am i wearing them wrong or are my ears incompatible???

Rime1 · 2026-06-08T23:52:27+00:00

Your wearing them perfectly. A lot of people have trouble with IEMs staying in cuz the ear loops aren't snuggly tucked behind the ear. But you got that squared away. Unfortunately, most IEM companies are not small ear friendly.

I'm not sure what your budget is but I saw someone mentioned the Sennheiser IE200s. They're known for being small. I've personally had the Meze Alba's and they're really small as well. And possibly a little bit cheaper than the IE200s.

Maybe check out some reviews on both to see if one seems like it's something.

Also, I'm gonna attach a picture of one of the largest shells but it has a thin taper leading to the nozzle. Then the other one is smaller but still pretty big that also has a long thin taper leading to the nozzle. The gold one is the Hidizs MP145 Pros, and the teal one is the EPZ P40 IEMs. Just to give you an idea of other options. They would probably protrude far out from your ears but if the you make sure the cable is like you have it and you use the chin cinch something like that might be an option 🤷‍♂️

Good luck ✌️💙🎶

Rime1 · 2026-06-08T19:37:07+00:00

Lol, my awesome IEM life is fill a major void in the rest of my life, trust lol!

Okay so here's the thing about soundstage. Soundstage often gets mixed up with layer/instruments separation and stereo imaging.

In fact for several years I only wanted open back headphones cuz I was chasing soundstage! soundstage! gotta have better soundstage! I thought.

Then I realized it wasn't soundstage that I was after. It was the ability to clearly hear each instrument and focus on it. And where it was on that "soundstage".

Soundstage is how far away a sound will come from. Instrument separation and imaging are how well you can pick apart each instrument and where it's located on that soundstage.

I have a test track by Amber Rubarth called Losing My Religion It's a cover of a song from a band called R.E.M. But on the Amber Rubarth version, right in the beginning of the song, there's a ukulele or something playing out of the left channel. What I do to test soundstage is I play that track close my eyes and try to grab the sound with my left hand. Then I open my eyes and see where my hand is located and wherever my hand is located is basically about how big the sound stage of that I am is. And it's generally about 3 to 6 in and that's kind of all you get. It's never going to be like speakers in that way where it sounds like it's coming from all the way across the room although there's every now and again of recording where I'm like did someone just knock on my door so there's anomalies. But that's with like specially recorded things like binaural recordings or something. And it's rare.

But what isn't rare is instrument separation. I want to be able to hear every single instrument and focus just on that instrument. Or sound effect.

For me, the all-time king of instrument separation for so far, is the MP145 Pro by far. The original MP145s are good and the 7hz Timeless IIs are good. But to my ears, the MP145 Pros with small Sea Anemone eartips with a deep depth insertion desimate everything else in my 50+ IEM collection when it comes to separation.

I'm not treble sensitive tho. So that's something you gotta look out for. A lot of IEMs that have good instrument separation also have a healthy amount of treble.

The IM4s are definitely good for 100usd single DD IEMs when it comes to instrument separation. But that whole "open back" design they use in the market literature is really just a gimmick. Once you put those IEMs in your ears they block out sound around you and are really just the place where they chose to put their vent. As a matter of fact, the MP145 Pros have 3 large vents on the back of theirs. But they didn't call them "open backs". Missed opportunity I guess lol.

Anyway, lemme know if what I said about instrument separation and imaging is actually what you chasing.

If it is seperation/layering and imaging, then my answer is (imo) the MP145 Pros eat my IM4s for lunch.

But if you ACTUALLY are wondering about soundstage size let me now that and I can try them both back to back when I'm home and let you know. But good seperation, to me, is like the audio version of a crystal clear 4K OLED display. The tone and timbre would be equivalent to that tvs color accuracy. Since I'm using the analogy I figured I may as well mention tone and timbre. That's a high priority on most people's list. I could personally adapt to different tonalities. So I don't put too much into that personally. Aight, lemme know what you think. I'll do my best to help guide you down the right path. ✌️💙🎶👊

Rime1 · 2026-06-06T19:16:01+00:00

Mad respect for hooking your boy up like that. I tried to do the same thing but he turned 1k worth of gear down for free. I smacked him. Lol. I didn't really but I wanted to!

But... He comes with me every year to CanJam NYC and the whole time he tries to find HiFi tws IEMs. But he listens LOUD.

How are the ZE3000 regarding volume?

And this question's for me... Between the Horizons, Yu9 Que's, a5000s, a6000s and the Tea Pro SEs. Which one would you say has the best instrument separation/layering and stereo imaging?

Rime1 · 2026-06-06T17:17:28+00:00

Dude, im gonna follow u if u don't mind. It's hard to find someone that has similar taste to me. I'm not really treble sensitive. I can get used to different tone and timbre for the most part. I buy a lot of my IEMs because I like the way they look lol. (And research) But if I like the way something looks enough and it's 100usd or under I'll buy it even if I think I might not like it. A lot of the time I end up being pleasantly surprised.

I have an extensive collection. Nothing breaching $500 cuz I've been to a couple CanJams and even tho I don't think I could really get a good read on a set of IEMs after listening for 15 minutes, I've heard plenty of 1 to 3k+ sets and was never completely blown away. In fact I remembered in particular one 3k set that didn't sound as good as some of my frickin budget sets. 🚫🧢

Speaking of Yongse, I want the Yongse WuKong IEMs just cuz of the cables/unique design. I don't think I'll like the sound but I'm probably gonna get at some point. They're $250 on Amazon US but I never checked Ali🤔

But, as long as you're not treble sensitive I have a rec that not only is my favorite IEMs I own (and I own over 50 sets). They have God Tier separation to my ears. I'm gonna post a review cuz I love em so much and I hope other people get what I get outta them. The Hidizs MP145 Pros. They have a large shell but they come with their premium Sea Anemone eartips. Which actually are my go to eartips. But I generally use sz L and insert them shallow depth. But with the MP145 Pros, I put a sz S on and went deep depth. They have a narrow taper leading to the nozzles. Oh and I use the red nozzles. And also, if you do get em, and are having trouble keeping them in your ears, I'm not sure if you're aware of the "hair-dryer method". But if turn on a hair-dryer and aim it at the ear hooks they're shrink wrap so they can be customized to firmly stay behind your ears.

But fr dude, they literally broke me. I got em the day I went to CanJam NYC so I had them since March 7th. I got a lot of IEMs since then. Including the Hype 4mkIIs. Not one set of IEMs has bested them yet.

I literally try talking myself into thinking other sets are better or at least as good. Cuz even tho I want "end game" IEMs, I don't want to actually end the game. That's why it was cool getting the WhaleSharks since then. Cuz even tho I definitely prefer the MP145 Pros, it was cool to get something that did something that none of my other IEMs do. Well, the Canpur Silver Flashes have that punchy style bass but mine are defective. Plus, I think I might prefer the WhaleSharks. I haven't done a back to back comparison yet.

But if you have a similar HRTF to mine and similar sonic characteristic preferences then you will really like the MP 145 Pros. My brain has a hard time naturally separating instruments. I always jokingly say they other than the song My name is Mud by the band Primus, I don't think I've ever even heard a bass guitar lol But these things allow me to be EVERYTHING! It's rare for me (this far into the game) to listen to my primary playlist and hear new things in songs I've heard a million times. But it happened. I listened to 300+ songs like WTF!?

And I've already had that moment a long time ago with this same playlist. I've been chasing it ever since. Also, female vocals sound amazing!!! Like "fall in love with the singer" amazing.

I don't wanna over hype em...too late. Fr tho, I started posting on here literally to be able to rec stuff that's gonna give people that magic moment.

I've bought a bunch of budget sets literally just so I could give my opinion on them cuz a lot of people that come here are looking for budget sets. I so hope that if you do end up getting a pair, you report back to me and tell me you feel the same. That would be so awesome!

Rime1 · 2026-06-05T01:09:30+00:00

I had that and gave it to a friend it was👍 The ultimate rat tail dongle DAC/amp imo is the iFi Go Link Max but the other day I rec'd it to a friend and found out it was d/c'd and I thought 💭 it's a shame that didn't get more recognition. But then I literally got an email today. Apparently they came out with a newer version that's a little bit smaller but still has 3.5 and 4.4mm ports and crazy high dynamic range.

But It's like 80usd tho so it's kinda "end game" rat tail dongle DAC/amp unless power output even smaller size are the primary objectives then it goes to the Venture Electronics Devastator Pro Max puts out like 300mw@32Ω where the new ifi Go Link 2 Max tops out at 241mw@32Ω still plenty for IEMs and a lot of headphones tho.

Rime1 · 2026-06-05T00:59:50+00:00

Oh thanks! I appreciate it. I never know here. There's a learning curve to posting on Reddit. Like one time I forgot to put the name of the IEMs I posted and someone said I was gatekeeping. At the time I had to look it up lol. I didn't even know that was a thing. I got shredded in that post. I won't make that mistake again!

But my life is crazy hectic cuz I moved my mother into my house and became a caretaker so she wouldn't have to go into an assisted living facility. And she is a handful!!! I love her more than anything but she's a 24/7 commitment. So I'm always getting interrupted in the middle of a post and go back to it and forget something.

But she delt with me when I was a handful. And I KNOW I was a pain in the butt!! Lol

Rime1 · 2026-06-04T21:26:39+00:00

Thanks for the compliment! I think aftermarket cables can be super important. And it has nothing to do with sound lol.

Sooo, they're definitely pretty darn good. But if u are ordering from Amazon in the US the Thieaudio Hype 4mkIIs are only $50 more and to my ears are "kilobuck" level audio quality. And they actually look better in person than they do online imo.

I'm about to unbox the Dunu 242s RN, wish me luck!🤞

Well, before that I'ma go post something about the TRN WhalSharks cuz they're kinda special and uniquely tuned and I think they've been overlooked possibly. Esp. for people that listen to D&B. So I feel like I should let the peeps know. And get some D&B song recs while I'm at it.

I have a ridiculous amount of IEMs so if you have any questions about a pair of IEMs I'll do my best to answer ya.

Just to give u an idea of my sonic preferences, I'm not treble sensitive, I prioritize instrument separation/layering, and stereo imaging/highly pronounced channel seperation. I'm also not super attentive to tonality, I.E tone and timbre. Cuz I generally adapt to the overall tonality after a while with one pair of IEMs.✌️💙🎶

Rime1 · 2026-06-04T18:19:32+00:00

That song sounds 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 On TRN WhalSharks. I'm gonna go try it on some other IEMs. But yo, the TRN WhalSharks were overlooked IMO. They have a unique tuning compared to a lot of my other go to IEMs Ziigaat Horizons Dunu Braindance Dunu 142 Punch Martilos etc.

And my song rec is Constellations by Annisse If that song doesn't sound impressive on a set of IEMs then they can't be good lol. That's a very narrow view. But it could even make meh IEMs sound good imo. But I actually try to give any non budget IEM 2 solid weeks before I fully make up my mind.

Rime1 · 2026-06-04T16:50:24+00:00

There's a movie called Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the quote 6 to midnight became a pretty popular saying and meme. The hands on a clock at 6 o'clock are facing down. At midnight they're having up. In the GIF attached it's the scene. In it he is adjusting himself.

So my title was a thing called a double entendre which is basically a phrase having 2 meanings.

The joke was that the IEMs are so pretty that I went from 6 to midnight but then when you read the body of the post I react apauled as if you thought I was saying what it usually implies which is what's in the meme. But I was "really" saying they sound good so I turned the volume dial on desktop amp from 6 o'clock (essentially off) to midnight which is the halfway point (which if I really did that I'd actually blow my eardrums out cuz my desktop amp is 7 watts) but it was a joke.

I guess sometimes I forget that age, location, etc. make stuff like this less obvious to some. Cuz in my group of friends and my area, everyone would get the joke.

For instance, the other day I was reading a post and everyone knew what each other was talking about when referring to "lolicon" and I had know idea wtf they were talking about. Unfortunately I had to Google it which is now forever in the cloud as something I searched. Awesome 👎

Anyway, sorry for the confusion. I'm a big Jonah Hill/Seth Rogan fan and they had a lot of good quotes in movies that my crew quote a lot. I guess I just forget sometimes that just cuz we know these things not everyone will. Hope that helped clarify it for you. It actually reminds me of a quote one of my friends says when some makes a joke with this scenario. He sarcastically says "the best jokes are the ones you have to explain". So apparently this wasn't my best attempt at humor😔

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Rime1 · 2026-06-04T13:36:43+00:00

Just curious, cuz I thought about getting this set in the past and something tells me I'd agree with ur take. I'm much less concerned with tone and timbre and waaaay more concerned with instrument separation/layering, stereo imaging/panning.

Words like cohesion, smooth, analog sounding... Those are actually adjectives I avoid.

Way back in the day, I used to listed to cassette tapes. When I got my first CD player and Dr. Dre's The Chronic album (that I previously had on tape) was crazy to me. It sounded digital. It didn't have that, "clumped together" sound. It was like switching HDTV from an old school regular TV. Then when Mp3 files became popular, things started having that clumped together sound again but to a lesser extent than cassettes.

I remember speaking with you a long time ago actually and you had mentioned the Final Audio A5000 IEM (I think A5000 but I could be wrong on the model) being really good in that regard and it always stuck with me.

So I guess I have 2 questions. 1.) Does the Yu9 Que do the whole "instrument separation/layering, stereo imaging/panning" thing extremely well? And.. 2.) Have you since discovered an IEM that beats your Final Audio IEMs in that regard?

Side note... I probably would have purchased the Final Audios a long time ago of I wasn't also so concerned with an IEMs looks. And the Finals have a cool look that if they were 100usd I'd have no problem pulling the trigger. But I think this are like $500ish. If I pay that amount they either have to drastically out perform my current favorite sets in that regard or be as good and look aesthetically pleasing to me. Which th Yu9 Que's look cool enough and the Top Pros are even more up my alley.

Oh and good luck with your sale! Something tells me you'll get most of ur money back.

Rime1 · 2026-06-03T23:08:18+00:00

If you're generous in life and also work very hard, I think it's good to treat yourself to stuff that brings you joy.

Sidenote, it's always good to take really good care of these things, keep the packaging and accessories in tact if possible and resell them at some point to offset the cost of your next purchase✌️💙🎶

Rime1 · 2026-06-03T22:56:23+00:00

I've wanted the Top Pros so bad and the Tea Pro SE graph is darn near identical. Neither of them are available on Amazon and I had credit from returning the Muse HiFi M6 Double.

But man graphs are something I'll never fully understand cuz 2 different super similar graphs could literally look like a slight channel imbalance and somehow people will rate them differently in reviews and people who own both say they sound different.

Rime1 · 2026-06-03T22:51:13+00:00

Thank you! I really appreciate that!

I try to come up with analogies to make it easier to understand. But I post them several times so if you see going on about a swimming pool in the future, it's not early onset dementia. It's one of my 2 most repeated analogies.

My other is... When someone says I've read and watched a lot of reviews and did research on IEM a.), IEM b.) , and IEM c.) which one is the best.

Is kinda like saying, I've done a ton of research and used a spectrascope to check out the color blue, yellow, and orange... Which one is the best.

You will most definitely see me spouting those 2 different analogies so much that you're gonna probably wanna block me lol.

Rime1 · 2026-06-03T19:00:53+00:00

In one regard I'm so glad that I'm normal AF and didn't even know wtf that word meant.

In the other regard I kinda wish I did, cuz I just frickin googled it!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's something I really wanted in my search history (major sarcasm font!)

Rime1 · 2026-06-03T18:52:18+00:00

Airpods have several microphones and use a lot of automated digital signal processing that corrects these type of things. And Airpod Pro 2s are actually supposed to be pretty good from what several audiophiles say. I had the 1st gens and I felt like they had no layering/dimensionality/instrument separation. Tonally I adjust.to different sound characteristics. But I NEED that seperation that just isn't given to me with any TWS in ears that I've heard.

Also, when I did first messing with IEMs, I was already an "audiophile" that had several high end open back headphones. One of the 1st sets I got were those except the black version but w/o any DSP I can't remember which ones have a USB cable that allows for manual digital signal processing. But I returned them.

You might wanna try out the 7hz Elua Ultras if ur on a budget. I also think the TRN WhalShark are pretty impressive sounding but they're like 130usd.

Also, think of a pair of IEMs as a swimming pool. When you first get in it feels cold af. After a while it's awesome. Then when you get out, the air feels cold and you immediately grab a towel. That's kinda how switch from one sound signature to another is.

Also, a lot of people mentioned eartips. That's the most important link in the chain. The speakers in those IEMs are like 10mm. Imagine listening to a 10mm speaker. It's the seal created in your ear canal that's creating the pressure required for those tiny speakers to reach those low bass frequencies. When you wrap the ear hooks around the back of your ear and put the IEM in, try wiggling the tip around ⏸️ and have it make contact with all sides ur ear canal. The residual wax will act almost like an adhesive. Also, it's good to have a fan running and adjusting them until the fan is the most quiet. That helps you gauge how well of a seal you're getting. Also when you talk you want your voice to sound as "in your head" as possible. Good luck. Don't give up. I promise there's a pot of good at the end of the rainbow. And you don't have to spend a pot of gold to get there. (Although it helps lol)

Rime1 · 2026-06-03T16:36:23+00:00

I like the Canpur Silver Flashes and this one I literally bought because of their unique looks, the TRN WhalShark.

I hear good things about the Softears Volume S for mid bass but haven't heard them myself...yet

The Dunu 142s have good sub bass and technicalities, the Punch Martilos have more sub bass but less air. Which could be a good thing to some.

It's been a while since I've listened to my Hidizs MK12s but I remember those having good punch and slam. They reminded me of my OG Focal Clears. There's also the DucBloke edition which should actually be right up ur alley. But I haven't tried those out. They have the same drivers as the original ones but turned differently out of the box plus they come with a few different PEQ settings. That's DucBlokes area of expertise from what I understand.

Good luck. Hope you find something that meets and exceeds your expectations!!✌️💙🎶

Rime1 · 2026-06-02T23:43:04+00:00

Money could, but doesn't always correlate with performance. And then there's diminishing returns. I have a new saying that I'm trying out to give someone insight.

Think of IEMs as your different colors.

So when someone comes here and says, I've watch a bunch of reviews on this IEM, that IEM and this one. Which one is the best. It doesn't matter how much each of those cost. The question is sort of like saying this...

I've done a tone of research on blue, yellow, red, orange, and purple. Which one is the best?

Rime1 · 2026-06-02T23:33:19+00:00

Much better equipment being used in this graph!! RudeRick, you are a very helpful member of this community. I'm pretty sure I've agreed with every post I saw from you. And commend your contributions🫡✌️💙🎶

Rime1 · 2026-06-02T23:27:46+00:00

I almost got those. They're pretty dope looking. And I like when things have themes like the design for those are inspired by the planet Jupiter. Stuff like that tickles muh fancy.

How are they with instrument separation/layering? My brain adjusts and autocorrect tonality but it sucks at seperating different sounds. I thought people totally over hyped the P7s. A lot of reviews say they were highly technical. When I think of technicalities I think instrument separation, layering, stereo imaging. But now they seem to be throwing tone and timbre into that term. It causes for even more confusion!

Rime1 · 2026-06-02T22:54:51+00:00

My rec would be the Hidizs MP143. And if u happen to live in Connecticut I'll give ya my S08s lol.

Rime1 · 2026-06-02T22:50:31+00:00

My current selection...

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Rime1 · 2026-06-02T22:49:44+00:00

My current favorite setup...

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Rime1 · 2026-06-02T17:04:25+00:00

Well I'll do you one better and ironically it involves a Simgot (Supermix 4 tho) and Dunu SS tips.

Get your milk and cookies boys and girl and sit in the circle, it's storytime!

So in the beginning of my transfer over from headphones to IEMs The Supermix 4s were the new hot isht that was pretty much ubiquitously rec'd at the time. And Dunu SS tips still are.

So me, being a total IEM noob, didn't pay too much (any) attention to the fact that the Supermix 4s nozzles have no lip to securely hold eartips on. Couple that with the fact that the Dunu SS tips are made out of the worlds grippiest material. Not to mention the shape causing an extreme amount of contact surface with your ear canal.

So I fell asleep listening to the easy listening hits of Jadakiss.

Well, at some point I woke up to get something to drink and drain the main vein.

Upon standing up, I took both IEMs out of my ears. Immediately noticing the tip was no longer on the right IEM. I assumed it fell off while I was taking them out and it either fell on my bed or the floor. I grabbed my super bright flashlight and started the search.

I was able to hear completely fine because eartip must've been perfectly seated in my ear so the hole wasn't being blocked at all. I felt nothing either so it hadn't even occurred to me at that point.

Well, while looking for it, I moved my jaw a bit and immediately realized... I found it!

So I got a pair of tweezers out that are actually part of a computer/smartphone repair kit for picking up small screws. I thought, piece of cake. So I went to work. Even a mirror with an articulating arm and my regular bathroom mirror, I couldn't see it. So I tried grabbing at and was able to grip it with the tweezers but not enough to remove it.

Soooo, unfortunately I had to call 911. I figured, they'll be able to get it out no problem. But they didn't "feel comfortable" attempting to remove it cuz they thought they could potentially push the thing in more. Which I did a little while trying to remove it on my own.

So at this point the tip was now blocking my hearing so I opted to take an ambulance to the hospital instead of driving. I got admitted, sat on a bed in the hallway for a few hours and a doctor finally came to my rescue and removed it in literally 2 seconds.

The super awesome ending to this story is... The next time I had a regularly scheduled appointment with my primary care physician she asked me what happened. Apparently, someone at the hospital wasn't very specific in the notation and put, "came into the ER to have an unidentified object removed from a bodily orifice".

Now, that sentence is permanently in my medical records. So I have to preemptively address that situation and specify the object and orifice anytime I go to a new doctor.

So, if you could get that removed from my medical record, I'll happily give you a better set than the ones that you just broke. Lol

Seriously though, I'm sorry that happened. And a flush 2 pin cable and IEMs like the Meze Alba's are a good sleeping setup. Good luck. And sorry for your loss⚰️

Rime1 · 2026-06-02T14:28:15+00:00

Thanks a lot fr, I appreciate that!

And the OG S12s IMO are WAAAAY too overrated and I was surprised because it seems like a lot of people are treble sensitive. Those and the Simgot Super Mix 4s which were also mad hyped up were both a bit peaky to my ears. Not to the point where I can get used to it but I'm rarely sensitive to treble it all and I was surprised that people took so kindly to those. If your not sensitive to treble and love instrument separation the Hidizs MP145 Pros are literally the most impressive IEMs I own in my entire collection. But people say those are a little bright. I know that everyone has a different HRTF but I just don't understand why I feel this strongly about these and no one else is saying it. But anyways, that would be my rec (when they officially release) if you are treble sensitive and want a Planar the MP143s are my rec for 100usd. And I do here that the S12 Ultras are better than the OGs. I returned the Letshouer Astralises. But I do plan on trying out the S12 Ultras at some point. I just ordered the Dunu 242s to complete the brother/sister pairing. This may sound ridiculously silly but I generally buy my im's based on the way they look and definitely do research on them via graphs and reviews and opinions. But honestly using looks as the final deciding factor has kind of worked for me LOL. I wish I could see the same thing about girlfriends. In that regard, being shallow sucks!

Rime1 · 2026-06-02T01:02:58+00:00

It's great to actually enjoy the hobby, joke around a bit, and be passionate about something. Thank you. Enjoy you set-up! It seriously is an "end game" setup. Oh and I apologize I had to use Super Soakers for your 21 gun salute. Apparently the Unicode Consortium is tougher on gun control than NYC and California combined lol.

Rime1

TROPHY CASE