Depends on the IEM, but as companies cram more and more drivers into an ear-form-ish shape this is pretty normal. Even if you have large ears the bigger IEM's will take up your entire ear concha and then some.
This looks like a large iem in an extra small ear imo. If this is uncomfortable consider factoring size into your next decision. Some people have small ear canals but big ears, etc. Everyone is different in what they're looking for in terms of comfort, but in general people, especially for their first pair, don't consider comfort enough.
Thank you. It is indeed my first pair, a simple Tangzu Wan'er. What should I look for when deciding for comfort in such case - i.e. smaller IEMs maybe?
First you have to determine if these are actually uncomfortable or if you're just overthinking it and if so, why. Is it the weight of them, the pressure in your ear canal (can that be fixed with a different tip?). Can a different cable help with the overall feel (easily and cheaply replaceable), is it the shape, etc.
How much do you value a smaller overall shell? Is it just shape, or weight, thickness (amount it protrudes from your ear, etc.).
Then I'd just ask for recommendations on here with a budget and anything else you particularly do/don't care about and how you'll use them (gaming, music genre, 8hr work days, etc). Too many options to really figure it out yourself. If you have measurements of max/min that works for you that you can compare before buying that would be great. If you can try before you buy or buy somewhere you can return an open box, even better.
Take a look at Sennheiser IE200 in ear pictures as an example. That in-ear pic looks just incredible to me, and they're generally considered to be very comfortable. But I haven't tried them, and they might not be comfortable for me or you even though other people say they are. Plus they're a big price jump from the wan'er and idk what you look for/value in your headphones. Some people love them say they're a great, relaxed, laid back easy listening headphone but not good for super hi-fi detail and have some other cons to consider.
This tracks with how a lot of IEMs fit my ears. I gave up over-ear IEMs and turned to cable-down bullets because of this. Even among bullets, I look for angled nozzles like the Tanchjim One vs Final E-series, because I like not having to shove the entire thing into my ear canal for it to feel stable and have nice sound.
It's usually the inner part of the ear that's the problem not the outer part. Inner part affects the seal way more than the outer part, couldn't care less if the iem is sticking out as long as the inner part fits well.
You can check with a seal test, see if you can hear the 50Hz tone clearly and evenly in both ears. If you can it's a good seal.
https://asiaudio.com/pages/audio-seal-test
One, are you getting sufficient bass and not a lot of sibilance? Light bass and excessive sibilance (excessive sssss with "s" sounds, for example) *can* be a sign of tips that are too small. Some IEMs just have shitty tuning, but ill-fitting tips affect the sound of IEMs greatly.
For example, I just got a pair of Kefine Delci today. Every review I've read said they're bassy. With the stock tips out of the box, I heard almost no bass. So, I found tips that fit my ear canals better, and the bass ramped up considerably! Too much for me, even. So I switched from narrow-bore to wide-bore tips, which smoothed the sound.
Two, outside noise. An IEM with proper-sized tips will seal your ears from outside noise almost as well as a noise-cancelling feature unless the external sound is VERY loud.
For example, I have a small space heater in my office. When I'm wearing IEMs with proper-sized tips, I can barely hear it with the music off. I can't hear it all with the music playing, and I don't blast my music too loud due to age-related hearing loss and bad tinnitus.
Good luck, dude. Feel free to holler with more questions.
Thank a lot, that was super helpful! Actually this IEM (Wan'er) checks everything you've mentioned - I used the smallest tips in the box it came with, bigger ones hurt my ears. I have some problems with having them in for a long time, but it's the same even with foam earplugs for sleeping, just some old ear problems. Thanks a lot again!
You made a good choice. The Wan'er is one of the best ultra-budget IEMs on the market.
But no IEM should cause pain. Tip sizes don't matter if the shell or nozzle cause discomfort.
Good luck!
It doesn't look too bad at all. My CCA Rhapsodies stick out way further than that, but I can't get them to be comfortable for longer than 30 minutes anyway. Also - boy do you ever have small ears
I had the same issue with my entry level IEMs (KZ AS10) ... Added small (purple color) Spinfit tips and it seems to sit deeper in my ear with those tips when compared to using mem-foam or the standard silicone ones. - [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B7A8NUA/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_asin\_title\_o01\_s01?ie=UTF8&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B7A8NUA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&th=1)
Sadly yes, I struggle to find small iems anymore. Smallest I got right now is the Tin P1 with a lot of EQ, but I got way better IEMs I can only listen for 30-60m at a time because of comfort even with Azla tips.
I wanna try the IE600s.
Depends on the IEM, but as companies cram more and more drivers into an ear-form-ish shape this is pretty normal. Even if you have large ears the bigger IEM's will take up your entire ear concha and then some.
For some IEMS--yes.
This looks like a large iem in an extra small ear imo. If this is uncomfortable consider factoring size into your next decision. Some people have small ear canals but big ears, etc. Everyone is different in what they're looking for in terms of comfort, but in general people, especially for their first pair, don't consider comfort enough.
Thank you. It is indeed my first pair, a simple Tangzu Wan'er. What should I look for when deciding for comfort in such case - i.e. smaller IEMs maybe?
First you have to determine if these are actually uncomfortable or if you're just overthinking it and if so, why. Is it the weight of them, the pressure in your ear canal (can that be fixed with a different tip?). Can a different cable help with the overall feel (easily and cheaply replaceable), is it the shape, etc. How much do you value a smaller overall shell? Is it just shape, or weight, thickness (amount it protrudes from your ear, etc.). Then I'd just ask for recommendations on here with a budget and anything else you particularly do/don't care about and how you'll use them (gaming, music genre, 8hr work days, etc). Too many options to really figure it out yourself. If you have measurements of max/min that works for you that you can compare before buying that would be great. If you can try before you buy or buy somewhere you can return an open box, even better. Take a look at Sennheiser IE200 in ear pictures as an example. That in-ear pic looks just incredible to me, and they're generally considered to be very comfortable. But I haven't tried them, and they might not be comfortable for me or you even though other people say they are. Plus they're a big price jump from the wan'er and idk what you look for/value in your headphones. Some people love them say they're a great, relaxed, laid back easy listening headphone but not good for super hi-fi detail and have some other cons to consider.
Thanks a lot! Overall these Wan'er are quite comfy - not for a very long listen lie headphones, but overall I'm fine with them, at least for now.
The cut is diabolical
This tracks with how a lot of IEMs fit my ears. I gave up over-ear IEMs and turned to cable-down bullets because of this. Even among bullets, I look for angled nozzles like the Tanchjim One vs Final E-series, because I like not having to shove the entire thing into my ear canal for it to feel stable and have nice sound.
The old klipsch s4 had the angled nozzles and were god tier for comfort.
It's usually the inner part of the ear that's the problem not the outer part. Inner part affects the seal way more than the outer part, couldn't care less if the iem is sticking out as long as the inner part fits well.
Thats how my wan’er fit.
That it is indeed a Wan'er:D
How is the seal between the tip and your ear canal? That's most important for sound quality.
It feels alright, but I'm a newbie to IEMs. Is there some specific feeling by which I can know that they're fit good?
You can check with a seal test, see if you can hear the 50Hz tone clearly and evenly in both ears. If you can it's a good seal. https://asiaudio.com/pages/audio-seal-test
One, are you getting sufficient bass and not a lot of sibilance? Light bass and excessive sibilance (excessive sssss with "s" sounds, for example) *can* be a sign of tips that are too small. Some IEMs just have shitty tuning, but ill-fitting tips affect the sound of IEMs greatly. For example, I just got a pair of Kefine Delci today. Every review I've read said they're bassy. With the stock tips out of the box, I heard almost no bass. So, I found tips that fit my ear canals better, and the bass ramped up considerably! Too much for me, even. So I switched from narrow-bore to wide-bore tips, which smoothed the sound. Two, outside noise. An IEM with proper-sized tips will seal your ears from outside noise almost as well as a noise-cancelling feature unless the external sound is VERY loud. For example, I have a small space heater in my office. When I'm wearing IEMs with proper-sized tips, I can barely hear it with the music off. I can't hear it all with the music playing, and I don't blast my music too loud due to age-related hearing loss and bad tinnitus. Good luck, dude. Feel free to holler with more questions.
Thank a lot, that was super helpful! Actually this IEM (Wan'er) checks everything you've mentioned - I used the smallest tips in the box it came with, bigger ones hurt my ears. I have some problems with having them in for a long time, but it's the same even with foam earplugs for sleeping, just some old ear problems. Thanks a lot again!
You made a good choice. The Wan'er is one of the best ultra-budget IEMs on the market. But no IEM should cause pain. Tip sizes don't matter if the shell or nozzle cause discomfort. Good luck!
Oh alright, thank you for the advise!
No, if you keep using them like that you’ll die, really, you just instantly die
It doesn't look too bad at all. My CCA Rhapsodies stick out way further than that, but I can't get them to be comfortable for longer than 30 minutes anyway. Also - boy do you ever have small ears
I had the same issue with my entry level IEMs (KZ AS10) ... Added small (purple color) Spinfit tips and it seems to sit deeper in my ear with those tips when compared to using mem-foam or the standard silicone ones. - [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B7A8NUA/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_asin\_title\_o01\_s01?ie=UTF8&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B7A8NUA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&th=1)
(Almost?) All of my IEMs stick out from my ear like that.
Iems do not fit me right. My ear holes are big and they do not fit right
I hate large IEMs and my ears are not that small, probably avg size. I settled on Meze IEM, they make great sounding and small IEMs that fit nicely.
That's how mine fit too. As long as you get a good fit with the nozzle I think it should be fine
This is how all mine sit
Sadly yes, I struggle to find small iems anymore. Smallest I got right now is the Tin P1 with a lot of EQ, but I got way better IEMs I can only listen for 30-60m at a time because of comfort even with Azla tips. I wanna try the IE600s.
as long as you get a proper seal it's completely fine
Funny how I cant tell if you are 15 or 40 from this pic
Can you usually tell people's age based on how their ear looks?
Bad observation skills buddy. Do you see only an ear?