have any recommendations on brands that do the custom fit ones? I remember seeing that some make removable chords so that if your ruin a chord, you can just get a new one instead of whole new in-ears, can't remember who it was or anything about the brand or it's even worth getting that.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[rockstarbassist]

Westone's IME are the best bang for buck. I know there are some crazy high priced UE models out there, but for $1k+ they dang better be! My UM2's were IIRC $199 and the molds were $80, maybe? Dual driver, and sound awesome.

[cheapimitation]

I use Livewires -- The Official LiveWires - Custom Fit In-Ear Earphones -- the 2-way model. They're hard plastic, so you have to get a really good fit, which will depend on you and your audiologist. I've found that if you sing, it seems to be better if you have the mold made while your mouth is open, chomping on a book or something -- the shape of the ear canal changes as we speak/sing, especially if you really open your jaw wide.

[ac3320]

Originally Posted by billhilly66

I just orderd the 1964 quads after spending hours on head-fi reading reviews. They are supposed to be the cat's azz for bass players an drummers. That and they're way cheaper than comparable UE's, Westone, JHA, etc. due to their introductory pricing. I'll post a review after I get them and live with them a while.

I just browsed their site and found that their standard shells are a [hard] acrylic resin and NOT a soft shell ... i wonder how this compares to a soft feel that the Westones and UE's have? As an aside, their 'how we make it' video was quite interesting for me to watch. I'm in dental school and in our labs we use many of the same techniques/instruments that these guys use -- soft impressions, acrylic resins, fluted metal burs to shape things up. It's really an art-form, and just super cool that these guys use the same stuff (though, to be fair, i'm sure all shops use a similar manufacturing process).

Anyways, they do have a $100 silicone mode upgrade, but for $600 that's still pretty cheap for a quad driver model! Gonna hit them up to see the pros/cons of the silicone mold vs. their std. hard shell.

It was also interesting how they noted the hypoallergenic nature of acrylic resin, and this is why they thought it is the best material for this application. This is quite true, and dental professionals have been making fixed and removable prosthetics out of acrylic resin for years specifically because of its strength and hypoallergenic characteristics. Dentures, partials/"flippers", etc.

And what makes them better for bassists/drummers? The dual bass drivers? Besides that they aren't really inherently better than any other company, right?

[Longhornhombre]

The biggest advantage I've found with silicon (Sensaphonics) is that they stay put while I move and sing. And they cut close to 40dbs!! Pretty helpful when you're camped out next to the cymbals on stage...

Best of luck!

[ac3320]

Originally Posted by Longhornhombre

The biggest advantage I've found with silicon (Sensaphonics) is that they stay put while I move and sing. And they cut close to 40dbs!! Pretty helpful when you're camped out next to the cymbals on stage...

Best of luck!

That was my next question -- is an "ambient" feature a good or bad thing? I suppose it's just personal preference of how much 'liveness' you want to bleed through. Though, i have been in a similar situation that you shared -- RIGHT next to a kicking loud drummer. Wouldn't want to be open ear right next to him...

Edit: forgot to mention this... not sure if it makes a difference, or if all the ear companies do such a thing, but 1964 mandates that the impression be taken with a 2" bite block in place (i suppose that this is so if/when one moves, the drivers won't be displaced?)

[Longhornhombre]

If the ambient feature is a result of a poor fit -- that's bad. Especially for a bassist. I was finding my previous ears (hard acrylic) were slipping in and out which cause me to lose bass response.

I use audience mics to get the live feel.

As far as the bite block goes...I think most companies are aligned: Do what you do on stage when you get impressions. But go with what your company recommends. Also, your audiologist will have plenty of experience.
Ask him/her.

[billhilly66]

Originally Posted by ac3320

I just browsed their site and found that their standard shells are a [hard] acrylic resin and NOT a soft shell ... i wonder how this compares to a soft feel that the Westones and UE's have? As an aside, their 'how we make it' video was quite interesting for me to watch. I'm in dental school and in our labs we use many of the same techniques/instruments that these guys use -- soft impressions, acrylic resins, fluted metal burs to shape things up. It's really an art-form, and just super cool that these guys use the same stuff (though, to be fair, i'm sure all shops use a similar manufacturing process).

Anyways, they do have a $100 silicone mode upgrade, but for $600 that's still pretty cheap for a quad driver model! Gonna hit them up to see the pros/cons of the silicone mold vs. their std. hard shell.

It was also interesting how they noted the hypoallergenic nature of acrylic resin, and this is why they thought it is the best material for this application. This is quite true, and dental professionals have been making fixed and removable prosthetics out of acrylic resin for years specifically because of its strength and hypoallergenic characteristics. Dentures, partials/"flippers", etc.

And what makes them better for bassists/drummers? The dual bass drivers? Besides that they aren't really inherently better than any other company, right?

The guys on head-fi are saying they use the same drivers (can't remember the brand) as JH, Westone, UE, etc. The dual bass driver and tuning are what's supposed to make them good for bass. The UE7pro has a dual bass driver and is also marketed to bass players fwiw.

[ac3320]

Originally Posted by Longhornhombre

If the ambient feature is a result of a poor fit -- that's bad. Especially for a bassist. I was finding my previous ears (hard acrylic) were slipping in and out which cause me to lose bass response.

I use audience mics to get the live feel.

As far as the bite block goes...I think most companies are aligned: Do what you do on stage when you get impressions. But go with what your company recommends. Also, your audiologist will have plenty of experience.
Ask him/her.

I agree *if* it's because of poor fit that's bad. However, the ambient feature i was referring to is an option they offer @ $50 up-charge.

Originally Posted by billhilly66

The guys on head-fi are saying they use the same drivers (can't remember the brand) as JH, Westone, UE, etc. The dual bass driver and tuning are what's supposed to make them good for bass. The UE7pro has a dual bass driver and is also marketed to bass players fwiw.

But the UE7pro is $700, and the higher models go up to $3500.


:::

what do you guys think about silicone vs hard shells? One guy said it was a better fit for open mouths, etc. ...

[billhilly66]

The UE 7pro is $850 Ultimate Ears | UE 7 Pro Custom In-Ear Monitors

That's why I'm going with the 1964.

I've heard people complain about the silicone not holding up well.

[ac3320]

Originally Posted by billhilly66

The UE 7pro is $850 Ultimate Ears | UE 7 Pro Custom In-Ear Monitors

That's why I'm going with the 1964.

I've heard people complain about the silicone not holding up well.

Ah... so, as long as it's based on a good impression (open mouth, etc.), the material that sits in there shouldn't matter too much?

[billhilly66]

That's what they tell me. I'll find out soon enough............