Thanks, that’s helpful to see - hmm, if they stay on the KL nozzles these could be good 
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It’s very rare for me to even consider using the stock tips on any IEM, the only ones that I’ve ever used are the tips that 7hz includes, which are just KBear 07 and 08 tips. The usual suspects all aren’t that great. What @Sonofholhorse is saying though is a great idea - @GooberBM swears by the 240s as well and I’ve been tempted to pick them up for the shallower fitting IEMs I have like the EA500s for example.
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They are a great double flange, but they do get uncomfortable and itchy. If they sit well and you can wear them for long-listening, then they are a peach
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I’ve never had that problem with the CP240s, but I do get it from time to time with the CP100s
Edit: also, @saltire , I know that you said “narrow bore” but my other favorite tips with the Resin 'M are the Azla Sedna Earfit Softs. May be worth trying, if you have any Sedna Earfit types laying around.
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- Vulkan
- Azul
- Quartet (off-on). New for me, great balanced IEM with a strong but clean bass. Very versatile, great vocals, good stage. A bit colored but they’ve become my new EDC with the BT adapters.
- HeartMirror Zero
- P1+
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Good news, CP240s fit and sound great! Another option is Symbio N narrowbore hybrids; they were tough to get on, but stayed on just fine and IMO may have sounded fuller and more pleasing than the CP240s do.
(Those are Medium CP240s and Small Symbio Ns, for reference).
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The Quartet’s bass is something special in terms of how it sounds due to the double DDs. I returned the Quartet since it was a bit lacking in details in the upper midrange. Now I wish that I had not returned them since the convenient tuning switches are ideal for tweaking the overall sound signature to correct for less professionally executed mixing for stuff on Netflix and other streaming services. I recall one particular Star Trek Strange New Worlds episode where the mixing totally lacked lower midrange and bass. I had to dig up my QKZ x HBB IEMs to listen to this episode, whereas with the Quartet I could have simply set the switches to the UD or 10 positions to restore the lower midrange and the bass.
I eventually realized that the Quartet’s tuning switches affect everything above 300 Hz. With this in mind, please see the following chart for how the tuning switches affect the upper midrange and treble, relative to the bass response:
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I like it best in DU to bring the upper mids range up which makes the bass cleaner and the vocals and but more clear or forward on the mix.
Yeah, tried a bunch of Sednas but forget which (not elastic or crystal ones) - similar issues as the stock tips if memory serves though. I’ll check out the symbios as well, thanks for the recs.
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I eventually settled on using Spinfit CP100 eartips with the Quartet.
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I’m using W1
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Butastur, EPZ 530 and Talos are about to take off to the great white north, so it’s time for the rest of the team to step it up for a while…on deck:
Penon Serial
TGXEAR Totem
Tinhifi P1 Max
Raptgo Bridge
Tangzu Fudu
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Panda gang 
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Movin’ up in this hobby 
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Now that’s an amazing feeling, isn’t it? Trust me though, as you’ve probably already noticed, the Pandas are a special set with few like sounding sets with it’s awesome combo of timbre, tecs and vocal performance at probably under $250, maybe more.
What’s next for you in the hobby?
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Thanks! In addition to the many positive testaments to the prowess of the Panda, I’m intrigued by what I think I see in its FR graph in conjunction with what I’ve heard in terms of tech from some other planar sets…
Peering into the path ahead in the hobby? I’m looking to get a better understanding of how tuning and tech interact, and where they might operate somewhat independently of each other, where in other ways they’re unavoidably tethered. I also want to better understand how different driver and shell types influence these factors, and the economics - what driver types lend themselves to the creation of budget bangers?
Beyond that, having gone to the edge of my budget for a set that actually exceeded my expectations and which has expanded my notions of what’s possible while illuminating a pretty good swath of my library and fitting so well I can wear it forever (the Butastur), I’m interested in finding bang-for-the-buck entries into different approaches to the tuning/tech balance, with an eye not towards chasing one do-it-all dragon, but finding strong role players that can make some magic happen within musical styles that may not be in “my mainstream” but are no less loved. If they can also work well with my core library…bonus!
Inevitably the time will come when I push for a bigger bang, but I want to be better informed and both clearer and more confident about my preferences and how available sets might play when that time comes.
One thing I want to be wary of as I go along, though, is churning so much in the lower range of my budget that I spend way more than a kilobuck set would run me, lol.
I’ve been very lucky in finding used deals or significant sales to keep my overall costs down so far, but I’m not immune to the budget blindness that can creep in during the heat of the hunt. That’s one of the reasons I decided to go further out with the Butastur relatively early in the game - it has kind’ve grounded me with a taste of what moving up in the range might bring, but also tempered expectations, so the early fever has broken. Anyway, along the way I plan to keep my eye out not only for the new hawtness, but for the former flavors-of-the-month or overlooked/misunderstood gems 
Anyway, holy crap this got away from me - sorry for tl/dr!
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Straight away, you do not have to apologize! I enjoyed reading this - you have a way with words, good sir.
It seems like you have a firm grasp of what you want next in this hobby and I can say from first-hand experience that this is incredibly important. Going through blindly and figuring it out as you go can be very fun because of how adventurous it is, but at a certain point, you hit a wall. With no goals in mind, not knowing where you’re headed can lead to spending unnecessary cash in hopes that a new and exciting experience awaits you. This just straight-up doesn’t work.
The Butastur working for you is obviously huge - that’s a large check to pay for if the food and service weren’t great, ya know? I can see why it has its appeal, no doubt about it. It’s an all-around great IEM that would play a majority of a library very well. Breaking down the actual hardware inside does make it a rather good value as well considering the cost of tuning, R&D, and manufacturing so bravo to Oblivion and @AmericanSpirit_JP.
I’ll definitely be seeing you around, dude. I can’t wait to see your next steps in the hobby 
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Thanks so much for this perspective! It’s very encouraging to hear from someone who has traveled the road ahead - I definitely count myself lucky to have learned some things by reading posts by you and some of the other constant presences on the forum! Hopefully, as I go on, I can share a few things, definitely small things at first, haha, that might prove useful to my fellow travelers. 
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I’m still traveling that proverbial road along side you, brother. I just had a small head start but trust me, everyone moves at different speeds.
Sharing your experiences with the rest of the forums, vets and new comers, is what we all love so keep the comments and posts coming!
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Aye - will do!
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