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Recommend me some earbuds for $200 or less

P

puma1552

Suspended
Original poster
Nov 20, 2008
5,559
1,948
I think it's time to step it up and ditch the crappy Apple earbuds for a nicer pair of headphones.

All my music is encoded at 256 kbps.

I'm looking at Shure, Sennheiser, and I know Bose are overpriced for what you get but I can't deny their sexy form factor.

Earbuds are preferred to in-ears, but I'll entertain both suggestions.

Also I would *really* like an in-line remote compatible with ipods like on the Apple ones but I realize this is probably more of a wish.

Also I'm not a massive audiophile, but I just want something better than stock, with a little more bass and just an overall improvement in sound clarity and fidelity. I listen to lots of different stuff, but little rock, jazz, or classical. Top 40 no-talent assclowns, or the Fray, or David Gray--stuff like that. Mid-tempo stuff with a bit of a beat, and sometimes with a piano in the background going with the beat--mellowish music, I guess.

Recommendations and why?
 
puma1552 said:
I think it's time to step it up and ditch the crappy Apple earbuds for a nicer pair of headphones.

All my music is encoded at 256 kbps.

I'm looking at Shure, Sennheiser, and I know Bose are overpriced for what you get but I can't deny their sexy form factor.

Earbuds are preferred to in-ears, but I'll entertain both suggestions.

Also I would *really* like an in-line remote compatible with ipods like on the Apple ones but I realize this is probably more of a wish.

Also I'm not a massive audiophile, but I just want something better than stock, with a little more bass and just an overall improvement in sound clarity and fidelity. I listen to lots of different stuff, but little rock, jazz, or classical. Top 40 no-talent assclowns, or the Fray, or David Gray--stuff like that. Mid-tempo stuff with a bit of a beat, and sometimes with a piano in the background going with the beat--mellowish music, I guess.

Recommendations and why?
Click to expand...
get the klipsch S4i. it has the in line volume control etc. however. i have to tell u it is not possible to get good sound without in-ears.buds simply can't achieve that because the sound just leaks out. either get cans or in-ears. and trust me. once u get used to em, in-ear will feel great.
 
I have the v-moda Vibe. They are in-ear, but have the extra bass you are looking for.

I've seen the v-moda makes a version with the remote you want as well.
 
Seriously, the Shure SE -115s knocked my socks off. I am a Apple Lossless, converted from FLAC, so I am PSYCHOTIC** when it comes to audio quality. and when I paid 129.99 for noise canceling headphones, I expected to get... earbuds with foam balls, to be honest (But I really wanted noise cancelling headphones, and I had a gift card :rolleyes:). But these things sound like the band is IN YOUR HEAD.

Unbeatable, in a word, for both price and quality.

**To show you how psychotic I am, I need to tell you that the highest notes that you can hear, like a nice high C, does begin to sound, wobbly, I will say, but its still angelic compared to my old JVC Gumi's. :|
 
klipsch S4i

the first fitting is a pain in butt.
however once fitted is the best sound for $ I have ever had.

I love mine.
my main listening is trance techno.


skullcandy titans
have really good sound how ever the build quality sucks.
I went through 4 pairs in 6 months from the cable fraying
and all I do is wear them outside to and fro work.
 
r.j.s said:
I have the v-moda Vibe. They are in-ear, but have the extra bass you are looking for.

I've seen the v-moda makes a version with the remote you want as well.
Click to expand...

I had the V-Moda Vibe headphones a while ago, although eventually one of the buds cut out and never worked again, and the metal earbuds shocked my ears during the winter when I took my coat off after getting inside. I'll admit they sounded really good though. Now I have their Bass Freq headphones, which sound very good and cost $40, although I am interested to try the Vibe II...
 
r.j.s said:
I have the v-moda Vibe. They are in-ear, but have the extra bass you are looking for.

I've seen the v-moda makes a version with the remote you want as well.
Click to expand...

The Vibes are good...when they work. A lot of people complain about every single V-moda earbuds and they don't lie either. I had to get my Vibe replaced two times. The first time, the left ear buds shocked me if i moved an inch away from my computer. :eek: The second time, the right earbud wouldn't work unless I messed with the cord a bit.

They have great customer service though and like I say, they have an awesome sound.

panhead1406 said:
I had the V-Moda Vibe headphones a while ago, although eventually one of the buds cut out and never worked again, and the metal earbuds shocked my ears during the winter when I took my coat off after getting inside. I'll admit they sounded really good though. Now I have their Bass Freq headphones, which sound very good and cost $40, although I am interested to try the Vibe II...
Click to expand...

Haha wow , our problems were similar!
 
I've been very happy with my Shure SE210's. Clarity is fantastic, they have great mids and decent bass. They sell for about $170.00 and are well worth the money.

There's also a version with a remote and mic attached for about $20.00 more. I ended up buying the remote/mic assembly seperate, and I like it a lot. It's a single-button system. Tap once to pause, twice to skip tracks, three times to skip back a track. It was a little annoying to get used to, but I like not needing to feel around for the right button.

Also, you may be able to try out a few pairs of earbuds at your local Apple store. Ask them if they have a fit kit. I actually got to try out several varieties of earbuds in-store before buying.

Don't worry, they have a bunch of the earpads on hand for single-use!


Also remember that if you do end up buying from an Apple store, you have 30 days to return it, or exchange it, no questions asked.
 
Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 EB Extended Bass Earphones sound phenomenal. If you don't care about bass as much, the Super.fi 3's will suit you well...the 5's just add the extra kick.
 
Watabou said:
The Vibes are good...when they work. A lot of people complain about every single V-moda earbuds and they don't lie either. I had to get my Vibe replaced two times. The first time, the left ear buds shocked me if i moved an inch away from my computer. :eek: The second time, the right earbud wouldn't work unless I messed with the cord a bit.

They have great customer service though and like I say, they have an awesome sound.
Click to expand...

panhead1406 said:
I had the V-Moda Vibe headphones a while ago, although eventually one of the buds cut out and never worked again, and the metal earbuds shocked my ears during the winter when I took my coat off after getting inside. I'll admit they sounded really good though. Now I have their Bass Freq headphones, which sound very good and cost $40, although I am interested to try the Vibe II...
Click to expand...

I haven't had any issues yet, hopefully it will stay that way.
 
The Monster Turbines are not bad, but Ultimate ears, either the super fi 5 or the eb.. Shure are not bad also.
 
Wirelessly posted (Nokia 5800 Tube XpressMusic : Mozilla/5.0 (SymbianOS/9.4; U; Series60/5.0 Nokia5800d-1/21.0.101; Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 ) AppleWebKit/413 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/413)

wywern209 said:
puma1552 said:
I think it's time to step it up and ditch the crappy Apple earbuds for a nicer pair of headphones.

All my music is encoded at 256 kbps.

I'm looking at Shure, Sennheiser, and I know Bose are overpriced for what you get but I can't deny their sexy form factor.

Earbuds are preferred to in-ears, but I'll entertain both suggestions.


Also I would *really* like an in-line remote compatible with ipods like on the Apple ones but I realize this is probably more of a wish.

Also I'm not a massive audiophile, but I just want something better than stock, with a little more bass and just an overall improvement in sound clarity and fidelity. I listen to lots of different stuff, but little rock, jazz, or classical. Top 40 no-talent assclowns, or the Fray, or David Gray--stuff like that. Mid-tempo stuff with a bit of a beat, and sometimes with a piano in the background going with the beat--mellowish music, I guess.


Recommendations and why?
Click to expand...

get the klipsch S4i. it has the in line volume control etc. however. i have to tell u it is not possible to get good sound without in-ears.buds simply can't achieve that because the sound just leaks out. either get cans or in-ears. and trust me. once u get used to em, in-ear will feel great.
Click to expand...
Actually, you can get VERY good sound with earbuds. ;) The only benefits of in-ear are isolation (duh!) and bass. Generally, headphones and earphones would have a hard time keeping up in the bass department. However, there are definitely lots of bassy headphones on the market anyway.....

The thing with in-ears is that you're paying a lot for isolation. You can spend $50 - 100 on a pair of headphones and get the sound quality of $200-400 earphones.



A pair of RE2s are like $50 and are outstanding. They lack bass, but if you're listening mostly to the music you described, you'll be fine. Or spend more for a pair of re0 earbuds. I forget the name of the company, but they're from China and you'd have to get them online. :)
 
Etymotic ER-4P or Jays q-Jays are the only way to go. I would stay away from the Shure SE110/SE115 ranges. Put simply, they don't warrant the price tag they carry. If you're going to spend $100 on them, you would be much better served spending $150-$200 on the ER-4P/q-Jays.

The Etymotic hf2 are sonically similar to the ER-4P, but also have the inline mic and control box for iPhone use.
 
Bang & Olufsen A8's

I can only vouch for these though as I've had them for the last five years and they are as good today as the day I got them, And haven't seen a reason to replace them. No doubt they have been surpassed by some of todays later models but as I have no experience of them then I can't comment. Certainly from a build quality I haven't seen anything come even close. Hence having never changed them.

I am aware however that some people find them uncomfortable due to the ear hook, but I use mine for at least six hours per day at least four days of the week.
 
I would completely avoid Shure for low priced earbuds as they crank the bass to a pretty awful level, which ruins the clarity. I had a pair of Shures (e3c, so not even the base model) for quite a while and I was glad when they broke.

I'd also stay away from any of the Beats for similar reasons.

I've not tried the Ultimate Ears but hear good things.

Etymotics are good headphones if a little lifeless.

One company that not enough people know about is Jays. Their earphones are AMAZING for the price. I have a set of dJays and they never cease to amaze me. Especially if you stick some triple flanges on them.

http://www.jays.se

Moving from my Shures to dJays was as big a difference as moving from the iPod earphones to the Shures.
 
I ditched the apple earbuds instantly they were never comfortable. They were replaced by a pair of the V-moda vibe earbuds. I love bass and these definitely get the job done.

It sounds like I'm a lucky one, I haven't had any issues with them.
 
Wirelessly posted (Nokia 5800 Tube XpressMusic : Mozilla/5.0 (SymbianOS/9.4; U; Series60/5.0 Nokia5800d-1/21.0.101; Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 ) AppleWebKit/413 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/413)

Yes, I have the Jay d-jays as well, but I thought they weren't available in the US?
 
do not go for the CX300 from sennheiser. the sound is great but the rustling of the wire is terrible on it. i suggest buying a dif product as getting cheap wire shielding from a premium company like sennheiser is unacceptable so get it something like the klipsch that i suggested.
 
Thanks for the suggestions so far; I think I might want to try the Apple in-ears though, mainly for the remote and because I am just looking for something considerably better than the factory earbuds.

So, on that note, two questions:

1) How much better are the Apple in-ears compared to the stock earbuds?

2) I keep hearing about getting noise transfer through the cable anytime the cable rubs something; how bad is this really, and is it worse with the Apple ones compared to other in-ears? To me it seems if this was a big issue it would defeat the benefits of in-ear headphones.

Thanks
 
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