Basic Guide to In-Ear-Canalphones

[Disclaimer] This guide might contain errors that I (the writer) dont know about. This guide
is only meant to provide general and helpful information for newbie who newly venture into
the canalphones world. Also note that some information with in this guide are copied or
modified from Etymotic, Shure, Headwize, Headroom, Ultimate Ears, Westone, and
Wikipedia website. I do not reference all of them in the article, but links to the original page
have all been listed at the end. The credit goes to the original writer/companies for providing
the information online and free. Thanks.

What is an In-Ear-Canalphone?
In-Ear-Canalphone, also known as canalphone, ear-canalphone, ear-canal headphone, or In-
Ear-Monitor (IEM), is a type of Inter Aural headphone that is designed to be used where the
users ear canal is sealed by the phone. The seal generally serves two functions: 1) blocks
noise and 2) forms a sealed acoustic chamber to achieve a fuller sound. To create such as a
seal, the earphones nozzle along with its tip (or sleeve) is inserted into the front part of the
ear canal. Many high end canalphones are custom molded for comfort and perfect seal.

Is it a canalphone or an IEM?
Due to its great portability, high sound quality and noise blocking ability, specially tuned
(and often custom molded) canalphones have been used on stage very early on by musicians
and audio engineers alike. These canalphones are part of the In-Ear-Monitor-System (IEMS),
which can be either wired or wireless. For the ease of naming, canalphones used in such
system are referred as IEM. Later, as canalphone manufacturer began to make high quality
canalphone available for the general consumer (iPod generation), the word IEM becomes
popular thus replacing canalphone as how we refer to all canalphones. Technically
speaking, only canalphones on an IEMS should be called an IEM. However, there is no hard
definition on the word IEM and it is easier for general consumer to use a simpler
terminology. Sometime IEM is also used only to refer to high quality canalphone. For the
purpose of this article, we will refer to all canalphones as IEM.

[Picture depicts a Westone UM2 as example showing the basic components of an IEM]

Page 1
I thought IEM/canalphone is also called 'earbud'?
No, IEM and earbud each refer to two different kinds of Inter Aural headphones.

Inter Aural headphone, or in-the-ear headphone, is sometime known as earphone. It refers to

headphone with transducer small enough to be placed / worn in the ear. The two major types
of inter aural headphone are earbud and canalphone.

[Picture of various types of earbuds]

Earbuds are worn in the opening of the ear, often just outside of the opening of ear canal.
They can have headband or clip-on to increase comfort, but they do not form an air-tight seal
to the ear canal as they are not intended to go into the ear canal.

[Picture of various types of IEM]

On the other hand, canalphones/IEM are intended to be partially inserted into the ear canal to
create an air-tight seal (reasons see first question).

The reason why so many websites mislabeled IEM as 'earbud' is simply because... they
don't know the differences.

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Why noise isolation and not Active Noise Cancellation?
Despite their larger size, ANC headphones do not always provide better noise reduction in
comparison to IEM. Also, many ANC headphones sound quality (SQ) is often found to be
second class at best (in comparison to the price you pay for them). In contrast, IEM provide
better noise reduction with out sacrificing SQ.

Here are some measurements taken from tests done at the Auditory Systems Lab at Virginia
Tech University on isolation vs. noise canceling. While all the Shures IEMs in the test
provide 29 dB ~ 37 dB of isolation, the result of ANC headphone are not as great as one
might believe:

Bose QC2 : 20dB (77% of ambient noise)

Sennheiser PXC-250: 11dB (58% of ambient noise)
Sony MDR-NC20 : 8 dB (40% of ambient noise)

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Transducer types
There are two major types of transducer being used on IEM: Dynamic and Balanced
Armature (BA) transducers.

[Picture of dynamic transducer]

Dynamic (moving coil) transducer is often found on low to entry class IEM due to their easy
availability and lower cost (relative to BA transducer). They commonly range from 8mm to
16mm in diameter. Dynamic transducer is known for their ability to create a more powerful
bass response since relatively more air is moved during sound reproduction. More air
movement means stronger bass sensation as we tend to feel more about low end bass than
actually hearing it. The downside of using dynamic transducer on IEM is its larger side. Also
worth noting, many big brand name manufacturers use dynamic transducer of relatively low
sound quality in their IEM, therefore you should avoid most of them as much as possible if
sound quality is your priority. Of course, there are also IEM manufacturers specialize in
producing high end dynamic transducer IEM, most noticeably Future Sonics, one of the very
first IEM manufacturers.

[Pictures of BA transducer]

BA transducer has the benefit of being really small, therefore you can easily find many IEM
maker using 2 or 3 BA transducers in each side of their phone. By dedicating at least one of
the BA transducer as a woofer, multi-ways IEM tend to perform better on bass than most
single-way BA transducer IEM. The use of multiple BA transducers partially solves the bass
problem as BA transducer moves a lot less air than dynamic transducer (and noticeably less
low end bass). The downside of BA transducer is its higher price tag.

There are also hybrid-IEMs (i.e. UE Super.fi 5 EB) that utilize both dynamic and BA
transducer together in order to have the best of both worlds. However, review of such type of
IEM often contains mixed opinion.

For more info about transducer, please visit wikipedia.

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Choosing the right eartips

[Eartips of various kinds. Visit this link for more detail]

Three types of eartips that can be commonly found on IEM: soft plastic (also known as
flanges or sleeves, often silicone or PVC based), foam, and custom hard acrylic mold
(there are soft silicone custom mold and hybrid hard/soft mold, but less common).

Soft plastic eartips have two versions: Universal and size-dependent. Universal soft plastic
eartips such as Etymotic tri-flanges and bi-flanges allows user to insert the eartips to a
suitable and often relatively deeper canal depth to create the seal (which sometime can be
seen as too intrusive to the user). Size-dependent soft plastic eartips such as Shure soft flex
sleeves have three sizes: small, middle, and large. User selects the size of the eartips based on
their comfort of the seal.

Beside custom mold, foam tips are generally being considered to be most comfortable and
provide a better seal. The tighter seal means foam tips tend to give a warmer, fuller and often
more enjoyable sound than soft plastic tips. Foam tips also have two versions: Universal (i.e.
Shure yellow foam) and size-dependent (Shure black foam). Most foam tips are not washable
and require replacement after a few weeks of use (see section: Cleaning and maintaining your
IEM and eartips).

Foam tips made by Comply are often considered to be the most comfortable. Comply also
manufacture different types of foam tips for different IEM. Unlike soft plastic tips, foam tips
are often nozzles diameter specific and can not be used on IEM with different nozzle
diameter (unless modification has been made).

Shure black foam is one of most popular foam tips in the market as they are quite
comfortable and designed to be user cleanable (see section: Cleaning and maintaining your
IEM and eartips). They are now made with dots on the bottom of the sleeve. 1 dot = small, 2
dots= medium, 3 dots= large. For real measurement, please read the following PDF file
provided by Shure.

Custom mold are commonly found on high-end IEM (or custom IEM) where the
transducers are part of the tips. However, custom molded tips can also be ordered to fit
universal IEM (IEM that are designed to use soft plastic or foam tips). Recently, custom IEM
has become more and more popular on mid-end IEM market too (like those found on
Livewire and FREQ). The biggest advantage of custom mold is its fit. Since the mold is
custom made to match each user, it ensures a perfect seal while providing the best comfort
and SQ (which is why many musicians prefer custom mold).

For visual reference of different IEMs' size, please visit this thread on Head-fi.org.

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Eartips size

[Picture shows UE's eartips of various sizes]

Choosing the correct tips size to use on IEM ensures a perfect seal, which in term translate to
comfortable and good sound quality.

Using a tip that is larger than needed often leaves user with burning sensation or pain in the
ear canal with in a very short period of use.

Using a tip that is smaller than needed will result in a weak seal or air / sound leakage. In
such situation, user will notice that bass is weaker than normal or not presented, and the IEM
tips will fall out from the ear canal very easily.

One should note that despites the best fit, inserting a foreign object into the ear canal
can feel very uncomfortable in the first few times. In order to overcome this issue,
choosing the right type of tips of the right size and a bit of patient is often needed.

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Eartips: Factors for comfort
We have talk about the importance of a perfect seal in regard of SQ and the basic design of
eartips, now we will discuss how other factors will affect comfort, mainly regarding flanges
using IEM (Foam tips generally dont get affected as much by the factors below as they are
often very soft and dont feel as intrusive).

Factor One: Shallow vs. Deep Insertion

Most single flanges IEM, noticeably those like EP-630 and CX300, allow user to fully insert
them shallowly (roughly 8~9mm fully inserted). The shallow insertion means less intrusion
and isolation, but more comfortable to the user. Most multiple flanges IEM will require user
to insert them deeply (>9mm fully inserted). Deep insertion means better seal thus more
isolation, but less comfortable.

Factor Two: Flanges Material

As the most commonly used eartips, soft plastic eartips can be made from silicone or PVC
with various thicknesses. Generally speaking, silicone is softer thus more comfortable than
PVC. Note that silicone tips dont all have the same hardness/sponginess.

Factor Three: Flanges Thickness

The rule is, the thinner the eartip the more comfortable it will be. However, thinner eartips
will provide less isolation.

Factor Four: Earpiece's Design

The earpiece that houses the transducer plays a role too. Basically, the smaller and lower
profiles the earpiece, the more comfortable it will be. This is why UE are often considered to
be uncomfortable as their Super.fi and Triple.fi series all have very large and extrusive
earpieces.

Here is how these factors affect comfort:

Example 1: UE single flange shallow insert, hard/spongy, thick, large earpiece = not so
comfortable, but OK isolation.

Example 2: CX300 single flange shallow insert, soft, thin, small earpiece = comfortable, but
less isolation.

Example 3: ER6i tri-flanges deep insert, soft, thick, small earpiece = not so comfortable,
but great isolation.

Example 4: SA6 bi-flanges - deep insert, soft w/ slightly spongy, mid thickness, small
earpiece = comfortable with great isolation.

Example 5: RE1 big bi-flanges - deep insert, variable softness, variable thickness, small
earpiece = very comfortable with good isolation

Remember: It takes time to get used to certain kind of eartips, therefore dont rush to
judgment. Even though personal preference plays a big role as what constitute comfort, it
often will change w/ time. My advice to you is, give both yourself and your IEM sometime
before calling it quit you might even fall in love w/ that you found to be uncomfortable at
first.

Page 7
How to use your IEM
For Insertion and Removal of Soft Plastic Eartips
View Earphone Insertion Video on Etymotics website.

Page 8
[Screen shots from Etymotic's website]

For best results, moisten the soft plastic eartips before insertion.
Using your right hand, grasp the eartips of the right IEM
With your left hand, pull up and back on your right ear to straighten your ear canal.
Carefully insert the right IEM so that it seals deeply and comfortably in your ear.
Repeat procedure for the left ear, using the left IEM..
Remove IEM slowly with a twisting motion to gradually break the seal.

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Foam Eartips
Make sure the shiny side of the foam tips will be facing your eardrum when inserted.

Compress the foam eartip by rolling it between your fingers.

With the opposite hand, pull up and back on your ear to straighten your ear canal.
Carefully insert the foam tip into the ear canal, holding the IEM in place until the
foam expands to produce a seal.

Proper usage:

Set the volume control of the audio source to minimum.

Insert the 3.5mm IEM plug into the headphone jack.
Set the volume control to a comfortable listening level.
Using IEM while driving a motorized vehicle, operating machinery, bicycling or
jogging is not recommended, because you may not be alerted to potential danger.
Do not use the IEM at excessively loud levels (see more at section: IEM and Health).
Do not pull on the cord to remove it from the jack or the ear.
Avoid bending the barrel of the cord.

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Cleaning and maintaining your IEM and eartips
Maintaining a clean set of IEM will keep your eartips lasting longer and provide a better seal.
First of all, remember that there is no better way to keep an IEM clean than cleaning your ear
canal regularly (more on section: IEM and Health)

For universal IEM: If at any time the eartips does not maintain a grip on the earphone nozzle,
discard the tips, clean the IEM nozzle and replace the tips with a new set. If one or both side
of the IEM stop working or has reduced volume, change the IEMs filter (see note 1) or clean
the nozzle opening with the provided tool.

For custom IEM, clean the acrylic shell of the IEM with tissue and make sure the nozzle isnt
blocked by earwax after every use.

Clean the tips and cable when needed (at least once a month). If you exercise with your IEM,
you should clean the cable and tips more frequently, especially areas of the cable that come in
contact with your skin. This will ensure the longevity of the cable and prevent from skin oil
interacting with the cable.

Do not use alcohol-based cleaners or those that contain bleach. A damp paper towel with
mild soap will suffice. To clean the tips, remove it from the IEM first. To do this, grasp the
tips between your thumb and index finger, and twist and pull the tips from the nozzle. Do not
pick at the tips as it may cause it to tear.

Remember, IEM's cable, like any cable, will eventually harden up and crack. The more care
you put on your IEM, the longer it will last. However, different manufacturer use cable of
different quality - some seems weak but actually strong, some seems strong but crack easily.
In the long run, a user replaceable cable is better non-replaceable, and sometime, replaceable
cable can actually make a difference in SQ.

Carefully clean the IEM housing and nozzle to remove any wax or oil residue. Be careful not
to let any moisture enter the nozzle opening. If moisture does enter the IEM it may not
perform properly. If moisture does cause one or both IEM to function at reduced level, leave
the IEM out of their carrying case in a dry, well-ventilated area, which should allow the
moisture to evaporate in 24 to 48 hours.

Soft plastic tips should be washed in warm soapy water when they become oily or dirty. Un-
washable foam tips should be discarded if they become dirty, dry out, or no longer compress
and expand fully (see note 1). Shure black foam tips (known as Shure olives among head-
fier, introduced in spring 2007) can be washed by simply wiping off any debris from the
outside of the tips with a warm, damp paper towel.

ALWAYS lets the IEM and tips completely dry before placing the tips back on the IEM.
Make sure that the tips slides all the way on to the base of the IEMs nozzle (past the nozzle
bump if there is one.)

Note 1: Experiment done by Head-fier has shown that by gently dipping the foam in
pharmacys grade peroxide solution (also know as eardrop, often used for dissolving earwax)
for a short period of time (15 minutes or so) can partially clean the foam and extend its
lifespan. The same principle applies to user removable filter and earwax clot on nozzle
opening.

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Static Electricity Discharge through IEM
It is possible to experience a static electricity discharge though IEM.

In a cold climate with low humidity, it is easy to build up a static charge on one's body. The
cable that carries the audio signal from the headphone jack to the IEM has metallic wire
inside. This wire is also a path to ground through which the static charge can travel. Though
one's ears are touching the plastic parts of the IEM, there is metallic wire inside. A static
charge often has a high enough voltage to leap from one's ear to the metal inside of the IEM,
discharging the static electricity via the cable and into the device playing the audio signal,
e.g., CD player or MP3 player. The amount of electrical current in such a static discharge is
not harmful, though the discharge itself can startle.

It is important to note that such static discharges are "acts of nature" and do not indicate that
one's IEM are defective. Nor will the static discharge cause harm to the IEM.

Does "burn in" or "break in" IEM necessary?

The general consensus is, BA transducer(s) IEM doesnt benefit (much) from burn-in. Some
dynamic IEM does show sign of improvement after a period of burn-in. The effect of burn-in
is often different from model to model, brand to brand, opinion to opinion. It is still debate
among headphone user whether burn-in is helpful or even existed. However, since burn-in is
generally regarded to be safe, it should be too much of a problem if one does burn-in his/her
IEM.

The very basic IEM burn-in process consists of playing music, white noise or pink noise on a
volume slightly lower than the normal listen volume for 50 to 100 hours. Of course, you can
listen to the music for 50 to 100 accumulative hours to achieve the same effect.

Do a search in the Head-fi.org forum regarding individual IEM for more information.

Is headphone amp necessary for IEM?

Some IEM do need an amp to shine, but not all.

Less sensitive IEMs, such as Etymotic ER4S and Head-direct RE1, often require an amp to
function at its best. However, most IEM in the market do not need any amp to reach their full
potential, even when amplifying (amping) sometime does show sign of slight improvement
on SQ. It is more of a personal choice than a strict requirement in this case.

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12
Microphonic and Bone Conduction
Two of the most common complaints from new IEM user are microphonic (or cable noise)
and bone conduction. Microphonic is the phenomenon where the IEM user can hear noise
(caused by IEMs cable brushes against clothing or another object) transmitted by the cable
into the IEM. Bone conduction is the phenomenon where the IEM user can hear noise
(caused by body motion such as eating and walking) transmitted with in the body. Both of
these phenomenons are the side effect of sealing the ear canal and forming an acoustic
chamber that enhance such noise.

Microphonic can be grounded by wearing the IEM in over-the-ear style (cable loops on top
and over the ear) or using a shirt-clip to stop the sound transmission. Some companies offer
better cable that doesn't exhibit microphonic as much. Bone conduction can be limited by
stop eating and walking softly (changing shoe). In the end, most users will get used to both
and eventually forget about them.

Hissing / Sibilance
Sometime IEM user can hear a background electrical noise from their source when the
volume is low; it is know as 'hissing' or 'sibilance'. Most IEM are very sensitive therefore it is
easy for them to pick up electrical noise that generally other headphone will ignore. There is
no actual fix for this issue, but sometime adding a inline resistor (to increase the impedance
and lowering the sensitivity) seems to work. Also, certain source (such as one type of HDD
based iPod) is known to produce more electrical noise.

Sometime, IEM with highlighted 1 kHz ~ 10 kHz region in sound freq. is also referred as
being 'sibilance'. The problem is, these kind of IEM produce very sharp sounding treble that
are often found to be very irritating and uncomfortable for long term listening. This kind of
sound is most commonly noticed in female vocal presentation. Due to the fact that every
body has a difference hearing freq. resp., some IEM will sound sibilance to many while
completely fine to others. There is no real fix on this issue; equalizing (EQing) is perhaps
one of the most effective solutions.

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IEM and Health
IEM is often mistaken as a kind of health hazard which responsible for hearing loss and ear
infection. The fact is, IEM is very safe when properly used.

First, you need to understand that listening music at loud volume over time can damage your
hearing, regardless of what kind of headphone (or speaker) you used. The advantage of using
an IEM is that you can turn your volume down since you do not need excess volume to
overcome ambient noise. The lower volume used in IEM means IEM is actually much safer
than using earbuds or headphones in a noisy environment. Do not think that IEM will cause
damage to your hearing as it is closer to your eardrum. As long as the volume is low, IEM is
just as safe as any headphone on the same volume (scientific references 1, 2)

Second, your body will respond to any object inserted into your ear canal by producing more
ear wax. It is a way for body to defend itself against foreign object and the increase of
bacterial population due to the sealed moist environment. Therefore it is recommended that
you occasionally remove your IEM during use to allow air circulation and canal well
relaxation (and for your middle/inner-ear to catch a break from the constant sound wave
bombardment). Cleaning your ear canal out of wax in regular interval is also recommended.
However, please ask your doctor on how to safely cleaning your earwax before attending to
do it yourself. Accidentally pushing earwax into the inside of your canal may result in
clotting or even infection (if the clot break you eardrum). In a case of ear infection, do not use
any kind of headphone. Visit a doctor immediately.

On extra note: human don't naturally expose to long period of noise, even in low sound
pressure level. Recent study done by WHO has suggested that although low noise
environment (as low as 45 ~ 55dB SPL) doesn't cause hearing loss, it does have negative
impact on human health. People who constantly expose themselves to low noise environment
are much easier to develop serious illness, both physically and mentally. It is my advise,
though might not based on any hard finding, that you should be caution when you decide to
listen to your music for a long period of time, even in low volume. We all love music, but it
doesn't mean we'll have to listen to it 24/7.

In short, please listen to your music at the minimum volume you need, keep your ear canal
and IEM clean, and dont listen to music continuously for too long. Remember: hearing loss
is irreversible, so please use common sense and take care of yourself.

For more info on hearing protection, visit Etymotic.

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In regard to IEMs' frequency response
Wonder why so many people tell you that IEM are very reveling and full of detail, yet most
IEM don't seem to go pass 16 kHz when you look at their frequency response? Here is the
reason:

Although human hearing range is listed at 20 Hz to 20000 Hz, most people can't actually (or
at least have difficulty) hear sound above 16 kHz, especially once you pass your twenty.
Don't worry about losing treble/detail over 16 kHz, as human tend to interpret sound b/w 5
kHz to 16 kHz as 'high' and most detail are actually on the lower region.

A headphone that is capable of producing sound over 16 kHz, 20 kHz or even 30 kHz doesn't
help if you can't hear it, unless you are planning to share your 'phone with your dog. So why
headphone manufacturers like to highlight the frequency response of their 'phone when they
know you can't hear it? Cause general consumer don't know the fact and often believe 'more
is better' with out realizing it is just a marketing trick.

Some of you might have read from else where that human, although can't hear sound beyond
20 kHz, can still feel the present of ultrasound (and the harmonic distortion caused by
ultrasound) and it does have a positive effect on SQ - This is true. However, giving that
almost all CD, lossy and lossless music produced these days have a cap on 20 kHz in
recording / encoding, plus most sources only equip with a 16bits DAC that ain't capable of
rendering sound beyond 20 kHz efficiently, we can safely conclude that most music we listen
these days doesn't come with any meaningful sound beyond 20 kHz that can be reproduced
by your headphone or IEM. If you want to listen to a recording that does include sound
beyond 20 kHz, you'll have to go back to analog record (LP) or get SACD or DVD-A, but
mind you, you'll still need equipments that capable of playing those sound back.

For a better understanding of which IEM is more detail, the best way is to read its review (or
better yet, an audition). Also, Headroom has done a great job in measuring headphone freq.
response, so you might want to have a look. Note that, although freq. resp. does tell us a bit
about how headphone (including IEM) might sound, it doesn't tell us how good it will sound.
When it comes to picking up a pair of headphone, your ears are much more trust worthy than
your eyes.

If you are interesting in learning more about frequency response, here is an article that might
provide you with more information.

Is IEM worth the money?

This is a question you need to answer yourself.

It is often found that, when paying the same amount of money, headphone provides better SQ
than IEM of the same price. However, IEM has certain advantage over headphone such as
noise isolation and portability that should also be considered. You need to get your priority
straight: Do you want the best in SQ, portability, or a bit of both? What, when, why, where,
how do you going to use your 'phone will determine whether an IEM is best for you or not.
Once the decision is being made, you need to figure out your budget limit. Do some research
in the head-fi.org forum, don't rush in and post a thread asking for recommendation - more
than often the question has been asked and those who have answered previously might not be
in the mood to answer the same question twice (or the tenth times).

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IEM's basic Pros and Cons
[+] Noise isolation = safer listening volume
[+] Portability with great SQ
[-] Maintenance required
[-] Narrow soundstage
[-] Price/Performance ratio is lower than large size headphone.
OK, I have a budget now, what class of IEM should I be looking of?
It is very difficult to divide IEM of different SQ (and sometime, their price) into different
classes. Here is my point of view:

For US$50 or less, you are looking at the Low Budget Class. Low budget class contents
dynamic IEMs that provide relatively small noise isolation (which often found to use single
flanges tips) and SQ slightly better (or on par) of iBud. Such class of IEM generally are found
to have very colored sound signature, bloated bass, harsh or no treble at all. In all, one can
define them as a pair of acceptably good earbud, but with isolation.

For $50 to $100, you are looking at Entry Class IEM. In this class, you will find mostly
dynamic IEM with better SQ and one-way BA transducer IEM. In such class, the SQ is
generally considered to be better than your average earbud and able to compete with sub-
$100 headphone.

For $100 to $300, you are looking for Middle Class IEM. In this class, you will find dynamic
and two-way BA transducers IEM worthy of being classified as audiophile's grade. You will
also find budget custom IEM in this class, and often they are found to be very good for their
price.

Beyond $300, you are looking at High End IEM. Many IEM in this class are two-ways or
above, offering SQ that can rival most big size headphones. If you really have that much
money to spend, a custom IEM in this class can easily costs over $1000.

Be warned of two things: First, many Low Budget and Entry Class IEM are often overpriced
by their manufacturers (to appear as a higher class), therefore judging them by price only will
not suffice. Second, price is often determined by demand, therefore you should not use it as
an absolute guide when buying an IEM. Sometime great IEM is undervalued, and sometime it
is overvalued. The best way of determine IEM's price/performance ratio is to read reviews,
and ask those who has more experience for advise.

Reminder: All of the above is just my point of view.

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How about Custom Molded IEM?

[One of the most expensive custom: UE11]

Generally speaking, custom molded IEM are very good in quality, but with a high price tag.
If you are not those who have an unlimited budget, budget custom like LiveWires or FreQ are
among some of the best budget custom IEM makers out there, providing quality product with
and advantage of custom yet cost very less than big name like UE.

A few things you might want to know before investing into Custom: 1) A good impression is
essential for a good fit. DIY impression kit is very simple to use, but often the impression
isn't as good as those from professional. Trying to save cost and time by using DIY kit
sometime will cost more time and money as you will need to redo the impression again and
again to get a good fit. 2) Unlike universal IEM, the product life cycle (how long you are
expected to use the product) of custom is quite short, often estimated to be less than 4 yrs.
The reason is, your ears will keep growing till you kick the dust, therefore your ears will
change in a couple of years thus render your custom useless as it isn't custom to your ear
anymore. You should expect to get a new custom every few years as many IEM companies
do not re-shell old IEM.

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So I am ready to get some serious IEM, which companies should I be looking
at?

If you believe you are ready to get into the serious (and often more expensive) part of the
IEM games, here are a few IEM manufacturers that you might want to pay more attention to
(with out any order):
Etymotic
Shure
Westone
Future Sonics
Ultimate Ears
Sleek Audio
JAYS
Head-Direct
Klipsch
Microsonic Music
LiveWires (custom only)
FreQ (custom only)
Sensaphonics (custom only)
Starkey (custom only)
Advanced Communication Solutions (custom only)

The above list is not exclusive. Other brand of IEM worthy of consideration (especially on
low budget) includes Audio-Technica, Sennheiser, JVC, Kenwood, Denon, V-moda and
CrossRoads. There will always be new and better IEM and manufacturers waiting for us to
discover, so check out the forum and our sponsor's webiste regularly.

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Reference:
Etymotic - ER4 Instructions For Use
Headroom - Ear Canal Headphones
Headwize - A Quick Guide To Headphones
Headwize - Judging Headphones For Accuracy
Shure - Isolation of Shure earphones and NRR rating
Shure - Diminished sound in one ear
Shure - Static Electricity Discharge through Headphones / Earphones?
Shure - Shure earphones and headphone amp?
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