Minefield of choosing Headfones !

[bandofbrothers]

I recently trashed my in ear apple fones so instead of just getting an identical pair I decided to see what else is out their to choose from.

Also talk of burning them in for 100 - 200 hrs to break them into their best output does not help !

Here came the minefield !

Bose, vibe, sennheiser, shure, ultimate ears , sony, skull candy , jvc ! ! !

In ear, over ear, ear buds , noise isolation , bass & treble frequiences !

Looking at Forums and user reviews along with editor reviews all gave pro's and con's on every make. Obviously its down to taste and own experiance of what you have used.

In the Uk choice is somewhat limited, and shops dont allow you to 'open' the fones and try them out.

I could find :

Shure e4c , se210 , se110.

V moda vibe gunmetal black in ear or v moda vibe red roxx in ear.

Sennheiser 300's

Sony mdr ex90lp.

Ultimate Ears fi3 studio {tried these but what a hassle at putting them on }.
Ultimate Ears fi5 pro.
Ultimate Ears triple fi10.

Like I say people had preferences on each with get these or dont get these comments, on all of the above.

I finally opted for the very reasonably priced sony set which after "burning them in" are sick ! They isolate but not to the extent of not hearing danger around you and the sounds are awesome. Comfortable fit and look ok too. The skull candy over the ears sets are a little too much for me ! , but do look awesome.

I cant believe ive been missing out on good clarity of sounds by using the apple ones for so long. Its like having a new player !

Be really interested to know what you are using and why ?

[ebel3003]

I love the Shure se110's, which I own myself. Super sound suppressing, they sound great, although the bass is a little lower than I would have liked, they do sound crystal clear and great. The price is right.

I'll probably try Sony or Sennheiser for my next pair, for comparison.

[Moocher]

Go to head-fi.org and use the search function. DO NOT start a new thread. There are numerous new threads every day with people asking the same questions you are asking.

Questions you will need to answer:
What type of music do you listen to
Do you want sound isolation or not
If yes, are you interested in in-ear-monitors
How much do you want to spend

Following is an example of one or two headphones for each of few different styles based on what I have experience with:
iem: JVC marshmallows $25; Ultimate Ears Super-fi 3 $60
open headphones: Grado SR60 $70
closed headphones: Audio Technica ES7 $100

Mooch

[bandofbrothers]

Mooch you need to chill out dude !

A new thread will not end the world and if you dont want to give advice on this subject, then simply ignore the post.

I did search and simply wanted more advice ?

Forums are created so that questions ,answers and advice can be shared.

In the end the thread will simply cascade down the list and disapear !

[clyde2801]

I've tried the apple ones, sub-adequate.
I've got a pair of shure e4c's. Way too pricey.
I've got a pair of koss with foam inserts. Nice price, and the foam does a good job of staying on so far.

[palmerized]

Hey -- ignore the above post. You can post any topic you want. :-)

Anyway, I just bought the Bose Over-ear Headphones. They were $149. Awesome awesome awesome sound... very comfortable and pretty good at isolating sound.

[TheSpaz]

Hey -- ignore the above post. You can post any topic you want. :-)

Anyway, I just bought the Bose Over-ear Headphones. They were $149. Awesome awesome awesome sound... very comfortable and pretty good at isolating sound.

I bought the Bose On-Ear headphones and they're great. The bass is a little stronger in the on-ear ones and they're pretty comfortable. They were $179.

[donmei]

I've tried all the bose. The noise canceling ones work great on airplanes and things, but they sound pretty terrible on music.

The bose in-ear phones are crap. They've got that typical boosted mid-bass bose sound.

The best bose phones are easily their tri-port non noise canceling over ear phones.

i know a lot about the bose becuse there is a bose store right down the street from me. but I dont really like them in general

I bought a new set of in ear phones last month. Same crappy situation as you because in general, you cant try them.

I ended up purchasing a set of B stock Ultimate Ears from headphone.com

They are a brick and mortar store with a great internet presence. they are into headphones.

Can I tell you if they're better than a set of Shures? No. I couldnt compare them. But I do like them. Bottom line is that if you stick with Ultimate Ears, Etymonic, or Shure you will probably love them.

Don

[dizzlemizzle]

i have a pair of bose over the ears...be careful with them mine snapped apart rendering them useless
bose replaced but for thirty bucks plus shipping

they're good phones but i think there are much better choices out there. headfi is a great forum to check out esp. if you are spending 100 dollars or more on a set of phones

[donmei]

+2 on the headfi recommendation.