[freespace303]

So I have a pair of Bose IE2s (bare with me!) and I'm pretty new to the audiophile space. I've had these for about 2 years and I think they sound really good, but the more I read articles on this site, the more I'm beginning to think I'm missing out on much better stuff out there. I love the stayhear tips and how comfortable they are. I've tried other earbuds and due to my small ear canals, they either just fall out, or after sticking them in, they slowly slide out, so the Bose IE2s were my only choice.
 
All of my listening is at work, and I can only use earbuds because we wear cleanroom suits (DRAM Manufacturing). Due to this, I'm thinking that CIEMs are the way to go. I started off reading about some Shure earphones and how you can get impressions/molds done for them. Then I started reading about full CIEMs, like UE, 1964, and Cosmic Ears. Will I be blown away by upgrading to a fully isolated custom in ear monitor? I'm thinking somewhere around $300-$500 would be the sweetspot, but like I said, I'm pretty new to this "next level in quality earbuds" stuff. When I put pressure on the part right infront of my ear, I get a ton more bass response, so I know there is room to improve on the sound quality bit. (sorry but it's all I have to go off of, lol)
 
Any thoughts and suggestions would be most welcome.
 
I use an iPod Shuffle (for it's portability), and listen to a lot of high quality trance podcasts, mostly. Other than that my collection usually consists of ALAC ripped stuff or atleast 320kbps quality MP3s.

 

[lin0003]

For $500 you'd be better off getting a universal such as the Westone 4R rather than a low tier CIEM. Or you could save up a bit more and spring for a UM Miracle like me.