Symphonium Audio - Meteor

My ears are small too, after trying multiple iems, this is what I think are some comfortable iems for small ears which i have owned. Sub $20 - Get Truthear Gate over salnotes zero Sub $150 - S12, ie200 Sub $200 - Meze alba (Most comfortable iem i have ever tried) Sub $600 - Symphonium meteor, ie600 Kilobuck - 64 audio

Xenns top is a no brainer. Symphonium Meteor if you like more laid back and bassy sound.

1. MDR- MV1 - U shaped bassy with a well extended non-fatiguing treble. Also the best fit and lightweight out of all headphones I tried. 2. XBA-N3 - best timbre so far out of all the IEMs I have. Best for my hip-hop/rap songs with male vocals. 3. Symphonium Meteor - best treble I tried, not the best timbre though on the first try as there is a low and mid treble dip it took some time to finally “get it”. Great for female rap/hip-hop. 4. EJ-07M KL - tuned with + 3dB bass boost. My all-rounder set. Stands out in terms of technicalities. 5. Tago Studio Takasaki T3-01 - well balanced, just the right bass and treble, really good vocals. Needs good source to shine (but not scale enough). 6. Symphonium Helios SE - really good micro details. 7. Symphonium Titan - sub bass fun! Honestly I can possibly consider this as an all rounder set. It drowns you with bass but became pretty balanced when bass is not called.

For 1. I still love my Blon03 and it has been on my active rotation for years now. I guess I love the timbre. * Dac/AMP type and eartip does affect the sound presentation. Some examples:  My RSV’s bass went missing and treble presentation sounded dark on FC6 even if I tip roll. I found it best paired with ibasso Nunchaku, midbass presence is better and treble became noticeable. Also low gain + slow filter is best paired with RSV. Symphonium Meteor and Titan treble went missing after tiprolling. Stock tips were still the best for me. Symphonium Titan midbass went missing, subass sucked and treble became splashy with Akliam FC6.  Titan and Meteor are nicely paired with ZX707, bass was really good and treble became present however sound feels congested and too intimate. This was greatly improved with Topping G5 by widening the soundstage and provided with a really clean sound, at the expense of ruining the sparkly treble of Meteor and great subbass of Titan. It did cut off those peaky highs and lows for a clean and wide presentation.

Symphonium Meteor Great fit but the sound signature is not my type. It sounds fun in a way but overall artificial due to the bloated bass and ear piercing treble.

Most pros aren't audiophile savvy. Or maybe they just don't feel the need for ciems even if they know about it. Personally I got myself Symphonium Audio Meteors + Hiby Fc4 DAC Amp. This is already my end game, won't be upgrading anymore after this.

If you like the Hype 4's technical performance but want less bass, check out the Symphonium Meteor or the Moondrop Variations—both offer great clarity with more balanced tuning. Also, maybe give the Etymotic EVO a look if you're okay with a deeper fit. Solid options under $500!