[Pet]

My first 'real' IEMs, a pair of Shure SE215s recently were (accidentally) taken on a weeks' hiking in the Scottish highlands and got very wet, and are a bit worse for wear now, not sounding as great as they once did. In my eyes, this is the perfect opportunity for a first foray into the world of CIEMs. However, it seems this world is far from simple, and I would like some advice.
 
I'm in the UK, so a European manufacturer would probably be a good idea. The maximum I'm willing to spend is about £250 (GBP), but would also be open to spending less, e.g. the Custom Art Music One. I am aware that with a budget like this, some will tell me that I will be able to get better sound quality with universal IEMs, but I have been lusting after a set of CIEMs for years. I just love the idea of a handmade product which fits my ears and no one else's. I can't see myself being willing to spend much more on a single pair of IEMs in the future, to be honest, so I think now is as good a time as any.
 
I have also heard that CIEMs have great isolation, which is very important to me because I often find myself listening in noisy environments.
 
I don't have the most delicate touch and so I think detachable cables are a must.
 
In terms of genres, I listen to a lot of electronic music, but I'm also a regular listener of a lot of other genres, from jazz to hip hop. I do like a lot of bass, but can also see the appeal of a good all-rounder.
 
I've been looking at Custom Art, and I see that the Ei.3 has been well received and is within my budget, and were designed for electronic music. However, I have heard that the comfort, and more importantly, isolation, of silicone IEMs is somewhat greater than with acrylic ones. For this reason, I'm leaning toward the Music One or Music Two. I'm not sure if the Music Two are worth the extra cash.
 
Is it true that a silicone CIEM would be better suited for my needs than an acrylic one? Are there any other manufacturers that I should be considering?
 
Thanks for any input!

 

[Tail]

If you want custom fit that will fit only in your ear and all that... you might consider asking some local audiologist or hearing aid company nearby to make you custom tips for normal earphones, they will literally place it around your earphone and you will have custom silicone shell, the same as custom iems but with "normal" earphones. 
 
Here is the pic I found on the internet (probably it's someone's from head-fi, I just Googled Shure custom tips):

 
 
I mentioned this option since ~330 euro budget you have you can get really great universal pair, while customs of the same value usually cost a lot more, due to manufacturing costs, needs too much human hands, ear impression + shell etc. So by getting universal + custom silicone tip you might get a lot better deal and still have good isolation and custom fit. 
 
Here in Serbia it costed my friend 40 euros to get ear impression and to make silicone tip for his ears for his IE8 and he was pretty happy with it, it increased isolation noticeably (tho IE8 didn't have geat isolation at the first place, unlike Shures for example).
 
Shure earphones for example, especially with foam tip are as good as it gets when it comes to isolation, because foam expands in your ear canal in such way nothing gets in, using custom earphones will be the same level of isolation at best, tho fit (comfort) might be better if you don't mind it going too deep into canal. Just so you don't expect wonders when it comes to isolation. 

 

[Pet]

If you want custom fit that will fit only in your ear and all that... you might consider asking some local audiologist or hearing aid company nearby to make you custom tips for normal earphones, they will literally place it around your earphone and you will have custom silicone shell, the same as custom iems but with "normal" earphones. 

Here is the pic I found on the internet (probably it's someone's from head-fi, I just Googled Shure custom tips):




I mentioned this option since ~330 euro budget you have you can get really great universal pair, while customs of the same value usually cost a lot more, due to manufacturing costs, needs too much human hands, ear impression + shell etc. So by getting universal + custom silicone tip you might get a lot better deal and still have good isolation and custom fit. 

Here in Serbia it costed my friend 40 euros to get ear impression and to make silicone tip for his ears for his IE8 and he was pretty happy with it, it increased isolation noticeably (tho IE8 didn't have geat isolation at the first place, unlike Shures for example).

Shure earphones for example, especially with foam tip are as good as it gets when it comes to isolation, because foam expands in your ear canal in such way nothing gets in, using custom earphones will be the same level of isolation at best, tho fit (comfort) might be better if you don't mind it going too deep into canal. Just so you don't expect wonders when it comes to isolation. 

Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it. I did consider just custom silicone tips but I think I pretty much have my heart set on proper customs, though. I know universals in my budget would be better, but then again, all the reviews that I have found of the Custom Art offerings within my budget have been really positive.

I know that the Shure black foam tips are among the best for isolation, and I do find them to be great, but as you said, the comfort could be better. I find with my SE215s that I can only really wear them for an hour or two. It's not just that, I just really want some custom IEMs. I can't really explain why, I've just sort of got my heart set on them.

 

[Tail]

I just really want some custom IEMs. I can't really explain why, I've just sort of got my heart set on them.

Well that's a different thing then Can't help much with that since my experience with customs isn't that big, especially not with European in that price range... Good luck in your search! 

 

[Pet]

Well that's a different thing then Can't help much with that since my experience with customs isn't that big, especially not with European in that price range... Good luck in your search! 

Thanks! I'm going to call around some audiologists to see about getting some impressions made. May as well set the ball rolling while I'm figuring out which CIEMs to go for.