Might be more than you want to spend but the following is what I found to be the best iem for audiobook, radio, podcast, etc. It took me a few years of trying various "cheap" earbuds for non-music listening but I settled on these. I have both the single and double ended ones. The seal is...

I just got these yesterday. I'm having pain in the same spots. The blue, round part of the housing doesn't quite fit my outer ear. I hope it's just a matter of my ears getting used to a bit more pressure. I love the sound of these. I'd hate to return them.     Quote:

I have the Music Streamer II+ and have not had any problems. I'm using MacBook Pro with Snow Leopard OS.

Thank you for your impressions.   I've had the Valhalla since Saturday evening and I love it with my Grado RS1i. I had been auditioning a Nuforce Icon HDP but could not detect much bass and the treble was painful. I shipped the HDP back for a refund today. I also have the Matrix M-Stage...

I tried the B&W P5s for three weeks in July but returned them after I tried the HD650s. I couldn't hear all the instruments with the P5s, but with the HD650, the instruments became distinct. The sound was fuller. The P5s hurt my ears after half an hour (wear glasses). No ear pain with the HD650s...

I'm very happy with my Matrix M-Stage paired with some HD650. I also use a Centrance Dacport which I find makes a huge difference in sound. The M-Stage fed directly from Macbook headphone jack does not sound as rich and detailed as when fed through USB-->Dacport but this should be obvious to...

I have the Matrix M-Stage with HD650. Make sure you feed the M-Stage with a DAC. I tried it without my Centrance Dacport and the bass was not as deep or present and there wasn't as much richness to the sound. I'm very happy with my M-Stage, Dacport, HD650 combo. I can listen for hours with no...