AZLA SednaEarfit XELASTEC Review - One of the best tips you can buy. But.
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 30 июл 2024
- Moin Moin and Hello Ladies and Gents!
Donspektor here, today with a review of the bit “other kind”. It is audio related but not exactly something I have done before. To be precise, I’m taking a closer look at the Azla Xelastec tips that come in at around 20$/€ for two pairs. And whether these are as good as some claim, let’s find out!
The full, written review can be found here:
docs.google.com/document/d/1f...
And as usual here are the timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:09 My 4 main factors of tip reviewing
2:28 Comfort
4:05 "Dirt magnet"
4:37 Available sizes
5:35 Isolation & Material thickness
6:30 Shaping sound
8:02 Additional factors
10:02 Verdict
My video about tip-rolling:
• IEM Tip Rolling Guide:...
If you have any questions, critiques or feedback, please feel free to use the comments :-)
Donspektor!
Out!
These Xelastec tips and many regular silicon wide bore tips are in general my favorite tips. Isolation is great enough that you do not need to listen to music at very high levels even on the subway. One fair additional comment would be that, for longevity's sake, twist the tips every now and then so they keep reshaping the "opposite" way, so they will always feel an easier and more snug fit over time, and do not deform too much.
I killed one pair by following the hot/cold water cleaning instructions except that I dried them with a paper towel and quickly used them again. I think I should have let them air dry as the last step indicated. The cone of the tip became too big to fit any IEM-they deformed the wrong way, and even took the shape of the mesh used to store them. They did sound and isolate fine after hot/cold water, but got damaged inside the IEM case without using them within a day or two. Had I not cleaned them they would have lasted longer.
Thus, I find that twisting them to force their natural elasticity to work on your ears-and to avoid them to stubbornly adhere to one shape and possibly crease-is better than washing them in hot/cold water, or at least poses less risk of failure. I will only put them in hot water again only as a last resort. I am finding that twisting them in place fixes them faster for me, and avoids the issue of small "waves" shapes in the umbrella section of the IEM.
I must mention that many popular eartips do affect the sound. This one does something I like-it brings up many upper mid frequencies up a bit, so the bass appears a bit lessened even with a proper fit. It is not a con in my case, as it helps *all* of the IEMs I have used them with, and it won't turn any IEM into a Grado in ear monitor form in any case.
Xelastec is for these reasons my favorite eartip because of the sound and wide bore-it simply "sounds better" to me. I do not mind the cons mentioned above because the sound cons of other eartips are generally more egregious or offensive for my personal taste than random dust or particles collecting on them, or they not looking perfectly round with lots of use (why should you care as long as they isolate and sound good? Think about that. People won't see the shape of the tips-it is your "secret". And what others think does not matter as long as you do what works best for you. )
Thanks for bringing up more awareness of these special tips that, while perhaps not an ideal fit for everyone, are excellent and should not be overlooked.
Best wishes-stay safe.
Thanks for your very nice detailed comment :-)
Really appreciate your time and hope other people will also read it, as it adds nice additional background to my review here :-)
the earfit light has even wider bore right? does it sound better?
@@Viewer13128 In my experience: no, they don't.
They are maybe ever so slightly more "intense" but the difference is really minor.
But the new Azla Crystal certainly sound different, have them here since a few days and they are more "funnel" shaped then any other tips I have owned yet. Also their material is somewhat in between the normal Azla and the Xelastecs, which makes them very comfortable. If they are worth the extreme price, I still have to find out^^
I find flipping the umbrella while not using helps a lot with its extreme deformation.
But anyways, my oh my, this is one of the most comfortable ear tips I ever experienced in my life.
Also, for me, I actually like it to deform to adhere to my earshape as it feels like I'm wearing a custom molded iem
They sound good but I really don't like the stickyness. I prefer Divinus Velvet tips.
Understandable. These are really the most sticky tips out there, at least from those I have reviewed so far. I also said that in my verdict if I remember correctly: very good fit, but very sticky and therefore not for everyone^^
A good middle ground here are the liquid silicone tips in my opinion: they conform well, are a bit sticky but not that sticky. The biggest problem with these tips might be their length, they are simply too long for medium length or longer nozzles^^
The Donspektor, iz in the house people..great review by ya..
Thanks :-)
Appreciate your nice words :D
Just picked up, the, brand, spankin new iem..Whizzer bs1...sounds really nice for 26 dollars..swapped out the whizzer eartips, for a bullet type eartip
.ave the spinfit cp 800 large on em..Really enhanced the whole iem...oh yeaahh
This is the most expensive eartips I have ever bought, 3 pairs for $1.400,
But I receive a great iem as a bonus,
which is nice,
it's a good deal,
I love your Kermit the Frog voice, great review!
I have Kermit voice xD?
Good to know, so I can kermit on my review game x)
He sounds rather frustrated with himself while speaking. That frustrates me and causes me to lose focus. .
This is my go to tip for iem with heavy metal shell like moondrop starfield. Those iem are really heavy and foam tip just dont work with those.
Honestly, if they would be just a bit cheaper, they would be my go to tip for ALL IEMs^^
They get so damn comfy, almost like real custom tips...
I actually found these ruined the treble extension on my Thieaudio Monarch MKII. Maybe good if your IEMs don't have a lot going on in the upper treble or if you find your IEMs sibilant. They are very overpriced. 😕
That's strange, as they usually do not affect treble extension by a noticeable margin: Variations, S12, as well as EJ07M, absolutely reach past 10k and that didn't change with these to my ear. And at least with the H40 and A7, I also can not measure a meaningful change in the upper treble that indicates it is reduced by a meaningful amount. Yes, there is a reduction directly around 10-11k but not more than other wide bore tips and then taking the reduced accuracy of the IEC711 coupler past 10k into account, we can not really say anything here besides that there still is energy past 10k with these two IEMs.
One explanation besides the actual reduced upper treble I could see here is that it could also be that the upper treble gets overshadowed by added mid-treble energy or a peak (i.e. around 9k) that is created by the tip.
This isn't to say, that your MK2 does not get a reduced upper treble, that very much still can happen: insertion depth and fit on the nozzle as well as in the ear can vary greatly and that obviously affects all frequencies by a large margin.
The main problem with the Xelastec tips is that you can not REALLY accurately measure them, as they only get their "final form" when heated and that obviously isn't possible with the coupler :/
I suspect the change between cold and warm will not be big, but due to the shaping of the tip, it certainly is possible that there will be noticeable changes somewhere in the frequency response.
@@don_spektor I can't speak to why it happens, but compared to the tips that come with the MKII and the moondrop spring tips, the Xelastec have a markedly worse treble extension and soundstage. (I don't have a means of measuring it.)
I did try multiple sizes so I don't think sealing or insertion depth was an issue at all.
@@ahanuban Strange but certainly possible as every ear canal is different and the absorption rates for frequencies vary greatly, hence S12 can be mega sibilant for some but absolutely isn't for me.
Good to know though that this can happen, so if anybody else asks, I'll make sure to mention that it can affect upper treble extension :-)
$10.00 for one pair ? .....Ridiculous prices ........
Well yes, but have you seen the Azla Crystal ;-)?
12.5$ for a pair still beats the Xelastecs easily.
But at least the Crystal should last longer than the Xeleastec, which unfortunately is also a point of critique for them...
Hi, there. How can I get in touch with you via email or Ins for the review collaboration?
Hey! Thanks for reaching out.
I did setup a public email for contact purposes:
info.donspektor@gmail.com
Just let me know, in what department you want to collaborate on :-)