Looking for in ears

[Azergoth]

Hi everyone!

I've been following this website and forum since a while... and I like it Now it's time for me to ask some questions

My in-ears (Shure E2c) are dying and I'm planning to get some new ones
I liked them A LOT, expected for the wax-filter system. How does it work nowadays?

What is my budget?
--> let's say between $100 and $200 (i'm working with €, but never mind ^^)

What do I alrady have?
--> An AKG K171 I seldom use.
(I've made my brother a clone of ProAc Studio 100 which I really love!)

What I'm expecting?
--> Sound quality (fidelity!!), sound isolation, comfort (I want to be able to put my head on a pillow with them ), enough bass -but not too much- (I'm a bass player )

What I'm listening to?
--> Jazz (piano), Electro (like Bonobo, Emancipator,...), Classical... Almost everything in fact

I'm open for any suggestion and thank you for your advice!!

(ps: sorry for my english...)

 

[DS-21]

You know, the Apple in-ear monitors with remote and mike (aka "Apple dual driver IEM") really very good, and under your budget (MSRP of 79 USD in the States; dunno about Europe, but I recently left mine at home on a long trip, and bought a second pair at the Dubai airport for around 105 USD). The former is generally expected from Apple, though the latter is pretty surprising, possibly even shocking.

I'm not sure I've listened to my Etymotic ER-4's since getting the ADDIEM's in the summer of 2009. I also compared them to a 500-series Shure (both driven by my HeadRoom Portable Micro amp*) and did not not feel the Shure's were a material upgrade, let alone worth the 400+ USD price differential. I also picked up the UE single-driver units that Dr. Earl Geddes recommended. I didn't get much chance to listen to them, because one of the sockets for the detachable cord decided to detach from the body.

As for the wax filter, the ADDIEM's have a screw off metal filter than you soak. They come with an extra pair of filters, so you can soak one for 24h or so, and listen using the other.) I don't recall what Shure does, but I've gone through a lot of Ety filters in the past, and not having to buy new filters is IMO a nice feature.

Keep in mind that all the IEM's use the same few Knowles Research balanced armature drivers. Though the ADDIEM driver seems bespoke for Apple, and not a part in the Knowles catalog like others use. While I'm normally loathe to visit or recommend visiting the voodoo cauldron known as HeadFi, there are interesting pictures here.

And if the tips don't work particularly well for you, the Sony "hybrid" tips are pop-on replacements, and seem to me to offer a better seal.

*The ADDIEM's get loud enough to play off an iPod without an amp. As, I presume, do the Shures. However, I find HeadRoom's crossfeed circuit very useful to push the image forward when listening to IEM's.

 

[Azergoth]

Thanks for your advice and info!!

I read a little on the review page on the Apple Store. There are a lot of complains about them. Shouldn't we better let apple make good computers and go somewhere else for audio?

I'll also check the other brand you gave me!

Thx!

 

[jcl]

Head-fi has a long running post where a user has rated many iems. It's all just one person's opinion but it may be helpful. Before reading it I hadn't a clue how many ones there are on the market now. Multi-IEM Review - 239 IEMs compared (Alclair Reference added 05/24/12)

In your price range you start to see custom fit designs. Depending on your ears and the fit you get with stock models this may or may not matter.

As with other headphones (and speakers) some are designed to be flat in their frequency response, others to have an emphasis in certain areas. Personal preference on what you like.

Microphonics and durability are things to consider when deciding.

I purchased Etymotics for both my wife and daughter and they like them a lot. This is especially for the isolation they provide. There has been talk of reliability issues but so far so good.

HifiMan has some models that people feel are great values.

Creative has a 30% off memorial day sale so the Aurvana in ear 3 are $105. Some people love em, other's not so much...

 

[DS-21]

Thanks for your advice and info!!

I read a little on the review page on the Apple Store. There are a lot of complains about them. Shouldn't we better let apple make good computers and go somewhere else for audio?

I'll also check the other brand you gave me!

Thx!

Interesting. I haven't used my 2012-purchased ones much, in fact I'm not sure I used them after I got back from that trip because I prefer the Sony hybrid tips on my older ones, and why move tips from one perfectly function headphone to another?) My 2009-purchased ones don't exhibit any of the problems cited in longest review I skimmed. ( Small electric shocks in the ears, buggy remote, etc.) Other people, it seems, should have been taught by their parents how to follow directions to wash things, because if one follows the directions the metal filters are easy to clean.

For me, they've been a lot more reliable than UE (my pair lasted less than 5 hours before breaking), and about on par with Etymotic.

Then again, I also don't use IEM's for working out. While in a gym they're fine, IEM's are safety hazard when jogging or biking in public, due to the isolation. I use Sennheiser PMX-100's for working out. I use the ADDIEM's mostly when I fly, or if I'm in a real city and commuting on mass transit.

I wasn't expecting much of the ADDIEM, especially given the quality of iBuds in 2009 (newer ones seem better, actually usable in a pinch). But then I heard them.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Last time I checked Apple headsets were horrible and I don't expect much better from new "in ear monitors" by Apple - I'd skip them in the heartbeat

I have SE315 Shures and I love them - thou a bit over budget still great headphones and much better than my old HF4 Enymonics

In lower end of budget you have Shure SE215 and thou not tested by me - I have heard a lot of good reviews about these:
SA1 - Earphones

 

[Azergoth]

Thanks!

The SA1 certainly does look great! I'll check those to.

 

[afterlife2]

These are great: Amazon.com: MEElectronics M6-BK Sport Sound-Isolating In-Ear Headphones (Black): Electronics
or
http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-Image-X10-Noise-Isolating-Earphone/dp/B000WAHFBK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1338230895&sr=1-1
with these:
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-EPEX10A-BLK-Replacement-Earbuds/dp/B001RB24UA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1338230995&sr=1-1

 

[Irishman]

I use and enjoy the Bose MIE2's. I listen to orchestral, pop, rock, and podcasts on mine. There is presence at the low end without being boomy. Vocals sound quite natural for the money. They're in your budget, and they have the inline volume, pause, resume, and skip controls.

They're VERY comfortable in the ear over a long period of time, and they are made of a soft, jelly-like material that's designed in such a way as to stay in my ear (the crappy Apple ones would fall out if you looked at them wrong, and cut into my ear).

 

[Azergoth]

Thanks,

I finally decided to take the shure SE215. I'll rcieve them in a week or so

 

[dkane360]

The SA1 certainly does look great! I'll check those to.

Yea they look great, but that's about it. I have 2 roommates who have had nothing but constant problems with them. Sound cutting out, earpieces dying, faulty cables, everything you can imagine. Customer service was great every time, but at a certain point you cut your losses and move on. I felt bad for recommending them.

They've moved on to Klipsch S4s and couldn't be happier (I use Klipsch X10i's).

Enjoy your SE215's! You'll have to report back and let us know what you think of them!

 

[macddmac]

I second the klipsch - have S5I's and love em!
59.00 at comp USA on sale-smoken!