iPod Looking for On-the-Go Earphones

[cruxed]

Hi everyone,

I have been the proud owner of a pair of Shure E3c's for about 3/4 of a year. While they sound great, block out ambient noise very well, they are just too expensive for me to use on-the-go. I also have a pair of Sennheiser PX100s, which are great and everything, but I really prefer earbuds as they are far more convenient and less bulky (IMO).

Therefore, I used the stock iPod earbuds as they were cheap to replace if I ever broke them.

After a few months, I was just sick of having to turn up my iPod's volume just to hear the lyrics of my favourite tunes, as I have to travel about an hour and a half everyday on a noisy ferry and bus.

So this is my question to you.
Can you recommend me to buy any inexpensive (<US$60) earbud type phones that I can use on a day to day basis, that not only provide an 'open sound' (just like the awesome Sennheiser sound) so I can listen to it for extended periods, yet sufficiently block out ambient noise?

In conclusion, these are my requirements:
- In-ear (blocks out ambient noise)
- Relatively inexpensive (<US$60)
- Good build quality
- a Y-cable (just like the iPod buds, I cant stand the J-cables)
- An 'open' and non-tiring sound
- Sufficient bass (I listen to Alternative/Rock most of the time)
- NOT THE SONY IN-EAR BUDS (Ive had a bad experience with them)

Thanks everyone, any help will be appreciated!

cruxed

 

[BlizzardBomb]

I've heard good things about the Sennheiser CX300s. http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite/category.asp?transid=cat5

 

[ignus graius]

In conclusion, these are my requirements:
- In-ear (blocks out ambient noise)
- Relatively inexpensive (<US$60)
- Good build quality
- a Y-cable (just like the iPod buds, I cant stand the J-cables)
- An 'open' and non-tiring sound
- Sufficient bass (I listen to Alternative/Rock most of the time)
- NOT THE SONY IN-EAR BUDS (Ive had a bad experience with them)

Good call on the in-ear requirement!

I've used the E3's (the regular, not consumer--I think they're virtually the same), and you're probably going to be disappointed with anything cheaper, as they sound pretty good for single-driver 'phones.

I'd consider Apple's in-ears. They're $40 and sound pretty decent, but they may not have quite the "open" sound you're looking for.

Sony's consumer earphones have always SOUNDED the best to me, but like you said, I've always ended up having a bad experience in the end (usually with the cord).

Westone (westone.com) has some in-ear 'phones that you'd probably like, but they're $100+.


These won't really apply since they're definitely out of your price-range ($150), but I won a pair of FS1's from an XtremeMac contest, and have been absolutely thrilled with their performance.
http://www.xtrememac.com/audio/earphones_recorders/fs1.php

They're designed by Future Sonics and sold through XtremeMac.com. Future Sonics supplies the in-ear monitors for U2 as well as many other acts, and I had a very positive experience with XtremeMac's customer service (and I technically wasn't even a customer). I'm talking Apple-quality.


In summary, I'd suggest the Apple in-ears for your requirements.

 

[cruxed]

Thanks for your suggestions.

I've snooped around the net, and it seems like these are two IEMs that sort of fit my budget and requirements:

- Creative EP 630
- Sennheiser CX 300

It seems like the general consensus out there is that the Creatives are more of a bang-for-the-buck.

Do you guys have any opinions on these phones?

Thanks again

Boris