(Initial review) I received the beautifully packaged Euphoria CIEM's yesterday (in March). A magnetically sealed big custom box with foam lined compartments for the monitors, carrying tin, zippered bag and box of accessories and my returned impressions. All very regal and posh looking. I put them in my ears and they felt like they locked right in. My anticipation of finally being able to hear my bass thru the mix after spending nearly $1200 on a solution was unprecedented. I plugged them into the same source that I'd been experimenting with my old IEMs and a few non-custom models, all with disappointing results because they just wouldn't seal to let me hear the bass. I switched on "Caught Up in You" which has been my comparison track. Fairly good bass response in the left, weak in the right. Put my fingers on both and pressed in hard - fantastic bass in both ears! I let go and they went back to the way they were. I can't play a bass and use both hands to hold these things in my ears to get the seal I need to hear what I'm playing. Disappointed would be an understatement for such a huge investment that I obviously cannot return. I ordered some "Comply Soft Foam Wraps" in hopes they may improve the seal, but I am not holding my breath.
UPDATE: After submitting the above review, InEarz contacted me and told me to send them back! Evidently they have a "we'll redo it until they're right" policy, which I would have known had I read the entire product description. So I did, with the foam strips attached as they in fact did fix the seal problem. I thought that might give the InEarz folks a better clue as to what to adjust. Long story short, a few weeks later they came back and when I put them in the room went silent. Completely silent. I had high-end 5 driver Westones for a decade and I honestly didn't think a pair of CIEMs could do that. Then I plugged them in. I have a home studio with excellent monitors attached. I A/B tested these CIEMs against my studio monitors. The CIEMs sounded better, delivering bass that heretofore was only possible by adding a subwoofer. But - that wasn't the acid test. I took them along to a few gigs, each with wildly different acoustics. With the Westones, I could hear my bass, but it was always thin and lacked body until I stepped right to the edge of the stage, then the 18" subwoofers would fill in the low end. With these InEarz, it didn't matter where I stood or which venue we were at, the full bodied tone of my Dingwall 6 string was there...FINALLY!
These are the 6 driver Euphoria CIEMs. InEarz makes CIEMs with more drivers, but honestly if you play bass live in a band that has no backline amplification and everyone in the band is using IEMs (as is more often than not required anymore in venues like casinos), these will give you the sound you need to hear your instrument in balance with everything else.
Richard
"The Driving Force Band", Dayton OH
