Custom3 vs Super.fi 5Pro for smaller ear canals

[Tommy Boy]

Hello All,

I just returned to vendor my first IEMs, UE Super.fi 5Pros. The sound was excellent but the fit was, in a word, painful. I found myself exerting a large amount of pressure just to jam them in my ears, even while employing the smallest tips. Needless to say they caused a good deal of discomfort while in my ears and burning/tingling after removal. So my question is about the size of the Custom3 in relation to the 5Pro. Can anyone verify that the Custom3s are smaller in diameter?

One other question: will all IEMs give me the 'thud' and 'thump' of each walking or running step when wearing them? Thanks for all feedback.

Tommy Boy

[BuyOtherSoundEquipment]

The earphone tip itself is extremely small. Custom 3s depend upon ear gels of varying sizes to give a sort of "custom" fit to your ears. I use the large double flange and they disappear in my ears after just a few minutes. All that I feel in my ears is sound. Granted, it takes time to get comfortable with them. They come with gels in a variety of sizes, the smallest of which look like they could fit a little toddler's ears. They have a "flex wire" which bends over the ear and lends to an even more natural fit. As for the "microphonics" or the noise transmitted in your ears from the cable. The cable is cloth covered which reduces that sort of noise. With the music off it is obvious, but when you turn on the tunes, any other noise effectively disappears.

Oh, And the sound. It is unlike anything I have ever heard in an earphone. There though, MP3 file quality makes a HUGE difference.

I say go for them. Best earphones I've ever owned.

[BLSamuel]

Actually, the cloth covered cable is noisier than a rubbery one such as used on the Image models. My understanding is the cloth covered cables were not used on the Image models due to the cloth being even more sensitive to cable noise. The cloth is really nice though in that it helps keep the cable from getting tangled up as easily and has a very nice look and feel.

I think Tommy Boy might also be experiencing noise other than cable noise. When I get up from my desk at work and take my mp3 player with me, I experience "thud" and "thump" sounds while walking that seem different than noise transferred up the cables though that could be most if not all of the source. The Image models really transmit cable noise if one just taps on the cable as an example and if it hits any body parts etc. Cable noise can be minimized by cinching the cable to the back of your head. When I walk it seems more that the sound is coming through my body? Maybe similar to chewing food with my 'phones in.

Klipsch also has extra small tips available though they have to be requested from customer service. I orignally didn't think they'd have much use with the Custom models but our 14 year old daughter prefers them with my Custom 2. I use the largest single flange gels in my Custom 2 and even after several months they're still not as comfortable as I'd hoped for but very tolerable ... and that's with overly sensitve itchy ears.

For maximum comfort, you might want to consider the Image X10 or the newer Image X5. The Image X10 is extremely tiny and insanely comfortable and easy to get a proper seal. The Image X5 is still very small but not as tiny as the X10. The body of the X5 is a bit larger than the aforementioned extra small gels and when trying them out at the Pilgrimage with our 14 year old daughter she couldn't use the Image X5 as she said the body was too big. Soundwise, the Image X10 have bass similar to the Custom 3 but the Image X5 have highs closer to the Custom 3 though in my brief audition don't seem to be lacking in bass compared to my Custom 2 or even the Image X10.

Be warned though that cable noise is going to be more of a problem with the Image models and if you do a lot of walking or running the Custom 3 would probably be the best choice and is the best sounding. I mostly use my Custom 2 at my desk so really wish the Image X5 would've come out earlier as I couldn't justify the Image X10 initially but might have been able to get the more affordable Image X5. I actually prefer the sound of the Image X5 over the X10. Both sound awesome and I can't say that I'm disappointed in the sound of the Custom 2 as they also sound incredible

I've never actually tried the Custom 3 as the Image X10 and X5 are so much more comfortable to me. When I first tried the Image X10, at that time called the IMAGE in prototype form, I got a great seal and could almost forget I had 'em in my ears except for the incredible sound. Still not that used to my Custom 2 which I often use several hours a day at work.

There are a lot of posts here if you want to research more. To see them, you'll have to go to the headphones section and click on options and set to display all posts as the default is the latest 2 months.

Please let us know what you decide and your impressions.