[Matteman]

I am certainly not an IEM hater, even when I don't need isolation or portability I tend to grab my IEMs. I like the intimacy and micro-detail that IEMs provide.

Also, after I got my UE-11s I almost don't use headphones anymore. IMO, they beat all headphones I have tried (see sig), even when they are properly amped.

 

[nickdawg]

I agree. Even if isolation isn't necessary, I still like it. Also, you can't beat the fit and the portability of the IEM.

 

[3amsleep]

get some nice shure foamies. or get a personal ear impression.

using IEMs for music appreciation would be like hammering a nail with a pair of pliers, senseless. IEMs are made for listening to music on street/high noise environment situations.

with a lot of noise, chances are you will not be able to enjoy a pair of top Grados, so listening to music with those cans while cars crashes, baby's crying, people are speaking loudly, shoppers are shopping and some irritating high-pitched little brats are talking about their new shoes, is like trying to solder with a hammer.

Regards, 3amsleep.

 

[channum]

I used to hate them. I went through a bunch of cheaper ones and could never get a reliable fit, and when I did, sound quality wasn't anything compared to good earbuds or cans.

For some reason, in spite of never finding a cheap IEM I liked, I took my birthday money from last year and blew it on SF5s... The OP's 5-10 minutes is nothing, it took me six months before I finally reached a point I could wear them comfortably with something other than Comply tips.

At that point I was a believer. I'm a detail person. Give me a semi balanced sound spectrum with good detail and I'm happy, and those SFs gave me more detail than anything I'd ever heard had. Now I've got triple.fis and they're hands down the best sounding headphones of any kind I've ever heard, and they're comfortable enough that I wear them anytime I don't have to be able hear things going around me.

Comfort/fit issues aside, a lot of it is going to come down to what your personal priorities in sound signature are - being a detail person and not ashamed to admit, I'll gladly trade the open airiness of big cans and the better comfort of earbuds for this immersive ocean of musical detail.