Which custom in-ears? Sensaphonics, Ultimate Ears, Westone, Futuresonics

[Mitch Manger]

The discomfort and cable noise of my Etymotic ER-4s are too much...I need to move to a custom molded in-ear monitor set.

I'm trying to decide between the following:

1) Sensaphonics ProPhonix 2X-S
2) Ultimate Ears UE 10 Pro
3) Westone ES3
4) Futuresonics Ear Monitors

Which would you get, out of the four?
Do some have worse build quality or sound than the others?
Do any have excessive cable noise?

In terms of hard vs. soft shells, which is the better choice? I was told by David at Futuresonics that the main move to hard shells is due to serviceability. For example, if the soft silicone on the Sensaphonic tears, then there isn't much you can do, while the hard shells are much less prone to damage. But then Heather at Sensaphonic reminded me of the much greater comfort and seal that soft shells would provide. For those of you that have used these in-ear monitors, does the soft silicone mold on the Sensaphonics really make a difference with the seal, comfort and sound, as compared to the hard acrylic on the Ultimate Ears, Westones and Futuresonics?

I would be using these for tracking as well as casual listening in loud places.

[tINY]

Have you considered getting a pair of Shure E3 and having molds made by an audioligist?




-tINY

[Protools Guy]

My drummer RAVES about his Westones.

LOVES 'em!... And he tried the Shure E5's w/ custom molds and he also said they were uncomfortable.

BTW - The same audiologist made the ear molds for both the Shures and Westones.

[Auslander]

I use the Future Sonics. Simply incredible.

[Mitch Manger]

Originally Posted by tINY

Have you considered getting a pair of Shure E3 and having molds made by an audioligist?

-tINY

Yes, I have (I know that Sensaphonics makes one), but I was told that those stick out of your ear quite a bit, and I figured it would be more comfortable to have a set that does not, or sticks out to a lesser extent (I admit it, I would want to be able to fall asleep with them on when traveling).

Maybe Sensaphonic's custom silicone molds for the Etymotic ER-4s would partially solve my problem, though i'd still be stuck with the noisy microphonics (yes, I acknowledge that bone conduction contributes to this) and protruding parts of the Etys, along with my only lukewarm appreciation of their sound.
Sensaphonics / Products / Etymotic Earphone Sleeves
Has anyone tried these?

Thanks tINY, Auslander and Protools Guy for your input!

[Auslander]

I haven't tried those sleeves, but I do own a pair of the same Etys that you have and I think they are horrible. Tinny tinny tinny. I bought them prior to discovering the Future Sonics.

<shiver>

tutt

[spiritguitar]

I have Westone ES2s. I like the sound. My first pair was the soft material, replaced by the hard. They feel pretty much the same. Regarding cable noise, I hear it when handling them near the ear area, but not down the length of the cable to the jack.

[DeadPoet]

Over here in Belgium everyone has the same: a company named Variphone makes Westone inears, based on Shure ES3's. Most people have the 2-way inears.

Hard plastic molds.

They work perfectly for me, though as a bassist I thoroughly (sp?) hate playing with inears. There's like only 2-3 really decent guys over here that really know their trade. I mean, most monitor guys weren't good enough for FOH and they kinda were ok on wedges, but now they all have to be mixers for the most difficult crowd there is: muso's...

Price: around €700-750 excl VAT

Herwig

[modulation]

Originally Posted by Mitch Manger

But then Heather at Sensaphonic reminded me of the much greater comfort and seal that soft shells would provide. For those of you that have used these in-ear monitors, does the soft silicone mold on the Sensaphonics really make a difference with the seal, comfort and sound, as compared to the hard acrylic on the Ultimate Ears, Westones and Futuresonics?

I have never used inear monitors but i do use the ear plugs. I had some hard westone earplugs and they never seem to fit that great, i guess there could be many reasons for this, but after trying the softer sensaphonics which i still currently use, i can say that they fit much better by providing a better seal and they are way more comfortable too.
I would assume but i could be wrong the molds are generally the same for earplugs and in ear monitors. My freind uses Ultimate ears and he loves em, but i do not have any experience with in ears.
thats my two cents.

[Mitch Manger]

Thanks all for your help. I'm till trying to decide. From talking to companies like Ultimate Ears, Westone and FutureSonics, I also heard their reason for using hard materials instead of soft silicone: durability and servicability.

Westone said that they use a heat-sensitive material that expands when placed in the ear. They also said that their ES2 was a much better IEM for reference listening, and that their ES3 had a greater mid-range peak designed for live-performing guitarists, vocalists, etc. But they also commented that none of their IEMs were reference, as most were designed for live performance and thus do not have a flat freq-response curve...

FutureSonics are much different than the others in that they use a super-small dynamic speaker instead of armatures. I can't claim to know anything about armatures, but that only makes the decision more difficult. They also add more to the low end and high end, because "you can always take it away, but you can't add it." No mid peak there... FutureSonics do not use the heat-sensitive expanding material that Westone uses.

Ultimate Ears still seem like a good choice too, though they do not use the heat-sensitive expanding material that Westone uses.

[Auslander]

I know this will probably sound strange, but to me my FS Ears sound a good deal better than my Sennheiser 600s. So much so, that I now use them for any situation when I need headphones, monitoring tests, air travel entertainment, working out with iPod etc.

The fact that they use a small speaker as opposed to the armature gives them a much fuller low end response, something the Etys have hardly any of.

I cannot recommend these highly enough.

[Mitch Manger]

Is there someone who has tried at least two or three of the IEMs between which I am deciding? (bump)

[cajonezzz]

I own all but the Westones.

Sensaphonics: top of the line ears. very flat, a little bit of a PITA as far as fit ( depends on hooking the inear under the Helix of your ear. Very kludgy, but when in tight, the best seal of all of em.

Downside: Proabably the worst communication from customer service of any company i've dealt with EVER. i would never purchase from them again. Way small company, and not able to service customers in a pinch.
That being said, when my personal problems were resolved, the ears were great, and probably the closest to a ref monitor in ear.

I'd NEVER use them on a tour... the cables are dainty, not detachable. Hook em one time, and your screwed.

Future sonics: forget the model,but mine are fairly old now. Great ears, and apparently they have some new technology ( not the hearing aid armeture ala Ultimate and Sensa) that are supposed to rock. No complaints, and they were pretty much the only game in town when i first started with in ears in 93. Good support, good product. if the little speakerf technology is all that, i'd love to try a pair.
BTW: if your concerned about low end, i'd not worry with any of them if your using them on stage. FOH and for me sometimes just a sub at the kit, or a thumper.. .and your good to go. Most other players "feel " enough low end from the venue as to make it not an issue. As for straight listening, you should stick with a triple driver technology for the listening experience.


Ultimate Ears. Love em. LOVE THE CUSTOMER SERVICE, the folks there are great. Good tone... i have the UE7's, which probably 90% of muso's get for their bigger lowend, ( rather than the ue10's) I'v e got a bud with both tens and sevens and he prefers the sevens as well.. thinks the tens are a little flatter. I'm a drummer and prefer the bigger tuning of the sevens. very comfy, very easy to get in and out.... I check studio mixes that i dump to ipod for ref, as I practically live with these things around my neck.
They fit great, and they service SO many of the pro touring industry... and again service is top notch. I've walked into the office in OC many times and been taken care of immediately, with coffee and swag to boot. Oh, and most important: beefy cables that are removeable. If you sweat like a pig like me, and wear the cables close to body, they will eventually degrade... but are easily replaceable. Very important on the road. Their little buds that are branded for consumers and sold thru GC are great for back ups btw, and for working out, bike riding. UE?


I'm seriously interested in hearing the new Futuresonics technology, but i can't say enough about Ultimate Ears.


don't know anyone that uses the westone customs, but I THINK it's the same driver technology . Not heard good or bad. I own a pair of their earplugs ( er25's) and a pair of the sensaphonics er15/25's.... very nice.

( jus tre read you saying this would be casual listening... check out the UE tens then... that may be the way for you! )
plz be careful and don't play em too loud!

[YRLK]

I've never used a pair of Westone's that I didn't like. I personally own the UM-2's, and I think they sound great. They're not the highest-end, I'm sure, but Westone is a great company... used to MAKE Shure's stuff for them before Shure shipped their business to Mexico. That's what a friend (who reads all the nerdy stuff) told me.

B

[Eric Greedy]

I have the Sensophonics with SHure E5's. I LOVE them. The customer service was and is a non-issue for me if only because i dealt with a great audiologist who took care of all tha, t and even came to me for the molds.

[Mitch Manger]

Does anyone else have experience with these (bump)? I'm down to these two:

1) Ultimate Ears UE 10 Pro (besides reference and mixing, do these work well enough for tracking?)
2) Westone ES3

I'm also deciding between Sensaphonics and Westone when it comes to earplugs...

[Bang]

I use the Shure E3s and think they are ok but I've not used ANYTHING else. I do have custom molds, don't know who made them for me.

I use the PSM 400 pack (with mixer) for my wireless send.

I was told the Shure E5 is a huge step up in clarity and seperation from the E3. Would you guys say this is true? Are the Westones and Futuresonics and Ultimate ears better then the Shure E5?

[Mitch Manger]

I bought the UE-10 earphones from Ultimate Ears.

They look fantastic and fit perfectly. No cable microphonics. And they do have a flat response.

They were too sensitive, and I could hear the noise floor on all my consumer electronics very easily, had to set Winamp and iTunes at 3%volume and even my prosumer headphone amps and digi002 left me with only one or two volume settings at the very bottom of the pot.

I called Ultimate Ears and they shipped out an attenuator to me overnight. Now that's good customer service. The Ultimate Ears match much better with my equipment now.

My only complaint after all of this is that though the Ultimate ears are very well balanced, I feel that they lack the transient response of my Etymotic ER-4s, which are the only decent IEMs I have for comparison, and which I was hoping to replace with the UE-10s. But because of the relative lack of detail in my UE-10s, I might have to resort to using the Etymotics in more stable (though still loud) mixing conditions, like working on a mix on a plane.

The main reasons why I was getting the UE-10s to replace my ER-4 earphones were the Etymotic's cable microphonics and uncomfortable fit (too big for my ear canal). At least Ultimate Ears' UE-10 has resolved these two issues for me, but at the price of reduced detail? And the fact that I shelled out $700 more for the UE-10s? (grit teeth)

I tried A/B listening for detail with some of my Sigur Ros, Charles Mingus, and Ravi Shankar recordings, and found the same result on all of them. The detail difference I noticed was largely in the middle upper end, because I must admit that I am not as good as discerning accuracy in the low end.

And I don't think the problem is due to the attenuator they shipped me. I noticed the same difference when it wasn't used with the UE-10s.

Has anyone else noticed this or compared their Ultimate Ears to Etymotics, if they have 'em?

[Fretbored]

Originally Posted by Mitch Manger

Does anyone else have experience with these (bump)? I'm down to these two:

1) Ultimate Ears UE 10 Pro (besides reference and mixing, do these work well enough for tracking?)
2) Westone ES3

I'm also deciding between Sensaphonics and Westone when it comes to earplugs...

cool.

[gotmike]

Stay away from the Sensaphonics / Shure combination. I have been waiting over two months for my customer sleeves to come back. They told me it would be 2-3 weeks.

--Mike

[-m-]

Originally Posted by Bang

I was told the Shure E5 is a huge step up in clarity and seperation from the E3. Would you guys say this is true?

Yes, that is true. I`ve tried all the Shure IEMs and my definite favourite is the E5... You can`t go wrong...

[Jazz+]

Originally Posted by gotmike

Stay away from the Sensaphonics / Shure combination. I have been waiting over two months for my customer sleeves to come back. They told me it would be 2-3 weeks.

--Mike

Did you finally get them? I have heard they take around 3 months for an order.

I don't know how to decide which brand/model to get. I am a jazz pianist and do a lot of gigs with a digital piano through my own PA. I also monitor the bass and drums through my mixer. I want a smooth robust mid range for my digital piano, it tends to sound thin by nature. I want something smooth without any harshness. Something I can wear for 3 or 4 hours without ear fatigue.

[roady73]

I own the e3's and the e5's with the sensaphonic sleeves. The e3's are ok. If you own or decide to buy a pair of e3's, be sure to get the sleeves. They make a huge difference in bass response. They are also very low profile compared to the e5 sleeves. The e5's are slightly better in bass response and sound, but the sensaphonic sleeves are huge! It looks absolutely horrible when using during a performance. Both ear buds are ok for now, since they are the only IEM buds I have ever used, but there is something left to be desired in the sound of these buds. I can only describe the sound as "murky" or "muffled". Just does not have that reference headphone sound I desire. That sound you get when you use a nice set of headphones in the studio. At the price these things go for, they should. Just bought some U7 pro's about an hour ago in search of that sound. I will post my review after a few gigs.

[matskull]

I'm looking for either a set of iso headphones like the GK Ultraphones or Beyer 770M or a set of in ear monitors.

I have a budget of arround 300$

I want to use these headphones or in ear to use while moving the mics arround on drums and loud guitar/bass amps.

I need them to be as flat as possible with good isolation, for the in ear I could put gunshot ear protection over them though.

Does anybody can help me, pretty hard decision to make because the ultraphones can only be ordered online from the usa (I'm in canada) and most in ear can not be returned for sanity reason if I don't like them...

Thanks

[drpro]

You might also check out Livewires IEMs. They offer a custom molded set with dual drivers and removable wires, allowing easy replacement, plus they rotate. Cost is $250 for a pair.

David

[roady73]

Back here to review the UE7's I bought in June 08. Well...All I can say is that they are great ipod earphones. They look, feel, and sound great, but I just do not like all the bottom end they produce. The bass is way overstated on these IEM's for a vocalist. I can not believe that the rep at UA recommended these earphones to a baritone vocalist who uses tube gear and a Beta 58. I would recommend the UE7's to instrumentalists, especially bassists, drummers, and hip-hop artist. To my ears, they sound like reference headphones, but with large amounts of low to low mids. Love these earphones with my ipod, but overall, I would say I am not happy with this purchase. I spent way too much money ($850) for IEM's that I will not be using while performing. Since there custom, I can not return them, or exchange them. I went back to using the Shure E3's. While practicing one day, the right bud went out on my e3's. So, Shure exchanged them with the new, revised e3's, and boy! what a difference! I love them! I use them stock, without my sensaphonic molds. Now these I HIGHLY recommend for male vocalist. They have a nice even frequency response, with tight lows. I use the HF boost on the reciever sometimes, as well, to add a bit of clarity. I never yank one out during a performance, like I used to do. They always sound good to me, even after long periods of use.

[bishopthomas]

That's too bad. I work with a band that uses Ultimate Ears and they (vocals and trombone) are very pleased with them. It sucks that you can't try before you buy with these products. They really should come up with some way to make this happen. Maybe a disposable semi-soft unit that can conform to your ear and the IEM driver can plug into it.

[wallymulhearn]

I currently use a pair of Sensaphonics 2X-S. I paid about $750 for these. Until about 2 weeks ago, I loved them but it seems like one of the drivers in the right ear is either bad or has a loose connection. I have emailed and called Sensaphonics during business hours and get a recording. I can't get them to answer me. I told them I know these are not under warranty buy want to see about getting repairs done and the will not return calls or emails.

[edwinhurwitz]

I have used Westone, Ultimate Ears, Future Sonics, and Etymotics. All were universal fit. I didn't like the sound quality of Etymotics, I thought the other three all sounded good (UM2s, Super fi. 5s and Atrios). All have had excellent customer service. The Ultimate Ears broke and they replaced them once under warranty, but the second pair broke in the same way. I thought that was unacceptable. They were also bulky and didn't fit my ear canals well.

I had my audiologist fit me for Westone molds for the UM2s. I discovered that the Atrios fit as well. However, the material used was not comfortable. Eventually, I discovered Berkley Griles at Ear Inc here in Boulder. He's a long time music fan who got into the in ear monitor business and he made molds that were a softer material that work with both the Atrios and Westones, are super comfortable and seal really well. He also made me some Westone musician's ear plugs out of a different material that seal perfectly and are very comfortable.

I switch between the Atrios and the Westones. I find that the Atrios have a better low end and sound great, but in fact, the low end is a little too much and too low. When I crank them up to a good level, there's a bunch of low end that's masked by ambient sound and I don't like pummeling my ears with too much level. So, I end up using the Westones a lot more. The Atrios now are my pleasure listening ear phones. Both are great, though.

I thought about getting full molds, but the truth is that my ears change over time, and I'd rather save the money and just replace the molds when needed.

The Westone ear buds are the strongest I've seen and the Atrios hold up pretty well, but the Ultimate Ears don't seems to be able to hold up to night after night abuse.

If money is an issue, and even if it's not, the Atrios can't be beat. If I had to get only one set of ears, they would be the ones. The price is right and the company is very responsive to your needs.

Edwin

[congaman59]

I am looking for some custom canal buds for my Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 EB's
I just don't want to pay $114.00 for them. Anyone know where I might do Better?