4 ms·

What's crazy is you can go get tampons jammed in your ears, have an audiologist fill them with silicon goop, send said silicon off to a high end company, and th

What's crazy is you can go get tampons jammed in your ears, have an audiologist fill them with silicon goop, send said silicon off to a high end company, and they'll mail you back the finest of IEMs your ears will ever hear for less than this. They're so comfortable and natural feeling you'll forget they're in... All for less than $400 all in. Pro tip, if you're a Costco member the impressions are already paid for in your membership. Or if you know somebody that'll let you in the store.... But there's a fatal flaw. These glorious masterpieces that fit your body perfectly come with a horrific subatomic nanotechnology called 1/8" jack. And while all phones are thicker than that, one cannot simply set that example for children. Please think of the children. Also Alclair audio makes some dank shit for half the price. They'd love your business.

rattray 6y ago
What is an IEM? Can you share URLs to some recommended vendors of the products you're talking about?
- lesdeuxmagots 6y ago
  In Ear Monitors
- floatingatoll 6y ago
  Find your nearest “audiologist” or “audiology center” and ask them if they do “ear impressions for custom-fit in-ear monitors and earplugs”. Do not buy headphones until you’ve discussed your product choice with them. You may find that they can be fit correctly but will have a huge unsightly bulge outside the ear canal. They will usually have Opinions, as it’s their job. Know your price range. There’s no other way to do it but to go somewhere in person and have a cup of liquid goo poured into each of your ears by a trained professional. (Do not try this at home, etc.) They will send the molds off to be fit into your earphones, which either you’ll buy new from them or turn over to the audiologist at impressions time. You can also use the mold to produce musician’s earplugs that are transparent and have swappable filters that have different dB reductions. I use my -9dB pair for parties so I can hear better. I assume they keep the mold on file for a little while, in case of fit issues or whatever, but it’s been a decade since I last went so I don’t imagine they still have it. (Who knows, though!) When you have them in hand, turn your volume way down and be very, very careful with them. You are sticking these deeper into your ear than headphones have ever gone before. You can go deaf very rapidly. If your phone has a volume limit setting, enable it and turn it the lowest point (75dB on iPhone). If you’re constantly wishing it was louder after a day or two, raise it 5dB and wait a bit longer. The audiologist will make scary comments about risk of hearing damage, and give you a hearing test to see how you’re doing beforehand. Listen to them. It’s deadly serious stuff.
- exabrial 6y ago
  IEMs are very-high-end personal monitors that are custom molded to your body to fit perfectly in your ear canal. Your ear canals on your left and right side are different sizes and shapes, so you'll have quite a bit of difference between them. Most importantly, rather than using speakers like headphones, they use a technology called balanced armature drivers which have incredible properties. An example manufacturer is https://alclair.com https://alclair.com I have two sets of theirs, one for master studio tracks, and another for live music that's more geared for guitar and bass playing. They block out nearly all outside noise, some up to 28db of protection, which is wonderful.
syntaxing 6y ago
Second to the request, do you have a link to that Costco deal?
- exabrial 6y ago
  I just walked in the store with a friend's membership and told the nice lady what I wanted to do. She happily obliged.
ogre_codes 6y ago
> All for less than $400 all in. I love the endless comparisons to products which don't actually compete with these or even the AirPods. If you are looking at AirPods Max, your tampon headphones aren't remotely in the running for no other reason than they are wired. That's without even looking at the other features of the headset. Good bluetooth headphones finally have completely destroyed my willingness to wrestle with cables.
- jakeva 6y ago
  Not to mention the better than Bluetooth things Apple are doing. Seamlessly switching between devices, etc. I, for one, have never wanted form fitting ear buds more than a good wireless experience.
  - ogre_codes 6y ago
    I would love both, but AirPods are close enough on fit for me personally (lucky) that I can wear them on long mountain bike rides. Any kind of wired headphone gets caught on a branch or my hand or something else catches on. Obviously the AirPods Max aren't coming on any bike rides either, but when I'm at my desk I prefer over ear headphones or speakers. (But I'm probably not buying the Max either)
- exabrial 6y ago
  Just curious, have you ever had IEMs made?
  - ogre_codes 6y ago
    It is a cool idea in concept and when I was flying I looked into getting some. As I mention above, wires are a no-go for me at this point. Both while coding at my desk (where I would use something like the Max) and while out and about riding my bike, they are too big of a headache.
cactus2093 6y ago
Yeah you can also get a TV for under $400. You could get a decent hotel for the weekend in many places for under $400 all-in! You could adopt a puppy, or fall in love, for free. Why would anybody buy these headphones instead??!

rattray 6y ago

What is an IEM? Can you share URLs to some recommended vendors of the products you're talking about?

lesdeuxmagots 6y ago
In Ear Monitors
floatingatoll 6y ago
Find your nearest “audiologist” or “audiology center” and ask them if they do “ear impressions for custom-fit in-ear monitors and earplugs”. Do not buy headphones until you’ve discussed your product choice with them. You may find that they can be fit correctly but will have a huge unsightly bulge outside the ear canal. They will usually have Opinions, as it’s their job. Know your price range. There’s no other way to do it but to go somewhere in person and have a cup of liquid goo poured into each of your ears by a trained professional. (Do not try this at home, etc.) They will send the molds off to be fit into your earphones, which either you’ll buy new from them or turn over to the audiologist at impressions time. You can also use the mold to produce musician’s earplugs that are transparent and have swappable filters that have different dB reductions. I use my -9dB pair for parties so I can hear better. I assume they keep the mold on file for a little while, in case of fit issues or whatever, but it’s been a decade since I last went so I don’t imagine they still have it. (Who knows, though!) When you have them in hand, turn your volume way down and be very, very careful with them. You are sticking these deeper into your ear than headphones have ever gone before. You can go deaf very rapidly. If your phone has a volume limit setting, enable it and turn it the lowest point (75dB on iPhone). If you’re constantly wishing it was louder after a day or two, raise it 5dB and wait a bit longer. The audiologist will make scary comments about risk of hearing damage, and give you a hearing test to see how you’re doing beforehand. Listen to them. It’s deadly serious stuff.
exabrial 6y ago
IEMs are very-high-end personal monitors that are custom molded to your body to fit perfectly in your ear canal. Your ear canals on your left and right side are different sizes and shapes, so you'll have quite a bit of difference between them. Most importantly, rather than using speakers like headphones, they use a technology called balanced armature drivers which have incredible properties. An example manufacturer is https://alclair.com https://alclair.com I have two sets of theirs, one for master studio tracks, and another for live music that's more geared for guitar and bass playing. They block out nearly all outside noise, some up to 28db of protection, which is wonderful.

syntaxing 6y ago

Second to the request, do you have a link to that Costco deal?

exabrial 6y ago
I just walked in the store with a friend's membership and told the nice lady what I wanted to do. She happily obliged.

ogre_codes 6y ago

> All for less than $400 all in. I love the endless comparisons to products which don't actually compete with these or even the AirPods. If you are looking at AirPods Max, your tampon headphones aren't remotely in the running for no other reason than they are wired. That's without even looking at the other features of the headset. Good bluetooth headphones finally have completely destroyed my willingness to wrestle with cables.

jakeva 6y ago
Not to mention the better than Bluetooth things Apple are doing. Seamlessly switching between devices, etc. I, for one, have never wanted form fitting ear buds more than a good wireless experience.
- ogre_codes 6y ago
  I would love both, but AirPods are close enough on fit for me personally (lucky) that I can wear them on long mountain bike rides. Any kind of wired headphone gets caught on a branch or my hand or something else catches on. Obviously the AirPods Max aren't coming on any bike rides either, but when I'm at my desk I prefer over ear headphones or speakers. (But I'm probably not buying the Max either)
exabrial 6y ago
Just curious, have you ever had IEMs made?
- ogre_codes 6y ago
  It is a cool idea in concept and when I was flying I looked into getting some. As I mention above, wires are a no-go for me at this point. Both while coding at my desk (where I would use something like the Max) and while out and about riding my bike, they are too big of a headache.

cactus2093 6y ago

Yeah you can also get a TV for under $400. You could get a decent hotel for the weekend in many places for under $400 all-in! You could adopt a puppy, or fall in love, for free. Why would anybody buy these headphones instead??!