[SweatyIEM]

Hello Knowledgeable people of head-fi!
 
I have been browsing this forum over the last few days in an effort to work out what I should replace my ageing (and somewhat cringeworthy) portable setup.
 
I'm currently using a Walkman NWZ-E443 and I'm pairing this up with some Soundmagic E10s. While this setup has been adequate, it is now ageing rather badly so I have been busily looking for a replacement.
 
Audio is incredibly important to me, I've "invested" worrying quantities of money into my current music/HT setup and yet it has just dawned on me that that I spend far longer suffering at the gym/working out while listening to tunes on my low quality portable setup than I do listening to the rest, this has to change!
 
As this will be a lengthy post I will try to summarise quickly here.
 
TLDR:
 

1. Fiio X3/iBasso DX50 overkill?
2. Alternatives?
3. Water/Sweatproof IEM recommendations?

 
The Player
 
At the moment I exclusive listen to my  player whilst in the gym and running which in total amounts to about 8 hours a week. This is a shocking amount of time, I really can't help but wonder if my poor ears could do with being fed some higher fidelity motivational music to get me through my workouts. It doesn't have to play video or display pictures of run facebook/twitter, just play music well.
 
I am considering whether it would be worth really stepping up the scale and looking at something a lot more high end such as the Fiio X3 or the newly released iBasso DX50. Both of these are leagues away from what I'm used to and have what appear to be mind-blowing specifications. With that said, the weight and bulk of a device can be a hinderance, particularly on long runs. Whilst they don't appear to be too massive I believe that they would both be quite a bit bulkier than I would be used to.
 
Would either of these be suitable for my uses? From what I've read people seem to have setups that are almost disposable for gym use, perhaps this is for a good reason...
 
I have also looked at the lower end variants from Cowon and SanDisk, both of which I'd imagine would be an improvement but would not be in the same league as the previously mentioned players.
 
The IEMs
 
As previously mentioned I am currently using a worn pair of Soundmagic E10s. These do sound pretty good, even when paired up with my walkman which is nice. The issue I have is that because I use these when I work out, they can get sweaty and this can occasionally result in the headphones not working any more. This can be incredibly frustrating but I guess is somewhat unsurprising since they probably weren't built for anything like the usage I give them!
 
There have been many great threads about IEMs for the gym, I've tried to cherry pick a few models that seem to keep cropping, a few I've been trying to research are:
 

1. VSonic GR07 Bass Edition
2. Monster iSport Strive
3. Me Electronics M6
4. Shure SE215
5. Klipsch S4i

 
I guess what I need is something that is pretty much water/sweatproof, that will stay tightly lodged in my ear canals and sound lovely. It's not that I'm asking for much or anything

 
Would anyone be able to give me a bit of an education on this? It would be much appreciated!
 
-SweatyIEM

 

[Parall3l]

As a gym goer myself, I like the SE215 for a variety of reasons.
 
1. The casing for the drivers are almost entirely sealed except for the tiny nozzle so sweat can't do much to them. (don't use the foamies though)
2. The design stays in your ears, a plus side for all IEMs of that form factor
3. Cable is replaceable so if I drop a plate on it or something I don't lose the whole IEM
 
The X3 is definitely overkill IMO, a Sansa Clip will make more sense for the gym since you don't want to be breaking $250 DAPs