[thewalrus0034]

Hey, I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction for a pair of IEM's that have high durability and are very easy to clean.
           I previously owned a pair of Denon (model number) IEM's for ~$75, however they got beat up fairly quickly, and were a pain to clean (earwax/other crap would get down through the provided rubber tip and cover the "speaker".  In terms of actual sound, I listen to mostly Classic Rock, Jazz, and Blue, and I tend to look for separation of sound (distinct representation of instruments, especially treble).  
            So far research has led me to the Panasonic RP-HJE900-K's, which i'm told have superb build quality and relatively high sound quality for the price.  However, to avoid cleaning and discomfort, I planned on purchasing Bose silicon tips (http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/headphones/audio_headphones/accessories/ie_headphones_tipkit_med_acc.jsp) in replacement of the provided tips.  I'm aware the Bose tips don't actually isolate, but I've used my brothers pair, and I really liked the fit.  However my question would be, is it worth it to spend ~$70 if i'm not going to enjoy full quality due to isolation?

 

[mythe]

I don't think Bose tips fit on normal IEM's?  Not too sure but last time I saw a bose nozzle it seemed to be sort of flat.   Most normal silicone tips are pretty comfortable, I don't really see why you would want to use Bose tips.  I also don't see why they would make your earphones any less difficult to clean.  If you don't want something that isolates or goes in your ear maybe you can give some of sennheiser's earbuds a try.  They make some higher end ones and in my personal experience sennheisers can usually take a beating and still look and work great.
 
Otherwise, I would recommend the etymotic research mc5's which are phenomenal for the price.  The sound should be about right for you, they have great mids and highs and the bass has some decent impact too because they're moving coil or something like that rather than just balanced armature.  Instrument separation is usually very good on etys too.  If you use the included carrying case I don't think you'd have any problems with your earphones getting beat up.  They're a little different from what your asking fo though.  The isolate a lot of sound although some people find the triple flanges uncomfortable. You get used to them after a while though and you always have the option of using foam tips.  I find that the comply tips for etys are really nice; they have a small filter built in so no wax will get onto the nozzle and you can just replace the whole thing every month or two.