Last night, I couldn’t sleep. Maybe it’s the news, but it was also the newly revived classical music discussion here. Thank you @frkasper. I wanted to listen with no fuss, and some comfort, while laying down. I pulled out the Sennheiser IE 40 Pro, which had not gotten much use in the last couple of months. I had some Dekoni “Mercury” foam tips, which I substituted for the stock ones, and there was an immediate increase in comfort.
These IEMs are in Senn’s Pro Audio line, but they are just dandy. I think @ProfFalkin also likes them. Was listening on a vintage iPad Air, to Tidal, no DAC, just plugged into the iPad. Enjoyed Tidal’s movies on Bach, these were great for that, even the ones done on organ, could hear the big pipes just fine. And some of the recordings I wanted were only at “HIFI” quality, not master. Piano was very clear.
While not as detailed listening with no DAC to FLAC level reproduction, the balance and soundstage was fine. Comfort with the Dekoni tops was the best I’ve had in IEMs. I think I like this combination better than my other IEMs. I have no high end ones, but I do have the Kanas Pro, and the 1More Triple Driver, which is my go-to for phone use if I can’t grab my Koss Porta-Pros.
See? Very subjective. Comfort is key. I now need to consider a drink and some music to pair with it. Music and drink pairing is a subjectivist playground.