Thanks for the responses.
natashaful - You're right that the brain is pretty amazing at filtering things out, but I'm also not sure I'd agree. You can get used to some pretty crazy things. After having some dental work, you can get past the pain by the right combination of games/music/tv/books/your favorite activity, but that doesn't mean there something still bleeding.
The fit between the ears is different, the one is kind of overfull and bloated, as if I've put something a little too big into a hole of the right shape. (Yes, I realize how that sounds, note how I'm not going there - you shouldn't either.) The other feels more like I was expecting, still with mostly a good seal, though what I think might be a slightly looser spot in one section. Trying the sensaphonics seal tests (
http://www.sensaphonics.com/?page_id=833) indicates everything's good, though clearly the one that's tighter has a stronger seal.
I'm also not sure what kinds of activities I should be able to do with them - should eating be possible with complete comfort? Again, the tighter one makes this borderline uncomfortable, because of the changes in canal size. But it's why I ask, since I don't know which fit is more "proper".
As far as pain goes, these don't really have any, except when I try to remove the monitors. For now I'm going to chalk it up to needing more practice (and a narrow ear canal), since inserting them feels fine. I think I just need to twist them farther, but it's unfortunately difficult to get a good grip on them to turn. The couple of times that were best were when I (accidentally) pressed on the cable plug and got maximum torque, but I'm guessing I probably shouldn't be doing that.
On the other hand, I have discovered that if I move my facial muscles in certain ways (that I didn't even know I did), I do experience some discomfort in the upper portion of my ear canal, almost as if it's trying to flatten, but instead something else is pressing into it... I wonder what that could be?
Isolation is not quite what I had expected, either. Some things I can't hear at all - cars while walking on the street (other than that guy in a Harley who altered his muffler), people talking to me, etc. And yet there are others that I wouldn't expect to hear, but I still do - the elevator beeping as it passes each floor, and the door opening, a biker ringing his bell at some (other) pedestrians. I'm not sure if it's just not what I'd imagined, something isn't right, or my hearing is just too good.
The final strange thing that I've been noticing happens much later on. Removing the monitors feels odd, with the sudden onrush of air and increased sensitivity to all the new sounds. But that's expected. Then everything feels normal for a while. Several hours later, I suddenly have this wierd feeling in my ears. I'm not even sure how to describe it. It's kind of like a cross between feeling like something should be in my ear, but is missing, and that a phantom earpiece is in my ear, though neither really does it justice, as it's kind of achy at the same time. It lasts for a few hours - I haven't timed it - and concentrating on other things makes it fade, but it does come back, without my thinking about it.
I'm not sure if it's muscles in my ear canal releasing some built-up tension (or the other way), or my body telling me that it just wants to listen to more tunes. But I've never experienced it before with any of the other IEMs tips I've used - foam, olives, or flanges. It's pretty odd, and kind of creeps me out. Has anyone else ever experienced this before?
Bah, that was probably too long. Thanks for reading this far!
