This is about in-ear earphones, not headphones, for use with MP3 player and the likes.
So today I fell down the stairs on broke my earphones. I brought it to the repair shop, and they said gg no re.
As I can't live without earphones, I immediately went to the Hi-Fi dealer of my choice and tested out all they had.
The once I broke were Westone UM-1 (130$ range), they were pretty good, and a downgrade was out of question.
I started with the SHURE earphones. The cheapest ones, Shure E2 100$, were simply not enough for me, since I had the UM1 before. Lacking everything. The Shure E3 (160$~), were OK, I think they sound much like my old UM1. The Shure E4 simply suck, at least for me. The sound is the opposite of warm, mids and highs are way too strong, bass is almost nonexistant. They seem to be for Jazz/Classical only. They are about 250$ I think, or even more. Well then, I tried the Shure E5, and they are really good. They are 2-way earphones, so of course a whole new experience. 500$ was a little too much for me though, so I had to look for something else.
The low-price segment earphones of other brands were comparable to the E2-E3 Shure ones, so not good enough for my needs.
In the end it came down to the Shure E5, Ultimate Ears super-fi pro5, and Westone UM2 (successor of my old UM1). All three are 2-way earphones, and ridicously good. The sound blows you away. The differences between those 3 were minimal for me, of course that depends on how trained your ears are. In my ears all 3 were superb, but the Shure E5 are just too expensive so I discarded those. The other thing is, they didn't actually have the UM2s, a friend of mine uses them, so I know them. They only sell them in the US. So in the end, I went with the Ultimate Ears super-fi pro5 (about 250$, can get it cheaper online).
So, if you are looking for new earphones, I recommend buying the Ultimate Ears super-fi pro5, because the sound is absolutely mindblowing, and the price is really good for 2-way earphones. The bass is absolutely amazing, the highs are strong, but not too much. Compared to cheaper 1-way earphones, the sound is a little more analytical and less dull. There are ppl though, who prefer that dull kind of sound, just try for yourselves. If you don't want to spend that much money, go for the UM1, or Shure E3, or super-fi pro3 (all 80-160$).
Of course, the player you use also plays a role, so you have to fit your earphones to the player you use. (I use the iRiver H120, which is the BEST imo, sound quality wise)
If there is another audiophile on this forum, please share your thoughts!
EDIT: Well actually, buy the Westone UM2, if you can get a hold of them. They fit my ears very well. The super-fi pro5 are more on the bulky side and look kind of ugly when plugged in, if that matters to you.
Honestly if you're listening to MP3s, it doesn't matter that much. Use a lossless file format.
I personally use the more expensive etymotic research IEMs. I believe they provide the most isolation of any kind that doesn't require an individually molded earpiece. They also have very good bass response because of their tight seal. They are essential if you want to drum while listening to music, and not go deaf .
But ya, audiophiles don't listen to mp3s, and if you do, just get the cheapest pair cause you probably can't tell the difference (if you can stand mp3s), so you might as well save some money.
...damn spelling
EDIT: It appears headroom is no longer getting new Etymotics in, but they have some brand new ones left, still listed in the B-Stock section at really good prices (about half the msrp - considerably less than what I paid).
EDIT: so you use the ER-4s? how much noise reduction do they have? 100%?
Personally I use FLAC file format for music where it matters. But there's a lot of music where it doesn't matter as much to me, I use MP3 then.
I cannot agree to "But ya, audiophiles don't listen to mp3s, and if you do, just get the cheapest pair cause you probably can't tell the difference (if you can stand mp3s), so you might as well save some money." though. Of course, MP3 is a format that lacks in many ways, it's not as bad as you make it sound though. Try Shure E2 and Shure E5 with an average mp3 and there's no difference? I do agree that MP3s are not to be recommended, but it's not like you can't hear a difference. File format is only one of the factors among player quality, production quality of the music, earphone quality, sensitivity of your ears.
On January 26 2007 16:52 Gene wrote: lol why would you use earphones? they are HORRIBLE for your ears and IMO headphones will always produce more quality sound.
Actually IEMs are BETTER for your ears than regular headphones, and even speakers because they filter out outside noises, reducing the volume necessary to hear your music, therefore reducing the SPL on your ears and the damage done.
Uh, on the affordable side, I'd recommend trying out the vibes (isolation) or bose (non-isolation) at $99. Sadly, can't say I've tried earphones more expensive then those.
this isn't really on topic but up till now, i've been getting those $20-30 earphones and i've gone through like 5 pairs ~_~.. when i'm not listening to music, i used to just wrap the earphones around my ipod and put the ipod like that in my pocket..
that's damaging to earphones right? because when i kept them like that, a pair of earphones never lasted me more than 3 monthes.. i used to think it was just because they sucked.. but nowadays i have these sony earphones, and whenever i'm not using them i roll em up in the plastic case they came with and these have actually been lasting pretty long this time
how do you "audophiles" take care of your earphones?
The more expensive earphones always come with a case where you can store them when not in use. Wrapping the earphones around your player is not a good idea just putting it in the pocket afterwards neither. That's how I killed my old ones, I was lazy because I was only going to take them off for like 10minutes, so i just put them in my pocket and fell down the stairs >_< It is also said not to pull them out with the cable, but I do that anyways. Also regular cleaning is important of course, and the regular change of your earbuds once they wear out. The more expensive earphones also have detachable cables, so you can replace them in case anything happens.
You have those Sony in-ear ones? Just spend 50$ more for a tremendous increase of listening quality!
well im a junior in high school without a job so i don't have that money much to spend on earphones but... i like enjoying music to the fullest too so i'll look into it thx yo
p.s. you guys use separate earphones for working out right?
People said it before, and they're kind of right. "big" audiophile headphones are not good for portable players. First of all, really high-quality headphones (calling them hp from now on ) like the Sennheiser HD 650 have HUGE impedances (that one has about 250 ohms if I recall corectly) which means that if you stick them in an iPod you will BARELY hear anything.
I have a pair of Technics RP-F350 wich i just LOVE, they're like the most confortable hp I ever wore. The quality is ok but the maximum output is not that great (they're not too loud). I did try some Sennheisers, various models, but I liked the HD555 a lot. The impedance is about 50 ohm and they're loud as hell. Also, because of the open-back system, the sound quality is a lot better, though you might offend people next to you in busses and such.
Anyway, I stopped wearing audiophile hp when I got a jack replaced on my Technics and the guy I took them to (who is also my teacher) said that I'll eventually kill the battery with them. And It's true, the battery does last a lot less than with the normal iPod hp (about 8hrs instead of 12).
So long story short... I love large headphones but they're not for carrying around. They kill your mp3player, which is of poor quality anyway. Keep them at home plugged into a nice sound system and listen to CDs... Serenity now!
On January 26 2007 18:29 CubEdIn[SoD] wrote: People said it before, and they're kind of right. "big" audiophile headphones are not good for portable players. First of all, really high-quality headphones (calling them hp from now on ) like the Sennheiser HD 650 have HUGE impedances (that one has about 250 ohms if I recall corectly) which means that if you stick them in an iPod you will BARELY hear anything.
I have a pair of Technics RP-F350 wich i just LOVE, they're like the most confortable hp I ever wore. The quality is ok but the maximum output is not that great (they're not too loud). I did try some Sennheisers, various models, but I liked the HD555 a lot. The impedance is about 50 ohm and they're loud as hell. Also, because of the open-back system, the sound quality is a lot better, though you might offend people next to you in busses and such.
Anyway, I stopped wearing audiophile hp when I got a jack replaced on my Technics and the guy I took them to (who is also my teacher) said that I'll eventually kill the battery with them. And It's true, the battery does last a lot less than with the normal iPod hp (about 8hrs instead of 12).
So long story short... I love large headphones but they're not for carrying around. They kill your mp3player, which is of poor quality anyway. Keep them at home plugged into a nice sound system and listen to CDs... Serenity now!
You could still use them, if you use a pre-amp. You gotta carry around a lot of stuff then, but there are people who do that :p
Yeah but then the smalness of the ipod/other mp3 player kinda fails it's use. But I guess it's good if you're on a long journey - like an airplane trip or something.
And yes, lightman, Sennheiser HD650 are teh pwn. Too bad they're 600$
When i'm at home, i don't need any headphones. When travelling, they require too much power. Only time big headphones are useful is when mixing or mastering a track, since i want to be able to differentiate between channels as well as possible.
In ear phones i find annoying. Maybe they've improved a lot in the last 10 years, but their presence irritates me and the sound isn't the same. Also, it sucks when other people wear them and they have them too loud or you want to ask them something. So i travel without music, and listen to background sounds and conversations.
I don't see how spending over $50 on in-ear phones these still gives a better audio quality, there just isn't enough room^^. For bigger headphones, AKG has a couple good ones, not that expensive and very good technically (although some may prefer ones that make the sound phatter, these are very precise).
Anyone have any good recommendations for earphones to use when running (I dont care that much about sound quality). I'm looking to spend somewhere around 25-75 dollars.
I break headphones too often to buy expensive ones. I get the cheap sony buds for my mp3 player and the cheapest wrap arounds I can find at wall mart for other purposes. I usually use headphones in noisey environments (walking to class, at the gym) so great quality couldn't be realized anyway.
EPT
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just putting it in the pocket afterwards neither. 
) like the Sennheiser HD 650 have HUGE impedances (that one has about 250 ohms if I recall corectly) which means that if you stick them in an iPod you will BARELY hear anything.
