IEM Tip Comparison

Steven

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Recently purchased the "Store One" Triple Flange tips off Amazon and so have used the opportunity to sit down and experiment with my Shure SE535 and Phonak PFE-232. Tips will not alter the underlying sound signature of an IEM but nevertheless can have subtle discernible differences to the sound

The List:
Shure PA910 aka Shure Black Olives (s)
Comply TX100 (s)
Soft Grey Flex (s)
Yellow Foamies
Shure Triple Flange (m)
Store One Triple Flange (s)

iPod Touch 4G Playlist:
Adele - Someone Like You (Live At the Royal Albert Hall)
Alicia Keys - Fallin'
The Prodigy - Breathe
Michael Jackson - Beat It

Shure Black Olives
Harder and more denser material than the Comply. Bigger too, even though both are "S". Easy to insert and quite comfortable. Can wear for a long period without fatigue. To my surprise and after comparison, piano chords came across as slightly digital sounding and the bass was boomier than other tips. In other respects the sound was as good as the Comply and Triple Flange. Vocals sound largely the same as on others though think the soundstage is slightly smaller than Comply and Triple Flange

Comply TX100
Smaller than the Black Olives. Super comfortable and easy to insert. Equivalent of a silk glove for your ears (if that is even the correct analogy). Instruments sound more "real" than with the Black Olives. Bass is stronger and more controlled. Soundstage is just bigger and overall second in the pack.

Shure Triple Flange
Unfortunately the bundled pair with my IEM appear to be in "M" size :rolleyes: Given a choice would have wanted "S" but after some perseverance got them in. They make IEM stick out slightly. You may want to use scissors and make them into "double flanges". In terms of material they have a slightly softer and more waxy feel than the Store One version, which makes all the difference. Despite the deep insertion they really are comfortable for me. Conversely others may not like this design. Would only cut them down to make fitting easier. In terms of sound = wow. Biggest soundstage of all the tips and as a consequence more immersive. Bass notes go deeper and have more impact. Vocals sound gorgeous. Edging the Comply to be my favourite

Store One Triple Flange
Contrary to the Amazon customer reviews, these do have a tiny yet perceptible different material to the Shure version. Slightly harder or rather lacks that waxy quality. With the Shure version you would cut them down to double flange to make fitting easier. With these I found you cut them down for comfort rather than fitting. The harder material means you do notice wearing these and after a while they annoy. Shame really because in other respects cannot detect any difference in terms of sound presentation from the Shure version. If they got the material right these would be highly recommended as they are cheaper than the Shure version. Therefore it will be down to the individual person as to how you get on in terms of comfort. Once my supply is exhausted cannot see myself re-buying

Soft Grey Flex
Easy to insert and small profile. That is where the positives end. Found they give a digital quality to the overall presentation, bass was recessed and smaller sound stage than others.

Yellow Foamies
These are virtually the same size as the SE535 ear piece stalk and consequently have the most low profile fitting. Unfortunately not as comfortable as the Black Olives or Comply. The sound was largely similar to the Comply except it added sibilance to the top end (you get a "ssss" sound to vocals and cymbals etc).

Best for comfort
1. Comply
2. Shure Black Olives
3. Shure Triple Flange (optionally cut down to Double Flange) - could easily be joint second although this is simply in recognition the shape might not be to all liking

Best for fitting
All of them were easy except the Triple Flange

Best for sound
1. Shure / Store One Triple Flange
2. Comply

Compatibility
A note on compatibility. All the tips fitted the Shure SE535. The Phonak design has a bigger circumference tube. Consequently could not get the yellow foamies onto them. The Triple Flange succeeded but only after some careful manoeuvring

N.B. Everyone's ears are different and consequently your experiences in terms of fitting, comfort and sound may be different
 
Great post Steven. Have you tried the Sony hybrid tips? I have seen them mentioned a lot online as the perfect tip for the Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10's, which I'm currently using. However, I cannot even find a UK retailer selling these to give them a go :(
 
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Yep, those are the ones. Know any reason why they are not sold in the UK? I imagine ebay will be littered with fakes, but will have a look.
 
Nice reviews. I've tried all of those too and IMO the best sounding tip for my Shures is the Puresound sold at Sensorcom. Unfortunately, I cannot use them as my right ear does not seal even with the largest size without holding my ear but they do sound amazing. I'm currently using the Alpine tips which sound almost as good. The stem is a little big for the Shures so I cut the plastic stem out of the Shure medium Olive tip and fitted this to the IEM and also added the foam to the tip to create a quassi-triple flange. The sound is very good and the isolation is superb.
 
ALL of these tips are trupmped by a set of custom moulded silicon tips like the ACS tips I have on my Ultimate Ears Triple-Fi 10's.
They aren't cheap at all, but are worth their weight in gold if you are genuinely happy with your in ear headphones, as once they're made they will only fit the earphones they are made for.

I tried loads of different tips for them before getting the moulds, and since then they have made the earphones come alive. They completely block out any external noise, maximise the bass response as well as tightening it up, and allows you to hear the earphones as they were tuned to sound by the manufacturer.
Alos, they aren't going to wear out or need replacing, just the occasional wash with soapy water!
 
Have you tried them? I had some custom ACS moulds and the Puresound tip comes very close at a fraction of the cost.
 
Have you tried them? I had some custom ACS moulds and the Puresound tip comes very close at a fraction of the cost.

Yes, I have a set on my UE Triple-Fi 10's, ad have had them for 1-2 years now after trying every type of tips, but with no joy, especially my left ear which seemed a problem for getting tips to sit well.
I was a touring live sound engineer for 15 years, so always knew about custom moulds, but they were only for actual custom in-ear monitors costing £500+ which seemed excessive for occaisional use, but I have been very impressed with the quality of the ACS tips and they should last many more years - if the headphones last that long anyway! :thumbsup:
 
I did have a set of ACS moulds with my Westone 3's, but after 3 attempts, I had to give up, as they kept slipping off the nozzle. I was told this was because there was nothing for the moulds to grip onto and they've since removed the Westone's from the compatibility list.

My old man did give ACS a go with his Triple.fi's and absolutely loved them until recently, when one of them split and as he's had them for over 2 years, there was no warranty, so they're useless.

If I was to go any other route with my Earsonics SM3's, I'd probably get them reshelled by Fisher Hearing. A bit of a bother sending them abroad, but in effect, they transform them into a custom phone and can be done for about the same price as a set of ACS moulds. At the moment, I'm using the Earsonics double flanges, as the Sensorcom tips just don't fit my large ear canals.
 
Would quite like to try ACS sleeves for my SE535's one day, however, gadget lust and that am currently saving up for a smartphone :p Also both IEM pictured have used up the allocated annual headphone spend. Maybe a 2013 purchase - if the Mayans are wrong :)

In an ideal world would jump into customs but the manufacturers keep distracting by releasing new top end universals...
 
Got some acs tips for my 530s. Really good but they do slip off which is annoying as others have experienced.

Ended up going to Fisher to get the 530s custom shelled.

Wouldn't quite say that it is similar pricing though.

Acs tips are roughly 90 quid.

Fisher charged me roughly 200 quid to reshell, removable cable, and ship my 530s. On top of that, you will also need to spend 40 quid or so for ear impressions whereas the 90 quid for acs includes that.

I can use the acs' s with other iems though so theyre still handy and not completely wasted.
 
Where are the best places online to get ear tips for the SE535's, any recommendations? Think I'll try some complys next.
 
You can always support a forum sponsor but honestly, IEM tips are one item that never seem to get discounted :/ Normally get mine from Amazon purely because it is Amazon and a few well known headphone retailers have marketplace accounts with them
 
I gave up looking for tips so decided to try and make my own, this is the type of thing
20 FOAM EAR PLUGS (10 pairs) defenders earplugs I use for my SE530's.

Items needed are a darning or similar needle, a flame to heat up the needle, a razor sharp blade, two foam earplugs and a pair of pliers to hold the needle. I suppose a drill stand - with a hot needle not a drill bit - could be used for making the hole but I don't have one.

How to make:
Measure the length needed, this is optional as I only ever went by eye.

Take two Plugs and squash them together, this is so you can cut them both at the same time.Try to make the cut in one go and don't worry if the cut isn't particularly straight.

Wait for the plugs to expand, the type I use take about 10 mins.

Put the soon to be tips on a flat surface and use the red hot darning needle to make a hole in the centre, DO NOT GO ALL THE WAY THROUGH, only go halfway then turn the tip over and do the same to the other side. If you managed to miss the other hole, carefully redo the hole that will face outward (away from the ear).

Assuming you used a similar sized needle as me, the hole will be too small for the headphone stem and be a bit of a fiddle to get on owing to the squishy nature of the foam. Heat up the needle again and widen the hole - the one that goes on the stem first - just enough to get the stem in a couple of mm, tease the rest on a bit at a time by pulling the edges down and outward, try not to crush the foam as your putting it on.

Let Your new tips expand and adjust as necessary.

When inserting the tips only squash them as much as is needed to get them in the ear canal otherwise you have to hold the headphone in place for several seconds.

The type of earplugs I bought don't like water so if you try to wash them the foam becomes more porous and less effective. A quick wipe with a damp cloth makes them last a bit longer.

The great thing about trying these is that if they don't work for you all you've wasted is a couple of quid and a little bit of time.
 
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My Comply TS series tips have arrived (mine are the TSX with the wax guard)! Indeed Google does not lie, they are that expensive. Have wanted to try them for a while due to the spherical shape reputed to be easier to insert, more comfortable and less sonically intrusive

Also this may be useful to some:

 
There is a new star in town... Westone Tips

Versus Comply: more air, tighter and less bloated bass, more impactful bass, more prominent detail and treble extension. Star tips seem tiny bit more clarity, probably effect of foam. Better fitting and comfort too. These are keepers and will not be going back to Comply.

Tested with Shure SE846. The internet give similar positive reviews across Shure and Westone range. They will only fit same small nozzle size. Colour denotes width and length of tip, nozzle fitting remains the same.

To the best of my knowledge only handheldaudio sell in the UK outside of eBay. Buy universal multipack if you are unsure of sizing.
 

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