Custom In-ear-monitor - 1964 Ears V8 - Initial Impressions

eaglex3 · May 23, 2014

Hey All,

I was pretty much bored and wanted to do a Review on some custom in-ear monitors ( CIEMs ) as there isn't much audio products on this forum.

Purchase process of CIEMs:

What are the differences you might ask ? Well CIEMs are specifically moulded to your ears and your ears alone. How this is done is by going to an Audiologist and getting your impressions done. This can range in price depending on where you are and the audiologist. Being from Sydney Australia, it costed about $85. From there the process is that they will have a syringe filled with a liquid that once left untouched will harden. The moulds will be required to be sent to whichever company you buy your CIEMs from. Then basically choose which model and wait usually about 2 - 4 weeks ( can be longer, depending how many orders they have ). I requested a rush order in which the 1964 managed to get my CIEMs finished within 6 business days, however a fee for $299. Any custom artwork, colours and features can cost extra as well at varying costs. In total for me it was $1300 (rounded off) and is the biggest purchase I have made for an audio product.

Fit and Finish:

Now these came about a week, and wow. They looked amazing, 1964's website has a design template where you can choose colours, artwork and etc - however they looked way better than expected. Now being that I have never used CIEMs, they have a particular way in which you insert them into your ears. It seems more like a twist motion due to the length of the acrylic canal parts and how they are shaped ( as seen in the photos ). I would like to say when you first put them in your ear, they will feel deep which may scare you. However after spending about 10hrs with them, they feel so comfortable.

Sound Quality:

Now I don't know a lot about explaining audio terminology and I don't think a lot of people here know as well. But WOW this is where they really shine. This particular model is known for its Bass response and god they are right. These are punchy deep bass that is controlled, where at first it felt like it was too much for me. In which I actually used EQ on my Fiio E17 portable Amp/Dac and reduced the bass. My audio product library consists of more neutral sounding headphones where they aren't emphasized in the bass response ( DT990s, Sennheiser HD598s ).

Mids and Highs have strong attention to detail, in any song you listen to with these on. One track that really got to me when listening to with these on was - Linkin Park - In the End - Now being a 14 year old song, this had been a favourite when I was a teen. I haven't listen to it in so long, almost 8 years or so. With the V8s, I notice so many things that I never had noticed within this song. The subtle back voices felt so crisp and clear not washed out at all. Chester Bennington's vocals are amazing and unreal when listening to this. Attention to detail is beyond what I have ever listen to before.

High's are great where you won't feel fatigued when listening to them at all, female vocalist Zoe Johnston is amazing in You got to go. The attention to detail is so great, it feels as if you can hear her opening her mouth, even the slightest inhale of air into her lungs where she shines in her vocal role.

Conclusion:

Now I ain't no audiofile in anyway. I felt like it was going to be a journey spending big money on such a product. Am I happy? Heck yes. These fulfil my needs in having the ability to have a great listening experience at home, work and on the commute. These completely destroy my current audio inventory which are Beyerdynamic DT990 250ohm, Sennheiser Momentum, HD598s and Shure SE425s. I felt like I could have gone into the $600 dollar range or less, however I felt I would want to upgrade again. So I went for one of the best and never looked back. This was one heck of a journey for such an expensive product, but I got to say. I feel like I won't need to look for another product in a very long time.

I played various tracks consisting from:

Linkin Park - In the End
Above and Beyond - You got to go ( acoustic version )
Above and Beyond - Satellite Stealing Time ( acoustic version )
Pharrel Williams - Happy
Awolnation - Sail