maybe an westone 4? The ck10/b2 may fit the bill too though they are not quite on par with levels of detail. You might want to look into the k2 sp as well.   Otherwise, why not a universal custom? I'm sure there are iem companies (at least UM does) that will make universal versions of their...

the usual does not ship to aus bs D: lol can someone buy it for us overseaers ? ;)

Quote: woot where? I was just about to pull the trigger on a a AUD199 pair in australia

In terms of sound quality, they are about on par with um3x having better instrument separation and bass quantity, however, in terms of style they are quite different. The um3x has forward mids, less treble and slightly emphasized bass, while the w4 is more balanced. I personally found the w4...

EarphoneSolutions is holding a black friday sale. 25% off with coupon BLACK. Valid until the 30th of November.

Westone is holding a black friday sale, 25% off. Keep an eye on that

Here is my first impression of the w3.   I got the w3s today, and surprisingly, I can't hear any sibilance at all, even with stock silicone tips. (I'm normally ultra sensitive to sibilance, and I'm selling my ex1000 because my recordings sound too sibilant on it). The treble is very  nice...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0756683/ an interesting film exploring this very idea, it's one of my personal favorites :D

  1. Place or country? Sydney, Australia. (← the place where hobbies die)   2. Age turning 19..birthday presents, anyone? :DD   3. Gender? Male, AFAIK   4. Job? Actuarial/Finance/Adv Maths undergrad. Private HSC tutor in spare time (or should it be the other way around...

The ex1000 comes into mind, although I wouldn't say it's dark.

That is very subjective and personal. To me, the westone series (not just 3, but um3x and 4 as well) have amazing fits and ergonomic. As for the sound signature, there are a lot of people preferring recessed mids to a more forward one (not myself though). To me, the dba02 is painfully...

Quote: I wouldn't call the dba02 better than the tf10 and westone3. They are merely different, and people prefer different sound signatures. If anything, I would say the tf10 is definitely technically better than the dba02.   I think it's better to ask what sort of sound signature...

I've seen people comparing the es5 to the sm3, which I have not tried before. I definitely think that I'll be more interested in the mage, though. 

Personal preference, mainly. I'm more interested in a clear airy and 'snappy' sound signature than the warm one es5 offers.   

The ex1000 does not isolate much, so that might be a problem. The um3x has very forward hit-or-miss mids, and not enough highs. I would recommend looking into the jh5 and myabe the 1964Qs. As for universal, I can't think of any that will suit the bill right now. Maybe the xba-3 by sony will...