As a relative newcomer to higher fidelity IEMs, I'm finding that as my listening gets re-tuned to expect a higher level of quality, my digital music collection remains an unwieldy mish-mash of old 128 mbps mp4s from when iTunes sent downloads at that bitrate, lossless rips of CDs, music podcasts at 128 - 192 mbps, some audiophile dowloads from HDtracks, a lot of 320 mbps AACs, etc., etc. I also listen to a lot of streaming sources to find new music. Unfortunately, despite my upgrading the quality of some of the old mp3s here and there, I will always have a lot of poor quality stuff that I listen to.
This variety in the quality of my source material leaves me with the problem that my VSonic GR07s are sounding "bad" to me with a lot of my listening, especially harsh and sibilant in the treble and brutally revealing of muddy lower mids on the poorer quality recordings and streams. This is not a fault of the GR07s, of course, because they continue to sound wonderful, if a bit too neutral, to me on better source material. This leaves me looking for an IEM that can sound as good as the VSonics on a lossless file while perhaps smoothing over some of the shortcomings of a 128 mbps podcast.
In terms of preferences, I listen widely but not much rap, hip hop, techno, or pop. The music I listen to, whether rock, electronic or orchestral, often has a lot going on it, and I split my time roughly equally between intense listening when I look take the piece apart and when I just relax and enjoy the entirety. I'm no basshead, but I do like to feel the kick of the kick drum and the rumble of a reverb-laden deep base line, but it is equally important to hear a hand slapping the drum head before the resulting thump. I also tire easily from harsh treble (my experiment with the Klipsch S4 was VERY short lived!).
To some degree, I know I'm asking for the impossible as a revealing, forgiving phone is inherently a contradiction, but I'd appreciate suggestions for the best possible compromises. Thanks.
