A List of Good IEMs (In Ear Monitors), Canal Phones, In-Ear Phones

[608zz]

My intension is to get some IE headphones to use when operating a loud lawn mower.

What are the best IE headphones in terms of durability and cancelling outside noise, for under $30 USD?

[CrowdAds]

[dfkt]

Try to get the Sennheiser CX300... they should be available for around $30 in some places. Or get the Creatives, they're nearly the same.

[yeshaib]

The Shure E2C should go in the 20$-100$ area as you can buy them for as low as 65$

[Olde Bill]

Originally Posted by dfkt

Try to get the Sennheiser CX300... they should be available for around $30 in some places. Or get the Creatives, they're nearly the same.

The Creative EP 630's I nervously "won" in a eBay auction (from a China based seller) came in last night. They seem authentically logo'd albeit in a OEM style sealed packaging. Nonetheless they sound much better than what I was using and I had a much better experience on the morning train commute.

Thanks for the advice dfkt.

[Mp3UndergroundFan]

Got my Skullcandy IEMs today. Not sure how much I like them, yet, though. However they've got a pretty interesting waranty.

Limited Lifetime Product Warranty

Skullcandy is proud to provide the best product warranty in the industry: If this product should fail in your lifetime, we will replace it at no charge. If the product is damaged by aggressive music listeners sliding a rail, sliding down the emergency ramp or your aircraft, slammed in your locker, slammed in your car door, run over by a car, running into a wall, getting run out of town, mountain biking, road biking, sky diving, beating your boyfriend unmercifully, getting beat down by the man, blown up in an accidental experimentation with flammable substances, or damaged in any other every day experience, it means you are living your life the way we want our product used! In these, or any other damaging events, we will replace the product for a 50% discount from retail.

Love Skullcandy

[Almoxil]

Originally Posted by Krelyan

Anyone know where to find MD33 and EP630's for sale?

Krelyan,

You can find the Sharp HP-MD33S at http://www.audiocubes.com. They cost US$ 39.00 plus shipping&handling. I bought one pair with them, and I'm waiting it to be delivered. As for the Creative CM-630 I don't know.

[schnupi]

well i just bough the sennheiser cx 30 for €70 ... and i really have to say that i luv them and are worth the money! they cancel any external noise which is exactly what i was looking for. my friend was standing next to me and talked but i couldnt hear one word she said or any other noise for that matter when i turned on the music..

super quality and defo worth the money... 10/10

[effyman]

Originally Posted by schnupi

my friend was standing next to me and talked but i couldnt hear one word she said or any other noise for that matter when i turned on the music..

Well, I guess I'll have to trade my px100's in for these when I'm at home with my wife

[dfkt]

Originally Posted by schnupi

well i just bough the sennheiser cx 30 for €70 ... and i really have to say that i luv them and are worth the money! they cancel any external noise which is exactly what i was looking for. my friend was standing next to me and talked but i couldnt hear one word she said or any other noise for that matter when i turned on the music..

super quality and defo worth the money... 10/10

Glad you like 'em - they're really high-end quality for a sub-$100 product.

[schnupi]

Originally Posted by effyman

Well, I guess I'll have to trade my px100's in for these when I'm at home with my wife

hahhahahaha yeah

[dfkt]

Some new basshead's delight on the market: V-Moda Bass Freq Earbuds http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/portable-...uds-182932.php

[IpaqMan]

I own the Sennheiser CX300, Sharp MD33S, Shure E3C, Sony EX71s, and various vendor supplied IEMs. However, my favorite is the brand new Sony MDR-EX90. They have 13mm drivers. I found them at CC for $90 (sale).

This IEM has lower isolation (safer for outside use and usable during conversation), smoother bass (not boomy), more comfort (not jammed into ear canal), better stay-in-ear design, and better cabling. This is the only IEM that I have tried that will STAY in my left ear during outside activity. All of the others will pull out or lose the seal in my left ear canal. The EX90s do not require a "perfect" seal for good sound. The large driver with the angled earbud design really stays put. You can yank on the cable and the earbuds stays in.

The sound quality is like the CX300 but is less boomy. It reminds me of my Sony E888. The E888 was my favorite in terms of sound quality but it is too delicate. The EX90 cabling seems sturdier than my other Sony buds. These are the only IEMs that I can wear when I am out with family. I can actually carry on conversations.

BTW, I am not impressed by my E3S. The sound lacks bass. The buds have to be jammed into my ear canals to work properly. Vigorous activity tends to loosen the seals. The cord design leaves me no place to hang the buds when I pop them out temporarily. (I really love "J" designed cords). And they are not safe for outside activity.

[neonez]

i think the creative ones and the sharp ones are both the sennheiser buds rebranded. i have the OEM (unbranded) version of the cx300 because you can get them for 34 dollars on ebay. they don't come in a box or have a warrenty but they're really cheap

[RandoM]

I've got E3C. They're pretty good if you go to the effort to make them perform.

You've got to get a good fit in each ear if you want the full range of sound. Once you do have that fit, they're pretty good.

They're very delicate too. You definately want to keep them in the case when not in use(wish I knew where mine was). The stem for the bud snaps onto the body of the phone, but the ridge for the 'snap' action is very thin plastic. One of mine fell apart and I had to superglue it back together.

Anybody making these with titanium or ceramic bodies instead of plastic?

[hamproof]

I've the Shure e3g. Similar to e3c but g is the *gaming* version. Comes in black and a slightly shorter cord.

I run wearing it w/ the foamies and gray small rubber caps. I don't have a problem w/ it popping out. My pace is about 8 min/mile and I do run for 1hr. everytime. Occasionally I've to pop it out to adjust coz' of the sweat.

I like the Shure designs coz' they are meant to point up and loop around your ear. If you wear it like that w/ the cord coming up from your back, you can easily wear take it off and hang it off your shoulder. Other earphones that do not loop the cable around your ear, tend to get yank off or slip off while I run.

They do have a 2 year warranty. So, if you broke the stem, just send it back and they'll send you a new earphone. In fact I wasn't happy w/ the foamies that came w/ the earphone. I e-mailed them and within a week and a few e-mails, they sent me new foamies free of charge

I'll definitely buy from Shure in the future.

[Almoxil]

I've been wearing my brand new Audio-Technica ATH-CK7 for two weeks with my Zen Vision:M and I can say WOW! They're simply amazing; comfortable, have a good isolation and the sound is very detailed, with strong (but not unnatural) bass and excellent mids and treble. They cost $69 + S&H at Audiocubes. I can't recommend them enough.

[Ninjabiscuit]

I'm really torn and would appreciate some advice from someone whose ever tried either...

After extensive research and price comparison, I'd just like to know...are the UE superfi 3's worth getting, considering budget limitations, compared to the the super fi 5's?? Obviously the fives are better (or i would hope so given the doubled price tag) but will the super fi 3's satisfy an audiophile on a budget?

[dfkt]

I dunno, they're only single-armature IEMs, compared to the two armatures in the Super.Fi 5 series. I'm pretty sure they deliver better bass than the Ety ER-6, but you could also get cheaper Sennheiser CX-300 or Creative Ep-630...

You could check out the forums at head-fi.com to see what people say about the S.F 3.

[Ninjabiscuit]

Hmm, food for thought...

I tried the Headfi.com forums as you suggested and oppinion seems to be divided on the subject.

Ideally, I need to get out somewhere and test them out, but I havent come accross many stores that stock ultimate ears iem's. Anybody know of any good stockists in the central or west london area (other than the apple store as I'd like to try them with a Creative Zen Vision)

[dfkt]

I don't think you can try any IEMs in stores.. it's a hygienical problem.
At least I've never been to any stores that do that - and I dunno if I would try some there. Of course, if you bring your own silicon flanges, that'd be fine then.

I know about the divided opinions on head-fi, that's why I suggested the CX300 or EP630.. I have a gut feeling they're in the same league as the S.F 3 or Shure E2, but for less money.

I have personal experience with the CX300 and the Shure E2, and I like the CX300 better (of course they don't match up to my S.F 5 ).

PS: IMO it would be a great idea going to an Apple store and trying earphones there with a ZV:M!