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Best in-ear headphones to buy?
- Thread starter boston44
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The Bose In-Ear garbage piles are the worst product that the company has ever made IMO. While I generally think Bose is overpriced, I do think that occasionally they make a product that isn't half bad, but immensely overpriced. Those hopes could not be further from the truth when talking about the In-Ear product.
As for other's, there are varying levels. Please understand that Skull Candy and Shure are not on the same level at any sense.
Alternatives to the Shure at the $300ish price range: Grado GR8 or Sennheiser IE8. If you do plan on exploring anything about $200 (or even if you don't,) lurking around head-fi.org is a good idea.
As for other's, there are varying levels. Please understand that Skull Candy and Shure are not on the same level at any sense.
For Under $50 - Sennheiser CX300
For Under $100 - Shure E3 (A lot of people recommend the Klipsch S4i, I've never heard them, so I can't say anything, other then others recommend it)
For Under $200 - Shure E4
For Under $500 - Shure SE530 (You can read my review, here)
For $501-$1000 - I'd still go with the Shure SE530s, some prefer the Westone 3s, it's a personal thing. You could go and get the UE10s, but I like my Shures more then my UE10s.
For Over $1000 - I really want to try the JH 13 Pro six drivers.
(Never heard them though)
For Under $100 - Shure E3 (A lot of people recommend the Klipsch S4i, I've never heard them, so I can't say anything, other then others recommend it)
For Under $200 - Shure E4
For Under $500 - Shure SE530 (You can read my review, here)
For $501-$1000 - I'd still go with the Shure SE530s, some prefer the Westone 3s, it's a personal thing. You could go and get the UE10s, but I like my Shures more then my UE10s.
For Over $1000 - I really want to try the JH 13 Pro six drivers.
(Never heard them though)Alternatives to the Shure at the $300ish price range: Grado GR8 or Sennheiser IE8. If you do plan on exploring anything about $200 (or even if you don't,) lurking around head-fi.org is a good idea.
my brother bought some klipsch in ear buds for $89. I hear they are phenomenal (no pun intended, i swear). Personally, i HATE ear-buds. My ear canals (and ears) are small, so they dont fit very well. I ripped the Apple ones into two pieces (seriously, i did). Super uncomfortable.
Go for the Klipsch Image S4's. They are simply the best, and not too expensive. I paid £60 for them and it's the best investment I've ever made for in-ear headphones.
I haven't heard them, but throwing around "Best" at them seems a tad concerning. For example, CrunchGear didn't think they were worth $80.
The Bose In-Ear garbage piles are the worst product that the company has ever made IMO. While I generally think Bose is overpriced, I do think that occasionally they make a product that isn't half bad, but immensely overpriced. Those hopes could not be further from the truth when talking about the In-Ear product.
As for other's, there are varying levels. Please understand that Skull Candy and Shure are not on the same level at any sense.
For Under $50 - Sennheiser CX300
For Under $100 - Shure E3 (A lot of people recommend the Klipsch S4i, I've never heard them, so I can't say anything, other then others recommend it)
For Under $200 - Shure E4
For Under $500 - Shure SE530 (You can read my review, here)
For $501-$1000 - I'd still go with the Shure SE530s, some prefer the Westone 3s, it's a personal thing. You could go and get the UE10s, but I like my Shures more then my UE10s.
For Over $1000 - I really want to try the JH 13 Pro six drivers.
Alternatives to the Shure at the $300ish price range: Grado GR8 or Sennheiser IE8. If you do plan on exploring anything about $200 (or even if you don't,) lurking around head-fi.org is a good idea.
For under 50 I would recommend the Beta Brainwavz Pro ($24), if for nothing else than the odds that you'll get a fake pair of CX300s, even from a good seller. Also, Head-Direct's RE2s aren't a bad choice at $40 right now.
The shure e3c/scl3 is a good choice for under $100, but with the RE0 at $79 for holiday pricing I may pick up a pair myself. According to many reviews they hold their own against e500s, one of the older high-end shures.
Just please stay away from Bose and skullcandy.
I heard they are awesome...or go for the shure...
dont buy bose...they aren't worth it...
i got some altec backbeat classics got em for 25 bucks at local best buy they really out performed my expectations they sound better than my friends bose in ear headphones. Apparently also 90% of studio engineers use them which idk if thats true but they sure do sound like it.
Headphones
I recently got tired of the Apple Earbuds as well and after a great deal of research decided to go with the Ultimate Ears SuperFi 3. The sound is great and since they are noise isolating, when music is playing you don't hear hardly any outside noise.
I recently got tired of the Apple Earbuds as well and after a great deal of research decided to go with the Ultimate Ears SuperFi 3. The sound is great and since they are noise isolating, when music is playing you don't hear hardly any outside noise.
I have the the Shure SE530. I love them! The key to any of these in-ear headsets will be the fit. I use a different size tip for each ear which has help me to get the proper seal. You can spend $1000 dollars on them but if you don't get a good fit, you will feel like you've wasted your money because the sound quality will be subpar to you.
I, too, have the Shure SE530. They're great, period. Their sound almost rivals that of my two full-sized Audio-Technica headphones. As far as IEMs go, you can't go wrong with the SE530. Considering it's sound qualities, $300 isn't that expensive. They're easily worth it.
I totally agree with boast about visiting Head-Fi for reading into the matter of headphones, earphones, IEMs and headphone amps.
I totally agree with boast about visiting Head-Fi for reading into the matter of headphones, earphones, IEMs and headphone amps.
you need some comply foam tips. there is also this other brand i seem to not be able to recall
...what ever you do, take "recommendations" with a grain of salt... go to stores were you can listen and try earbuds and headphones for your self...
What may sound great to someone else, may seem ***** to you...
What may sound great to someone else, may seem ***** to you...
I'm very satisfied with my v-moda vibes! If you're looking for quality sound with amazing bass, then I definitely recommend going the v-moda route. It's a known fact, that when you move on from standard apple headphones you seem to fall in love with the music on your ipod, again - so I urge you to get a nice pair during the holidays! I know that you're not asking about the price, but you can get quality headphones like the original v-moda vibe for only 15 bucks on ebay - absolute bargain!
PS. I recently gifted the v-modas to my gf as well
PS. I recently gifted the v-modas to my gf as well
Once you upgrade from the iBuds to good earphones, you'll notice the mediocre sound quality of your iPod and you'll want a portable headphone amp, driven by the iPod through a line-out cable. Then, you'll notice the mediocre quality of your 'good' earphones, and you'll upgrade to the JH|13. Then, your amp won't satisfy you any longer and you'll upgrade it. Then, you'll miss the excellent sound quality when at home and you'll read yourself into full-sized headphones. After a lot of reading, you'll get something like the HD800, GS1000, ATH-A2000X, AH-D7000, SR-007MK2 or a used K1000. Of course, neither will give you the goods without a dedicated headphone amp, so you'll order some ultra high-end dac/amp system to do your new heavenly headphones justice. Then, you'll start to notice the lacking sonic qualities of your cd-player. You upgrade that, only to realize that your cables really are the limiting factor right then. And then, new technology comes out that puts all the older technologies to shame and the game starts all over again. And this is all ignoring the fact that you'll of course also want different headphones for different musical styles, at least for home use.
I bought the Maximo iP-HS5 iMetal® Isolation Headset and love them.
I got them because I lost the original headset (which I found shortly after I placed my order) and comparing the two, I can't believe how much better the Maximo set is than the apple set. I got them for $49 on sale. There's a comparable model without the microphone if you don't want to use them with a phone.
Lastly, while I love the maximo, they still aren't as good as my bose qc2, but I won't want to carry the bose around for when I want to talk hands free, so they stay on my desk or backpack when I fly
I got them because I lost the original headset (which I found shortly after I placed my order) and comparing the two, I can't believe how much better the Maximo set is than the apple set. I got them for $49 on sale. There's a comparable model without the microphone if you don't want to use them with a phone.
Lastly, while I love the maximo, they still aren't as good as my bose qc2, but I won't want to carry the bose around for when I want to talk hands free, so they stay on my desk or backpack when I fly
