[Kanashimu]

Okay, I need to hold on and think for a sec before I make a major purchase.

Right now, I have an ATH-ES10 and an iBasso D4 Mamba. Its my headphone for both portable and home use, and I never intend to get a setup strictly for home use. I also used to have a S:Flo2, but it died, so I ordered an HM-601 which isn't here yet.

Commuting every day though is quite an annoyance, due to all the street traffic noise and the engine sounds of the bus. So, it got me thinking. What if I bought a used custom and reshelled it to get a minor, 7-10% performance increase and a massive isolation increase without sacrificing comfort (I plan to use them about 8 hours a day at least).
 
By custom, I mean ES3X, JH13/16, or some other relatively HIGH-end IEM.
 
However, is what I'm expecting reasonable? Can I really expect a 10% 'overall SQ upgrade'? I mean, the ES10 is a NICE sounding headphone and I think that its reasonable to have a hard time imagining tiny drivers just clearly beating my headphones. Will reshelled customs isolate as well as I think? Will they be comfy?

I just want a second opinion before I blow over half a grand on IEMs.

 

[ronrad]

I have a d10 cobra which used to drive esw10s. The esws. Are a great headphone. I recently picked up a set of UM Miracles. There is way more than 10% sound improvement way more comfort. And the improvement from isolation makes a huge difference in noisy environments.

As good as the esws are and from what I hear the es are similar in overall quality, the Miracles are way clearer and better in pretty much every category.

It took a bit of getting used to with the iems though so you may want to try some lower end before going full custom