Audio [IEM] : SQ depends (so much) on eartips ?

PoBoy

PoBoy

Skilled
I use Kanen KM-92 IEMs with the 'default' black eartips. Yesterday I tried them with the smaller pink ones - they sounded so different I thought I had damaged them while changing the eartips. Went back to the black ones and they sound good. So, is this true for all IEMs or only budget ones ? Insertion depth ?

btw: I wish someone here would review the Kanen KM-92s, to my ears they sound pretty good. Just $3.57 shipped at FP :
Focalprice.com offers Kanen KM-92 Wooden In-ear Headphones .
Actually I've ended up gifting about 10 of these, almost everyone who tries them out wants one.
 
PoBoy, Iem sq changes dramatically with the tips you use, the kinda seal you get.

Km92 seems to be a bargain. Any similar locally available Iems that you know of, to get an idea of what its sound signature is like?
 
iaudio said:
Any similar locally available Iems that you know of, to get an idea of what its sound signature is like?
Click to expand...
^ I'm not the right person to answer that. Many reviews on the net.
 
yeah now-a-days i am in the look out for tips, just ordered sony hybrid ones. they are said to be good.

can anyone tell me where i can get a triple flange tip.?
 
M2 got shipped with 2 kinda tips. One was default rubber and other was kinda foam ones. Do foam ones sound better?

What are their characterstics?
 
i dont know about the foam tips that m2 comes bundled with but the comply foam tips did improve the treble quality and the bass response with the TF10 i had.

foam tips are in general more comfertable and less swetty than the silicone ones, but they go bad in about 2-3 weeks depending on th usage( max 100Hrs ), so they are very costly IMO.

monster get tips are somewhat new, and promising but i dont know if they will fit my re262....and also its a pain to source them ( and are expensive.!)

sony hybrids cost me $11, monster gel tips cost $30 !!!
 
The eartips I mentioned in the OP were exactly the same, only one was narrower than the other - I guess difference in insertion depth made them sound so different.

Edit : Wonder what this says about all the IEM reviews on the net. Some of the IEMs with not-so-good reviews may actually get a bettter review with other eartips ?
 
Yes, tips make sometimes subtle, sometimes dramatic changes to the sound. But, your ears matter too (size, shape etc.,). What is suitable for you may not be suitable for me - like some people have a larger left ear and a medium size right ear. |joker| does mention his preferred tips for each of his IEMs and to my memory many people do mention the tips they used for the review.

But, I doubt if any IEM which got bad reviews based on it's sound characteristics will get a good review just because of tips. In most cases, people do try out different tips before writing a review. Some things - quantity of bass / treble would change based on tips. The sound stage width & depth could change. The mids could be brought forward / recessed too! But a few other things which are basic characteristics of the driver used like speed, imaging, separation, timbre etc., won't change. So, a bad IEM could go from a SQ rating of say 3.5/10 to 4.5/10 based on tips. But, I doubt if it will ever get a SQ of 8/10.

@strategy,

The comfort of Monster gel tips :lick:
 
I got them from rawrster on head-fi. Just a sample pack of all size (gel + foam) tips. I find them pretty comfortable. Never liked the Complys too much as they get dirty very quickly.
 
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