The process of getting ear impressions done for custom-fit earphones and eartips can be a challenging process if you're just starting out.

Here's a simple guide for the basics.

The 3 Most Important Things to Know

1. Custom orders cannot begin production until your ear impressions are received.
Placing the order is only part of the process. Audio46 is an independent headphone store that offers a variety of custom fit brands. The respective brand cannot start production on your custom product until the impressions or scan files have actually been received.

2. If you are sending physical ear impressions, the first step is to visit an audiologist.
Physical impressions are not something you do at home. An audiologist or qualified hearing professional needs to make them for you.

3. Audio46 does not ship any at-home impression kit.
There is no mail-order kit from us for making physical ear impressions yourself.

Step 1: Choose Physical or Digital

There are two main ways to submit your ear shape for a custom product:

Option A: Physical Ear Impressions
These are soft molds made by an audiologist using impression material placed in your ears.

Option B: Digital Ear Scans
These are 3D scans of your ears that can be sent as digital files.

Physical vs. Digital: What’s the Difference?

Ear impressions can be done physically with molds or digitally with an ear scan.

	Physical Mold	General Digital Scan	Digital Scans at Audio46
Accuracy	up to 100% (if mold done correctly)	up to 80% (with varied error rates)	up to 95% (with minimal error rate)
Fit	Maximum seal because it goes past the second bend of the ear. However, this can be uncomfortable for people new to custom fit	Recreational use ONLY. Do not use if you need serious professional hearing protection. This is strictly for casual wear. It's also much more comfortable for first time users	Provides a seal good enough for professional musicians. If getting eartips, perfect for converting universal fit IEMs to custom fit IEMs.
Usage	Can be used across all custom fit products, from silicone to hard shell	Can only be used on silicone custom fit products since the soft material is more forgiving than hard shells, which require higher accuracy	Can be used across all custom fit products, from silicone to hard shell (however some brands, like 64 Audio, do not accept 3D scans)

How to get Digital Scans at Audio46

When you order custom fit from Audio46, you qualify for a FREE digital ear scan at our physical store location. This scan can be used for both silicone eartips/plugs and for custom IEM orders* (*except 64 Audio).

Get directions and hours

Step 2: If You Need Physical Impressions, Go to an Audiologist

Where to get Physical Impressions Done

Currently Audio46 does NOT have our own compiled list of audiologists. However, if you're visiting our store (29 West 46th Street, Between 5th and 6th Avenue, New York, NY, 10036), we know an audiologist the area we can recommend—just let us know!

To find an audiologist near you, we recommend checking out the lists compiled by some of the brands we work with:

How Physical Molds are Made

Physical molds require injecting the ear with a high viscosity material.

Photos showing example of mold injection into ear
Image by Westone

Things to keep in mind when doing ear impressions for custom fit in-ear monitors:

The full impression of each ear must properly capture past the second bend. The aperture, cymba, and bowl must be completely cast along with the outer ear—crus of helix, tragus, intertragul notch, anti-tragus and anti-helix (*see diagram below)
Impressions with shiny/glossy texture in required areas indicates improper casts and should be redone
A 1 to 2 inch bite block is recommended to reduce jaw movement while the impressions are being taken
Use of high viscosity materials is preferred (i.e. Otoform Green, Yellow, Orange, Purple or Westone Pink)
If wearing a mask, do NOT use the ear loops during the procedure as they can deform the impression
Do NOT pre-trim the ear molds when submitting them

Labelling of ear mold locations
Image by 64 Audio

Step 3: Send the Ear Impressions to Audio46

Audio46 carries multiple custom-fit brands, which means one set of impressions can be used across the custom brands we offer.

Always make sure to send in your impressions no later than 30 days after having them made. Impression material changes over time and can impact the fit of your in-ear monitors.

If you have digital files
If your physical impressions have already been turned into .STL files, you can email them to sales@audio46.com.

If you have physical molds
You can mail them to:

ATTN: Ear Impressions
Audio46 Headphones
29 West 46 Street
Ground Floor
New York, NY 10036
United States

Best practice
We recommend sending impressions after your order has been placed, so they can be matched to the correct custom order as quickly as possible.

Important note
Physical impressions sent to Audio46 are not automatically mailed back with your order. If you want them returned, you need to request that.

In-person drop-off
You can also bring your impressions directly to our store.