Good Inexpensive Phones

[weedalin]

Originally Posted by JoshRead

I don't really like earbuds much either, unless they have the earhooks that hold them tight in place. In-ear phones don't stay in place in my ear so those don't work for me.

The problem with earbuds is that the sound quality suffers if they aren't right against the ear canal. With the earhook, it helps it a lot.

Ohh, I see. Well, everyone's ear is different. My ear tends to be a little bit too small for most earbuds to fit comfortably.

[gebal]

Just a quick mini review (as they dont seem to have any reviews on google) for the sennheiser CX250
My cx300 died so richer sounds kindly swapped them under warranty.

the sound signature is identical to the CX300 as far as I can tell, but micro phonics seems to be slightly worse. Which is saying something, since that was never a strong point of its brethren. There also seems to be some static, although I cant quite place whether this is due to increased sensitivity or down to the inline remote. The remote is a simple slider, for volume +/-, with a short slide range but a fairly notable volume change.

Aesthetically, I prefer the design, its a simple as possible and subtle. the finger grip is quite handy for getting it out of ones ear.

[Jaigoda]

Hey, I'm trying to find a good pair of in-ear buds for under $40. I'll try and give as much detail as I can.

I've owned a pair of Sony EX75's along with bunches of stock headphones, and am currently using Jlabs JBuds. My music player is a Sansa Clip with a flat EQ, and I'm planning on getting either a Clip+, or splurging on something like a P3 or S9.

I'm no audiophile, but I would like to have the best sound experience possible without breaking my budget. For me, the Sony's when played loud had somewhat piercing highs, and often had me wincing and turning down the volume. The JBuds seem to be decent, but sometimes they don't seem to sound very clear. I could be completely wrong here since I haven't had a chance to listen to high-end phones, but those are just my impressions.

I'm looking for something with a similar build to the Sony's or JBuds. I don't need heavy bass, and am simply looking for a good overall sound. Sound isolation is not especially needed. most of what I listen to is rock or classical music.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Curiouss]

dammit. i should have gotten the JVC Air Cushion over the JVC marshmallows. THey're only $5 cheaper and look waaay for comfortable

[Orange]

my picks for the under $40,

IEMs - Nuforce NE-6
Fullsize - Koss Portapro (these I use as my primary, they do too many things well for me)

[airpirate545]

Are the JVC Marshmallow the best I can get for under $25? Thats all I can spend and I just want something to replace the headphones that came with my S9

[FreeZ5]

Originally Posted by airpirate545

Are the JVC Marshmallow the best I can get for under $25? Thats all I can spend and I just want something to replace the headphones that came with my S9

How much are the JVC FX-66 Air Cushions for you?

Steve

[weedalin]

Originally Posted by airpirate545

Are the JVC Marshmallow the best I can get for under $25? Thats all I can spend and I just want something to replace the headphones that came with my S9

Koss KSC-75's are pretty good for the money too.

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by airpirate545

Are the JVC Marshmallow the best I can get for under $25? Thats all I can spend and I just want something to replace the headphones that came with my S9

Best I've found under $25 , that requires no EQ'ing, is JVC Flats. I've read about them over at Head-Fi, then talked to someone that had tried them, and I got mine today....nice sounding even out of the box. Be interesting to see if they change much over the next few days. But Clip+ or Sony S545, no EQ is required, and they're easily powered by either player.

[Orange]

Originally Posted by Marvin the Martian

Best I've found under $25 , that requires no EQ'ing, is JVC Flats. I've read about them over at Head-Fi, then talked to someone that had tried them, and I got mine today....nice sounding even out of the box. Be interesting to see if they change much over the next few days. But Clip+ or Sony S545, no EQ is required, and they're easily powered by either player.

Not a bad choice for under 25$. The PortaPro's can be had for 30$ though on amazon and I would much prefer those.

A brief comparison of the 2...
JVC Flats: built-in V shape EQ
+better clarity
+excellent mid-bass punch. decent extention.
--harsh treble (so harsh that I stopped using these phones)
-recessed mids
-low quality and comfort. Didn't fit my head well
~some isolation

Koss PortaPros: bass heavy
+very warm bass with excellent extension
+mids in general
+form and fit
-no isolation
~would prefer an improvement on the upper clarity, not really a negative as its pretty solid as it is
~foam pads not my first choice

Thats my opinion. I personally could not recommend the flats at full retail. Its another story if you can find them half off though.

[eboyer93]

Originally Posted by Marvin the Martian

Best I've found under $25 , that requires no EQ'ing, is JVC Flats. I've read about them over at Head-Fi, then talked to someone that had tried them, and I got mine today....nice sounding even out of the box. Be interesting to see if they change much over the next few days. But Clip+ or Sony S545, no EQ is required, and they're easily powered by either player.

i have the JVC Flats and they're really nice for just 19.99 at walmart

[Flyordie]

Ok Dfkt, a few more Qs.
1. How would the V-Moda Vibe I's compare to the SkullCandy TiTans in terms of Bass performance?
2. In your opinion- did the V-Moda Vibes seem durable to you in the sense that the driver used would last a long time?

I know that SkullCandy 11mm drivers can take a beating and survive even being thrown in the washer or dropped in a tub of water.

I can get a V-Moda Vibe pair of buds (retail) for about $15. (yes, it feels good to know a distributor)

[no9]

Originally Posted by Flyordie

Ok Dfkt, a few more Qs.
1. How would the V-Moda Vibe I's compare to the SkullCandy TiTans in terms of Bass performance?
2. In your opinion- did the V-Moda Vibes seem durable to you in the sense that the driver used would last a long time?

I know that SkullCandy 11mm drivers can take a beating and survive even being thrown in the washer or dropped in a tub of water.

I can get a V-Moda Vibe pair of buds (retail) for about $15. (yes, it feels good to know a distributor)

If you know a distributer and can get them for $15 then why are you asking questions? With skull candy's excellent rep around here, I'm sure that dfkt has never even seen them let alone heard them. I had the V-Moda's for over a year and they went through the wash and got attacked by a random dog and still worked. All I can say is that they sounded far better than my cx400 if that helps at all.

[blcistheking]

Would anyone recommend the Sony MDR-E10?

[dfkt]

I don't know about the E10, but the E818 are quite acceptable lowest-budget earbuds.

[aimran]

Am I the only one who likes the Altec Lansing Backbeat Pro UHP606? You can easily find it for under $30 and it is the rebranded Ultimate Ears SuperFi 4. For $100, it's not a good value of course but for under $30, it's a super good value IMO.

[Burning_October]

So, currently i'm using some really cheap Sony earbuds (like, 10 bucks), that are incredibly uncomfortable and have horrible noise reduction. I'm looking to get some IEM's (I loved my Zune pair before I lost the plastic piece), and i'm going for under $35 or so. I'm also in Canada, so there isnt as much choice here. That being said, I have found this pair which seems good:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDREX36V-.../dp/B001EYU3JO

Still, i'd like some opinions from the people here. I currently use a Fuze, if that helps. I just want to know if these have good sound quality and detail, if so i'll get them. And if you have any other suggestions, it would help.

[Pauliwog]

It was time for me to get a new pair of headphones; the in-ear type were starting to bother my ears. I didn't want to spend too much, but knew I wanted DJ style headphones to block out ambient noise and for the comfort. I saw the Sony MDR-V150's at factorydirect.ca for $20, and bought them on impulse. What a terrible mistake; they sounded worse than the free earbuds that came with my Sansa Fuze! I checked these forums and realized I should have checked them before buying a new set of headphones, because I wasn't the first to discover how lousy they were. I returned them today and exchanged them for a pair of Altec Lansing AHP524's for the exact same price ($20). What a difference! Much more comfortable, very clean sounding with excellent bass response and dynamic range.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by Burning_October

So, currently i'm using some really cheap Sony earbuds (like, 10 bucks), that are incredibly uncomfortable and have horrible noise reduction. I'm looking to get some IEM's (I loved my Zune pair before I lost the plastic piece), and i'm going for under $35 or so. I'm also in Canada, so there isnt as much choice here. That being said, I have found this pair which seems good:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDREX36V-.../dp/B001EYU3JO

Still, i'd like some opinions from the people here. I currently use a Fuze, if that helps. I just want to know if these have good sound quality and detail, if so i'll get them. And if you have any other suggestions, it would help.

Hey Burning October, I have the exact same setup, Fuze/ Sony 36V's,
my take on the 36V's are really nice clean detailed sound, solid bass,

my knock on these are is the cord is extremely long so you need to use the cord slider but the cord slider adds an annoying weight which tugs on the phones, very annoying. Also the volume doesn't have a big ummph to it. The stock sansa buds and I bought and returned a pair of Sony Fontopia's I could put the volume on 50%. To equal the same output and sound quality I have to put the 36V's on 75% or 80%

Besides those two knocks the sound quality is very very nice on the 36V's

[geocab]

Hi all,


It's been a year since I've been in the market for some headphones for my Sansa Clip, I bought a pair of Koss KSC75's and I loved them. Unfortunately, the left ear is now blown so i need a new pair. Not sure how I blew it, just a stock Clip, but it's all good.

My question, are the KSC75's still the way to go, or has anything new come out to uncrown them for being the best clip-on phones? I love the clip-ons because i can workout or ride my bike without them falling from my head.

So should i buy more KSC75's? Or do you have something else for me? I'm looking for the best sound quality I can get. I may be willing to go above the budget price if worth it since I know I'll be using my Clip a lot. (At the time I first bought the 75's, the Clip was my first MP3 player and I wasn't sure I'd keep using it.)