Which earbuds to buy?

[SBMongoos]

I have sold old Aiwa earbuds that have a better sound that the buds that came with the Sansa. I see prices are about $5 - $1,000. Anybody have any recommendations? Noise cancellation or just regular buds?

These are nice and I've seen the they're actually metal:

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony-...oductDetail.do

[CrowdAds]

[andcheese]

I guess it all boils down to how much it means to you.

( "means to you" == $$$ ) Whadda you want to spend?

Good places to begin looking are:

http://www.headphonereviews.org
http://www.headphone.com/
http://www.head-fi.org
http://www.EarphoneSolutions.com
and even http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum...splay.php?f=22

not BestBuy or Circuit City.

The Sony's that you pointed to have gotten a few decent reviews, but the CX300's for a very decent price.

I went with the UltimateEars 5EB:
http://www.ultimateears.com/superfi/...5-EB_black.htm
but am thinking I maybe should have gone with the standard super.fi5pro's.

bburge

[SBMongoos]

Originally Posted by andcheese

I guess it all boils down to how much it means to you.

( "means to you" == $$$ ) Whadda you want to spend?

Good places to begin looking are:

http://www.headphonereviews.org
http://www.headphone.com/
http://www.head-fi.org
http://www.EarphoneSolutions.com
and even http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum...splay.php?f=22

not BestBuy or Circuit City.

The Sony's that you pointed to have gotten a few decent reviews, but the CX300's for a very decent price.

I went with the UltimateEars 5EB:
http://www.ultimateears.com/superfi/...5-EB_black.htm
but am thinking I maybe should have gone with the standard super.fi5pro's.

bburge

I swung by CC today to pick up those Sonys and try them out. They're nice looking but once you have them on they look a little like shiny bolts sticking out of your ears. Ha.

As for sound they do have bass. But it's muddy and it impacts the overall quality of what you hear. Thought my cheap earbuds sound better. If the Sansa had an EQ you could manually set then you might have something good. Will look into the links you provided. Thanks.

[crashsite68]

Great sound at a great price. I highly reccomend these. I'm on my second pair in 2 years (I wear them daily and constantly yank the cord out by accident). For the price, you can't beat it. They also eliminate outside noise (perfect for work if your workplace allows). They are also very comfortable because they provide a cutom fit to each individual.

Try the Plug or Sparkplug (color and look are the only differences)

http://www.koss.com/koss/kossweb.nsf/p?openform&pc^eb


Also of note - there is a new version of Sparkplug that I saw at Circuit City last week. It has a mute button inline.

[major_works]

I picked up a set of Shure e2Cs this weekend. They're near the bottom of your $5-to-$1000 range at about $100. That may seem a bit pricey to some. But to me, they're worth it. The elimination of external ambient sound is outstanding due to the in-ear-canal design. As a result, they allow me to reduce the volume on my e270 significantly. This will translate to longer battery life.

The downside is that if you're a real bass-a-holic, these may let you down. They will not produce thundering bass. That is, they will not produce artifical and unnatural-sounding bass. They do, on the other hand, seem to produce *entirely natural sounding* bass. Their midrange and high-end sound is extraordinary. I think they're a great value at the price.

[hamproof]

I had the e2c for a week before returning it to get the e3c. It cost $129.99 from an authorized Shure seller. Comes with airline adapter and christmas tree like earplug.

But I only like the gray ones and foams.

The reason why I returned the e2c for e3g (g version is black and has slightly shorter cord) is coz' the 3g is much much smaller and slimmer than the e2g. It fits much better.

Something you might want to consider.

[Wild Bill]

Is the earbud style really a requirement to you? I personally can't stand earbuds--the sound quality is inferior (for the price, at least), and they pop out of my ears (even in-ear ones with multiple sizes of caps).

I use the Sennheiser PX-100 with my player. It's true that they're not as small as earbuds, but even with earbuds you have to come up with some way to keep the cord safe. IMO, it's better to put up with the tiny amount of extra bulk and get some really enjoyable sound.

[hamproof]

IEM are not for everyone but they are much better for sound isolation and you don't have to crank up the volume as much.

Once fitted, it is really comfortable. I can wear IEMs for 4-5hrs. and not feel anything. Not to mention I run w/ them for an hour almost 4 times a week.

Initially, they are uncomfortable but once you figure out the right plug, it's all good.

Sometimes I even fall asleep wearing them

As to sound quality, I'm not sure what you are used to in the past, but you can't compare a $10 KOSS plug to Shure, Etymotic or UE IEMs. Of course I've only used Shure, namely the e2 and e3 so I can't speak of Ety or UE. But you can head over to head-fi.org to learn more.

EDIT: Sorry, I didn't realize Bill was referring to earbuds and not IEM. I agree. Earbuds are uncomfortable. The one that came w/ the player hurts my ear and I've to resort to using the Ipod ones which were more comfortable. But I ended buying IEM instead.

[effyman]

I can't comment on earbuds, but the Sennheiser CX300 IEM's that were mentioned earlier are excellent. I got mine from TigerDirect for about $55 delivered, and I absolutely love them. They are not completely noise cancelling (they don't have the extra circuitry) but the do a very good job keeping out background noise and IMO they are far more comfortable than earbuds. The only complaint I have about them is that when the cord rubs against your clothing, you can hear it through them, but from what I understand, this is a problem with all In-ear-monitors.

Also, I own the PX-100's that Wild Bill has, and love those too. I use them at work, because I might need to hear someone calling up to me, or to hear the phone ring. I think that the sound quality is excellent and they are really comfy, since nothing goes into your ears.

But this is just my 2 cents.

[SBMongoos]

Originally Posted by hamproof

I had the e2c for a week before returning it to get the e3c. It cost $129.99 from an authorized Shure seller. Comes with airline adapter and christmas tree like earplug.

But I only like the gray ones and foams.

The reason why I returned the e2c for e3g (g version is black and has slightly shorter cord) is coz' the 3g is much much smaller and slimmer than the e2g. It fits much better.

Something you might want to consider.

Hmm...I've seen the e4c's on eBay for $157. Too bad there isn't a place you can just go into try them out. Of course there's always the "hey, nice earwax buddy".

[SBMongoos]

Originally Posted by hamproof

IEM are not for everyone but they are much better for sound isolation and you don't have to crank up the volume as much.

Once fitted, it is really comfortable. I can wear IEMs for 4-5hrs. and not feel anything. Not to mention I run w/ them for an hour almost 4 times a week.

Initially, they are uncomfortable but once you figure out the right plug, it's all good.

Sometimes I even fall asleep wearing them

As to sound quality, I'm not sure what you are used to in the past, but you can't compare a $10 KOSS plug to Shure, Etymotic or UE IEMs. Of course I've only used Shure, namely the e2 and e3 so I can't speak of Ety or UE. But you can head over to head-fi.org to learn more.

EDIT: Sorry, I didn't realize Bill was referring to earbuds and not IEM. I agree. Earbuds are uncomfortable. The one that came w/ the player hurts my ear and I've to resort to using the Ipod ones which were more comfortable. But I ended buying IEM instead.

Haven't dealt with earbuds in the past. My Nomad IIc had the backphones which were decent (love that wired remote). Otherwise it was home HiFi. Marantz SR-7300 reciever with a set of Grado headphones.

[zviper]

Sony MDR-EX71SL these are good i like then fit good sound it good

[SBMongoos]

Hey...for those who may be curious. I tested the Westone UM2s yesterday. Nice! For the price (you can get them for about $260) and comparing to the Shures (quality and especially price) I think they'd be the way to go. These are dual driver as well. I may seriously consider these if Sandisk puts a custom EQ in the next firmware. I want more bass. You see these occasionally on eBay (used ones that is for a better price).

[dfkt]

Originally Posted by SBMongoos

I want more bass.

Try Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 EB. Dual-driver, armature for mid/high, diaphragm for bass. Goes down to 19Hz (I tested it). Goes for ~$200. They're the bassiest IEMs on this planet. I love em.

[fanboyism]

In my experience the Super.fi 5 Pro's also have very prominent bass for an IEM.. I found the EB's too bassy.

I can't handle all the bass.