€100 In-ear earphones?

IamtheWalrus

Hi all,

I need a new set of earphones. I have €100+/- to spend. I'll be using them with my iPod indoors and outdoors.

Do any of you know a good sound quality pair? Is there any obvious candidates out there?

Thanks,
Walrus

IamtheWalrus

Are any of these good?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-CX-870-Ear-Canal-Attenuation/dp/B00365EVWE/ref=pd_sxp_f_pt

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-Ear-Canal-High-Fidelity-Enhanced-Response/dp/B00125UBUG/ref=sr_1_104?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1323118791&sr=1-104

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Phonak-Aud%C3%A9o-Perfect-Earphones-Colour/dp/B003V9QDXK

TPD

I'm open to correction here, but I think the sound chip in the ipod will be a problem quality-wise before the earphones would reach the €100 mark.

I'd have a look at meelectronics and soundmagic, both relatively unheard of companies in shops here but getting a good reputation for great value for money earphones.

IamtheWalrus

TPD wrote: »

I'm open to correction here, but I think the sound chip in the ipod will be a problem quality-wise before the earphones would reach the €100 mark.

You saying it's pointless spending €100 if used on an iPod?

TPD

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

You saying it's pointless spending €100 if used on an iPod?

I *think* that was the general consensus I've picked up somewhere. But that is considering how much further €100 will get you online internationally than it would in a trip to HMV or somewhere similar.

But again, open to correction, I may have read a worse impression of ipod sound quality than is accurate.

yimrsg

Completely off topic

The "problem" with the ipod you're talking about is the headphone jack out isn't as good as the line out dock, I'm not sure exactly whether the sound is compressed or impeded. There are several ways of using the ipod's line out dock rather than the headphone jack. I use the headphone out jack and have €100+ IEMs and although it's not as perfect possible it's the most convenient.

When considering what to buy, try looking at every link in the chain:

• headphones/earphones/iems
• amp (if you have one)
• source (ipod, sansa fuze, etc.)
• music bitrate (128/320/lossless, etc.)

As for the op's question you don't mention what music you normally listen to, some earphones or in ear monitors (IEMs) sound best with certain genres.

This is a very big article but it covers a lot of makes and models:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-207-iems-compared-fischer-audio-ceramique-sba-03-added-12-05-11

Unfortunately it doesn't have any of the models you've posted above at the moment (2 are planned).

Another one not on there is the Brainwavz b2 which is very similar to the Fischer Audio DBA-02 which I own and love. It's currently ~ €100 from here

If you mention what genres you like you'd give us a better idea of what might suit your needs.

cnocbui

The story about the iPod headphone jack relates to models made many years ago. The problem was a roll-off in frequency response affecting low frequencies (bass) If one used reasonably high impedance headphones with those iPods, there wasn't a problem.

More recent iPods don't suffer from this.

The sound quality out of an iPod is comparable to that from a very good CD player, so it is certianly worth getting earphones of the highest quality to use with one.

I would give the Phonaks a go. I have read very good things about their sound and construction qualities.

IamtheWalrus

yimrsg wrote: »

Completely off topic

The "problem" with the ipod you're talking about is the headphone jack out isn't as good as the line out dock, I'm not sure exactly whether the sound is compressed or impeded. There are several ways of using the ipod's line out dock rather than the headphone jack. I use the headphone out jack and have €100+ IEMs and although it's not as perfect possible it's the most convenient.

When considering what to buy, try looking at every link in the chain:

• headphones/earphones/iems
• amp (if you have one)
• source (ipod, sansa fuze, etc.)
• music bitrate (128/320/lossless, etc.)

As for the op's question you don't mention what music you normally listen to, some earphones or in ear monitors (IEMs) sound best with certain genres.

This is a very big article but it covers a lot of makes and models:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-207-iems-compared-fischer-audio-ceramique-sba-03-added-12-05-11

Unfortunately it doesn't have any of the models you've posted above at the moment (2 are planned).

Another one not on there is the Brainwavz b2 which is very similar to the Fischer Audio DBA-02 which I own and love. It's currently ~ €100 from here

If you mention what genres you like you'd give us a better idea of what might suit your needs.

I listen to rock, alternative and electronic music.

yimrsg

This is purely from my reading up on them so take it with a pinch of scepticism.

Vsonic gr07
+ good sound for many genres, adjustable armature, looks very solid build wise.
- needs burn in so it won't sound great out of the box, costs over your budget at €120

Brainwavz b2 (nearly identical to fischer audio dba-02 which I love so most of what I say applies to them both)
+ balanced sound, best sound is gotten using triple flange tips and a good seal, very good value for €100 At that price it's better value than the DBA-02.
- accessories aren't the best so you may need to budget for extra tips/cleaning kit down the line. Not bullet proof build. No triple flanges included.

Soundmagic pl50
+ mid centred so it will be orientated to your particular genres, cheaper than the above too but still well built. Many suppliers so you have choice of payments.
- might be lacking for bass so maybe budget in a cheap amp such as an e5 or e6.

Ficher Audio Eterna
+ bass orientated sound, solid build, competitive price.
- difficult to source as Fischer release new models so often and don't have many suppliers. This is only place I could find that might be reliable.
GD-audiobase has meant to become unreliable so if buying from an unfamiliar website make sure you do some research on it first.

K.O.Kiki

FiiO sell cheap line-out docks on DealExtreme, as well as the excellently-reviewed E6 headphone amplifier.

IamtheWalrus

Any of you know where in Dublin to get the Phonaks ones? Peats don't.