Ipod earphones

[crockers]

Hi

I am finding my Ipod earphones both uncomfortable and not the best quality...what would you recommend? I have been looking and there seems to be so many good quality ones to choose from - *****, Bose, Sennheiser, B&O etc....is anyone here an earphone specialist ...

Many thanks

Budget up to £100 (although less is good )

 

[wemorgan]

I'm no hi-fi guru but do enjoy listening to music and buy the occasional hi-fi magazine.

Simply I'd say for the kind of money you're looking to spend I'd go to your friendly local hi-fi specialist and ask to try a few headphones. Bring along your ipod so you can listen to your kind of music.

Everyone has their own definition of 'good' and often magazines have an agenda so a true unbiased opinion is hard to find.

 

[ROBB]

if youre looking to spend that kind of money - you definitely need to be going to your local HI-FI shop. dont be tempted by argos specials - there is a massive variety and your own earhole setup to consider

rob

 

[st13phil]

Take a look at what these guys have to offer. If you want to look at some serious stuff, or want to see how the ER-6i's can be improved further, or you listen in a noisy environment and want high quality audio, talk to Andy at ACS

 

[crockers]

Hmmm..when I said £100...I was thinking Max price ....if really worth it..but would prefer to pay a bit less...:

Yes I think a visit to a hifi specialist may be in order -

 

[st13phil]

In that case, have a look at / listen to the Sony and Sennheiser offerings in the £35 - £55 range. You'll almost certainly find something you like in there, and save yourself a few quid too

 

[timskemp]

I'd consider myself an enthusiast in these matters. If you're ok with having things in your ears go for Etymotic (for purity), ***** (for power) or Westone (for allround capability) - some of the *****s are made by Westone.

I've had Etymotic ER6 and ER4 in the past, the ER6 suits iPods really well but is so clean and analytical it makes you hate anything you ripped at low bitrates. My everyday ones now are the Westone UM2 which are above the 100 quid line.

There's a couple of online dealers doing ER-6i with custom earmoulds for £180, sounds dear but I paid a shedload more than that a few years ago and never regretted it. I don't use them enough these days to have gone custom on the westones, and the generics are a good fit anyway.

Attn mods - S h u r e is a recognised brandname, not just a mis-spelling of sure

 

[jimhardie]

Etyomotics are great. I've got a pair of ***** "In Ear" headphones that are brilliant, which I use for listening to my ipod around town etc..

I also have a pair of Grado SR80's that are simply amazing, but they are open backed "on Ear" headphones typically aimed at the audiophile end of things. I listen to my hi-fi with these. The SR80's are about £90 I think, but they go all the way up to around £1500 for the top end ranges.

Sennheisers are good. I like the HD600's but they are pricey, but produce incredible detail. HD485's are really nice for about £50, again they are "On/Over Ear" style. You cant go far wrong with Sennheisers.
I have a pair of wireless Senn's for listening to the TV when the missus is in bed. Sound great, and not terribly expensive.

Wouldnt bother with the B&O stuff. Very much style over substance. They look great, but I found the in ear ones very uncomfortable and not much cop in the sound department. Senn's, *****'s and Etymotics are very much better.

 

[timskemp]

Sennheisers are good. I like the HD600's but they are pricey, but produce incredible detail. HD485's are really nice for about £50, again they are "On/Over Ear" style. You cant go far wrong with Sennheisers.

Wouldnt bother with the B&O stuff. Very much style over substance. They look great, but I found the in ear ones very uncomfortable and not much cop in the sound department. Senn's, *****'s and Etymotics are very much better.

Indeed, forget B&O and Bose, both fall into the "hifi for the deaf" category in my book, expensive bling that performs almost as well as quality gear at half the price.

Interesting you mention the 485s, I've had Sennheiser "big" headphones but moved a couple of years ago to AKG for main use (HD271 studio), but still have a pair of Sennheiser HD25SP I use for loud portable use. Very good value.

 

[st13phil]

indeed, forget b&o and bose, both fall into the "hifi for the deaf" category in my book

roflmao

 

[timskemp]

roflmao

I hear no highs, I feel no lows, it sounds like crap, it must be Bose.

 

[Triple Star]

Grado SR80

another happy owner.

 

[corned]

Hi Graham.

I had an iPod with the standard earphones, which like you, I found uncomfortable and they kept slipping out of my ear unless I kept jamming them back in, which made them even more uncomfortable...

I bought a pair of Apple bud earphones which were a transformation on the standard ones. They are comfortable (they come with 3 different-sized pairs of buds to match your ear 'oles), and sound much better. The lower frequency stuff really comes through which it didn't with the standard pair. I think they were under £20.

 

[crockers]

Thanks for all your advice - just received a pair of SHURE se210 for £65....finding them awesome - but then compared to the ones I was using anything is an improvement...

 

[Satch]

I have a pair of the modestly named Ultimate Ears and I find them great

Ultimate Ears Super.Fi - Universal Fit Earphones - 5: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

Now the key bit is getting a good fit in your lugs and the soft plastic flange thingies are a bit hit & miss.

The Foam earplug type fitting is much better but people bleat because they do not use them properly. Need to undertstand that these get cruddy and wear out because you are supposed to use them just like foam earpugs: crush the foam down between fingers, stuff into ears and let foam expand to form a good seal, which takes a minute or so.

 

[Baron_Samedi]

Thanks for all your advice - just received a pair of SHURE se210 for £65....finding them awesome - but then compared to the ones I was using anything is an improvement...

Do you wrap the wire over your ear?

 

[crockers]

Do you wrap the wire over your ear?

Yes...makes it both more comfy and stay in better - the plugs are angled to accommodate this.

 

[Tan]

I have a pair of SHURE se210's and they are just fantastic. £65 is a good price for them too, that is what I paid last year for them after a lot of haggling.

 

[spinaltap]

I wanted something as equally portable as my iPod, but with good sound quality....

So, I purchased a pair of Sennheiser PX200's, a 'closed' foldable set of headphones that fit in your pocket.

Sennheiser UK - PX 200