Firstly I would like to thank Custom Art for making these tips for a review.
*disclaimer: This sample was provided for the purpose of writing a review, no incentive was given to write a favourable review. All opinions expressed are my own subjective findings
https://thecustomart.com/shop/silicone-products/custom-iem-tips/
Packaging and Build Quality:
So I sent a digital scan of my ear impressions off to Custom Art and a few weeks later a little parcel arrived. Inside was a small clear plastic case that had the tips inside, they didn’t come in any retail packaging but to be fair these are custom tips and not a headphone so any additional packaging would have been wasted in my opinion. They are however well protected during shipping, but they are also made of soft silicone so they are durable.
The tips are very well made, Custom Art are using a 3D Printing technique to make these now and you can see the lines from the print on the inside. They are a lot more precise than some custom tips I have had in the past and they are expertly finished. Overall these are built to a very high tolerance and standard, the best I have seen personally.
Comfort and Isolation:
Being custom made, providing you have had a good set of ear impressions taken, you will find these tips to fit incredibly well and I cannot see anyone having comfort issues. The silicone is soft and takes a little time to get used to inserting, but once in place they disappear, even with the weight of the Andromeda on them.
Isolation is great, no issues here as they are solid silicone tips that seal well due to the custom nature of the fit.
Sound:
In an ideal world, custom tips should not change the sound signature of the IEM. Saying that though, all tips are different and there are a lot of factors to take into account, narrow or wide bore, silicone density and then you also have varying grades of memory foam tips. The Custom Art tips have quite a wide bore that curves to your ear canal, and should deliver the sound more directly without influence than most regular universal tips.
These were made to fit the Campfire Audio Andromeda but of course fit IEM’s with a similar nozzle and shape, and when in use I found the sound to be more detailed but there was a hint less body when compared to stock silicone and foam tips.
When using the Custom Art tips the Andromeda has an airy sound as it usually does, but there seems to be a little more micro-detail, bass hits are a little more controlled and tighter. The midrange is linear and the highs have slightly better extension. These don’t alter the sound massively, but the slight attenuation in the low end is slightly noticeable.
The main reason to get these is the comfort upgrade, you get a custom like fit whilst retaining resale value. Of course, they still don’t beat full custom monitors when it comes to comfort but they are a big upgrade over universal tips. They are also helpful if you have fit issues with most universal tips.
Sound Perfection Rating: 10/10 (Expertly crafted custom tips)