Sport headphone shopping

[Matt34]

Looking to replace my Sennheiser MX 500's that my dog decided to chew up. I did like the MX500 for the short time I had them, especially the inline volume control. This set will only be used in the gym and would like to keep the price under $75.

[Hi Ho]

The Sennheiser CX300 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826106176)'s look nice. They may be my next headphone purchase unless I decide to go for some Shure or Etymotic earbuds.

I am using MX500's now and I like them. They don't have much bass though.

[Nick250]

My gym headphones are Koss Porta Pros. Easy to drive and pretty good sound. ~$35 I think.

Nick

[Matt34]

The Sennheiser CX300 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826106176)'s look nice. They may be my next headphone purchase unless I decide to go for some Shure or Etymotic earbuds.

I am using MX500's now and I like them. They don't have much bass though.

I looked at those but I wasn't sure about using a canal design while running?

[Matt34]

My gym headphones are Koss Porta Pros. Easy to drive and pretty good sound. ~$35 I think.

Nick

I've heard these are the best for under $50 but I just don't care for the over the ear design for the gym.

[nm2285]

Koss KSC-35. the 75s are good too, but i slightly prefer the 35s due to a slightly less bloated bass. great clip shape. i use them while running.

[Sheep]

Altec Lansing IM716.
http://www.alteclansing.com/product_details.asp?pID=IM716

My friend bought them for 80 bucks online (I think Amazon). If you can find them, they are VERY nice. They stay in your ear, and sound really good.

SheepStar

[Matt34]

That's a nice find Sheep.

Right now the top three I'm considering are:

Etymotic Research ER6 $76
Sennheiser CX-300 $35
Inmotion IM716 $74

Still looking...

[Sheep]

That's a nice find Sheep.

Right now the top three I'm considering are:

Etymotic Research ER6 $76
Sennheiser CX-300 $35
Inmotion IM716 $74

Still looking...

Thought for food,

The Etymotic and Altecs may actaully be the same can. The altecs use their design.

SheepStar

[Matt34]

Thought for food,

The Etymotic and Altecs may actaully be the same can. The altecs use their design.

SheepStar

I just read that on Headphone Hi-fi.:D

[Sheep]

I just read that on Headphone Hi-fi.:D

Still a good can. The only problem is that they don't have the loudest bass, but they still reach low enough. Also, the higs sound kinda weird. Not harsh, its above the harsh frequency. Some would call it "ultra detailed". I would take them over my Shure E2Cs any day of the month...

SheepStar

[WmAx]

I looked at those but I wasn't sure about using a canal design while running?

I imagine that an in-ear sealing design would create a loud thump noise as your feet impacted the ground while running. But perhaps I am mistaken.

-Chris

[Sheep]

I imagine that an in-ear sealing design would create a loud thump noise as your feet impacted the ground while running. But perhaps I am mistaken.

-Chris

It does, but they stay on your head.

SheepStar

[Matt34]

Well, I went to order the IM716's but no one will ship them to an APO address.:( So after going over my choices again and reading even more reviews I decided on the Shure E2C.(I didn't read your thread in time Sheep):D I don't think I made a bad choice, just wasn't my first.

[Sheep]

Well, I went to order the IM716's but no one will ship them to an APO address.:( So after going over my choices again and reading even more reviews I decided on the Shure E2C.(I didn't read your thread in time Sheep):D I don't think I made a bad choice, just wasn't my first.

Uh oh. They need major EQing to sound good (my good, at least). If you have an Ipod, you're SOL.

:o Wish I piped up earlier.

SheepStar

[Matt34]

Oh well...

Like they say, "Everyone ear's are different." I'll report back with my opinion once I get them.

[Hi Ho]

What kind of EQing do the E2C's need Sheep? Everything I've read about them has been good.

[Sheep]

What kind of EQing do the E2C's need Sheep? Everything I've read about them has been good.

Well, I don't like harsh "s" sounds. I like warm speakers (IE: Non flat speakers). When I run them on my Zen Micro, I pull the 1kHz and 4kHz bands way down, then boost the bass band (80Hz) and drop the 13kHz band a little.

With the IM716s I boost the 80Hz band 6 dB(out of 12) and the 250hz band 2dB. The 1 Khz band stays at 0, and the 4Khz band goes down 4dB, and the 13Khz band goes down 3dB.

I listen to mostly undergournd rock, and the recordings are less then ideal, so this may be because of the music. But I like that warmer sound regardless.

Its not just the sound either thats bad. The deisgin has to be the worst ever made. They don't stay in your ear, and the correct way to put them in has the cord rubbing on your ear. The IM716s have the cord going out, not IN.

I would take the HD500s just becaues of the ease of use.

SheepStar

[Nick250]

Well, I went to order the IM716's but no one will ship them to an APO address.:( So after going over my choices again and reading even more reviews I decided on the Shure E2C.(I didn't read your thread in time Sheep):D I don't think I made a bad choice, just wasn't my first.

They are just your workout headphones, I am sure they will be fine.

Nick

[Hi Ho]

Well, I don't like harsh "s" sounds. I like warm speakers (IE: Non flat speakers). When I run them on my Zen Micro, I pull the 1kHz and 4kHz bands way down, then boost the bass band (80Hz) and drop the 13kHz band a little.
I can't stand harsh "s" sounds either but I prefer neutral speakers, maybe slightly bright. The music I listen to has mostly excellent recording quality so harsh "s" sounds aren't usually a problem. I only use the EQ on my Zen Micro when I have to use it in my dad's van which has full range whizzer cone speakers or with my MX500 headphones which need help in the bass range. :)

[Matt34]

I got the Shure's a couple days ago and here are my first impressions. After almost cutting myself with my 6" CRKT "Operation Iraqi Freedom Certified":rolleyes: knife trying to get the package open, I threw the instruction manual on the bed and started messing with the E2C's. First off the cord is thicker than any other set I have owned so that was a bit of a surprise. I kept the medium flex sleeves that was already on the phones and worked them into my ear. I feared that I wouldn't like the IEM but after getting them in wrong(more on that later) they were somewhat comfortable. They actually felt like my earplugs I wear every time I go outside the wire so if you do get blown up, at least you won't lose your hearing.;)

I took them to the gym and did my workout. I wasn't very impressed at all with the nosie isolation and worked the phones around a bit in my ear but couldn't manage to get a good seal. I chalked it up as the wrong size flex sleeve. The bass was also non-existant and overall they sounded horrible to me. I went through all the pre-set EQ's in the Nano and none of them helped. It literally sounded like I was tuned into an AM radio station.

I finished my workout, went back to my room and broke out the instruction manual in hopes I missed something. Being the impatience guy that I am , if I would have spent two minutes reading the first 4 pages when I opened the package, I would have discovered that the earphone that is all clear goes in the left ear and the bicolored phone goes in the right.:o WOW, what a difference that made! Suddenly I have a good seal, decent bass and overall good quailty sound!!

I have them hooked up to the laptop as I type this through my logitech Z4 speakers and after setting up my own custom EQ through Itunes(bringing the 16 and 8k bands down and the 32, 64 and 125hz up) they sound as good as a 128 Kbps bit rate recording can.

Overall I'm impressed with my first set of IEM. I'm still experimenting through the different sleeves(I have the small foam sleeves in now) to get the best seal possible. Just remember, when all else fails, read the instructions.:D

I also told Beast if she eats this set of headphones(she has already destroyed my Sennheiser's and my Sony Noise Cancelling cans) that she will mysteriously become the first Military Working Dog to go MIA.

P.S- Metallica finally caved in and is on itunes now.:p
Crushing all deceivers, mashing non-believers
never ending potency
Hungry violence seeker, feeding off the weaker
Breeding on insanity

P.S.S- Itunes NIN "Hurt" is absoultely a horrible copy, I really want my $.99 back.

[Sheep]

I got the Shure's a couple days ago and here are my first impressions. After almost cutting myself with my 6" CRKT "Operation Iraqi Freedom Certified":rolleyes: knife trying to get the package open, I threw the instruction manual on the bed and started messing with the E2C's. First off the cord is thicker than any other set I have owned so that was a bit of a surprise. I kept the medium flex sleeves that was already on the phones and worked them into my ear. I feared that I wouldn't like the IEM but after getting them in wrong(more on that later) they were somewhat comfortable. They actually felt like my earplugs I wear every time I go outside the wire so if you do get blown up, at least you won't lose your hearing.;)

I took them to the gym and did my workout. I wasn't very impressed at all with the nosie isolation and worked the phones around a bit in my ear but couldn't manage to get a good seal. I chalked it up as the wrong size flex sleeve. The bass was also non-existant and overall they sounded horrible to me. I went through all the pre-set EQ's in the Nano and none of them helped. It literally sounded like I was tuned into an AM radio station.

I finished my workout, went back to my room and broke out the instruction manual in hopes I missed something. Being the impatience guy that I am , if I would have spent two minutes reading the first 4 pages when I opened the package, I would have discovered that the earphone that is all clear goes in the left ear and the bicolored phone goes in the right.:o WOW, what a difference that made! Suddenly I have a good seal, decent bass and overall good quailty sound!!

I have them hooked up to the laptop as I type this through my logitech Z4 speakers and after setting up my own custom EQ through Itunes(bringing the 16 and 8k bands down and the 32, 64 and 125hz up) they sound as good as a 128 Kbps bit rate recording can.

Overall I'm impressed with my first set of IEM. I'm still experimenting through the different sleeves(I have the small foam sleeves in now) to get the best seal possible. Just remember, when all else fails, read the instructions.:D

I also told Beast if she eats this set of headphones(she has already destroyed my Sennheiser's and my Sony Noise Cancelling cans) that she will mysteriously become the first Military Working Dog to go MIA.

P.S- Metallica finally caved in and is on itunes now.:p
Crushing all deceivers, mashing non-believers
never ending potency
Hungry violence seeker, feeding off the weaker
Breeding on insanity

P.S.S- Itunes NIN "Hurt" is absoultely a horrible copy, I really want my $.99 back.

Well, I'm glad you liked them and didn't end up wasting your money. I admit there is times when I like them, but my HD500s always come first.

SheepStar

[majorloser]

Instruction manual? We don't need no stinkin' instruction manual! :)