[EagleWings]

Hello,
 
I am looking for a good overall Silicone Shell Custom-IEM in the $800 range with the following sound characteristics:
Warm and Musical Sound, Punchy Bass, Good Detail & Clarity with smoothness and not being sibilant, Good Soundstage (Wide and Deep).
 
Preferably a US based company with good customer support.
 
I currently own a Sennheiser IE80 and I am really happy with it. Although, on certain tracks it makes me feel it lacks detail & clarity and can sound too warm. So I am looking for something that is warm but not as warm as the IE80. An upgrade in terms of detail and clarity. I like the Bass and Soundstage on the IE80 already. I listen to all types of music so the IEM should be a good all-rounder.
 
I am leaning towards Shure SE846. As I do not have the option of demo-ing IEMs, I have to play it safe and SE846 seems to be a safe bet. But I just want to see if there is something available in the Custom IEM world that might be better than the SE846.
 
Thanks for your help!

 

[kaye23]

For silicone CIEMs from US based companies, I can only think of Sensaphonics, but I haven't looked that much into silicone CIEMs.
 
If you're open to non-silicone CIEMs from US based companies, 1964 Ears and Aurisonics are 2. I'm currently waiting on a pair of 1964 Ears A12s and so far I've had a good experience with them, and from what I've read a lot of people say positive things about their support. Aurisonics, I believe, are one of the few that do CIEMs with BA and dynamic drivers.

 

[EagleWings]

Thanks for your reply. Other than Sensaphonics, even Noble Audio makes silicone IEMs. But, the problem is, I haven't heard much about these companies' products  (except for Noble's K10) and I don't know where to start. Given the situation, I am not sure which of their headphones under $800 have a warm sound.
 
Funny thing is, before I settled on the SE846, I did consider 2 IEMs. 1964 Ears V8 and Aurisonics AS2.5. The 2 brands you just mentioned. But I thought if I bought a Custom IEM and I didn't like the sound then it would be disaster. That is the reason why I initially ditched the idea of CIEM and landed on SE846. But I wanted to give one last try by seeking some advise here about CIEMs. 
 
So if there aren't any silicone CIEMs that might suit my tastes I just might look into 1964 V8 (based on what you say, looks like 1964 are definitely good) before pulling the trigger on something.

 

[kaye23]

If you're considering the V8, you may want to look into the A4 as well. From what I've read, some people have been recommended going for an A series at the same price for the ADEL module even though you lose drivers.

 

[EagleWings]

Thanks for letting me know. After some initial reading about ADEL, I thought it was just a gimmick. After reading some more yesterday evening from people who have actually experienced Adel, it looks like it is not a gimmick after all. Apparently it really opens up the soundstage. And also I read review here on A12 and apparently the person got the default Adel knob which did not work out well. So he spoke to people at 1964 ears and got it replaced with Manual Adel knob. And apparently he loves the IEM now. 
 
I also read a review on Reddit on A4 and apparently the bass bleeds into the mids and sometimes even into the treble, which I would like to avoid. So may be I will just save up some more $$ for the A8 in case I am not finding any good silicone options. 
 
Thanks for your help. Could you please let me know how your A12 performs once you receive it?