My dinky ears and ear canals will simply not tolerate bits of rubber or silicone shoved in so, after trying a few IEMs (even AirPod Pros), I gave up. So mostly, I listen using conventional headphones... Koss Porta-Pros on the go, and balanced Meze 99 Noirs at home. I also have original AirPods, and I can wear those, too, but wireless sound quality suffers. So after canvassing this thread (and other online sources), I thought I'd give classic earbuds a try (the old Apple ones fit okay, so I thought I'd see about finding something better). So far, I've purchased two, both from Penon. The EA (Earphones Anonymous) buds seemed a good start at relatively low price, and I liked those. Then I decided to try another well-reviewed pair that, while not costing an arm and leg, still cost an arm (for me, anyway)... Penon's own BS1 Official balanced earbuds. I am happy with both of those buds, but there are a few issues:
My ears are still so dinky that the buds won't stay in if I use foams, so I wear them nekkid. I'm using a Hiby R5 Saber for most of my portable listening, but without any EQ adjustment, neither sounded especially great (Porta-Pros and Mezes sound very good without any EQ). I have a fairly large collection of music on the SD card, but I'm also listening to streamed music from Qobuz. So I started fiddling with Hiby's MSEB settings (their alternate EQ system), and darned if it didn't work! Now both buds sound quite good, even nekkid.
Yet, I'm wondering whether there are any other buds I might try, in particular buds that might be smaller in diameter than the ones I have. I don't have calipers, and could not find diameter specs online, but both buds I have are around 16.5mm (near as I can tell). I did read somewhere that OurArt's flagship buds are somewhat smaller (16mm?), but the cost is in the arm AND leg category, so i don't want to purchase without really knowing.
So sorry for the lengthy build-up to my question, but here goes: Could anyone in the know recommend buds smaller and even better than those I have that I might be able to wear with foams? Also, are there any such buds that allow replaceable cables for balanced and/or single-ended? I believe the OurArt flagship buds use replaceable MMCX cables, for example...
Thanks!