I enjoy Westone’s universals, but personally think if you’re going to take the time and effort to get a custom, it needs to be something you REALLY like and will plan to keep for a very long time.
There are so much more options out there that are worth taking the time and exploring.
Source: my audiologist did the same thing and had no idea what my background in-ear monitors already was, resulting in a sour experience even after I explained to them what I did to a living (this was when I worked for a company in the IEM industry that was making a set for me as part of my job).
I’ve never had custom IEMs but I have tried custom tips… Several times… From two different vendors for a combined three different IEMs, with the same results: Large expense, poor ROI, really not any better than a properly fitted flanged tip. I had to try many different tips to find something that really fit and gave good isolation and comfort (The two go hand in hand), but when all is said and done, the cost of the flanged tips over the life of the headphones will probably be < 1/3 the cost of the customs. THe change in ear shape over time is another reason to save your money IMHO.
It’s also worth noting that the shape and size of the ear canal may change over time - perhaps.
I was auditioning Campfire Audio IEMs just over a year ago at CanJam and, confused, I commented to one of the CA representatives that the tips I’d used previously to try the same pair of IEMs no longer provided a good seal. He told me that can happen, that the cartilage or other soft tissue in the ears can change over time. I’d been using a pair of large Comply tips in my own IEMs in the period between the two auditions and I wonder if these larger tips had stretched things out?
If this is correct - and I’m qualified to say that it is - then there might be a risk of forking out for CIEMs only to find that they need to be re-shelled in a few years’ time. I’d be interested in hearing from others about whether this is accurate.
This is the most difficult part for me. I’m not sure which custom I’d want to go with out of any company, because I don’t have any experience with any customs. It’s kind of a catch 22.
I’ve tried several universal IEM’s, and really like some of them, but I don’t think I’ve tried anything that I’d stick with for an extended period of time.
My main problem with IEM’s is that it’s really difficult for me to get a good fit. Even something like the ER2XR starts to get sore after a while. But I like trying new things so a CIEM may just be a waste in the long run since I’m not a musician or someone who’s looking for pure functionality in an IEM. I’d just like something that fits really well and is enjoyable to listen to.
I had ACS Custom for my Etymotics (actually, two different sets of ACS Custom made from two originating impressions made by two different audiologists), and a set of Sensaphonics tips for my Shure IEMs, made by yet another audiologist.
In fairness, there may be something weird about the shape of my ears. In order to reach the claimed isolation levels, the tips must reach the second bend in the ear canal according to the tip makers- but none of them delivered a product that did that. I showed the last audiologist the tips made by the others and she said they did not. The ends of those last tips, when they arrived, looked just the same though. I can post pics when I have a little more time (going to work soon).
To summarize: they were comfortable, convenient, and easy to maintain esp compared to memory foam tips, but delivered little to no improvement in isolation over properly fitting ‘universal’ tips, at a steep increase in cost (almost as much as the IEMs themselves in the case of the Ety’s). This may be a YMMV thing depending on your ears- I have read claims from users that they thought they cold stand on a runway with a plane taking off and not hear anything. Probablyy hyperbole, but I certainly didn’t get results justifying the expense.
New twchnologies may help- there are places that laser scan your ear canal rather than making a traditional impression/reverse impression, and Ultimate Ears’ tips are 3D printed rather than reverse impressions. I am wary at this point though, as least as far as my ears are concerned.
I have heard the same thing and an audiologist told me it can happen- weight changes can cause it too. Another big hit to the value proposition if true.
After two failed custom IEM fittings using silicone injection, I finally had my ear canals laser scanned (OtoScan) by an audiologist. Worked like a charm. I got custom sleeves for my 64 Audio U18T. Now they are completely comfortable and isolating. Very pleased with the result.
The OtoScan laser scans were $250. The tips were $300, made by Microsonics. Well worth it to get IEMs that fit perfectly. $50 of that was for rush charges.
Very cool. I’ll have to look into that in the future if I feel like my ears change. Right now I have 3D scans of my ear impressions, and I have (dont do this at home unless you know what you’re doing) kit to do it myself.
On the ear changing thing, with COVID, I find I dont use my iems as much anymore, and if I do, its for reviews. So my customs dont get a lot of use. After putting them on after many many months of not, it did feel a little weird. Took a little bit to get used to it again. I probably will put my two main customs on at least once a week just to make sure my ears still “fit” it.
I was told by the audiologist who did my impressions that while aging and weight change can definitely change the fit of customs, the former is more significant when one is younger, i.e. more change from 20-40 than 40-60 even if one’s weight is stable. Once one is older, the shape of the ear canals tends to stabilize and change less absent significant weight change. The age at which this happens varies from person to person though. My customs were made about 7 years ago, and still fit great (I am 60 y.o.), but unfortunately they don’t sound as good as they used to by comparison to many more modern iems due to the explosion of options in the iem market over that time.
I actually started going back to using my CIEMs after sparingly using them over the past year and half due to mostly working from home. When i first started wearing them more frequently a week and a half ago, there was some minor discomfort after a little bit of time, mostly in the ear canal. After wearing them daily for at least a couple hours on most days, both my CIEMs are back to being ultra comfortable again.
I imagine if you continue to wear them on a frequent basis, that it’ll still fit well if your body doesnt fluctuate too much.
It took some work, but you customized your ears to their old shape! I don’t know that I’d ever be comfortable with CIEMs, as I feel regular IEMs or ear plugs move around when I chew. I don’t think any ear canal is very stable.
Thank you, this is helpful information. One of Campfire Audio’s representatives at CanJam NYC in 2020 told me that other factors can contribute to changes in the ear. Cartilage, for instance, is relatively soft and malleable. In my case, I’d auditioned some CA IEMs the year before. A year later, though, and keen to hear them again, I found that I couldn’t get a good seal with the same tips I’d used previously.
The reason for the change, it seems, is that in the interim, I’d been using deep-insertion IEMs with large, foam tips, which I’d compress when putting them in my ear and which then expanded to create a good seal. This may have widened the ear canal.
Now that I have shallow-fitting Andromeda IEMs, I hope this won’t happen again.