Sudden discovery.. Astell & Kern T5P assembled recently with 2nd gen drivers....   essentially a rebranded Beyer t5p gen 2 with fixed, balanced cable.

Just checked: my new Astell & Kern T5P headphones do have Beyer T5P 2nd gen drivers. Despite the fact officially they are still based on the gen 1 t5p. Obviously they have been upgraded silently....   My AK T5P     Beyer T5P gen...

Might be a late response....ordered the 1-meter version of this LOD cable. Good craftmanship, quality connectors (neutrik), seems durable. Very helpful seller, I had difficulties with the delivery and he even offered a full refund. As this is my first and only iPOD LOD I cannot compare...

Another big thumb up to the 7th gen ipod 160. Connected with a quality LOD cable to my HP amp,as a source, it is on par with my shanling cdp (tried abx-ing). It's headamp stage is decent too,  my etymotics sound just as good direct from the ipod as through external amp. Can drive my big denons...

PH100 can drive the Denon AH-D2000 beautifully. It's not too warm at all, in contrast, helps "calm down" the Denon in a good way, compared to the direct HP output of my sources both the bass and tremble are more controlled. No more bloating bass and over-exited highs. Denon needs tight control...

Meanwhile I've found a post in another thread about the IEM vs full-size dilemma, which I 100% agree:   http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/278949/price-performance-ratio-iem-vs-headphones/15#post_6134290    Quote from the above post: "There's just less of a sense of realism with IEMs...

I succeed to achieve a tight fit with the HF5 from the beginning, but three flange tips annoyed me, put them aside, used the soft gray "mushrooms"  instead. As someone recommended to use 3 flanges, I gave a chance them again, and much to my surprise they are less and less irritating, and i am...

Thanks for your valuable responses. Meanwhile I have decided to try getting accustomed to the Ety before I jump into a new IEM. But if the latter happens, the new baby could be one of your recommendations.   The complete list of IEM you suggested: C751, IE6, IE8, HJE900, FX500, FX700...

  Recently bought a new 7th gen iPod classic 160Gb and decided to get to an IEM to pair with it. Reading the positive comments here and other sites went for the Etymotic HF5. This is my first step into the IEM word and I am disappointed. For some years I use Denon AH-D2000 as full size can...