Good In-canal earphone recommendations?

[sonicfantom]

I recently made the mistake of trying my younger brother's Denon DN-HP700s.

BIG mistake.

Now, everything I own sounds absolutely rubbish. It's time to upgrade from the stock white Samsung earphones (which are excellent, if you take the "free" bit into consideration).

As a big fan of AKG & Sennheiser headphones, I'm considering trying their in-ears. At the moment, my list looks like:

AKG K 324 P
AKG K 330
AKG K 370 (expensive! Bit of a stretch)
Sennheiser CX 300-II
Sennheiser CX 400-II (discounted to a similar price as K330 and K324P)

oh, and:

AKG K 319, which isn't an in-ear canal.
Shure SCL2, which is about the same price as the K 370. Really chunky.

Can anybody suggest some earphones? I'd like to stick to the same price range, but if it must go up to the K 370's level... Then it must.

I'm a bassist, and I spend most of my time (unconsciously) listening to the bass line in songs. The bass has to be punchy, plentiful, and clear (none of those muffled boom-boom dance music earphones for me). Mids and highs must be good, too, but i'm not as concerned about them, they're easier for earphones to handle IMHO.

Don't want or need headphones at the moment, they aren't portable enough for me (and impossible to use in class).

I use a Samsung R1 with user DNSe settings, so the player is up to the job.

I'd prefer an AKG earphone, but if there isn't one for me I'm willing to buy any good name brand. Thanks for the help!

[CrowdAds]

[Marvin the Martian]

Take a look at the chart at this link.....it might help. From what I am hearing lately around here, it sounds like you'd be a prime candidate for the Hippo VB....
http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum...53&postcount=1

[HipHopScribe]

Seems like Hippo VB's would be a good choice for you. You can read the review for more info

http://www.anythingbutipod.com/archi...oom-review.php

[sonicfantom]

I've never heard of these things. After a quick Google, it seems that the rest of New Zealand hasn't either.

D'oh!

I'd prefer to pay more and get a factory warranty, rather than buying online from overseas.

I'm pretty much restricted to AKG, Sennheiser, Shure, and Audio-Technica. There's a couple of the others around, but those are the big three from where i'm sitting (and they all come from shops aimed at musicians/sound technicians).

Now, HEADphones... Much, much easier. There must be a smaller market for hi-fi earphones.

[lestatar]

sonicfantom:

Hippo VBs. Done. U will love them - almost tailor made for your stated preferences IMO. Fear not for a factory warranty - Jaben and Uncle Wilson have demonstrated repeatedly that they will do the right thing if/when problems arise, all over the world.

Really, give them a shot.

Send Wilson an email at Jaben.net. Tell him you are coming from ABi - never hurts to namedrop a little. Mention your concerns re: warranty, especially due to your location - see for yourself what he says.

[NeedBalanceCtrl]

Originally Posted by sonicfantom

I've never heard of these things. After a quick Google, it seems that the rest of New Zealand hasn't either.

D'oh!

I'd prefer to pay more and get a factory warranty, rather than buying online from overseas.

I'm pretty much restricted to AKG, Sennheiser, Shure, and Audio-Technica. There's a couple of the others around, but those are the big three from where i'm sitting (and they all come from shops aimed at musicians/sound technicians).

Now, HEADphones... Much, much easier. There must be a smaller market for hi-fi earphones.

I hear what he's saying. I felt the same way. I actually still feel the same way. But, sonicfantom, realize that you may be missing out on some very good headphones by limiting yourself to the big brand names sold only in your country. Nevertheless, I admit I did exactly the same thing. My latest purchase was for a pair of Panasonics--which have a presence in my country and I can get warranty service from Panasonic directly in my country. So I hear and understand your concerns.

Given your preference for bass, I think you'll probably end up with a Sennheiser. Shure and Audio-Technica isn't known for bass heavy 'phones. I haven't read much about AKG.