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Topic: looking @ earbud/ECH preferably <$50.... (Read 5372 times) previous topic - next topic
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looking @ earbud/ECH preferably <$50....

Hi guys. I'm looking to upgrade from the cheap headphones that came with my portable player (and a couple other cheapies I've had). Several have bit the dust all within the past year, and another one (the one that came with my Creative ZEN, which btw has a broken LCD and I want to replace it with a player that's more durable (considering the Cowon O2 for example) but that's a subject for a different topic) is about to eat it.

I'd mainly like to go either with earbuds or ECHs. I also like full-sized headphones, but my ears often sweat after a while, especially working outside when it's hot (I'm in southern California, so we don't get the cold snaps that you guys in MN, MA or AK, for example, might get in winter), and it's hard to wear them and a bicycle helmet at the same time. (Also the Sennheiser HD-280 I've tried a couple times really weren't quite what I expected for the price - I was hoping for better isolation, for one thing. (I turned the music on the headphones off in Guitar Center, and I could still hear the ambient sound clearly enough to tell what it was. Am I expecting too much?)

As far as a few models I'm considering, they include:
Sennheiser MX 560
Sennheiser CX-300
Sennheiser CX500 (if I can find it <$50)
Denon AH-C351K
Denon AH-C551K (if I can find it <$50)

Things I'm looking for:
decent sound quality for the price, without boosted mid-lows or mid-highs. (I don't mind if highs >12kHz are boosted, or lows <40Hz are boosted, though)
good build quality. I would like these to last a while. Typically my cheap earbuds, and even my $30 Panasonic RP-HT355s, which I've gone through like 5-7 pair in the last 3 years PLUS repairing each one a few times, don't last nearly as long as I would like. (Note though that I'm looking at the under $50 price point, so I'm not going to expect it to last 25 years with lots of abuse like I would expect something in the $150-200 range to. Hopefully they'll still be working fine in a year or two though when (hopefully) I can upgrade to a better pair.)  (I'm often breaking the wires in my cheapies... maybe not quite as violently as you hear the wire snap in this U-2b video but I'd like ones that can withstand that tension.)
(for ECHs (doesn't matter for earbuds)) good isolation.  I don't like to have to crank up my music high enough to damage my ears to have a >60dB SNR in a noisy environment, and I'm wary of "noise-canceling phones".

Where multiple colors are available, my preferences (in descending order) are black, silver/titanium/grey, white. Preferably no pink/orange/etc headphones, although dark blue/green might be ok IF they are really good quality at a reasonably low price.

I'd be willing to consider other models, too.

A couple that are a bit out of my price range right now, but I otherwise would consider, are the j-JAYS, Etymotic ER-6i, and I thought I saw a Shure or two under $85, but I can't seem to find it... maybe it was on CNET and not headphone.com... oh well.

Actually later today (considering that the last one I have is about to bite the dust) I'll probably be buying some cheap ($10-20) pair at a local store, just to tide me over. If I can get a reasonable brand (Sennheiser, Denon, Shure, etc) at that price point I probably will go for it. (I've seen cheaper Sennheisers & Denons than the above mentioned ones, for example Sennheiser MX-400 and Denon AH-C252). I just want something that's better than what I had.

looking @ earbud/ECH preferably <$50....

Reply #1 –
Hi,

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/ is THE place where you can find everything about earphones, portable amps... so I suggest you to have a look at that forum as well.

A short answer about your question: for the best earbuds see Yuin products.

I hope this helps

looking @ earbud/ECH preferably <$50....

Reply #2 –
Quote from: pianoplayer88key on
Hi guys. I'm looking to upgrade from the cheap headphones that came with my portable player (and a couple other cheapies I've had). Several have bit the dust all within the past year, and another one (the one that came with my Creative ZEN, which btw has a broken LCD and I want to replace it with a player that's more durable (considering the Cowon O2 for example) but that's a subject for a different topic) is about to eat it.

I'd mainly like to go either with earbuds or ECHs. I also like full-sized headphones, but my ears often sweat after a while, especially working outside when it's hot (I'm in southern California, so we don't get the cold snaps that you guys in MN, MA or AK, for example, might get in winter),

It may be a negligible case, but a few people live outside the US. Just in order to remind you.

Quote
and it's hard to wear them and a bicycle helmet at the same time. (Also the Sennheiser HD-280 I've tried a couple times really weren't quite what I expected for the price - I was hoping for better isolation, for one thing. (I turned the music on the headphones off in Guitar Center, and I could still hear the ambient sound clearly enough to tell what it was. Am I expecting too much?)

I'd definitely go for echs, some (like cx-500) come with a variety of sizes of those plastic caps. BTW there seems to be a massive fake problem --> google.

looking @ earbud/ECH preferably <$50....

Reply #3 –
BoneJazz, I have a duplicate of my original post (here) on the Head-Fi forums.  (So far you guys have been the first to reply, and no-one's piped up on HF yet.)

I've heard of the Yuin products.  At their price range (~$60-80 if I remember correctly) I believe I've seen some ECH's or at least hybrids.  I'd prefer those over the earbuds at that price range.  As for earbuds I'd mainly be looking at the Sennheiser MX series, or at least in that price range.  (I'm not ruling the Yuins out though - I'd still consider them.)

Squeller, what do you mean by the massive fake problem?

Also, would it be beneficial to start with a pair that's around $80 as opposed to a pair that's $50?  (Would they sound at least 1.6 times better and be at least 1.6 times more durable, 1.6 times more sensitive, have 1.6 times the dB of isolation, be 1.6 times more comfortable, etc?)

As for the ECH's... where would be some good places to shop?  Amazon? Newegg? Tiger Direct? Fry's? Guitar Center? Sam Ash? any other suggestions?

looking @ earbud/ECH preferably <$50....

Reply #4 –
Quote from: pianoplayer88key on
Also, would it be beneficial to start with a pair that's around $80 as opposed to a pair that's $50?  (Would they sound at least 1.6 times better and be at least 1.6 times more durable, 1.6 times more sensitive, have 1.6 times the dB of isolation, be 1.6 times more comfortable, etc?)


That is not how the things work, If you pay more it will be a little bit better but never in that way.
Not everything is directly proportional on this life, eg the db you are talking about.

looking @ earbud/ECH preferably <$50....

Reply #5 –
I think your big problem might be durability. I've had cheap earbuds and pretty good IEMs, and there doesn't seem to be a big difference in the strength of construction--especially in the cables, which are pretty much limited by the diameter of the wire.

I stand to be corrected by someone with superior knowledge, but I've seen Sennheisers fray with rough usage (and that's not a knock against Sennheisers, which I like).

looking @ earbud/ECH preferably <$50....

Reply #6 –
Ok so if I understand correctly something that's 2x as expensive is 1.1x better,and something that's 50x the price is 1.12x better, not the logarithmic/exponential scale I was thinking (for example 2x$=4x better, 4x$ = 16x, 8x$ = 256x, etc)

So would the CX-300 or AH-C351k be adequate for around $50, or is there some place I can get the CX-500 or AH-C551K under the $50 bracket?  Or are there any good deals (preferably under $50-60) on the likes of a ER-6i or any SHURE ECHs?

I need to get something asap as I'm surprised the cheapies I have haven't already bit the dust.

(Typically I usually replace headphones (or other electronics items - mp3 players, cell phones, etc) as often or more than some ppl who "have to have the latest thing NOW" not because I want the latest thing now, but because they break.  I would like to "break" that cycle.)




Ok Michael... anything you'd recommend at a reasonable price range (~$50 or so) as far as durability is concerned, besides "stop being such a klutz"?
speaking of breaking wires... I've broken several wires that were around 1/3" thick in the last few years.        Oh.... maybe I SHOULD mention that they were piano strings (something like a 0.1" steel core with an outer wrapping of copper bringing it to 0.3", at extremely high tension - for example I've heard of grand piano strings flying >50 feet out of a piano), not headphone cords
I would prefer to have these wear out in the next decade, not the next month.

Ok I was just at a Skullcandy Kiosk here at a shopping center... and the guy there said they have a warranty/whatever where if it breaks for pretty much any reason (even operator error) bring it back to them and they'll replace them.
4 ear-type models they have (in ascending order of price) are the smokin' buds ($25 - he said they're comparable to ipod headphones - just come in different colors, which doesn't matter to me), titan ($50), full metal jacket ($80 - he spoke highly of these - good lows & highs and well designed (for durability) cord) and holua ($100 - emphasises the mids more).  If I get one of those, I'm basically looking for something like the FMJ at the Titan price.
Are there any other places that provide accidental breakage guarantees, or is that a good enough reason considering how rough I am with electronics to go with the Skullcandy?

(No one seems to be replying to my thread on head-fi. )

looking @ earbud/ECH preferably <$50....

Reply #7 –
Quote from: pianoplayer88key on
Ok Michael... anything you'd recommend at a reasonable price range (~$50 or so) as far as durability is concerned, besides "stop being such a klutz"?


I'm afraid I don't have enough experience of enough different earbuds to have an opinion worth listening to.

I remember an *old* Rolling Stone article on tours, which claimed that rock and roll equipment got harder wear than military stuff. Based on that, you might assume there are 4 levels of durability:

1. Consumer
2. Professional
3. MILSPEC
4. Rock and roll.

The most durable stuff, then, might be in-ear monitors intended for performers, but that would be out of your price bracket.

How do you break these things, BTW?

looking @ earbud/ECH preferably <$50....

Reply #8 –
Quote from: MichaelW on
How do you break these things, BTW?


Oh... I have numerous ways to break headphones, including, but not limited to:
stepping on them when I forget they're there
tripping over the cord, knocking the 'phones onto the floor THEN stepping on them
walking away from wherever they're plugged into and forgetting that the cord's only 4' long, (and if it's a portable) pulling the mp3 player off the desk and dropping it to the floor, ripping the earbuds out of my ears in the process
bending the wires (either by storing them in my pocket when i'm on the go and not listening to it at the moment, or bending them at the jack on the audio device, to name a couple options) - so the diameter of the >180° bend is a tiny fraction of the radius of the thickness of the cable
accidentally yanking them out of the source's output jack

I have yet to find anything that I've used that hasn't needed some repair after about a couple months at best.

I'd like my next pair that's > $10 to last at least a few years.

Oh... and another thing.... I don't recall if I specifically mentioned having a really good bass response in this thread, but yes it is pretty important to me.  I should clarify something - I want the bass notes to be clearly defined.  Just because a pair of 'phones may have good bass - if it's strong at 250Hz, but weak at 16 Hz, that's absolutely horrible -- no, that's NO bass.  (By my definition, bass doesn't even start until you're below about 60 Hz, and you're really not getting into bass until about 27 Hz.  Just go to a large well-known piano store in your area, and play the lowest few notes on their most expensive (I'm thinking in the $120k-200k price range) largest (9' long or longer) grand piano, and that should give you an idea of where bass starts.)
Here's a couple audio comparisons, comparing a piano with horrible bass, vs one with good bass sound.
Keep in mind though that both of them are fairly poor recordings, but you should be able to hear a glaring difference.
piano clip with horrible bass VS piano clip with good bass
Basically, if I'm spending more than $40-50 on headphones.... I'd like them to be as much better than the typical stock earbuds that come with an mp3 player... so that the recording of the bad piano, listening with the good headphones, sounds AS GOOD AS or BETTER THAN the recording of the good piano, listening with the cheap earbuds.

I mostly listen to classical-style music, and traditional-style Christian music (not rock/rap/etc - although sometimes it has a bit of a country flavor, or 50s/60s-style popular flavor)

looking @ earbud/ECH preferably <$50....

Reply #9 –
I don't know much about earbuds, but I'd be very surprised if you could get anything made to the size and weight that earbuds need to be that would stand up to that kind of usage.

To tell the truth, wireless seems to be the answer for you, but about the quality and cost of wireless phones, I know zilch.

Else, you could try armouring the cable of some buds with the outside of some bowden cable, maybe robbed from a dead bike?

Edit: corrected senior moment on name of bowden cable.

looking @ earbud/ECH preferably <$50....

Reply #10 –
Well... if I get one with a headband, I'd like one with at least 50mm drivers (unless smaller ones have better low end bass extension AND high frequency clarity & mid presence) that won't make my ears sweat when I work outside for several hours on a hot (95-105°+) summer day while wearing them, AND I can wear them as designed while simultaneously wearing a bicycle helmet.  (I couldn't wear my Panasonic RP-HT355s and my helmet at the same time, so right now I'm looking for IEMs.)  Also I don't like clipons.

From what I've heard, wireless headphones are either much more expensive than wired to get the same quality, or are much poorer quality for the same price than wired.  I don't want to buy some $500 trillion wireless diamond-studded fashion statement when a pair of 2¢ cheap wired earbuds that look like $#!+ have better sound quality.

What do you mean by armoring the cables with bowden cable?

looking @ earbud/ECH preferably <$50....

Reply #11 –
Quote from: pianoplayer88key on
What do you mean by armoring the cables with bowden cable?


I had thought of getting the outer part of a bowden cable and threading the phone cable through it. You'd need to disconnect the cable at one end, of course, but you talk about repairing your phones, so I assume you could do this; I couldn't, and my idea may be impractical, but nobody's coming in with a better idea, and I fear that what you want may just not be obtainable--certainly at the price you want to pay.

Good luck

looking @ earbud/ECH preferably <$50....

Reply #12 –
Ok right now I basically need something to get me by... as my "current" ones just gave up the ghost.

I'll be in L.A. later this afternoon somewhere near San Gabriel / El Monte / Hacienda Heights area.  Any places near there I can get either the Sennheiser MX-560 under $25, the Denon AH-C351 under $35, the Sennheiser CX-300 under $45?  (All the prices I mentioned are considerably higher than the lowest prices mentioned on Google Product search.)  I know where a Sam Ash store in the area is, but their website lists the CX-300 for $69.99!!
I really need to get something asap... can only spend a max of $50 (but if I can get something good for the price under $20 I'd jump on it), and I need to have them later today, which necessitates buying at a brick-and-mortar.  (I checked the websites of Guitar Center, Circuit City, Sam Ash, Best Buy, Fry's, and they either are all priced at least 10% higher than the lowest price on Google Products for the particular models I'm looking at, or don't carry them at all.)
(As much as I'd like to try the Ety ER-6i, I can't find them < $50 new in a B&M, so they're out.)
Any other places I should try?