Earphone/Headphone for casual music listening.

[Vip_blast]

• Price Range: upto $30 for earphones, upto $65 for headphones.
• Type/Design: Full size headphones, portable headphones, in-ear monitor (iem), or earbuds.
• Type: Closed Style.
• Primary location of use: to be used while travelling or relaxing somewhere, mostly while being out. I may use it with my laptop once in a while for watching movies or listening to tracks I've recorded with my guitar.
• Preferable SQ or Sound Signature: I listen alot to acoustic music, but I just started to listen to dubstep. I want something that provides a clear sound, where you can distinct the instruments well. I like when there is some nice bass, but not when its overwhelming. From the listed options: neutral sound - rich across the sound spectrum
• Media: acoustic, lots of guitars. Then some dubstep from
• Source: Mp3 player (Sansa Zip Clip), my phone (HTC Desire), my laptop (Dell XPS 17).
• Location: Mauritius, but I will buy online as long as it ships international.

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by Vip_blast

• Closed Style (full size headphones) - Circumaural (full size headphones) - Supra-aura (full size headphones): I don't really understand about those :/

Look at the "Glossary" link under my sig and if you don't understand feel free to ask.

[Vip_blast]

Originally Posted by WalkGood

Look at the "Glossary" link under my sig and if you don't understand feel free to ask.

Okay I read that part a couple of times and did some google search, so I'm into closed style.

[JK98]

Do you want the headphone to sit on your ears, or to surround your ears? those that surround the ears tend to isolate much better.

[Vip_blast]

Anyone will do, as long as it is comfortable to wear. I'm open to any suggestion, I barely know anything about brands and I keep googling everything I'm reading here.

[IDvsEGO]

i like the type that go around the ear. I find it uncomfortable to have them clamping on my ears. I prefer a more bass heavy sound so I don't have any first hand expereince with nuetral soudn sigs. I have heard great things about the Creative Aurvana Live!...also referred to as the CAL

[Vip_blast]

I'm searching for something better looking if possible. The Creative one reminds me of one of my old headsets. :/

[IDvsEGO]

and I want a super model that cooks and cleans and doesnt care that I am broke. Sometimes you cant have everything

seriously, in your price range most of the flashy looking sets are crap. You can get good sound quality for lower price points but they are usually older sets that have stuck around so they look plain or "classic"...or sometimes even dated. If appearance is a factor it might help if you posted some pics of the style you like. taste varies greatly. Dont worry about the price or SQ of your examples, I just want to see what you like. I personally like the looks of the Sony MDR-ZX500 and it can be had for your price range. I also think anything Audio Technica makes looks nice and I would trust their products for the most part.

[kredig]

the creative phones are better than you might think. it is actually a clone of the denon ah d1001. the sound quality is excellent (probably the best for your budget).
the only "bad" characteristic i can think of is the isolation. this could be better but for your needs it should be fine.
maybe you could also take a look at the audio technica ath-t300. i have found some nice reviews on those also.

[The DarkSide]

The Creative Arvana Live is said to sound excellent, especially on a paupers budget. As mentioned, the more flashy & and fashionable sets usually sound horrid.

Now, it you want excellent sq on a broke-azz budget check out the Cortex CHP-2500. The sq tops my $260.00 Sony's: http://www.icemonkey.com/cortex-chp-...or-white-black

A few of us here bought a set (I have 2) and totally luv 'em. There's one exception to the luv, but he states being highly sensitive to the hp's highs. Me, personally, the CHP-2500 is my favorite headphone.

[Vip_blast]

Is that icemonkey website reliable to purchase from? I never heard of it before. Otherwise shipping costs me quite alot, e.g. for the CHP-2500 on ebay its 20 bucks for the cheapest shipping :/

I understand you guys, but I'm not searching for something flashy, just something not too dull. I'm checking the Audio Technica and the Creative in more in depth now. The Cortex one looks okay to me, but at this price, it must have some more downsides, right? Like build quality or something?

[The DarkSide]

I bought the headphones from there and eBay as well. The sq they give you is well worth it.

[Vip_blast]

Price Chart I've made from Ebay of lowest price of each of your proposed headphones (Price + Shipping).

Audio Technica T300: $27.95 + $19.74
Creative Aurvana Live: $74.99 + $65.00
Cortex CHP-2500: $49.99 + $19.88
Sony MDR-ZX500: $38.50 + $7.50


So basically, the Creative explodes my budget. Among the three others, which one is more of a value-for-money product?

[Vip_blast]

Originally Posted by The DarkSide

I bought the headphones from there and eBay as well. The sq they give you is well worth it.

The icemonkey website does not ship to Mauritius :/

[IDvsEGO]

I have only heard the cortex and I love them. a satisfied icemonkey customer here. sucks about the shipping

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by IDvsEGO

I have only heard the cortex and I love them. a satisfied icemonkey customer here. sucks about the shipping

TDS is sending me one of his pairs to try out....I'm hoping they arrive tomorrow.

[IDvsEGO]

hopefully our talk hasnt elevated expectations to unattainable levels but they were $25 HPs and they make me smile.

[Lagoo56]

For neutral IEM's I'd recommend the Soundmagic E10's,which are $35 but worth every single penny. They are a really great pair of balanced in-ear moniters.

[kredig]

have you looked at the creative website for the phones? if i remember right there was an extra africa region...

[ashneel99]

You can get pretty good iems in Port-louis and chinatown. Contact me for details...