zilax002
100+ Head-Fier
Same here, I had several nice headphones in the past, but I moved on to IEMs.
The thing I find with IEMs (i now have close to a dozen, mostly budget but a handful in the $80+ range) is that it's very hard to know whether something will work for me. Frequency response graphs and reviews are less useful because if the comfort is an issue or I can't get a good consistent seal the graphed performance becomes entirely theoretical (and functionally unobtainable for my ears).
I was able to try some sets briefly in Japan (where any old audio store might have rows of IEMs to demo!) but I don't think any such opportunity exists locally for IEMs. (Like literally two stores I'm aware of in the area demo high-end over ears.)
God knows I'd probably spend too much on an IEM if I ever try something that can complete with something like the Elex or Ananda Stealth, but it hasn't happened so far.
I did try and like several of Kiwi Ears pricier IEMs, but nothing blew me away and made me think "I have to buy this."