SE315

Yeah they seemed too good to be true. I've just stuck with my shures. I've had to replace the chord a few times but the actual IEM's have lasted me 6 or 7years so far.

Their impact can't be overstated. In my country, Costa Rica, they quickly became super popular with musicians and regular folk alike (even if they are not flat IEMs lol). To the point where musician friends would comment on my KZ ZSN PRO, ask where I got them, and such. Random people such as bus drivers and pedestrians would comment and mention they knew how good they were. Bang for the buck when they came out was unmatched in the mainstream. Personally, after an awfully disappointing buy in the Shure SE-315, I lost faith in IEMs. The KZ ZSN PRO were way more fun to listen to for 1/10 of the price. Then I got the CCA CRA and was marveled at what could be achieved for twenty bucks in the IEM world. I gifted a friend a pair of CCA CRA, and they became their gold standard. No wireless earbud they have had since then has compared to those CCA CRA. KZ is responsible for me now owning my endgame, the 7Hz Timeless II. I am probably not going any deeper in the rabbit hole but you can bet your ass KZ got me gifting IEMs to my friends who use shitty wireless buds lol.

I own/use the Shure line, the 215 are great and cheap! Flat, uninspiring but sonically truthful. The 315 sound a little richer, the 535 a little better yet. But they all work fine, and come with several sizes of ear foam. They keep a lot of external sound out. I have tried Westone, they were really good too. I think Soundbrenner just started hawking in-ears? That might be worth a try because they aren't expensive and probably have a satisfaction guarantee. Lots of choice out there, just get a product that nicely fits your own ears and physically blocks external sound well. But the base model of Shure in-ears is a great start. Life changing things.

Shure 215 is the best value option. It's generally good enough for singers and instrumentalists, and can be made to work with bass if you mix it right. Shure 315 adds another driver, but also adds a bit of cost. If you want a little more ooomph on the low end, I roll with Westone UM30 -- but any two or three driver IEM will have much better and clearer bass response than a single driver.