Headphone recomendations?

[baby duck monge]

So I have been thinking about getting some decent headphones, primarily for use with an iPod. I was thinking about getting some in-ear sound isolating ones to help keep things nice and quiet when I travel or study. I understand that many people consider on-ear models to be much better as far as quality goes, but maybe a set of those will be the next step if I like how this works out.

I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations or anything for a set that would run less than $200 (and preferably less than $150). I listen to a bit of most everything, and believe I can deal with bass that's not overly powerful. I also don't need total audiophile quality or anything, as whatever I get will be better than what I'm used to, and my files are only encoded as like 192 or 256k AAC.

I know I can pick up a pair of Shure E2c's or Etymotic ER6i's on Amazon for like $65 or some E3c's for about twice that. I don't really know what else is available that's any good in the range I'm looking at.

Anyway, any help that anyone can provide would be much appreciated! Thanks, guys (and gals).

 

[termina3]

As a vet, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assumed you've STFM. (not shut... search...)

 

[baby duck monge]

As a vet, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assumed you've STFM. (not shut... search...)

Oh, I have done lots of searching. But the search here didn't really turn up much for me, and online searching comes up with a lot of old documents and then newer things from people who aren't satisfied with anything less than $1k cans.

Also, I will throw in another set I have found. For about $50 I can get some Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3's, and those seem to have gotten good reviews. I just really don't know what to do right now. I really wanted to pick up a new iTouch, but I think i might be happier sticking with my Shuffle and stealing the wife's Nano and then picking up some nice headphones.

 

[ntrigue]

I've tried the Shure E2 and the E3. The bass response on the E2's was mediocre so I returned them and received the E3's. Outstanding difference!

 

[baby duck monge]

I've tried the Shure E2 and the E3. The bass response on the E2's was mediocre so I returned them and received the E3's. Outstanding difference!

Any other feedback on the e3c's? Besides the bass, are the other sounds all you could hope for? How's the comfort? The sound isolation?

I think I have it narrowed down to either those, the Etymotic er-4p's, or the Ultimate Ear super.fi 5's. They're all in the $130-$150 range, so now it just comes down to deciding.

 

[Andy-roo]

well im not sure if its out of what ur willing to spend, but i recently bought the Panasonic RPH-C500 which run on a single AAA battery, which amps the speakers and provides spectacular sound cancellation so it is ideal for transport.

The sound quality is very good, not breathtaking but still exceptional, and the sound cancellation is amazing!! I have an alpine sound system in my car with 5 amps and a 900W sub, its VERY loud, and on a level where u would need to yell at the passenger to talk to them i put the headphones on and played a tune whilst sound cancellation was on and i couldnt even tell the car audio was on, except the vibrating car and my body. it wasnt untill i stopped the iPod that i could actually hear the music from the car.

A VERY good headset if ur interested. However they cost $300 Australian.

 

[baby duck monge]

well im not sure if its out of what ur willing to spend, but i recently bought the Panasonic RPH-C500 which run on a single AAA battery, which amps the speakers and provides spectacular sound cancellation so it is ideal for transport.

The sound quality is very good, not breathtaking but still exceptional, and the sound cancellation is amazing!! I have an alpine sound system in my car with 5 amps and a 900W sub, its VERY loud, and on a level where u would need to yell at the passenger to talk to them i put the headphones on and played a tune whilst sound cancellation was on and i couldnt even tell the car audio was on, except the vibrating car and my body. it wasnt untill i stopped the iPod that i could actually hear the music from the car.

A VERY good headset if ur interested. However they cost $300 Australian.

Thanks for your input! I think I am resigned to spending around $150US to get a decent set of cans. As for your specific suggestion, I think I am going to skip the active noise canceling phones and stick for the passive noise isolating ones. That way I don't have to deal with the extra power drain or the slightly decreased AQ (if I'm going to pay as much as an iPod Nano for some headphones, I want them to sound as nice as they can). Really, though, thanks again for taking the time to make a specific suggestion based on your personal experiences!

 

[Tarkovsky]

www.head-fi.org is really the place to ask

 

[baby duck monge]

www.head-fi.org is really the place to ask

Ah! Thanks so much for the link. I had not found that forum in my initial searches. I did not post a question there, but did do some forum searching. I came to the conclusion that I was leaning towards after the other things I had read online, and decided to go with the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro. I placed my order on Amazon for $139 and took their super savers free shipping. I guess they'll be here about a week into the new year. I certainly never expected to spend this kind of money on headphones, but I just really felt like I wanted to experience my music in a new way. Hopefully this little experiment will end well. Thanks for the help, guys!

 

[termina3]

I certainly never expected to spend this kind of money on headphones, but I just really felt like I wanted to experience my music in a new way. Hopefully this little experiment will end well. Thanks for the help, guys!

Remember, the headphones will probably outlast your iPod, if you treat them right.

I've had my Bose equipment (sound dock, QC2 headphones) for 2 iPods now, and think that it'll last for at least another 2-3 years (i.e., another iPod).

 

[Audiofile]

... decided to go with the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro...

I have a pair of ue11 Pro earphones and absolutely love them. Ultimate Ears is probably the best company I have ever dealt with. I had a problem with the fit of my earphones and they took care of me from day one. Highly recommended.

 

[Sesshi]

I have a pair of UE-10's (yet another remould is on the way as soon as I'm fitted up for my new UE-11's), and I have to say with the exception of that specific issue which I expect to encounter with all customs, I've found all Ultimate Ears generic-fit earphones (Super.Fi and Triple.Fi so far) to be very badly designed. You might well be happy with them if they fit you properly, as I think the Super.Fi sounds very good - for a balanced armature IEM. But the Shures would be a better bet for fit, and they don't have a tendency to fall out like the UE's.

The Super.Fi's sound is quite rich, but not overtly bass-heavy. Quite agreeable... until the phones fall off. If you're not getting a frequency response which approximates a half decent headphone then you probably haven't got a correct fit. I'd suggest starting with the foam tips, instead of the probably fitted double-flanges.

 

[thejameskendall]

anyone thinking of getting a pair of E3Cs...

Shure went for the gaming market with a version of the E3Cs called the E3Gs. the massive difference is that the cable is 15cm shorter and they're black.

oh, and they seem to clock in at about £40 ($80) cheaper.

the reviews said the had more bass until Shure piped up and admitted they are the same headphones technically.

 

[CJRhoades]

Try a pair of sony high-performance earbuds. They come with 3 different sizes of silicon inserts that goes into your ear and help block out other sounds. They have really good base, have a 9mm driver, and only cost $35 US.

 

[Neurotrophin]

Try a pair of sony high-performance earbuds. They come with 3 different sizes of silicon inserts that goes into your ear and help block out other sounds. They have really good base, have a 9mm driver, and only cost $35 US.

I second this suggestion. The Sony high performance (MDR-EX51LP) are a great compromise between price and quality. Only complaint is that after a few months of use the ear jams tend to fall off easily - so do yourself a favor and glue them to earphone after you determine which size fits best in your ear.

 

[prostuff1]

You made a good choice in thee super.fi's. I personally have not owned any of the super.fi's but from readong on headfi they seem to be good.

I personally have had 2 pairs of shure hedaphones first the e2c (which were nice) and then the se310 (which were just replaced for free by shure even though i had lost my purchase receipt). I really like the sound of the se310 and they work great for blocking out noise.


The only other thing you might want to consider it re-ripping your music library. I would say that if your music is 128 kbps ACC then you def. need to increase the quality if possible. The higher end headphones def. benefit from better/higher quality ripped music