Headphones

[ljs3000]

Can anyone recommend some decent sounding and reasonably priced in-ear type headphones for the e200? I need some for working out/running.

Thanks.

L.S.

[CrowdAds]

[DLF]

I recommend these from Sony, which I bought around Christmas '04 for ~$25!

Sony MDR-EX71SL

[Nexus]

I'm using Sennheiser CX300's and am very pleased with the sound of them at the moment although it's only been two weeks since I purchased them.

Cheers
Nick

[ljs3000]

Do both of these give fairly good volume?

[dfkt]

Check out my thread about IEMs: http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum...hread.php?t=69

I wouldn't recommend the Sony EX71. They're overpriced for their very poor sound and build quality.

The Sennheiser CX300, however, are very good IEMs for a little higher price than the Sonys. Highly recommended. And, yes, they're quite sensitive (109dB/mW, IIRC) - the give high volume output.

A similar, cheaper, IEM is the Creative EP-630.

[steviep]

i like how the ex71s sound but the prob is with the cord
its made of some weird material that gets holes in it easier than reg cords
it also has an annoying extension cord that u need to use bcuz the cord is so short without it
if you have a pair of headphones with a removable around the ear thing try connecting it to the ex71s to make it so theres less pulling at the left earphone from the extension cord

[kwerdenker]

Originally Posted by dfkt

[...]
A similar, cheaper, IEM is the Creative EP-630.

i orderd the 630 from amazon but they need 1-2 weeks(!) to deliver it... when i get them i tell you how they are. (but i already think they are worth the money because i only heard good things about them)

[jmsnyc]

Originally Posted by kwerdenker

i orderd the 630 from amazon but they need 1-2 weeks(!) to deliver it... when i get them i tell you how they are. (but i already think they are worth the money because i only heard good things about them)

i just got the creative ep-630's from buy.com -- took about a week with their free shipping

my sansa headphones already broke - the hard plastic right below the one of the earphones broke off and slides all the way down

there is a noticeable difference in headphone quality based on price.... not to say you can't get decent headphones for under $10

these ep-630's are by the far the best for $25, though i am only comparing them with much cheaper headphones

99 cents store cobys are worth 99c - same with $5 craig I bought at toysrus - worth 99 cents

sansa headphones mediocre, sound much better than the cheap mentioned above

$8 sonys are decent but the sonys i have have a cheap plastic headband - they are good backup

i think volume control is good to have which ep-630s lack - Sennheiser makes cheap under $10 headphones with inline volume control mx500/mx550. Next time I buy something online from amazon or buy.com I may order a pair (to get free shipping)

overall, i am very happy with the sound quality of the ep-630s

[nissmo66]

Originally Posted by ljs3000

Can anyone recommend some decent sounding and reasonably priced in-ear type headphones for the e200? I need some for working out/running.

Thanks.

L.S.

I just got a pair of Philips in-ear style, there pretty nice the sound is very rich. Deeper bass than the stock sandisk phones. They were on sale at BB for like $20.

[hamproof]

I bought a pair of Shure e2c recently but planning on returning it. Just received a pair of Shure e3g (same as e3c but shorter cable and in black).

Most highends IEM, people are recommending either Etymotic or Shure and I went w/ Shure coz' I too am using it for running. Shure allows me to loop the cord over my ear. So, it's more secure and less prone to it falling out. Also, Shure cables are a lot thicker than Etymotic er6/er6i (not so good for wearing around you but last longer).

Shure also comes w/ 2 year warranty.

I ran a few times w/ the e2c and it is pretty secure. It's not going to fall out. I run about 8min/mile. So, you can gauge how fast you run if it's going to affect you.

IEM fit is also tricky. For the Shure e2c, I had to use the medium sized flex for my left ear and a medium sized foam for my right. My right ear canal I guess is vastly different.

When I'm wearing the e2c, it was awesome. Surrounding sounds have all but disappear (sometimes I run on the threadmill, a $200 threadmill. Needless to say it is noisy but wearing the e2c, I hardly hear it anymore).

Why I bought the e3c? Well, the e2c, as I got more comfortable w/ the fit after 5 days, though I really like it, it's a little bulky in my ear. The e3c is literally half the size. So, I decided to give it a try. Hey if the e2c is that good, e3c should be a lot better right?

I'm on my second day trying the e3c (or e3g in my case) and I cannot fit it properly. None of the earpiece fits properly except for the foam. But the foam are hand trimmed (supposedly) and the ones I have are a little too short. It doesn't go as deep or as snug as the e2c. But I'm going to give it a few more days and hopefully it'll fit better.

Sound isolation is not as good as e2c. But this is because I can't get a good seal. When I was running last night (on the threadmill), I could hear the threadmill.

Say on a scale of 0 to 10 (10 being w/o the earpiece, 0 being absolutely silent), w/ the e2c, I was down to 1 or 1.5. With the e3c, I would say it is at 5). But again, as I get better fit in my ear, it should be at the same level.

The e2c you can get for about $65 (online - check Amazon). I bought it for $92 from Circuit City when it was $8/off $99. This week it is at $89.99 at CC. So, if you dont' want to wait, like me, pick it up locally.

The e3c (or e3g), I paid $129.99. Most places are selling it for $170+. I bought it from earphonesolutions.com. They list $179.99 but will give sell it for less when you e-mail them for lowest price and they'll send you a code to use during checkout to knockoff $50. Ordered Monday, got it Wednesday. Free shipping.

[DLF]

That's interesting. I was comparing the sound and build quality of the $25 Sonys to that of the $12 Sennheiser MX400s that came with my Cowon flash player, and the former was clearly better. I'll give the CX300s a look-see....

Originally Posted by dfkt

Check out my thread about IEMs: http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum...hread.php?t=69

I wouldn't recommend the Sony EX71. They're overpriced for their very poor sound and build quality.

The Sennheiser CX300, however, are very good IEMs for a little higher price than the Sonys. Highly recommended. And, yes, they're quite sensitive (109dB/mW, IIRC) - the give high volume output.

A similar, cheaper, IEM is the Creative EP-630.

[ljs3000]

Originally Posted by nissmo66

I just got a pair of Philips in-ear style, there pretty nice the sound is very rich. Deeper bass than the stock sandisk phones. They were on sale at BB for like $20.

Are these the Philips headphones you got?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1115364664036

I've seen these at BB and Walmart but I was concerned they wouldn't stay in my ears when running/working out in the gym. How loud do they get? Do you have to max out the volume on your e200?

I have changed my mind a bit about headphones and just went to a cheaper ear bud style for now (Sennheiser 450's). One reason is I don't want to spend too much, but the main reason is that I'm not sure the in-ear type are what I want. It seems that in-ear phones eliminate most of the ambient noise and sometimes you want to be able to hear things in the gym or out on the road when running. Especially when you are running around vehicles (I almost got nailed last weekend by a woman who wasn't paying attention when pulling out on the road I was running on).

I was also looking at the new Sennheiser MX70 Sport phones since they are made specifically for what I use them for. I just didn't want to pay 30 bucks for these without knowing if they'd sound any better then the cheap ones.

So for now I'll stick with these cheap ones I guess although I'd rather upgrade to something better in the future. Is there any type of earbud style that sound better than the average $10-$15 pair?

[hamproof]

Originally Posted by ljs3000

I have changed my mind a bit about headphones and just went to a cheaper ear bud style for now (Sennheiser 450's). One reason is I don't want to spend too much, but the main reason is that I'm not sure the in-ear type are what I want. It seems that in-ear phones eliminate most of the ambient noise and sometimes you want to be able to hear things in the gym or out on the road when running.

That's very true. I only run on streets w/ running paths for this reason. I was using cheapo Sony in ear phones ($10.99 ones at BB) but it doesn't fit me right. After 1/2hr. running or not running, the right ear hurts. But using the IEMs, on the e2c, I ran for an hour and it was very comfortable. It also helps that you loop the wire around your ear to take the weight off the cables.

But on the plus side, IEMs you don't have to crank the volume up too much.

[dfkt]

Originally Posted by DLF

That's interesting. I was comparing the sound and build quality of the $25 Sonys to that of the $12 Sennheiser MX400s that came with my Cowon flash player, and the former was clearly better. I'll give the CX300s a look-see....

Don't confuse the earbud-style MX-series with the in-ear-style CX-series. Although the MX's are quite clear and decent sounding, they don't have any bass at all, and they don't isolate. The CX are a whole different animal.

The Sony EX's don't stand a chance compared to the Sennheiser CX's, in sound quality, clarity, separation and definition of the bass-frequencies.

[ljs3000]

Do any earbud style offer any decent bass?

[dfkt]

Originally Posted by ljs3000

Do any earbud style offer any decent bass?

I've heard that the Sony 888 should have some more bass than other earbuds - but I never tried them, so don't take my word for it.

[nissmo66]

Originally Posted by ljs3000

Are these the Philips headphones you got?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1115364664036

I've seen these at BB and Walmart but I was concerned they wouldn't stay in my ears when running/working out in the gym. How loud do they get? Do you have to max out the volume on your e200?

I have changed my mind a bit about headphones and just went to a cheaper ear bud style for now (Sennheiser 450's). One reason is I don't want to spend too much, but the main reason is that I'm not sure the in-ear type are what I want. It seems that in-ear phones eliminate most of the ambient noise and sometimes you want to be able to hear things in the gym or out on the road when running. Especially when you are running around vehicles (I almost got nailed last weekend by a woman who wasn't paying attention when pulling out on the road I was running on).

I was also looking at the new Sennheiser MX70 Sport phones since they are made specifically for what I use them for. I just didn't want to pay 30 bucks for these without knowing if they'd sound any better then the cheap ones.

So for now I'll stick with these cheap ones I guess although I'd rather upgrade to something better in the future. Is there any type of earbud style that sound better than the average $10-$15 pair?

Yeah those are the ones. Sounds like you and I had the same concerns.

Yes they stay in the ear, although they are a little weird, but that's just because I've never worn in the ear style before. And after a 2 days wearing them, I like the in the ear style better than any ear buds I've worn.

Yes you can still hear outside noises, there not nosie canceling, however they do muffel most soft sounds, which for me makes the listening better.

Most of the time, for me the volume stays around the middle on the sansa. Some songs are lower some higher. But if I turn it up all the way it hurts.

One thing, I changed the EQ to pop, a little less bass, these phones seem to produce a good amount of bass.

Philips says these are "surround sound" ear buds, I don't know what that means but the sound is clear and full, and they fit well, so thats good for me. Plus there like 20 bucks, I can't imagine spending 200 or more on earbuds.

[Corpete]

Originally Posted by jmsnyc

i just got the creative ep-630's from buy.com -- took about a week with their free shipping



these ep-630's are by the far the best for $25, though i am only comparing them with much cheaper headphones




overall, i am very happy with the sound quality of the ep-630s

Do you work out or jog with your Creative ep-630's? I have the Sony MDR-ex71's but when I jog, I get a loud banging noise when the cord bounces on my body which was almost louder then the music. I think this may be called microphonics? Do the Creatives do this?

[dfkt]

Originally Posted by Corpete

Do you work out or jog with your Creative ep-630's? I have the Sony MDR-ex71's but when I jog, I get a loud banging noise when the cord bounces on my body which was almost louder then the music. I think this may be called microphonics? Do the Creatives do this?

Nearly every IEM produces microphonics, due to them being tightly lodged into your ear. Try wearing the cable up and around the back of your ear, instead of letting it hang down. This might help.

Like this:

[Weasel]

When I got my E260 I was disappointed in the bass, but as a previous poster said you need the in-ear type to really get it. So I bought the JVC FX55 for about $23 - mostly because of the way they fit way down in your ear and that they're rated with a freq response all the way down to 5Hz.

Mistake...they are so much lower on volume that I had to go to the "loud" setting on the player, and if they are getting the low bass notes then I'm not hearing them. Soooo, I went out and paid $15 for the Koss "plug" and I'm a happy man - plenty of volume and bass notes that curl your toes.