Westone ES-2
The ES-2s are, head and shoulders, the most comfortable custom buds of the bunch. This achievement is reached by fashioning the body of the earphone from a dual-density plastic. The main body where the two drivers (one for the highs, one for the bass range) and wiring are housed is hard plastic, while the ear canal extension is a heat sensitive compound that expands slightly a few minutes after you put it in. As a result, the Westone's achieve a remarkably comfortable fit that makes the twin-driver setup sound a lot richer and more detailed than other two-driver customs. Sound is very balanced in all genres. Because of the superior ambient isolation the Westones were the top performers in noisy venues, taking nearly all the edge off a jet engine and eliminating everything but screeching brakes on the NYC subway. Bikers beware: do not take these things cycling -- the last thing you hear will be the ambulance sirens coming to scrape you off the pavement after not heeding a semi's blaring horn.
WIRED Most comfortable and best ambient noise isolation of the test group.
__TIRED__Moldable portion of ear cable too short, making it uncomfortable with eyewear. Graphics wear off too easily.
$650, 
Sleek Audio
Last year Sleek pioneered the SA6, an individually tuned in-ear headphone. The buds allowed listeners to switch out bass ports and treble tips to get just the right sound in each ear. Pushing ahead, Sleek drove that technology right up the flagpole to a custom-molded and custom-tuned earphone that's dialed into each user's specific taste in sound. If your hearing profile has an asymmetry or you just prefer higher highs or deeper bass, the Sleek Audio father/son team of Mark and Jason Krywko will build it into your set. From my experience with the SA6, I knew I wanted a touch more treble and bass in both ears. The bespoke versions also utilize a 360-degree removable cable, which saves you a bunch of money if your cable frays after a few years of use and makes them compatible with Sleek's wireless components. Sleek didn't chart as high as Westone and Ultimate Ears in transcontinental flight comfort and sound isolation, but for $250 you get a good fit with outstanding sound and versatility.
WIRED Tuned sound signature, 360-degree detachable cables. The best price point for custom earbuds.
Future Sonics m8 Atrio with SofterWear custom fit sleeves
Future Sonics took a different tack for our test, offering up its high-end, off-the-rack Atrio headphone and adding its SofterWear custom fit in-ear sleeve. The add-ons are made of a very tactile rubber compound that takes a bit of work to get into your ear, but once in place they're incredibly comfortable and sometimes equally tough to remove. Unlike any of the other makers in this test, Future Sonics headphones rely on actual dynamic speakers -- miniature versions of the big booming banks of speakers at live events. The result is immediately noticeable. The sound is more natural and concert-like than any of the others in this test. The difference is particularly apparent in the bass range, where the FS sound feels warmer and rolls into your ear as opposed to the crisp and at times almost clinical sound of digital drivers.
WIRED The most naturalistic, warm, concert-like sound of the group. Very comfortable once you get them in your ear.
TIRED Fit and finish of the plastic Atrio headphone housing looked cheap.
__$350 as tested, After getting my first Sony Walkman back in 1980 I've endured nothing but poor-sounding, poor-fitting in-ear headphones. Now, nearly three decades downstream and completely fed up with the white buds that were issued with my last iPod, I turned to "rock star audiologist" Frances Miranda for help finding the perfect pair of bespoke earbuds.
See, the most important component of any earbud is a proper fit. So Miranda – who for fifty bucks provides headphone fittings for pro musicians – filled my ears with cool, rubbery goo to make impressions of my ear canals. The resulting molds were then sent off to Westone, Ultimate Ears, Future Sonics, and Sleek Audio, who would each create a custom set of in-ear headphones from the molds.
To make sure every bud got a fair shake in our tests, I selected 40 songs, encoded in Apple Lossless format, from a wide range of musical styles. I listened to each device under the same set of conditions: in a quiet room, on a commercial airline flight, riding a bicycle on a city street, on the New York City subway and strolling down a busy city street. Here are the results.
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