laxx Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 I know some of you guys are very happy with your UE 10's and 11's, but those are well beyond my budget, and I don't think I'll ever be willing to spend that much. So I've been thinking these days about giving a custom pair of IEMs a shot. I don't know what kind of exposure HC has compared to HF, but I figured I'd ask here first. Of the customs that are moderately priced, I only know of the LiveWires and the FreqShow (their highest model??). I know there's the UE 5 also, but I don't remember hearing much talk about them as everyone seems to just get the 10/11's. hMm.. I listen to everything, so I'm looking for a good all arounder. As for headphones, I own a pair of AKG K701's (I know how you guys feel about this phone) and Grado RS-2's. The rest aren't worth mentioning. I enjoy the clarity of the K701's, and the speed of the RS-2's. I am not a fan of HD650's as I find no clarity in those phones. It could be the setup I listened to them in, but I much prefer the HD580/600's. Any help would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n_maher Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 Based on limited research and advice from others I don't think the top of the line Freq's are very desirable. Word is that they're simply too sensitive. If/when I sell my stat setup I'll finally be ordering a pair of The Freq of Natures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grawk Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 Those are the ones most interesting to me, as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxx Posted September 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 Oh, I forgot to add. I thought the Shure E500's sounded horrible. I enjoy the im716's tremendously, especially at it's price. I also like Etymotic ER-4's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxx Posted September 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 I guess. =T I do want to try a pair of triple-fi 10 pro's pretty badly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 The Triple fi are very nice at doing bass ("big headphone"-sounding), but I found them too sibilant with almost all my Rock music. They have overemphasized lower treble, one of the reasons that lead me to sell them. The other reason was the terrible comfort I couldn't get used to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomana Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 If you want customs, and you like the ER4s, why not get custom tips for them? I may have an old pm somewhere on head-fi that has a detailed list of good choices. I'll check if you're interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n_maher Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 With Freq being out of the picture for the time being does anyone here have experience with the Livewires product. Their webpage leaves a lot to be desired but they seem to be the next affordable custom IEM after the Freq lineup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBLoudG20 Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 You should ask -=SARN=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxx Posted September 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 I'm interested in the Livewires as well, but 16 ohm worries me about too much hissssssssss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBLoudG20 Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 I'm interested in the Livewires as well, but 16 ohm worries me about too much hissssssssss. impedance adapters are easy peasy lemon squeezy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxx Posted September 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 Hard investment considering I've never heard it before. =[ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBLoudG20 Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 Hard investment considering I've never heard it before. =[ it's custom, how do you expect to hear it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 How much truth lies in the fact that an impedance adapter degrades a IEM's sound quality? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBLoudG20 Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 I suppose it would come down to the quality of resistor, but I wouldn't put much stock in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n_maher Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 I'm not as much concerned about impedance as I am with sensitivity. Where are you guys finding specs for the Livewires? I must have missed them if they're on the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 I read on several posts on HF, that the sensitivity is something like 125 dB/mW, so the Livewires will pick any hiss the source has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxx Posted September 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 My mistake, they are 22 ohm impedance, ~118-120 db sensitivity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torpedo Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 I'm not as much concerned about impedance as I am with sensitivity. Where are you guys finding specs for the Livewires? I must have missed them if they're on the site. Finally someone hit the spot It's not the impedance what makes phones to reproduce electronics hissing, but the sensitivity. By adding a resistor you obvioulsy increase the impedance, but you're also decreasing the power delivered, hence decreasing the sensitivity. In any case I wouldn't use any custom ear canal molds unless really forced to use hearing aids for becoming deaf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBLoudG20 Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 Finally someone hit the spot It's not the impedance what makes phones to reproduce electronics hissing, but the sensitivity. By adding a resistor you obvioulsy increase the impedance, but you're also decreasing the power delivered, hence decreasing the sensitivity. In any case I wouldn't use any custom ear canal molds unless really forced to use hearing aids for becoming deaf. so would you rather I referred to it as a sensitivity adapter? I know the science, I referred to it as an impedance adapter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torpedo Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 I was referring to Laxx's post saying the livewires would hiss for being 16 Ohms impedance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxx Posted September 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 Oh, the head-case bunch have taught me that much, I just couldn't find an exact spec of the sensitivity. I was only able to find a post where someone posted the impedance of the Livewires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 I suggest the Stax SR-001 MkII with upgraded amp as killer portable solution. It sounds as good as the SR-003 out of my SRM-1, and with less midbass hump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n_maher Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 Oh, the head-case bunch have taught me that much, I just couldn't find an exact spec of the sensitivity. I was only able to find a post where someone posted the impedance of the Livewires. Yeah, I can't find shit either. But for me it's not that big a deal really since odds are I'll be using them in an environment with so much ambient noise that the hiss will be the least of my worries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n_maher Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 I suggest the Stax SR-001 MkII with upgraded amp as killer portable solution. It sounds as good as the SR-003 out of my SRM-1, and with less midbass hump. Yeah, that should be great on the tractor. We're not looking for just any portable solution, the question is about custom IEMs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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