Sonomax Sculpted eers Custom-Molded Earphones Review

Sonomax Technologies came out with an incredibly compelling product last year - the Sculpted eer line of in-ear headphones. What made them unique was that they came with a system to let you get a custom-formed earphone made to fit your ears perfectly. The system literally injected silicone into the earbuds, filling them so that they conformed to your ear canal and made a perfect fit for comfort and best frequency response. We tried out their PCS-200 Premium Dual-Driver earphones and used the included SonoFit system to conform them to our test subject's ears.

The process was really simple, though there is some fear involved any time you engage in a one-time-only process that you know must be followed perfectly in order to avoid botching the job. In our case, we simply flipped the activation switches, positioned the SonoFit Fitting System on our test subject's head, and thin-lipped the start tabs to get the system running. Immediately, the silicone was injected into the earphone pieces and the system began the hardening process.

At the 2012 CES, SonoMax announced the next generation of its eery custom earphones which include the PCS-150 and PCS-250 models. The new design of the PCS-150 and PCS-250 earphones incorporate a low profile, ergonomically shaped design and an integrated earloop that comfortably cradles the back of the ear while providing the channel for the wire from the sound source. The earloop also serves to assist the user in proper insertion and removal of the earphones. The new eers also allow you to answer phone calls on your Smartphone through the use of the integrated in-line microphone.

The updated product line also features entirely redesigned consumer packaging as well as an enhanced "single button" activation for the SonoFit system. Having used the old system (flip a switch, fit, lift a start tab, wait 4 minutes), this will be a big benefit and contribute to better ease-of-use.

The PCS-150 Custom Earphones are designed to enhance the bass response of your music, something that we felt was actually a bit lacking in the older PCS-200 model. They also come with an in-line microphone for using your cell phone to make calls. The OCS-150 earphones ("eer"phones?) have a low profile and a single dynamic speaker. They are primarily designed for active users and/or fitness enthusiasts.

The tuned dynamic speaker on the PCS-150 delivers enhanced bass response through a sort of bass reflex (ported) technology that doesn't diminish the high-end performance of the speaker in the process.

The PCS-250 custom-fit earphones produce high-quality sound using dual drivers, so they utilize a sort of tweeter and woofer similar to the way most home theater systems work. The updated PCS-250's also come with an in-line microphone for taking calls and provide a more flat (accurate) response that lets you hear the music the way it was recorded.

We listened to a lot of Jazz and Classical music with the PCS-200s, finding that they didn't have an overabundance of bass, but they rendered the highs fairly clearly and the soundstage was certainly robust and full. These are earphones that are incredibly comfortable. About the only downside was that there wasn't a terrific amount of base in the frequency response, which could have been a fitting issue. In either case, it looks as if the PCS-150 eers are going to fix this up.

Our experience with the PCS-200 speakers leads us to believe that the new line will do very well. This is certainly one of the easiest ways we've ever seen or experienced to get custom molded earphones. No fuss, no muss.

For more information about eers custom earphones, please visit http://sculptedeers.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.