Matt, you're being a whole lot more thorough than I've even thought of being. It reminds me of a comment I heard years ago, namely that your typical Pop song was mixed for the 6x9 dash speaker found in your average American sedans of the 60s and 70s.

All this discussion has caused me to remember another set of phones I have that doesn't get used much, mostly because it's a hassle getting them on and off. It's a set of MEE in-ear monitors I bought off eBay a few years ago. Cheap compared to what a lot of IEMs sell for -- like the ones made by Shure, for example. But you know what? They don't sound half bad. I dug them out and put 'em on and I'm listening to some of my tunes at Soundcloud right now. They have a nice sort of "space" feel about them. The lows are nothing to brag about, but they're not bad. Highs are crisp and mids aren't muddy. They sound noticeably better than my Samsung earbuds, which sound better than my Apple earbuds.

I bought these IEMs back when I was thinking seriously about putting together a solo act where I'd have the temerity to actually try and sing a song or two. Well, things got in the way, including a rather exhaustive move to a new house, and a few health issues, and the plans got set aside -- at least for the time being.

At any rate, it's somewhat enlightening listening to my tunes with these IEMs. The mixes don't sound as hot as they do with the Koss phones. Ulp -- hold that -- one tune just started up with a bass track that's too hot for these phones. So I guess, in addition to the Kosses, they'll also be a decent way to determine which of my mixes will need adjustment. Oh well.

You know there's a saying in the book publishing industry that a book isn't finished being revised until it's reached the printer. I'm thinking that music pretty much shares this trait.

Best,
Michael

My Music:
https://soundcloud.com/michaelmcbroom/albums