[jesh462]

Looking for an IEM that is comfortable enough to fall asleep in, wake up hours later, and not experience pain with.
Ideally, this would work for both sleeping on my side as well as my back. However, I do spend the most time sleeping on my back, so that may be good enough.

After comfort, my first priority is soundstage. I love a wide soundstage with good instrumental positioning. Punchy bass is a plus, but I'm no bass-head.

I'm looking for something on the non-fatiguing side and non-analytical since I'll mostly be streaming soundcloud and other trash sources like that.
Will be hooked up to a mobile device, and I'm too lazy/scrubby to buy a separate amp.

I'd like to keep it under $100, since chances are I will just lose these somewhere. But I'll definitely even consider $5 chi-fi if it fits my needs. Thanks for your input guys!
I've come here for a lot of advice before, and never been steered wrong.

 

[baskingshark]

Looking for an IEM that is comfortable enough to fall asleep in, wake up hours later, and not experience pain with.
Ideally, this would work for both sleeping on my side as well as my back. However, I do spend the most time sleeping on my back, so that may be good enough.

After comfort, my first priority is soundstage. I love a wide soundstage with good instrumental positioning. Punchy bass is a plus, but I'm no bass-head.

I'm looking for something on the non-fatiguing side and non-analytical since I'll mostly be streaming soundcloud and other trash sources like that.
Will be hooked up to a mobile device, and I'm too lazy/scrubby to buy a separate amp.

I'd like to keep it under $100, since chances are I will just lose these somewhere. But I'll definitely even consider $5 chi-fi if it fits my needs. Thanks for your input guys!
I've come here for a lot of advice before, and never been steered wrong.

I recently got a Semkarch SKC CNT1 and it is very comfortable to my average size ears. The fit is good so I don't even know I have it on my ears after a few hours of listening. It's worn overears. YMMV.

It was previously retailing at $95 USD, but is now out of production. However, some new sets are being sold on ebay at $43 USD, or even cheaper on taobao (I bought a 43 bucks ebay new set). It can be driven by a smartphone but scales better with a DAC/DAP/AMP.

The soundstage I would say is average for an IEM. But clarity and details and timbre are top notch. I would say it can almost hit the sound quality of some of my $100+ single DD IEMs. It has 2 customizable nozzles to change the sound signature so it can be a bit bassy (not basshead levels) and can be a bit more neutral. It is not fatiguing and not analytical. However the stock cable is rubbish, very microphonic and stiff. I would suggest getting a cheap replacement MMCX cable.



My other comfortable IEM I have used to sleep with is the ****. Retails about 16 - 17 bucks on Aliexpress. Wide open soundstage for an IEM and very non fatiguing. Details and clarity and instrument separation are also good, and it has a subbass north of neutral. It can be driven by a phone but it will benefit from an amp if you have it as the treble frequencies are handled by a piezo driver, and they require quite a lot of juice to truly shine. Worn downwards from ear. The stock tips are thrash, so do get some ear tips to help for fitting.
My very small complaint about it is that acoustic instruments like woodwinds/brass/strings sound a bit artificial in timbre on it. If u listen to orchestral/instrumental music, it may be a bit apparent. But if u ain't OCD about timbre and listen to EDM/rock/pop, it's excellent for the price.

 

[jesh462]

Hello baskingshark,
Thank you for your very detailed reply. I will definitely consider both IEMs. My music taste is wildly varied, and that's why I didn't mention it. As such, the artificial sound on the **** with stringed and wind instruments is definitely a drawback, but a completely acceptable one for the price. I know tip rolling is just an enormous topic on its own, but what tips would you recommend with the **** for sleeping? I know comply tips used to be hot, but I haven't looked at IEMs in forever.
I also appreciate how you mentioned a cheap and decent cable to go with the SKC CNT1. This is perfect information for someone like me, looking to dip their toes back into the IEM world! I super appreciate you.

P.S. The source will be an LG V40, which has a decent DAC. Not sure how good the amplification is, but it is hopefully above average.

 

[baskingshark]

Hello baskingshark,
Thank you for your very detailed reply. I will definitely consider both IEMs. My music taste is wildly varied, and that's why I didn't mention it. As such, the artificial sound on the **** with stringed and wind instruments is definitely a drawback, but a completely acceptable one for the price. I know tip rolling is just an enormous topic on its own, but what tips would you recommend with the **** for sleeping? I know comply tips used to be hot, but I haven't looked at IEMs in forever.
I also appreciate how you mentioned a cheap and decent cable to go with the SKC CNT1. This is perfect information for someone like me, looking to dip their toes back into the IEM world! I super appreciate you.

P.S. The source will be an LG V40, which has a decent DAC. Not sure how good the amplification is, but it is hopefully above average.

I use a normal KZ (knowledge zenith) eartip for ****. They are very cheap and can be found for a few cents on ebay. The headfiers call them KZ starlines but that's their unofficial name. The **** stock black tips are serviceable. But the red flange stock tips of **** are quite horrible IMHO.

For a good cheap cable u can consider a nicehck 8 core copper cable from aliexpress. Retails less than 10 usd.

Hope u find the ideal IEM u are looking for!

 

[assassin10000]

Westone w10, um1 or um pro series would be good, but a bit pricey. The um pro 10 completely tucks away in the concha and can hardly be felt or noticed even on my side.

The audiosense t180 is similar in shape, but Icve never heard it.


These are sealed BA earphones, so bass response may not be quite what you're looking for. I EQ my um pro 10.

 

[Kraegorn]

Most models of IEM's are generally of the same comfort, except for custom IEM's (Jh audio's, ultimate ears, etc.), because the universal tips are interchangeable. Give the memory foams tips a try over the flange and silicone. Also, use the smallest tip, as they don't put any pressure on your inner ear.

 

[jesh462]

Westone w10, um1 or um pro series would be good, but a bit pricey. The um pro 10 completely tucks away in the concha and can hardly be felt or noticed even on my side.
...

Thank you! This is nearly exactly what I was looking for - the most comfort possible without going fully custom.
Sealed BA (I think) is not a problem for me, as long as they are not bass-thin. If the bass is accurate enough, that's OK with me. I'm excited about these now.


Kraegorn - thank you for the tip on tips! I will definitely keep this in mind, and pick up some memory foam tips for whatever I go with.

 

[baskingshark]

Thank you! This is nearly exactly what I was looking for - the most comfort possible without going fully custom.
Sealed BA (I think) is not a problem for me, as long as they are not bass-thin. If the bass is accurate enough, that's OK with me. I'm excited about these now.


Kraegorn - thank you for the tip on tips! I will definitely keep this in mind, and pick up some memory foam tips for whatever I go with.

My very first IEM was the westone UM 1 and the bass is non existant I gotta say. It is more suited for stage monitoring, which is what I use it for, it is good for mids and treble. It might be suitable if u like a neutralish profile or maybe for genres like classical. But other genres requiring bass forward music, it is pretty boring cause of the lack of bass. If u can EQ, then the bass may be improved. YMMV.
But it is very comfortable indeed and has a small profile in the ear and has quite good isolation, similar to other westones. Some of the older westones may not have detachable cables too so it might not be wise to sleep with them on and accidentally spoil a cable and the entire IEM with it (cables are usually the first point of failure IMHO).

I have a few higher end westones with more drivers and these have better bass but they are quite expensive and definitely > $100 USD.
I actually used to buy westones for the past 15 years in this hobby but realized the past 2 years that the CHIFI IEMs have caught up to the western budget/midfi range and they can give better or equivalent sound quality at a fraction of the price. These CHIFI stuff can give a better price to performance ratio, if u ain't brand conscious.

Yep good luck in your search for an ideal IEM!

 

[jesh462]

Little update - I settled on the TRN V30.
While I'm fine with the sound, I feel like none of the tips included are comfortable for me, do to the deeper insertion depth.
Any suggestions on tips for these?
I've tried searching myself, but I can't find specs on the nozzle size and such on these headphones.
I listen for 8+ hours at a time, 5 days a week. Maybe higher, if I start going to the gym with them. Comfort is my main priority.