So thinking of doing this drop and then reshelling into a Custom IEM. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I'm a musician and would use these almost exclusively as IE monitors in the true sense. I like the idea of a custom mould and hopefully more noise isolation. Is this a good idea or not? Thanks in advance for your opinions!
drezThanks for your comment. But are there 3BA per side Custom IEM's for $225?? Reshelling will only cost me about $125 US. If these EDC3's are "That" good, my thought is they would be better Custom moulded for my ears. Is that a valid idea or am I just trying to put lipstick on a pig??
LLL3Just use the Comply memory foam tips (Size 100 tips FWIW) if you want the best isolation AND sound from them😉 Otherwise, I'd just invest in Custom molded IEM's from the get go, rather than having to switch shells and possibly damaging something in the process!
As always, YMMV 😎
LLL3I had a similar question when the drop first launched. I'm committed to going down the re-shelling route. Here in Canada it's especially expensive to get custom iems done, especially considering all the incidental costs (shipping impressions to the US, having iems shipped from US, customs, exchange rate, etc.) it just did not seem worth it. I was eyeing the Empire Ears Supra II which are supposed to be a great bang-for-the-buck entry level custom IEM. The cost balloons from $429 USD to almost $1000 CAD once all the incidentals are taken into account.
Getting these custom shelled will cost me $135 CAD (iems + shipping) + probably $20 CAD (taxes/import fees) + $175 CAD (custom shelling) = $330 CAD. Still not cheap, but no where near as expensive as getting a true pair of ciems.
jersey_boyI checked out their website. They only seem to have one product for sale (Earphone). It states in their FAQ that they do not do custom shells. The Earphone is $400 USD, so with conversion, shipping, import duties it will probably be close to $700 CAD for me.
Granted, those iems look super sweet.
LLL3Etymotic has been offering the ER-4 series IE monitors for musicians and recording pros. I had mine custom molded and they work really well.
https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/earphones/er4.html
the coupling between the custom mold and the driver is critical. Just like other pro gear, you shell out the bucks because you can rely on them.
LLL3Reshelling can change the sonic characteristics somewhat and most reshelling places won't guarantee the sound, just be aware of that. For your money you'd be better off just buying couple of these. Unless you just really want to have the look and custom fit of customs. I have and use customs on stage, but I have not problem just using something like these. They still sit flush on the ear and look indiscrete. I find a good set of foam earpieces can be just as comfortable or more comfortable than customs. For example last week I had a slight cold, and when I went to put my custom IEM in to play on stage, one of my ear canals was slightly swollen and it wouldn't completely seal. Generics with nice comply tips would have been a better choice than trying to jam a custom in with swollen sinuses.
BorAThanks for the tip. I'll keep that in mind. I've always wanted to try customs just to get that comfortable fit. That being said, if these seal well and are comfortable, then I'll just stick with 'em.
TVCBassNobody will know until the first round ships out but the reviews are saying they are robust enough for every day use. Take for what it's worth. But for $99 for a triple driver pair, you can afford to replace them when they wear out. Or buy a backup.