Recommendations for earbuds/IEMs

[eightbitsprite]

So my earbuds have gone on the blinker, as the right bud seems to be putting out less sound then the left. I figure I might as well decide what to get next.
My budget's pretty pitiful- $20 at most. I'll be listening on my Clip+, so mostly portable listening. For sound signature... I honestly have no idea what I'd like, so throw whatever you think at me. Music, I listen to rock, pop, video game soundtracks, and some classical.
As for type... I'm not sure. I've always used earbuds, but I'm considering IEMs for the first time. I've never really used them much before, but the times I had, they kept on falling out. What would be the advantages of switching? I'm guessing isolation, but would IEMs sound better than earbuds for the same price? Also, would they fall out a lot? The JVC Air Cushion's page claims that it has a better fit than most, but I have no idea if that's true.

So if you're recommending earbuds, I'm considering the Sony MDR-E818LP or the Sennheiser MX400.
If you're recommending IEMs, I'm considering the JVC Marshmallow or Air Cushion and 2XL IEMs. Maybe the JBuds Hi-Fi, but I'm sorta tentative there.

If any of you guys have better options, I'd love to hear them. Thanks for taking the time to read this post.

[CrowdAds]

[JxK]

At that price point your best bet is likely the meelectronics M9. Good overall sound quality for the price, combined with good build quality. If you're willing to add $10 dollars the db logic ep-100 will likely be an even better buy.

[cnhardwick]

Second the M9. I would also suggest looking at the M6 as it is only a few bucks more. If you do not mind having the mic/remote you can the M9P from Newegg for $13.

[eightbitsprite]

Hey, those look pretty nice. So they're comfortable, I'm guessing? They won't fall out of your ears? (Sorry if I'm repeating myself- I've never really tried IEMS before)
I'm also taking a guess that the M6 is better than the M9, because it's more expensive.
M9P... hm. I don't really need or want anything extra, but it's cheaper.
In any case, right now I'm leaning more toward the M9 than anything. Thanks for the suggestions!

[IDvsEGO]

m6 or m9 for sure. I really like my m6. the memory wire is a pain for some, but I easily removed it.

[lestatar]

Hmm, I am thinking I need to get me some MEE IEMs and check them out for myself...so many good things about em from folks. And the price is so low...

[cnhardwick]

Originally Posted by eightbitsprite

Hey, those look pretty nice. So they're comfortable, I'm guessing? They won't fall out of your ears? (Sorry if I'm repeating myself- I've never really tried IEMS before)
I'm also taking a guess that the M6 is better than the M9, because it's more expensive.
M9P... hm. I don't really need or want anything extra, but it's cheaper.
In any case, right now I'm leaning more toward the M9 than anything. Thanks for the suggestions!

Comfort is very subjective when it comes to IEM's as we all have different shaped ears. Personally, I find both the M9 and the M6 to be fairly comfortable. The M9 becomes a little uncomfortable after about 45 minutes or so due to it's fairly large housing. However, that is mostly due the the fact I have small ears and wear them with a deep insertion (adds more bass). The M6 takes a while to get fit right do to the memory wire, but once it is in it quite comfortable for me. All that said, you may find moving from earbuds to IEM's to be uncorfortable at first. Your ears do not like having foreign objects stuck in them. But after a week or two you get use to and it becoming normal. You just have to stick with it.

IEM's have always stayed in better than earbuds for me, but once again it different for everyone as everyone has different ears. The M6 have the advantage of having memory wire that runs over the ear which keeps them secure so they will not fall out. The downside is that some people do not like over the ear and sometimes it will make it hard to get a good fit.

Yes, the M6 is better than the M9 in sound quality. However, I would say it is only slightly better. Good enough to make it worth the extra $3, but not good enough to make it worth buying over the M9 if you do not like over the ear. The sound signatures also vary slightly, with the M6 having more treble, less recessed mids, and more balanced bass, while the M9 have a little more bass at the cost of a more recessed mids. (Disclaimer: the sound can change drastically depending on which eartips you use.)

FYI, I have the M9P and can confirm it works with the Sansa Clip, so I imagine it would work fine with the Clip+ too (IEM's with mics sometimes do not play nice with players not meant to be used with mics). Only other reason I would stay away from the mic version is that the in-line mic tends to make the cable weaker IMO.

Originally Posted by lestatar

Hmm, I am thinking I need to get me some MEE IEMs and check them out for myself...so many good things about em from folks. And the price is so low...

MEElec has unbeatable budget IEM's. Just remember that is what they are, budget IEM's. They will sound better than the CX300 or Marshmallows for half the price, but they will not compete with entry level IEM's like the RE0 or VB much less higher end stuff like the JHE900 or TripleFi. (Although, their new IEM's like the A151 and CC51 seem to be a step in that direction. But after you cross that $75 mark their already just so many good options, it is just hard to compete.)

[eightbitsprite]

Personally, I find both the M9 and the M6 to be fairly comfortable. ... The M6 takes a while to get fit right do to the memory wire, but once it is in it quite comfortable for me. ... The M6 have the advantage of having memory wire that runs over the ear which keeps them secure so they will not fall out.

Hm. Both IEMs say they come with multiple tips, so I don't really have to worry too much about getting them to be comfortable. The over-the-ear idea sounds interesting- I've never thought about people wearing earbuds that way. IDvsEgo also says that it's not too hard to remove the memory wire if need be, so I guess I'll go with the M6s, because of the higher sound quality. If I need to pump up the bass, I'll just use Rockbox.

All that said, you may find moving from earbuds to IEM's to be uncorfortable at first. Your ears do not like having foreign objects stuck in them. But after a week or two you get use to and it becoming normal. You just have to stick with it.

I'll totally keep that in mind. Thanks for making such a detailed post. You were really helpful!

[McGyyver]

hey, kinda looked in the same direction as the OP.
Dont want em to fall out of my ears, even when jogging/riding a bicycle, want clear highs/mids, ~30$, I'm going to wear them straight down. No over the ear style.
Then, I was able to trash about 1 pair of buds a month, as I get a miscontact in the area between jack and cable.
I looked espeacely onto the soundmagic pl-30 and the db logics. Now at first, do they tick those boxes?
Then, I couldnt find the dB Logic's anywhere one amazon.de and from their site I get redirected to amazon.com. Does anyone have a clue how to get these in europe?
Thanks for your help in advance.

[cnhardwick]

FYI, Newegg has the M6P for only $13 today.

[Machiventa]

^ NICE... ordered!

[eightbitsprite]

Drat. Missed the sale. T.T
I'll just get the regular ones, instead. Thanks for the heads up, anyways.

[Machiventa]

Originally Posted by cnhardwick

FYI, Newegg has the M6P for only $13 today.

Just got em in the mail. They sound pretty decent considering how inexpensive they are! Thanks again for posting that sale. I'd easily pay $25 for these.

They stick in my ears so good that I pull off the tips every time I pull them out due to the chassis not having a lip to keep the tips on.... it's just a straight tube-like piece so they slip right off. I'll probably end up putting a little dab of glue to keep em in place. And the ear guides don't bother me at all.... I figured they weren't going to be bendable. Being able to bend them to fit my ears keeps them right where I need them.

Great purchase!

[IDvsEGO]

glad to hear it.

[nickh158]

Hi,
I can`t wear in-ear phones due to the shape of my ear canal . The left one just falls out unless I jam it in, in which case it becomes uncomfortable after a very short time. At the moment I use audio-technica ath es7 phones for general use and sony mdr ed21 earbuds(?) when I want the phones to be more discreet; In the gym for example. These fit just fine. Obviously these cheap phones don`t do my Cowon s9 justice, so I`d like to know if there`s a quality earbud which I can buy, preferably with noise-cancelling. I listen exclusively to rock music so the sound needs to be bright but with deep bass. Assuming money`s not an issue, what are my choices, if any? hope I used the right terminology...