[radekhulan]

Got mine few days ago.
My first CIEMs...
They are wonderful fit, very comfortable (except when being taken out, that does takes some practise).
They replaced my (old) Shure SE530, and have much better bass, definition, and details, and are about on par with clarity.
Bad thing is I cannot listen now to my other headphones, Sony WH1000XM3, as they sound muddy and unrevealing.
Also, FIBAE 4 has even better (passive) noise cancellation than active one found in Sony's.
Samsung S10+ phone (EU model) with Cirrus Logic CS47L93 audio codec and two CS35L40 amps can drive them nicely, using Tidal w/ MQA as streaming source.
So, my first CIEMs, but definitely not last ones

 

[wizrad]

Got mine few days ago.
My first CIEMs...
They are wonderful fit, very comfortable (except when being taken out, that does takes some practise).

They look awesome! Thanks for sharing some photos and initial impressions, the more I hear about them the more excited I am to get my pair!
These will be my first customs as well, can you explain more what you mean about taking them out? I'm not really sure what to expect.

 

[radekhulan]

They are inserted deep into your ear canals. You put them in with slight rotation, while pushing them into your ears, so it is a bit difficult to take them out, as there is basically no grip, complete earpiece is placed inside your ear. So unless you want to pull them out by the cable (which you shouldn't), it does require some practise and takes few seconds. About 10 seconds for me

I use Sony WH1000XM3 in office, they are wonderful when you have to speak to people, just hold your hand on right earpice, and microphones will record outside sound and play it for you.

When you have CIEMs inserted, you better not speak with people.

 

[davidmolliere]

Actually with the Black which should have a very similar fit it’s not as bad as this for me, more one second per ear than 10 seconds but you can’t pull straight out for sure I have to put them out with a rotation as well. I use them as the office as I’ll do for the FIBAE 4. Depends how often you need to listen/speak with people, not a blocker for me...

 

[radekhulan]

It definitely is a subjective issue, depending on shape of your ears as well how your ear impressions were made.
However, it is not a problem for me, just something I have to take into account, and must be common for all CIEMs, not FIbae 4 specific.
Btw, 10 seconds for both ears, not one

 

[chortya]

Got mine few days ago.
My first CIEMs...
They are wonderful fit, very comfortable (except when being taken out, that does takes some practise).
They replaced my (old) Shure SE530, and have much better bass, definition, and details, and are about on par with clarity.
Bad thing is I cannot listen now to my other headphones, Sony WH1000XM3, as they sound muddy and unrevealing.
Also, FIBAE 4 has even better (passive) noise cancellation than active one found in Sony's.
Samsung S10+ phone (EU model) with Cirrus Logic CS47L93 audio codec and two CS35L40 amps can drive them nicely, using Tidal w/ MQA as streaming source.
So, my first CIEMs, but definitely not last ones

Interesting comparison of the noise cancelation. I actually also own same Sony headphones and really liked the ANC during multiple Asia flights. Is it actually possible to use over ear headphones on top of the CIEMs? This would mean ultimate noise canceling and best possible sound quality.

 

[kendosperling]

Interesting comparison of the noise cancelation. I actually also own same Sony headphones and really liked the ANC during multiple Asia flights. Is it actually possible to use over ear headphones on top of the CIEMs? This would mean ultimate noise canceling and best possible sound quality.

Thats indeed possible...done that and liked it

 

[meringo]

I'd assume most of the pre-orders are like a month away from completion? Seeing the first set show up here on head-fi has me checking for updates daily now.

 

[wizrad]

That makes sense, I have rather small ears but I'm not sure about my canal shape so I'll just have to find out when they get here! Good tip on the twisting, I'll definitely try that. I spend a good few seconds putting universals in to get a deep insertion, so I can't imagine it will be much worse than I am used to.
Thanks for the insight guys!

 

[davidcotton]

They look awesome! Thanks for sharing some photos and initial impressions, the more I hear about them the more excited I am to get my pair!
These will be my first customs as well, can you explain more what you mean about taking them out? I'm not really sure what to expect.

Do a search on youtube. There's a video called inserting your custom iem that will demonstrate it nicely.

 

[BiggieBig]

yeah I was advised by audiologist it takes some getting use to. you open wide and then twist the IEM into position.
Also a good idea to put olive oil in your ears to prevent wax build up and stop them from drying out which also helps.

 

[davidcotton]

yeah I was advised by audiologist it takes some getting use to. you open wide and then twist the IEM into position.
Also a good idea to put olive oil in your ears to prevent wax build up and stop them from drying out which also helps.

You can also get this stuff called Audiclean which is just water basically. Use it twice a week which helps keep the wax down a bit.

 

[davidmolliere]

It definitely is a subjective issue, depending on shape of your ears as well how your ear impressions were made. However, it is not a problem for me, just something I have to take into account, and must be common for all CIEMs, not FIbae 4 specific.
Btw, 10 seconds for both ears, not one

It’s not common to all CIEMs, both my VE8 and Phantom have a shallower and looser fit I think Custom Art has deep and tight fit which is great for isolation
My FIBAE 4 are due mid April, can’t wait!

 

[davidcotton]

When you have CIEMs inserted, you better not speak with people.

My jobs really annoying like that. I can either have a day when not a lot of people come up to me and ciems are fine, or like just lately have them come up every half hour or so when it gets annoying

 

[wizrad]

You can also get this stuff called Audiclean which is just water basically. Use it twice a week which helps keep the wax down a bit.

The YouTube video made it really clear, I don't know why I didn't think to look there -- thanks!
I'll keep the Audiclean in mind when they arrive, I don't have much trouble with wax but it's good to know!

My jobs really annoying like that. I can either have a day when not a lot of people come up to me and ciems are fine, or like just lately have them come up every half hour or so when it gets annoying

That's really rough man - random interruptions absolutely slaughter productivity, it's so hard to regain concentration...
My workplace has an unspoken "headphone rule", where they're basically a "do not disturb" sign and usually you'll get an email instead unless it's urgent (or it's one of the few jerks that don't respect the rule).