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Recommend me some earphones~

Blogs > tube
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1 2 Next All
tube
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
United States1475 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-07-03 04:52:54
July 03 2011 04:48 GMT
#1
Hey, I got some graduation money recently, so I decided its finally time to get some decent earphones.
Basically, I'm only looking for in-ear phones (unless there are any on-ear headphones that are still portable and comfortable) to listen with whenever I'm going somewhere, running, etc.

My budget is about 100$.
Are there any such quality earphones or am I better off just buying one of those cheap 20$ skullcandy/sennheiser cx###?


Uhh let me add something else for content

I have 4 invites to what.cd, 10 invites to jpopsuki.eu, 3 invites to bemaniso.ws, and 1 invite to bitgamer.
I think I did this in a previous blog and there were some TL people who wanted some so..

Two in harmony surpasses one in perfection.
ketomai
Profile Joined June 2007
United States2789 Posts
July 03 2011 04:52 GMT
#2
Some of my friends are audiophiles and only go for the very best, but for me I'm just fine with decent sound quality. I got random 40$ Sennheisers and they've lasted me 2 years already and the sound quality beats the shit out of my previous stock ipod headphones (obviously).

I think if you are going to spend a lot on audio stuff, you should spend it on headphones, not earphones. For earphones that you will take everywhere and use daily, I'd just get some semi decent ones.
MaxField
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
United States2386 Posts
July 03 2011 04:53 GMT
#3
I would love to say to never buy skull candy ever. I have wasted a lot of time and money (time becuase i had to trade mine in over 4 times until i got the "lemon" and got new ones) on them. I have these really simple $40 sony ear buds that really are the best sounding non-headphones that i have heard, They have surprising bass, but i do not remember the exact ones

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=sony earbuds&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=WbF&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivns&resnum=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1260&bih=729&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=210128513965440967&sa=X&ei=lPUPTrOMNMX00gGnxJWLDg&ved=0CJ0BEPMCMAM
This looks similar to what i have, and it is around the same price. I would bet they are the same, and if so, i recommend them a lot.
"Zerg, so bad it loses to hydras" IdrA.
tube
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
United States1475 Posts
July 03 2011 04:55 GMT
#4
On July 03 2011 13:52 ketomai wrote:
Some of my friends are audiophiles and only go for the very best, but for me I'm just fine with decent sound quality. I got random 40$ Sennheisers and they've lasted me 2 years already and the sound quality beats the shit out of my previous stock ipod headphones (obviously).

I think if you are going to spend a lot on audio stuff, you should spend it on headphones, not earphones. For earphones that you will take everywhere and use daily, I'd just get some semi decent ones.

yeah thats kinda what i was thinking
i also got some like 30$ sennheisers and yeah they blow stock earphones out of the water, but i was wondering if there was anything better that was also still portable
i'm only going to use my mp3 player on the go and on-ear headphones dont really work with that if you move around alot
Two in harmony surpasses one in perfection.
Myrmidon
Profile Blog Joined December 2004
United States9452 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-07-03 05:10:48
July 03 2011 05:09 GMT
#5
Which mp3 player is it? Depending, you may not want to go with one of the balanced armature varieties, since they tend to have significant impedance interactions with some players with higher output impedance. This can result in the frequency response being screwed up and lower damping factor, which arguably makes the sound less controlled (by how much is very debatable). Also, some very sensitive models may pick up significant noise from a noisier player.


This is just one guy's opinion, but he's done a mini-review for 180 different IEMs, sorted by price range:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/478568/multi-iem-review-180-iems-compared-ecci-pg100-and-skullcandy-holua-added-6-26

There's a summary table at the bottom. Note that the reviewer tends to prefer balanced sound presentations, which may not be for everyone. Thus, even though somebody else may like the Head-Direct RE0 or Etymotics MC5, they might not be for you.


I think some of the Meelectronics models are the best in the $20 range. You needn't just look at Sennheiser CX300 / Skullcandy whatever, etc. I've used the M9 before and was relatively pleased. The bass was a little much and boomy for me, but that was my only complaint.

edit: IMHO portable headphones are less comfortable, though some people feel otherwise. I use circumaural headphones at home, but IEMs are fine with me too.
Essbee
Profile Blog Joined August 2008
Canada2371 Posts
July 03 2011 05:32 GMT
#6
http://www.bose.ca/controller?url=/shop_online/headphones/audio_headphones/in_ear_headphones/index.jsp

These are mine and I love them so much. It's 120$ tho.
Agama
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
United States72 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-07-03 05:40:07
July 03 2011 05:32 GMT
#7
I bought the Razer Moray earphones. I'm happy with them, good sound.

and you can support esports since Razer sponsors like 5 teams ;D

edit: I'll take an invite to jpopsuki.eu if you're willing to give one up ;o
tube
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
United States1475 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-07-03 05:37:45
July 03 2011 05:35 GMT
#8
On July 03 2011 14:09 Myrmidon wrote:
Which mp3 player is it? Depending, you may not want to go with one of the balanced armature varieties, since they tend to have significant impedance interactions with some players with higher output impedance. This can result in the frequency response being screwed up and lower damping factor, which arguably makes the sound less controlled (by how much is very debatable). Also, some very sensitive models may pick up significant noise from a noisier player.

honestly really didn't understand most of that
but Cowon S9

On July 03 2011 14:32 Agama wrote:
I bought the Razer Moray earphones. I'm happy with them, good sound.

and you can support esports since Razer sponsors like 5 teams ;D

oh hey those actually seem cool
whats the difference between the moray and moray+?
Two in harmony surpasses one in perfection.
Agama
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
United States72 Posts
July 03 2011 05:40 GMT
#9
The moray+ comes with a mic
MechKing
Profile Blog Joined March 2011
United States3004 Posts
July 03 2011 05:43 GMT
#10
At walmart, near the checkout line where they have all the candy and stuff, they sometimes have them with a bunch of different stuff like xbox live cards, chap stick, lighters, etc. and that's where I bought my headphones. They are like the ipod ones but I got them for $4 xD They have lasted me 6+ months now!
SpiritoftheTunA
Profile Blog Joined August 2006
United States20903 Posts
July 03 2011 05:43 GMT
#11
soundmagic pl-50

cheaper side, super good for its price

i love good soundstaging
posting on liquid sites in current year
BloodDrunK
Profile Blog Joined August 2009
Bangladesh2767 Posts
July 03 2011 05:47 GMT
#12
for your budget, i'd recommend something like the klipsch image s4 earphones. these are very good earphones for the price and they cost 80$.
You have the power to create your own destiny.
Hikko
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
United States1126 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-07-03 06:09:09
July 03 2011 05:48 GMT
#13
iPod headphones will last you for years if you don't stomp on them, they're incredibly durable, and the sound quality is nice, and stays there. I only retired a pair that I had been using for 2 1/2 years because the plastic that cushions you on your ear was falling off, but I had been using it all day for my computer (6-10 hours a day, to be totally real) as well as just for an ipod going around campus at school.

They go for 40 bucks stand-alone, but they will last you a long time!


On July 03 2011 14:43 MechKing wrote:
At walmart, near the checkout line where they have all the candy and stuff, they sometimes have them with a bunch of different stuff like xbox live cards, chap stick, lighters, etc. and that's where I bought my headphones. They are like the ipod ones but I got them for $4 xD They have lasted me 6+ months now!


The quality of these are absolutely terrible if you listen to any other set of decent headphones.
♥
pikaaarrr :3
Profile Blog Joined January 2010
United States593 Posts
July 03 2011 05:50 GMT
#14
On July 03 2011 14:43 SpiritoftheTunA wrote:
soundmagic pl-50

cheaper side, super good for its price

i love good soundstaging


soundmagic, meelec, brainwavz offer great sub-100 choices.

head-fi.org is your friend (and enemy...its addicting....)
tube
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
United States1475 Posts
July 03 2011 05:50 GMT
#15
On July 03 2011 14:43 MechKing wrote:
At walmart, near the checkout line where they have all the candy and stuff, they sometimes have them with a bunch of different stuff like xbox live cards, chap stick, lighters, etc. and that's where I bought my headphones. They are like the ipod ones but I got them for $4 xD They have lasted me 6+ months now!

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
lol
Two in harmony surpasses one in perfection.
Monoxide
Profile Blog Joined January 2007
Canada1190 Posts
July 03 2011 06:07 GMT
#16
On July 03 2011 14:47 BloodDrunK wrote:
for your budget, i'd recommend something like the klipsch image s4 earphones. these are very good earphones for the price and they cost 80$.


These are probably one of the best headphones you can get in that price range. My friend has them and they blow my Jbuds J3M's out of the water. (As a note, I was going to recommend the Jbuds J4's but i've read several reviews plus my freind's high recommendation, I would say the S4's are a very good investment.
Blisse
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
Canada3710 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-07-03 06:10:20
July 03 2011 06:07 GMT
#17
It doesn't matter what you get unless you're thinking of using the in-ears as your main pair of headphones. Essentially all you want is the most durable ones.

I don't suggest getting $25 ones because unless you think you'll lose the $100 ones a lot, if you buy a $25 pair and lose it, you'll need to replace it with another $25 pair, meaning you could've just spent the $50 for a better pair. Also, the price tag is motivation to keep better care of it.

What I mean about you wanting more durable headphones is that unless they're your main home phones, you'll never listen to it 100%. Headphones have these really subtle differences, but they can only be heard in a really good environment. On a train, on a car, or when you're running is not a good environment to hear these nuances. When you're in these noisier environments, all headphones are going to sound the same. Therefore, I suggest getting the most durable headphones, that isolate the best and make the least noise when you're moving.

If you're listening while moving however, I think the volume would cover the sound of the wire shaking. Still, the best recommendations would be the Koss KSC-35, Etymotic ER-6i or the Shure E4. The Koss are better for running, but the Etymotics and Shures are better in general. EDIT: Never tried the Klipsch S4, but they should be fine.

I don't think you've been running with the Cowon S9 much, because it's very annoying to ever run with something in your pockets.

Just remembered the word for the noise the earphone wire makes when you're wearing them is microphonics. Not sure how to use it though.

Again, I'd like to emphasize build quality and microphonics* and not sound quality if you're using the headphones for running or exercise and not for home use.
There is no one like you in the universe.
Dampe
Profile Joined September 2010
Canada15 Posts
July 03 2011 06:07 GMT
#18
I just got a pair of Klipsch Image s4 earphones recently and I like them. They're even on sale at amazon right now.
tube
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
United States1475 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-07-03 06:20:46
July 03 2011 06:14 GMT
#19
On July 03 2011 15:07 Blisse wrote:
I don't think you've been running with the Cowon S9 much, because it's very annoying to ever run with something in your pockets.

i kinda have
i just hold it in my left hand

so right now i'm trying to choose between the Head-Direct RE0 and the Klipsch Image s4
am determined to determine my choice soon
Two in harmony surpasses one in perfection.
kidleader
Profile Blog Joined February 2011
Korea (South)233 Posts
July 03 2011 06:21 GMT
#20
I have the Head Direct RE0s. I'm no audiophile but they're pretty boss. The build quality isn't that good so I had to superglue mine a few times, but for the price....they're pretty good.
Tokyo Seoul London New York \\ SlayerS, KT
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