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My iPod earphones are dying, what should I get?
My iPod earphones are dying. I need to replace them. I like the stock Apple models. Is there something better for under $150-ish.
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Shure E3..4 or 5
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I use a pair of Shure E5s.
Aewsome! Aaron |
Apple's got quality control issues. I went through (2) pairs of ear buds. And I seldom used them. Eventhough they were only $40, I was very dissappointed with the poor performance. Anyway, check out the IPOD forum. There are tons of folks talking about suitable replacements like:
Bang and Olson A8 Sony MDR-ex70/ex7 Senn MX500, PX100, PX200 Shure E3,E2, E5 Etymotic ER6, ER6I-P Love the IPOD. Hate the earphones. |
I love my Shure E2s and they are far less expensive than some of the other choices listed above.
They sound great and so far have been quite durable. I've given them LOTS of use for roughly a year. |
I love my Sony Fontopias for mp3's etc. They were 40 bucks and blow the ipod ones away big time. Just make sure you try the different size ear canal inserts that come with them to get the right fit and the bass will be large and smooth : )
mckay |
What kind of sound do you want? Do you want exaggerated bass or do you want well-balanced sound?
I have some Sony MDR-EX70's. I think they were around $40. Very surprising sound for the money. However, they do have an exaggerated bass and a little tizz in the high-mids. Overall though, I like them and recommend them to anyone shopping in this price range. They are very comfortable to wear for extended periods. They are also very small and almost invisible if you are wearing them on the street. Second, I have some Shure E2's. The downside to these is that they are a little unusual in the way they are worn and do take a little getting used to. After insertion into the ear, the wires go up and around your ear, then behind it. The good part is that they are extremely polite and nice sounding. They are extremely well balanced, no exaggerated bass, mids or highs. The wires are thick and low-noise. I got the "pro" version at Guitar Center for around $80. If you see some E2c's (consumer version) at some electronics store, the only difference is the packaging. If you are constantly takings your buds out of your ears and reinserting them, I think that you may not be happy with the E2's as it is not an easy task. The Shure e2's are very visible for street wear. If I were buying another pair of earphones today, I would go for the Shure E4's, based on the fact that I love the smooth sound of the E2's and the E4's are reputed to have better sound and a higher level of comfort. However, they are $300. |
The Shure E3Cs are great, but be aware that they are earplugs that play music... By that, I mean they REALLY isolate you from the outside world. I used to use sound cancelling earphones on airplanes, but the E3cs cut out the airplane noise much better.
So, I reserve the E3Cs for when being that isolated is appropriate, and stick with the standard IPod headphones for walking around. js |
I use the headphones for casual listening but occasionally do the iPOD mix check. I'm not into "bass boost" presets and "enhanced" sound. I don't want something so dead flat that it isn't fun to listen to, but I wan't it to resemble something natural sounding.
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I was at Mac World and tried several ones the Shures are way over priced the Bang and Olfson A8 are the best run forthe Cash $100-$120.0 on ebay.
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i like the sound of the fontopia EX-70's , but i've real issues with the strength of the cords , they seem to rip inside very soon ... i've had this problem with 2 already, and this makes them unuseable
olaf |
Quote:
http://headwize.com/ubb/forumdisplay.php?fnum=1 |
I like my Futuresonics
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Quote:
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For cheap, the sennheiser mx range beat the pants off the stock ipod headphones.
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Some audiophile experts did a comparison of the e3,4,5 and found that the differences between them were definitely not worth the money unless you have money to burn. The ec3 was good enough at $179 or so.
s |
This is my first GS post (after lurking for a while). Hi!
I prefer the Bang & Olufsen A8 earbuds. They're the only model that I can stand wearing for extended periods. The sonic quality is quite good - though I'm sure you can do marginally better. But the comfort - and the very cool design - was more important to me. Don't know the price in the US, but here in Denmark they're about $150. (Although I'm Danish I don't really like the B&O-products. They're way overpriced and the design is not that good IMO. We can do way better in regards to Hi-Fi in Denmark. But the earbuds are good, and the only B&O-product I'll own - that is until I manage to get hold of some of their vintage mikes). |