CEIM's

KaminKevCrew · March 14, 2015

I'm going to be getting a pair of CIEM's for around $600 US. I'm looking at 1964 ears, as they are the most local CIEM maker to me, to my knowledge, and they seem to get pretty darn good reviews online. Anyone have any experience with CIEM's, and what brands you would recommend?

I need Customs, because anything else in the way of IEM's or earbuds will fall out of my ears, and it's really frustrating to always be adjusting them. I also can't really go full headphones because I need them to be portable, and I love having really good noise isolation, so I don't have to be listening to what's around me. Thanks!

creatip123 · March 14, 2015

People who are going for CIEMs are usually going for sound quality. The general consensus is that balanced armatures sounds better than dynamic drivers, but need a darn good isolation for it to sound good. Also they got the option of a bit of fine tuning it further, i.e 1x BA for high + 2x BA for mid + 1x BA for low => mid lovers, or 2x BA for high + 1BA for mid + 2x BA for low => V-curve lovers, and so on.

If your problem is only the falling off (in other words, dynamic drivers are good enough, just won't stay plugged in ears), maybe try comply foam tips. I got similar problem, regular rubber tips won't stay plugged in. Foam tips fixed it for me, and it's damn good isolation...

Edit: the best CIEM I've tried, there are 2, the JHAudio and the Fitear. Of course the ones I tried were their universal fit demo units, so it should sound better when it's custom shaped.

KaminKevCrew · March 14, 2015

People who are going for CIEMs are usually going for sound quality. The general consensus is that balanced armatures sounds better than dynamic drivers, but need a darn good isolation for it to sound good. Also they got the option of a bit of fine tuning it further, i.e 1x BA for high + 2x BA for mid + 1x BA for low => mid lovers, or 2x BA for high + 1BA for mid + 2x BA for low => V-curve lovers, and so on.

If your problem is only the falling off (in other words, dynamic drivers are good enough, just won't stay plugged in ears), maybe try comply foam tips. I got similar problem, regular rubber tips won't stay plugged in. Foam tips fixed it for me, and it's damn good isolation...

Edit: the best CIEM I've tried, there are 2, the JHAudio and the Fitear. Of course the ones I tried were their universal fit demo units, so it should sound better when it's custom shaped.

My current IEM's are the Shure SE535, and I find that they don't have enough bass. As such, I was going to go for some BA's with a setup that is more bassy. I've tried comply tips with my Sennheiser IE80's, and they still fell out (although I just couldn't get a good fit with the Senn's in the first place. That's the main reason that I want to go Custom, I simply cannot find anything that will fit in my ears properly, without falling out. The 1964 Ears seem to have pretty good reviews online, although if I'm honest, I wish I could have a pair of Noble Audio Kaiser 10... But those are $1600 IEMs... So I won't do that until I win the lottery... LOL. I also like the 1964 Ears because they have a couple of different models that are more bassy.

xtroria · March 14, 2015

Well generally, there are 2 CIEMs that are popular in your price range, 1964 ears V3 and alclair reference. However, since you want more bass, I'd reckon V3 is your only option as reviews are saying alclair reference has pretty sibilance treble.

BUT, what i would say is, get a CIEM if you want it to be your end-game for IEM, you're going to have a hard time selling CIEM and not lost a lot of money. If you're still thinking that you might upgrade your IEM one day, hold on for JH13 or K10 and just get a custom mold tips for your SE535

KaminKevCrew · March 14, 2015

I was thinking I would go for the Qi by 1964Ears, as it fits right in, and it's supposed to have quite a bit of bass. I would get custom tips for the Shures, but I would really rather sell them, as I don't like the sound sig very much.