Wow, this thread has taken some interesting turns since I started it yesterday! Thanks everyone for the great discussion. Still hoping for comments about the Hippo Shroom EB's if anyone has them for comparison.
The W2 had intrigued me a while back (pre-DBA), but they're too expensive as backups (for my wallet).
slater70,
Thanks for the ADDIEM idea (and I recall your PM remarks to me about the HJE900). I'll seriously consider them, especially since they'd also cover the phone compatibility issue. Another idea for a phone-compatible IEM is the PFE 022 with the green filters. Thanks for that idea, ZARIM. RE-Zero's are intriguing, too, although that plug adapter puts me off.
Meanwhile, the music is amazingly excellent every time I use these DBA's. I'm in the middle of rebuilding the deck of my house, and have to make sure I'm concentrating on the power saw, not the music!
Regarding tips:
I didn't have the same great experience with Ety triflanges as slater70 and others, even when I modded a set into biflanges. Interestingly, Shure "large" biflanges worked OK even though they they seem to be identical to the modded Ety tri's except for the extended tube (which I cut down by ~1/8" for the DBA's). With these biflanges, I notice the aggressive treble that ClieOS mentioned in his review on some tracks. They're just not as comfortable to me as singles, and the DBA's protrude farther so they're less comfortable when lying in bed.
So I'm one of those in the minority still preferring the OEM single flanges for both comfort and SQ. Unfortunately, one of them has become a bit loose on the nozzle and I've had to remove it from my ear with tweezers 5 times. I've got some Shure grey soft flex sleeves coming to hopefully correct that problem while maintaining comfort and the fantastic DBA SQ.
Rip N' Burn,
Your comments about comfort issues with the DBA housings illustrate how different ears can be. In my ears (with any tips) the DBA housings stick almost straight out (tilted backward slightly) - no contact with my ears at all, and I have worn them for many hours at a time (with OEM tips).