Help choosing IEMs

:+1:

Do keep you expectations on the SQ low since you have the FH3 lol, but that profile is unrivaled as far as I know (in neutrality).

1 Like

lol! I just want to try the tips.

yup, see the iems as a bonus :joy:

And for the Sony hybrids they are actually cheap enough to buy separately

seems that on .com there are a bunch of them but they might be fake though…
Not sure how much it costs for you to get it from japan, but they are completely worth it!

I bought like 6 packs of 2 pairs each lol.

2 Likes

I’ll take a look at where I can get some tips in to be able to see what works for me and what doesn’t, I used foam tips on my se215s and I don’t think they seal well, so silicone may fit me better.

Looks like you can also get the e1000s prime shipped in the uk btw:

final E1000 In Ear Isolating Earphones - Black https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KF5FQJN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_WW7sFb8MNGPFP

1 Like

For me being in sweden, importing from amazon japan is cheaper than on amazon uk lol.

But yeah, getting a big selection of silicone tips is probably the most important factor for iems.

Foam tips do fit a lot easier, but they change the sound a lot so you wont get what you are supposed to hear.

1 Like

I could go on for days discussing the advantages/disadvantages of foam vs silicone but I won’t bore you. If you want to know something specifically, I’m happy to answer your question.

Let me just give you some advise on how to know if you have a proper seal or not.

I suggest trying this only with silicone tips since foam tips will usually never give you a complete seal. The advantage to foam tips is that they are usually quite comfortable and they let the IEM breathe.

Until you know how a perfect seal should sound, and how to put the tips into your ears properly to attain that seal, get some silicone tips that are probably bigger than what you will ultimately need. Stick them in your ears and move them around while listening to music with bass. Really push the silicone around in your ears and don’t be afraid to push them deep into your ears. As you’re moving the tips around listen for the “tinny” sound to disappear and for the sound to become lush and full. When this happens, you should also hear any outside “room” sound close off. Keep moving them around slowly until you clearly hear and know when the “seal” occurs. It should be very apparent.

Also, be aware of where the tip is located in your ear when the seal happens. You’ll want to experiment in this area to find the best placement of the tip and rotation of the IEM to keep it in and the seal in place. All IEMs and tip combinations are different though.

Once you understand what a proper seal sounds and feels like in your ears, the next thing to do is to narrow down the tip size for your IEM and ears and learn how to insert them properly to geat that seal properly and easily.

What you need are a bunch of different tip sizes that will be too small for you that go to being too large. Hopefully somewhere in the middle will work, but remember that shallow fit IEMs (Blon BL-03) will require larger tips and deeper fit IEMs will require smaller tips. So you need a range of sizes to try.

You can just jam the IEM into your ear until you get a proper seal, but I suggest a different method that works really well for me. Wrap the IEM cable around your ear and with your opposite arm, reach around the back of your head and grab the top of your ear and pull up on it gently, straightening out your ear canal. Guide the IEM tip into your ear canal slowly until it feels comfortable and seated properly in your ear. I will usually give the IEM a little twist while inserting it. Once the IEM is seated, slowly start to release your ear. You should feel your ear canal seal around/grip the IEM tip. You might need to adjust the seating for your comfort if there is some inner ear pressure. Just lift up on your ear again and slowly let your ear canal seal around the tip again until it feels right.

Once you’ve done this over and over, you’ll know how it’s supposed to feel and sound and will become second nature for you, but will probably feel very strange at first.

UGH. Super long post. Sorry. This is all stuff I’ve obviously become obsessed over and want to share with others so they can enjoy what IEMs can offer. I missed out on them for years until I finally got a seal with the Starfields and my mind has blown ever since.

Good luck!

Example of putting IEMs the way I just described…

4 Likes

Thanks for all the info, I need to see if I can get my hands on something to test out tips etc so I know what works for me

1 Like

My recommendations for safe bets for size & comfort…

Fiio FD1, Fiio FH3, Moondrop Starfield, IBasso IT00.

I want to highlight the Fiio offerings since not only are they small, have a great stem size, they design their IEMs to ensure they are well vented so you don’t have any inner ear suction issues. I’ve had horrible suction issues with some IEMs that were just about complete deal breakers for me, no matter how good they sounded.

The Fiio IEMs come with a great assortment of tips which might be all you need to get the perfect seal. IMO, they aren’t the best tips on the planet, but I hope most could find something that will work from the included assortment.

All the included FH3 tips are on the right. FD1 comes with a few less than the FH3.

2 Likes

FWIW if he’s from the USA, he can get the Sony Z1R hybrid silicone spare eartips:
https://sony.encompass.com/model/SONIERZ1R

They’re basically the same as the EP-EX11.

1 Like

I’m thinking of going with something like the ibasso it00 and going with building up some tips and probably getting a pair of either final b3s or ibasso it03s if I do enjoy the IEM experience.

I’m thinking of getting some spinfit tips for the it00 as they seem to be the easiest to get a hold of in the uk right now :sweat_smile:

1 Like



The IT00 is a very nice sounding IEM. I use Spinfit CP145 Medium on mine as shown in the pics above (not the stock cable either). Three of us experienced channel imbalances that occurred over a short period of time. IBasso sent out a replacement at no cost to me immediately. Each IT00 comes with a warranty card guaranteeing it from defects for 1 year.

You will probably get driver flex (a cracking sound the DD makes) when inserting the IEM. Its not supposed to damage the IEM though.

The shell is plastic so be careful of the MMCX connectors. Once the connectors are on, leave them on.

It comes with a pretty good assortment of tips too. I like the large white ones that come with it.

1 Like

What kind of music do you listen to?

I find the IT00 to not be a very versatile iem, so if it doesnt match your library it might not be that good for you.

Mainly hip hop and kpop/Korean hip hop, occasionally with artists like primus thrown in too.

Then the it00 should suit you.

Not sure how Korean hip hop sounds like but for western hip hop the it00 is pretty good.

Although for pop i like more treble and air.

I would recommend the fiio fh3 for you.

1 Like

I’ll take a look at a couple reviews to decide between then them, only issue I have with the fh3 is that amazon don’t stock it here, so it’d take a couple weeks to get here via AliExpress

Its basically like this:

Pop: FH3

Hip-hop: FH3/IT00

Kpop: FH3

K-Hip-hop: FH3 (not 100% sure here)

FH3 is much more versatile but it is double the price of the IT00.

The Fiio is hands down the better product, but the IT00 costs less too.

My 2 cents, I would go with the FD1. It’s even cheaper than the IT00, comes with better accessories and easily competes with the sound of the FH3. I don’t get driver flex with the FD1 either.

1 Like

Are you trying to kill my wallet? :joy:

You found me out! :rofl: Hey! You know you’ve done some damage to mine too.

It’s only 60 bucks! If you wanna come over, I’d gladly let you listen to mine, but Sweden to New York is a hike. :wink:

1 Like

I resolved myself to not side track from my targets right now and I plan to keep it that way lol.