"I’ve been looking for any excuse to pick these up (actually the XIII)." ——— If the VIII, IX & X are already quite expensive, I can't imagine what the XIII retails for.  ;)

"I’ll have to check and see if I am wearing them right because from this photo it looks like I’ve either been doing it wrong or I just don’t have the room to wear it like that- with the entire ‘shell’ perched inside the tragus(?)." ——— Yes, that photo shows the way the PFs should be worn; my guess, though, is you don't have enough room for such a fit. (You're now the third person I know who's had fit issues with the PFs).

Your questions:

a) No, you can't use tips with the PFs, but those Comply soft wraps might be worth trying. Another option is to go for the 1601SB instead of the 1602SB (aka PF VIII) — the 1601s have been discontinued but you can still get a pair from amazon.co.jp; these come with metal screw-on nozzles, one very similar to the PF's, and another which actually allows tips to be used (check these pics: http://www.head-fi.org/t/473263/final-audio-design-fi-dc1601sb-review-or-rather-incoherent-ramblings#post_6411998). I have both 1601SS & 1602SS and find the latter more comfy—with the former only a cable-over-the-ear fit will do to prevent the earpieces from falling off my ears.

b) I chose the PF IX because not only do I like the looks of it more than the others, but felt stainless steel to be ideal; also, the difference in price between the VIII & IX wasn't so big (the PF X costs twice as much as the IX). AFAIK, all PF models use the same 16mm dynamic driver, and those who have heard all 3 models report the IX is the more neutral (less weird-sounding) one.

"Oh and regarding the thread title:  I can't hear for s4it so these would be perfect for me.   ;D"  ———  :)

LOL… good one.  My Roman sucks!  I can make all sorts of jokes about what kind of Unobtanium the XIII would be made of and the anatomical compromises that would have to be made to wear them.  But I won’t. 

At one point I thought I had a decent fit with these, which is when I had that sort of awakening to what these were all about.  And at the same time I found out what the concept was behind their design and the sound that they were aiming for.  When I wear them they tend to fit more like this.  So not only do I get little seal (or tons of leakage) but I rely on just the tips to keep them in which is not comfortable at all.

Oh yeah, I remember seeing those 1601SBs.  And yes, I can see the weight being an issue if they’re worn like conventional IEMs.  I’d probably use them in a stationary situation like I would for earbuds.  The more I look at the silver versions of these the more I’m beginning to like them.  The 1601SSs in particular almost have a contrasting ultra-modern, yet archaic look to them.  I was about to ask a bunch of other questions but you have an excellent post on HF with the PF and 1601SS!

Wow- sad about the passing of Kanemori Takai.  Much like the passing of Steve Jobs you have to wonder if the company will be able to keep its mojo or if it will turn into just another.  (There is a pair of used LAB Is at e-earphone now for ~$1200… they’ll probably be snatched up very soon given this news.)

Oh, you read my mind- I was going to ask you about the level of isolation.  I figured they would be more like an earbud.  On a side note, one of my favorite IEMs is still the JVC HA-FX700.  However in order to get them to sound the way I like them I need to break their seal.  Otherwise their bass is just too much.  I end up perching them just on that part of the ear (tragus?) where they still seal more than an earbud and will stay in if I get up and walk around.  But it flattens out the bass a little bit (they still have that slightly ‘loose’ dynamic bass that I sometimes like) AND they almost take on an open-air, slightly laid-back sound that makes me like them so much.  It takes me about 5 seconds with a test track to position them just right.  Given this adjustment I am almost sure that most people who listen to the FX700s do not hear them like I do.  But oh well.

So that’s why they have those flower-like tips.  I can totally see how that could irritate inside- though I’d love to give them a try on different IEMs to see what their effect would be.  But yeah- adding tips or making them more conventional seems like it would alter the overall design too much not to change the sound.

I suppose if I really wanted these, there are ways:

On a side note, one of my favorite IEMs is still the JVC HA-FX700.  However in order to get them to sound the way I like them I need to break their seal.  Otherwise their bass is just too much.  I end up perching them just on that part of the ear (tragus?) where they still seal more than an earbud and will stay in if I get up and walk around.  But it flattens out the bass a little bit (they still have that slightly ‘loose’ dynamic bass that I sometimes like) AND they almost take on an open-air, slightly laid-back sound that makes me like them so much.  It takes me about 5 seconds with a test track to position them just right.  Given this adjustment I am almost sure that most people who listen to the FX700s do not hear them like I do.  But oh well.

No need for vented tips, you might wanna try this simple mod on your FX700:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/703874/jvc-ha-fx850-iem-woody/105#post_10347472

And since the FX700 are still one of your favorites, I really recommend to try the (modded) FX850 some time:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/703874/jvc-ha-fx850-iem-woody/105#post_10345519

(@music_4321: great thread, sorry for OT post)