Looking for inexpensive In-ear earphones. Less than $30?

[anakir]

Well I did quite a bit of research back then but lost interest as I couldn't find the earphone that was hyped up by so many people - the Sennheisser CX300. As it is inexpensive to people, its not that case in Canada. Retailers sell them for $100+ and that is way out of my price range.. but if I buy it online, I may end up purchasing a fake so that was a big turn off for me too.

Looking at it now, I'm quite glad I didn't spend money on the CX300 as its durability wasn't great. I commute a lot so I'd be shuffling back and forth from my pocket and that might be harmful to the earphones.. if there's any suggestion of maybe even coating the wires to prevent them from ripping, please inform me.

I didn't really look at the stickied recommended earphone list as they are outdated (it mentioned it was outdated anyways).

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Anyways, here's my list of requirements:

-everyone seems to be hung up on bass so I guess I'd include that in

-under $30 would be greatly appreciated; I'm not an audiophile but I would like to give myself a chance at purchasing quality ear phones as I never really thought there would be a big difference in sound (keep in mind I'm in Canada and things like a Sennheisser CX300 is $30 in US becomes $100 in Canada; not converting wise, but being sold in retailer wise)

-durability; like I said, I commute a lot and I don't want my money to just go down the drain. I'll be sad if I accidentally ripped my earphone

-in-ear would be good, but the not-in-ear ones (don't know what its called lol.. the one that just hangs in your ear without being inside the canal?) would be okay too

-not so many fakes of this model floating around so I don't waste my money accidentally buying a fake

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Oh yeah, I'm a big fan of R&B and rap so.. if that helps with anything. I don't listen to rock much or at all.

And are is there anything I can do to protect the wires for the earphones? I was thinking of spraying a light plastic coating on top just so there's a thin layer of protection.

Thanks.

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by anakir

… Looking at it now, I'm quite glad I didn't spend money on the CX300 as its durability wasn't great. …

The cx300s are one of the most durable iem’s out there, mine are over 3 years old and passed between different members of our household and they still look and work like new. That said, I’m not a fan of them because of microphonics, muddy mids and poor highs.

Originally Posted by anakir

… if there's any suggestion of maybe even coating the wires to prevent them from ripping, please inform me.

None that I know of and I wouldn’t recommend spraying the wires with any coating before you test on other similar material and see what the result is, as you could ruin a new set of cables like that.

Originally Posted by anakir

… I didn't really look at the stickied recommended earphone list as they are outdated (it mentioned it was outdated anyways).

Although it may be outdated, there are some good recommendations there and many are still available.

Originally Posted by anakir

… durability; like I said, I commute a lot and I don't want my money to just go down the drain. …

Taking care of them is the best idea, almost any iem, expensive or inexpensive, will get damaged if abused. Using a case, regular cleaning, not yanking them out of your ears or the mp3 player will certainly help.

If you are looking for less than $30.00 I would look at the jvc marshmallow ($10 to $15 in US) with the kramer mod, jvc air cushion ($18 to $19 in US), creative EP-630 ($19 to $35.00 in US), or even clip-on’s like the ksc75’s ($10 to $20 in US). There’s a lot of choices in the under $30.00 range here but not all of them sound that great. BTW we have a few members from Canada that can possibly recommend others.

[aimran]

I recommend the Altec Lansing Backbeat Pro UHP606 for under $30. This is a rebranded Ultimate Ears super.fi 4 that goes around for $120 on Amazon.com

This headphone used to be $100 but has dropped in price. For under $30, the UHP606 is a bargain since it has a balanced armature which has very fast responses to music. You can't really find a balanced armature for around this price. You can find these for under $30 with free shipping at Buy.com or Amazon.com

What I like best about this headphone is its wiring as you mention. It's first layer is made of cloth and is reinforced with clear plastic on the exterior layer making it very durable.

[anakir]

Originally Posted by WalkGood

The cx300s are one of the most durable iem’s out there, mine are over 3 years old and passed between different members of our household and they still look and work like new. That said, I’m not a fan of them because of microphonics, muddy mids and poor highs.

I would really like a CX300 II but its hard for me to find it for $30 in Canada. I don't mind buying it online if its around $30 CAD in the end (including shipping and such) but its hard not to bump in to a fake pair since I'm very inexperienced with these stuff.

Originally Posted by WalkGood

If you are looking for less than $30.00 I would look at the jvc marshmallow ($10 to $15 in US) with the kramer mod, jvc air cushion ($18 to $19 in US), creative EP-630 ($19 to $35.00 in US), or even clip-on’s like the ksc75’s ($10 to $20 in US). There’s a lot of choices in the under $30.00 range here but not all of them sound that great. BTW we have a few members from Canada that can possibly recommend others.

I did a bit of researching and I'm interested in the JVC Marshmallow with Kramer mod and Creative EP630 thus far. Thank you for the suggestions.

Originally Posted by aimran

I recommend the Altec Lansing Backbeat Pro UHP606 for under $30. This is a rebranded Ultimate Ears super.fi 4 that goes around for $120 on Amazon.com

This headphone used to be $100 but has dropped in price. For under $30, the UHP606 is a bargain since it has a balanced armature which has very fast responses to music. You can't really find a balanced armature for around this price. You can find these for under $30 with free shipping at Buy.com or Amazon.com

What I like best about this headphone is its wiring as you mention. It's first layer is made of cloth and is reinforced with clear plastic on the exterior layer making it very durable.

I wouldn't be able to buy it from Amazon.com since I'm from Canada. But I'll definitely check them out. Thanks for the suggestion. The wiring is definitely a big plus to me as I commute a lot. It needs to be able to take a bit of abuse from me.



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Okay.. so I can't decide on the three:
-Creative EP630
-JVC Marshmallow (with Kamer mod when I get them)
-Altec Lansing Backbeat Pro UHP606

All them sound great to me thus far but if I were to put them in order which one I'd get: JVC is tied with Altec while Creative would probably be my second choice. Can anyone guide me which one would be best? I noticed that the Altec has an "L" shaped jack. That's great since my P2 suffered the loose solder from earphone jacks. Creative has a rubbery wiring to it.. so it won't be able to take my abuse in the pocket and in between my shirt. JVC has a mod that can make it worth more for its price but I don't know how it compares to Altec after the mod.

[WalkGood]

Hope we did help, let us hear back what you get and how you like. As your follow up helps others too, enjoy the tunes ♪ ♪ ♪

[anakir]

Okay I decided to take Creative EP630 off the list now because of the shape of the earphone jack and the wiring. It just wouldn't be able to take my abuse from the amount of commuting I do.

All that's left is JVC Marshmallow with Kamer mod and Altec Lansing Backbeat Pro UHP606.

JVC Marshmallow:
pros:
-cheaper
-can be modded to sound better
-in ear
-comes with extra ear tips

cons:
-shape of the jack; its just straight (might be more harmful for the MP3's jack as it might loosen up the solder inside.. that's what happened to my P2 at least)

Altec Lansing Backbeat Pro UHP606
pros:
-in ear
-wiring; mentioned by aimran
-shape of jack; its an L (I heard L shaped jacks are better for MP3's earphone jacks)
-extra ear tips

cons:
-don't know any

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Now, I don't know how the sound quality would be between the two. Does anyone know? JVC Marshmallow has a mod that can slightly increase it and Altec Lansing Backbeat Pro UHP606 doesn't have a mod. But they're both relatively the same price so I'm assuming they pretty much give off the same sound quality.

The MP3's I have are: P2 and soon to use my brother's iPod Touch.

The main type of music I listen to is: R&B and rap.

Also, what kind of wiring does JV Marshmallow have? Is it the rubbery wires where it can easily tear from a lot of friction? Like, in a pocket or in between shirts? Or is the wire's surface smooth enough to evade friction?

Thanks a lot for your help guys. I'm finally getting somewhere.

[aimran]

Originally Posted by anakir

I wouldn't be able to buy it from Amazon.com since I'm from Canada. But I'll definitely check them out. Thanks for the suggestion. The wiring is definitely a big plus to me as I commute a lot. It needs to be able to take a bit of abuse from me.

Ebay has them as well. Here's a reliable top seller that will send them to Canada for about $27 with free shipping.

http://cgi.ebay.com/D47-Altec-Lansing-UHP606-Backbeat-Pro-In-Ear-Earphones_W0QQitemZ230439734633QQcmdZViewItemQQptZ Other_MP3_Player_Accessories?hash=item35a7474d69

[anakir]

Thanks for the link aimran!

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Oh, I also forgot to ask:

Are there fakes of JVC Marshmallows and Altec Lansing Backbeat Pro UHP606?

And then back to my other questions:

Sound quality between the two? JVC Marshmallow with the Kamer mod vs. Altec Lansing Backbeat Pro UHP606. I'm assuming they're roughly the same.

Wiring for JVC Marshmallow? Is it high friction-rubbery wiring or the smooth coated ones?

Which one is better? L shaped jacks or straight shaped jacks? My Samsung P2 suffered loose solder because of straight jacks I believed. It got abused from being in my pocket too much with a straight jack.

[aimran]

Originally Posted by anakir

Oh, I also forgot to ask:

Are there fakes of JVC Marshmallows and Altec Lansing Backbeat Pro UHP606?

And then back to my other questions:

Sound quality between the two? JVC Marshmallow with the Kamer mod vs. Altec Lansing Backbeat Pro UHP606. I'm assuming they're roughly the same.

Wiring for JVC Marshmallow? Is it high friction-rubbery wiring or the smooth coated ones?

Which one is better? L shaped jacks or straight shaped jacks? My Samsung P2 suffered loose solder because of straight jacks I believed. It got abused from being in my pocket too much with a straight jack.

Well, I have never try the Marshmallow before, but I really like my UHP606. It has a really nice balanced of high, mid, and low. The UHP606 has a balanced armature driver which many audiophiles prefer over dynamic driver which the Marshmallow has. The UHP606 is the exact clone of the Super.Fi 4 which sells for $120 and the UHP606 itself was $100 but has dropped in price to under $30. This makes them a great value IMO.

As for the wiring, I don't know about the Marshmallow but the UHP606 is really tough and does not have friction. It also very hard to get tangle. For L or straight jack, I have always found L jack to last longer.

There aren't any fakes for either one that I know of.

[anakir]

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Brand-new-JVC-HA-...item4a9bdb0ae9

Its quite cheap for a JVC Marshmallow.. are you sure there aren't any fake JVC Marshmallows? And its being shipped from China too lol. I googled "fake JVC marshmallow" and didn't get anything other than a thread in this forum asking if there are fake JVC marshmallows. So far it seems fine but I'm just being a bit cautious.

[aimran]

Originally Posted by anakir

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Brand-new-JVC-HA-...item4a9bdb0ae9

Its quite cheap for a JVC Marshmallow.. are you sure there aren't any fake JVC Marshmallows? And its being shipped from China too lol. I googled "fake JVC marshmallow" and didn't get anything other than a thread in this forum asking if there are fake JVC marshmallows. So far it seems fine but I'm just being a bit cautious.

Yeah, it's a risk. It doesn't come with the retail box also. Take a look at this website. They constantly gather all fake headphones and compare it to the real ones. I wouldn't buy anything without the retail box although there are fakes with fake retail boxes.

http://fakeheadphones.com/

[anakir]

Sorry to bump an old topic but I've finally decided on JVC's air-cushion. Futureshop in Canada is having a sale. Originally $40 now $18 ($20 sale with an extra 10% off if you buy online AND free shipping; PC Cyber is still cheaper, by 30 cents, but I'd have to go through so much hassle to get it replaced if something goes wrong since PC Cyber doesn't exist where I live - which isn't worth the 30 cents). The price is average/good but rarely can you find a deal like that in Canada so I'm going to purchase it. I'm also purchasing some JVC Marshmallows. They're $13.50 with the same deal. Average price as well. It'll make good gifts for my friends that would love upgrades from their iPod earphones.

I'll let you guys know how it is when I have time to burn them in.

[Adub]

As a fellow Canadian i know how hard it is to get good phones', it's bullshit lol.

I'm sure you will like the marshmallows if you have never heard better iems because i did when i was in that boat hehe. I would kramer foam mod them asap as it clears up the bass and removes the veil on the mids/highs and really makes the marshmallows great for the price range. One thing about the marshmallows also is that the tips get really crappy after a lot of use, if you can find some Shure foam or Olive tips to replace them that would be a good idea, future shop sells them online.

If you like hip-hop/rap you might also like the Koss KSC-75 which are $35 @ NCIX a Canadian based online store with great return policy and Koss has a lifetime warranty.

[spurs20]

I think you should try Pioneer iems.

[anakir]

It arrived today. So apparently, there are 2 kinds of Marshmallows: HA-FX33 and HA-FX34. The most noticeable difference is the packaging. 34s have included "Ipod compatible" and that's about all.

I did a bit of research and some say that 34s are worse than 33s in sound quality. Is that true? Can anyone confirm this? Regardless, I gave a pair to my brother. I'm going to Kramer mod it after burning it in.

I tried the Marshmallows and they're so harsh on the ear canal. JVC's Air-Cushion feel very nice in the ear. And like said, it sits gently inside without falling out. I really like it so far.

I have the Air-Cushion and Marshmallow plugged in my computer for it to burn in some hours.

I'm not really an audiophile but I do pick up sound relatively well. Except, I don't hear too much of a difference right now. Before these pairs, I had a Sony earbud that came with a portable CD-mp3 player I had 10 years ago.. yeah, these earbuds lasted that long and they're still running with nothing wrong with them. I can't recall the model as I lost the box long ago and I gave away the CD player to my aunt. Anyways, there are things that sound more crisp. Is this what I'm suppose to be looking for when I try new earphones? Or is it simply because my Air-Cushions are in-ears compared to the Sony earbuds that just sits in my ear?

Also, thanks Adub for the suggestion. We Canadians always get it bad compared to the US when it comes to products. I'll keep my eye on those pair of KOSS. I'll most likely purchase it the moment it goes on sale. Life time warranty is a big selling point to me.

[Adub]

I'm not too sure about the difference between the 33 and 34, mine are 33.

Yeah Canada gets screwed on headphone/electronics in general for some reason :/.