Nice guess, your right. have been holding back for quite some time now and accumulating the funds to do it. Since I will definitely take the plunge sooner or later, decided to do it now and have a taste what the rage is all about with CIEM.
Whoa, first CIEM purchase and diving in straight for the HA 8.As already, thats quite a big gamble imo. I'm kinda curious, what top-tier universal IEMs you have owned so far previously, thats makes you so unsatisfied with them that you wanna jump straight for a flagship CIEM model right nw? Correct me if I'm wrong, but w/o understanding Heir Audio's sound sig since you can't demo them here in SG, hw would u know the 8.A's sound sig would be suitable/fitting for yr own listening preferences?
IMO, I would agree wholeheartedly with what garpew has mentioned earlier, starting small with mid-entry or top-tier universals would prolly let you understands whats the kind of sound sig you are after, and when the time comes when you feel its time to upgrade, you can always make the jump agn later by selling off yr universal monitors. I also believed I have mentioned this in one of the threads previously over at the Headphone/IEM section, but in rgds to CIEMs
they do not actually precede in terms of SQ performance in all area aspects, against most top-tier universal monitors on the market and according to some fellow forumers who had owned CIEMs they agreed with my sentiments, though I still have to emphasize as we all do hear things differently due to our unique ear anatomy/distortions found in each individuals, it may not apply to everyone here.
IMO would suggest that you give the thread below a serious read with an open heart, and nt just lurk ard those CIEM appreciation threads found on Head-fi, as there are usually quite a fair amount of shilling/overhyping of verbal stuff gg ard on such threads, and may not provide new CIEM buyers with a balanced insight into the world of CIEMs.
Personally, I do share alot of the same views/opinions made by Head-fier music_4321 regarding the CIEM topic as discussed on that discussion thread. 2-3 yrs back theres absolutely lotsa gd reasons to jump onboard to CIEM, cos they easily provide owners with removable cable options with excellent SQ and comes with decent isolation.
But today's situation in the real world is alot different compared to last time, most top-tier universal IEMs also come with removable cable options with increased durability, also at the same time offering excellent SQ with great isolation (although this is also subjective and debatable). In fact in terms of isolation, according to some of the local feedback by local owners here, CIEM does not necessarily provide the end-user with top notch isolation, prolly only at most 20%-30% more isolation factor than universals IEMs thats all.
Are (High-end) Custom IEMs Overrated?
P.S: I dont own customs myself, but having tried the demo units in local stores here and having owned quite a few top tier universals for awhile nw since I was into this hobby since 2005, I can say universal monitors have really progressed/advanced alot compared to the old days, that negates alot of requirements or purpose for having a CIEM. Also more drivers in an IEM doesnt always mean is better, what matters more is the cross-over implementation for the multi drivers and yr preferred sound sig you are seeking for.
Just sharing some of my own views rgding this matter hope no offense taken frm those CIEM owners ard here, but all that being said, if you do have the money and you prefer to have custom artwork on yr housing shells, I say why not? I think later this yr I also probably jumping ship liao, possibly gonna try out japanese company CanalWorks's CIEM.
