Hunt the IEM sound signature

[nerdstrike]

My partner has some Sennheiser cx 300 II. They were cheap and cheerful and she likes them, until that is one bud malfunctioned and lost half its volume.

She has narrow ear canals and a relatively small pinna. I've let her try my Shure se535 (uncomfortable), Truthear Gate (too forward or bright, also uncomfortable).

Ironically with the information available here and through some IEM measurement DBs, I would be spoilt for choice to find a suitable good value Harman-ish IEMs, but I suspect she wants a mellow sound.

What small-headed IEM options of better performance are there with a similar Sennheisery sound? Ideally <$200 and hopefully more durable than the cx 300 proved to be. EQ is completely out of the question. I don't feel particularly proficient at reading IEM measurement plots and understanding how they would sound, so I'm asking for help in this quest for a quality compromise.

 

[staticV3]

What small-headed IEM options of better performance are there with a similar Sennheisery sound?

Sennheiser IE200 and Meze Alba are popular choices for people with small ears.

 

[heraldo_jones]

My partner has some Sennheiser cx 300 II. They were cheap and cheerful and she likes them, until that is one bud malfunctioned and lost half its volume.

She has narrow ear canals and a relatively small pinna. I've let her try my Shure se535 (uncomfortable), Truthear Gate (too forward or bright, also uncomfortable).

Ironically with the information available here and through some IEM measurement DBs, I would be spoilt for choice to find a suitable good value Harman-ish IEMs, but I suspect she wants a mellow sound.

What small-headed IEM options of better performance are there with a similar Sennheisery sound? Ideally <$200 and hopefully more durable than the cx 300 proved to be. EQ is completely out of the question. I don't feel particularly proficient at reading IEM measurement plots and understanding how they would sound, so I'm asking for help in this quest for a quality compromise.

If she tried your Shure 535 and felt uncomfortable with the foam tips, just get tips with a diameter-increase adapter so you can use regular silicone ones. My recommendation is the AZLA SednaEarfit Origin — they’re extremely comfortable thanks to the use of medical-grade silicone, and they also come in SS size. You can find the full size chart easily on Google. Ever since I discovered them, I’ve never felt discomfort again any IEM with the maximum nozzle width my ears can handle (6.1-6.2 mm in my case).

 

[nerdstrike]

I hadn't really thought about finding better tips, thanks for that. I think smaller housings are the way though

 

[Subob]

I've just bought the BQEYZ Winter II.

It has the smallest shell of any other iem I've ever tried, and the comfort for me is exceptional, even with just stock tips.

It sounds really good to me, too, which was the main reason for me buying it.

 

[nerdstrike]

Reporting in. The Meze Alba was very well received. Really nice build (if a little heavy?) and they didn't offend the recipients ears.

Thanks @staticV3 , you saved me bags of time.

 

[Mr. Reeee]

My partner has some Sennheiser cx 300 II. They were cheap and cheerful and she likes them, until that is one bud malfunctioned and lost half its volume.

She has narrow ear canals and a relatively small pinna. I've let her try my Shure se535 (uncomfortable), Truthear Gate (too forward or bright, also uncomfortable).

Ironically with the information available here and through some IEM measurement DBs, I would be spoilt for choice to find a suitable good value Harman-ish IEMs, but I suspect she wants a mellow sound.

What small-headed IEM options of better performance are there with a similar Sennheisery sound? Ideally <$200 and hopefully more durable than the cx 300 proved to be. EQ is completely out of the question. I don't feel particularly proficient at reading IEM measurement plots and understanding how they would sound, so I'm asking for help in this quest for a quality compromise.

Try Etymōtic IEMs. They ship with several sizes of eartips.
Try one of the bass boost series. ER2XR or ER3XR.
They have regular sales, too.

They have two styles of eartips. I prefer the double flange vs. triple flange. Forget their foam tips.
Although, I replaced them on my ER4SR with Comply memory foam eartips. Comfort, sound isolation and sound quality improved.

 

[IsaacOscar]

Ironically with the information available here and through some IEM measurement DBs, I would be spoilt for choice to find a suitable good value Harman-ish IEMs, but I suspect she wants a mellow sound.

I can't speak for the accuracy of this site, but it shows headphones/earphones with similar frequency responses:
reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/param22.php?id=1226

Another think you might try is getting a paramateric equalizer app/device, and using autoeq.app to try and alter the frequency response of one device to match another (instructions); I've found very nice EQ profiles using this method and experimenting with different target devices.