[monoxyde1234]

i use my d2000 for home listening and planning to get CIEM as soon as its financially viable,
the thing is im currently caught in the middle and would like your opinions on what would be the definitive universal to get before going the CIEM route.

the use of the universal im aiming for is for my daily commute, cycling, sharing it with
somebody else <3 haha(plus i could welcome them into the world of head-fi so to speak
and dont worry about hygiene cause i could swap tips anyways), so going directly into customs wont do. the thing is,
my full size is something i could upgrade on, as is my soon to be CIEM whatever it would be. 

so to be specific, i am looking for a be all end all universal that would fit my needs and wouldn't cost as much as coming close to CIEM territory

my initial candidate is the re262 w/c is about 150$ right now at amazon but i'm thinking of getting the re272 instead for a 100$ more.
would it be reasonable to spend 250$ knowing that ill be getting a custom sometime as well. i know its a fine line and id just
want to get your opinions, or maybe you could suggest another universal.

oops i almost forgot about my sonic preference, having the d2000, maybe a palette refreshing sound would be nice but it really doesnt matter
as long as i am getting the most bang for my buck sonically speaking.

i hope someone could shed some light on this and help me decide, on the other hand,
hearing your head-fi journey would also be a great help not only for me, but also for those newbies out here like me, who is just starting out
on a journey of their own.

 

[Deviltooth]

There is no be all/end all definitive and perfect iem.  There are many competent universals with varied sound signatures.  What floats one person's boat won't necessarily sail you to audio bliss.
 
The good news is it's fun to try different sound signatures and learn your own preferences and sometimes even change them over time.
 
Personally I very much like my Re-262.  It's a great IEM that's mid centric but still very detailed.  It benefits a lot from amplification (source plays into the audio chain as well).
 
I suggest you sample a few well reviewed products then do some more reading here and elsewhere on the net about them.  Popular iems usually have a lot of fans writing about their experiences.

 

[hkppl]

I think you might try some high-end universals, such as W4, UE900, Shure 535 etc before going to CIEM. You may find that those universals already suit your needs and don't need to go CIEM 

. Also CIEMs do not always mean upgrade of SQ, some people even claim that some single driver dynamic universals sound better to them.

 

[yello131]

Check the Final audio design earphones like Heaven IV or Heaven C
about the same price range  as RE272
Final audio has also cheaper models under 150US so the choices are wast.
 
one thing for sure you need a good isolation for commuting, also for cycling ergonomics is something to worry about..

 

[svyr]

a universal CIEM (heir's 3.ai, or UM's demo mold of one of their products, or 3 driver CI + TWFK (driver upgrade from a used UE700)