Silicone vs acrylic custom IEMs

toneseeker911

Experienced
Has anyone tried the custom IEMs from sensaphonics ? I have the Ultimate Ears custom IEMs , but I struggle with getting a good seal, especially when I make one of my spectacular guitar faces.

Wondering if the soft IEMs from sensaphonics (or someone else) are better for seal? Have read that they are less durable, just looking for any experience with them.

Thanks!
 
Did you have your mouth "blocked" when you did your impressions?

When I did my 1964 Audio IEMs that was something they stressed.

Helps to make sure you get a good when you're opening your mouth for singing (or faces ;))
 
Did you have your mouth "blocked" when you did your impressions?

When I did my 1964 Audio IEMs that was something they stressed.

Helps to make sure you get a good when you're opening your mouth for singing (or faces 😉).

An open mouth guitar face is recommended. An Yngwie duck face is probably insufficient.
 

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If you had your mouth closed when they did the molds for your ears, the type of IEM is not going to really matter. If you sing or have your mouth open at all when you play it will break the seal. Most audiologists that do custom molds have a mouth spacer they use for vocalists, maybe have your molds redone using this method?
 
Did you have your mouth "blocked" when you did your impressions?

When I did my 1964 Audio IEMs that was something they stressed.

Helps to make sure you get a good when you're opening your mouth for singing (or faces ;))

If you had your mouth closed when they did the molds for your ears, the type of IEM is not going to really matter. If you sing or have your mouth open at all when you play it will break the seal. Most audiologists that do custom molds have a mouth spacer they use for vocalists, maybe have your molds redone using this method?
They did use a block when getting impressions. I may have to get it re-done though since the seal breaks quite often.
 
OP No but I sure would like to try those. When I did molds I was having some dental issues. I have since corrected that for the tune of 15 grand. I think the body changes over time and you never get a sealed fit after time passes. As I have acrylic shells Ive contemplated adding a coat, painting acrylic adhesive the stuff a UV light cures, where they enter the ear canal. I wear mine most days for at least 4 hours. I need to order a new set so I have a backup being they are the only thing I ever play or monitor music thru. Tried those Amazon Linsoul KZ ZSX scottp suggested as a backup but I guess my ears are weird because the shank part the ear rubbers slip over are to big around to fit in my ear canal. They did seem to sound decent compared to my triple driver customs.

Anyone tried to mod their shells?
 
Silicon does not last as long (though generally long enough) and is harder to modify, hard acrylic last forever (sans stepping on it) and can be modded easier. I’ve ended up with probably 90% acrylic molds for patients in the end. With a good impression the fit/comfort is just as good in most cases
 
lqdsnddist How do you figure out where more needs to be added for a good seal? is good seal as important that shell fits the whole cavity tight or just the area towards the tip? Mine are in the ear fine like not gonna come out unless you twist them out, just seems like they may need more material for a seal towards the tip.
 
lqdsnddist Another thought is I wear glasses which were off when the molds were made. Glasses fit pretty tight across the top and behind the ears. In live use I find myself wanting to wiggle them around for the best seal.
 
Silicon does not last as long (though generally long enough) and is harder to modify, hard acrylic last forever (sans stepping on it) and can be modded easier. I’ve ended up with probably 90% acrylic molds for patients in the end. With a good impression the fit/comfort is just as good in most cases
How do to the two compare in terms of hygiene / cleaning?
 
For the most part a good acoustic seal is dependent upon the part of the mold that goes into and past the first bend of the ear canal, so in other words, you usually want an impression that goes deep enough as a shallow impression won’t have good retention or acoustics. The larger aspect of the mold that fits the outer portion of the canal, bowl of the ear area really doesn’t do much for seal or retention.

Really is no secret trick though, basically just look at the impression and see if it matches basic anatomy and if it seems too narrow, shallow, has too many voids etc, redo it.

They laser scan the impressions and software 3D maps the usable area inside the mold for the electrical parts and how they can be laid out, and often the software can make a guess if there is a bump in the canal or just a void and fill in the gaps, indentation of hair etc. this often used to be done by hand, just spreading a little impression material on the mold, ala patching a wall or seam, but mostly everyone does it in software to my knowledge these days.

Main things are jaw open and/or closed impression and make sure they have decent depth on the canal. They can always shorten what they don’t need for a good fit but a shallow or otherwise bad impression will simply lead to a loose fitting mold that leaks sound, works out over time etc.

Impression material is pretty cheap so no reason not to just redo another one, spending an extra few minutes and like $1 in material opposed to have a poor fitting in-ear.

They can often average several scans of the impressions too, so sometimes sending mouth closed, mouth open etc can allow the software to get a good understanding of how the canal changes and take all that into account.

Eventually I think everyone will move to just putting a scanning probe into the canal and it will 3D map the canal directly, so no need to squirt the impression stuff etc, but those systems aren’t too common place and expensive
 
How do to the two compare in terms of hygiene / cleaning?

Both are fine but as silicon can sometimes get little tears and stuff you can end up with some little crevices that sweat and bacteria get into and just isn’t easy to clean. Hard mold don’t really have those issues and you can wipe them down pretty easily. They also make various driers with things like UV lights etc but generally overkill unless your managing some chronic ear issues like a perforation etc.

Generally just wipe off after use and store in a dry place and nothing too gross will grow. Take them out sweat soaked, put into a pocket on some damp jeans and leave them balled up on the floor for a week and those things will be pretty funky lol
 
lqdsnddist Thanks for responding. Hmm wonder where I would go to get that fancy 3D scan. Was my understanding most companies still did the old fashion method of doing a casting of the ear then dip that in wax to obtain a tight fit, then make a mold of that casting. Pour liquid acrylic into that mold to coat it. pour off excess and cure under UV light to create the finished shell. Pour another flat disc with company logo for the outside cap. Drill the shell for the speaker tube outlets and cable connection. Grind the outside edge of the shell to a flat surface to mount the cap on. Install components, test and glue the cap on, trim and polish.

Think Ive cork sniffed every video on YouTube on the subject. IEM's I have are from a local to my state company that advertised a pretty quick turnaround, 4-6 weeks and the cheapest of any company I researched. Any company thats doing 3D scans and computer component layouts I'm sure would be out of my bar band price range and many others as well.
 
Well, I took the plunge and ordered a Sensaphonics silicone IEM when I was at NAMM.
Should be here soon, I’m really hoping this works out.
 
@toneseeker911 Let us know how you like them.
I’ve been using the sensaphonics 2Max for about 2 weeks now. They are bigger than the UEs, a little more difficult to wedge in and look considerably uglier.
However - the isolation is fantastic. I can finally hear our bass player and the keyboards. I actually need to add a healthy amount of drums in my IEMs due to the isolation. And I’ve reworked my axe fx presets to cut out the excessive bass I had earlier.

If I do make an extreme stank face, I can feel the seal opening up a bit, but it goes right back once I’m done looking like a fool.

Highly recommend them !
 
After about 8 months of use, through many rehearsals and shows, I highly recommend them.
Very accurate reproduction, extremely good seal and isolation.
NAMM is around the corner and if you’re there, they sell them at a discount and will take your ear impressions right there.
I have no affiliation with them, just a very happy customer.
 
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