Tips are much more involved than just that. Meaning they are not only medium and small and large but there are various sizes of those naming terms. I’m not sure there is a standardized way?
Meaning some large fit me better than other large sizes. And at times I can use a the same company made large and extra large? So I can use two sizes of tips by the same company but on different IEMs.
Beside that there is inner diameter and length differences, which in total make it both good and bad. Meaning if it’s good it’s positioning the IEM in the correct place for your ear. If it’s bad it can even be that one size tip works on one IEM but does not fit another IEM of a different shell shape in relation to your outside ear shape.
The inner diameter is a big deal as some are loose or super tight. Some tips don’t fit an IEM at all. There are extra long tips and short donut tips. Every tip sounds different too, so it’s finding comfort and optimal sound.
Also there are material differences between construction. Different material affects both comfort and sound. Some material does not last. Some tips last it seems forever?
What does all this mean?
It means you need to try many tips and have patience. The fact that a tip will change with use time. Meaning it may be 20 minutes before you know if a tip is good. Also never prejudge a tip, that one that you thought would not work after a while may be gold!
What I'm finding from the stock tips I have is that medium does a much better job of blocking out external noise, which I presume indicates a better fit. But it gets achy.
The small tips don't fit as well and will slide out if I move a lot, so it sounds like Medium is better.
I ordered some Comply foam tips, because I've used them before and liked their comfort. Fingers crossed they actually work, otherwise this will be a series of $20-something lessons.
Redcarmoose's post says it all. It's almost impossible to get advice from anyone other than yourself on what sounds good or fits your ears. You really just need to pony up the $$ and go the buy-and-try route. It sucks, but really it's the only way.
One option that is a bit more flexible is to try some foam tips. They usually accommodate a wider range of ears with regard to fit. But they sound different than silicone. Comply and Tennmak make good foam tips to try.
Note that not all silicone sounds the same either. Differences in material harndness can really affect the sound.
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