Thanks, @gazzington. I appreciate the affirmation that what I have is a great setup. I don’t disagree. I will say, I think I enjoyed the IEM’s just a bit more for sound quality than the XM3s. If they fit well I might be tempted to go IEM over XM3 - hence, the quest for a CIEM. Not likely...

Does Shure do custom? I'm reasonably convinced I need to go custom for IEMs to be a thing for me.

Thanks for sharing your experience @Zachik. Unfortunately, I don't envision being able to try as many things as others. I don't get to the luxury of traveling to a CanJam, etc...

I’ll give it a few more goes. I don’t think I’m getting into the canal, even with S and M tips. I’m using M’s in the cochlea, right now, and it forces the shape of the opening to reshape to accommodate the rather round tips, such that the cartilage surrounding becomes sore after 30 mins, and...

Can you help me understand, and perhaps debunk the idea that “more is better” when it comes to the number of drivers / balanced armatures? As prices increase, so too do the number of drivers/BA’s per IEM, to the extent that looking at Bravado’s, and the like, I’m left saying, “Pfft... only TWO...

It would be nice to do something for ~$500, but I wouldn’t want to do it if it meant sacrificing audio quality. I have the impression I should be more in the ~$1200 - $2000 range based on my initial perusing.

Sony M7’s arrived. I’ve used them a couple of times. I like how they sound; unfortunately, not how they feel. After 30 mins my ears are in pain. I’ve always known that I have unusually shaped/sized ear canals. Anecdotally, I had a hearing aid specialist look at my ears yesterday and he...

Is this in fact confirmed, or rather speculation/assumption? It’s funny how within the preceding half dozen posts you have opinions of one player sounding better than the other. If, in fact, the two players have identical guts I am not tempted to upgrade to the 507, at all. Having been...

With that, @PaganDL, I have order a pair of M7's! Should have them in a couple of days, and will be taking a trip next week to try them out in the air. I'll report back my impressions.

@PaganDL, do you have any intel on the M7 vs. M9? I open this question up to anyone, really. I called Crutchfield, today, and the rep really tried steering me to the M9 - said he's listened to both and believes I'd be happier with them. Have checked out a few reviews comparing the two, and...

I heard of another person who does this, and then I mentioned it to the owner of a high-end audio shop, locally. He went on about anyone who does this doesn't know enough about IEMs and how they interact with "the air around them" and that the ANC cans would mess with the IEMs ability to...

Thanks, Jules. Nice review / write up.

The audiophile world certainly has it's "frustrating" aspects...:stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: - this is one of them. For as much time and money as people spend on getting world-class audio solutions, it often seems to come back to such widely and wildly varying opinions, experiences, and...

Update: I dug out my old Shure IEMs - appears they are E3’s / E3C’s. I’ve ordered some new ”black foam” tips after reading that they are/were a major improvement over the original yellow foam ones included when I bought them back in 2004. At any rate, I’m going to mess around with these for a...

I think I need (to make) a couple of clarifications: 1. Unlike older Bose models, these Sony's can play without power, with power, with power + noise-canceling, and with power + ambient noise enabled (to hear outside noises - i.e. a flight attendant asking what you'd like to drink). 2. Above...

Honestly, no. A music lover, all of my life, only over the last two years have I begun entry into the world of HiFi. I don't really have much to compare to. Impressions of the Sony NW-ZX300 (over wired connection) is that it has a very full, rich, smooth, natural bass - especially when...

Re. #1, I believe I could do well with IEMs, although I don't have a ton of experience. I bought a pair of relatively inexpensive, but decent pair of Shure IEMs, 15+ years ago for ~$150. I used them with an iPod, but never really formed a strong opinion about them, one way or the other...

Thank you for your thoughtful and thorough response. I am invoking the ignorance card, however, regarding your above statement(s). Can you help me better understand your points, perhaps in newbie(r) terms? :blush: The idea of "fighting" noise is curious - are you suggesting that I/we would...

Thanks. I was definitely eyeing the Sony IER-M7, for a couple of reasons: 1.) it's relatively inexpensive, 2.) it's Sony, so the compatibility factory with my NW-ZX300 should be a safe bet - particularly, it has a 4.4mm Balanced cable connection, which my NW-ZX300 receives. Interestingly, no...

...yeah, this is another question I'm not clear about regarding passing signal from a hi-res DAP, via wired-connection, to the XM3's... similar to my BT comments in an earlier post, does the signal end up being processed entirely in the headphone? I understand that noise-canceling headphones...

Thanks for pointing me to the Dan Clarks... they look intriguing, indeed. If I end up considering over-ear cans, I will definitely keep these in the mix. Thanks for the thoughtful response and all of the additional information you shared, as well.

I totally get the whole MQA debate. I will say, however, in that my NW-ZX300 plays back MQA and performs the "final unfold" I enjoy listening to MQA on it knowing I'm enjoying the entire capability of the technology. I agree it does sound "different" in many cases. Sometimes, better. My...

For what it's worth, I do no use Bluetooth, except when watching video from my iPhone. For music, I always connect with the 3.5mm wire. I'm not opposed to the extra inconvenience of wire-fidgeting to achieve best quality. This brings up another interesting point that I would otherwise have...

At my current stage of life, my music listening opportunities are fewer and further between. 90% + of my music listening happens in one of two places, neither of which are conducive to audiophile-listening conditions: 1.) my car, 2.) on commercial airliners, as I travel a lot for work. I do...

Does anyone else have trouble with metadata for .mp3 files on the ZX300 with Genre showing up as "17"? Regardless of the genre I select while editing the metadata of an mp3 file - i.e. "Rock", "Alternative", etc., on the ZX300 the Genre is listed as "17" :-)