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looking to invest in the best ear buds

ROGERWILCO357

ROGERWILCO357

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 24, 2009
265
0
Michigan
Ok I would like some input on the best ear buds for the ipod. Simple , everyone here has an ipod and earbuds I just want to know what you use and why. I would like A pair with great bass and yet be able to listen to classical music strings, piano,and horns. I just bought A pair of sony’s superior studio sound MODLE; MDR-EX300LP for 80.00 bucks nice bass, mid range is lacking and highs are fine. Also bought A pair of Shure SE210 for 149.00 nice midrange and highs , poor bass. Willing to pay 300-800 dollars just want to hear all the sounds as intended.
 
try beats by dre
awsome bass and can hear everything even things not meant to be heard lol
dont buy off ebay cause most of the time their fake
 
For classical I love my Etymotic 4P. Extremely accurate. However thumping bass is not there. They are more like studio speakers. I also have Shure 310. More bass, less accuracy. Check out the reviews on Etymotic.
 
thanks

I have checked out the Dre’s headphones what I didn’t like was the construction , at every store I shopped at the Dre’s all had wire damage and I can see the poor construction giving in to my kids . Ooops Dad your wires are showing . I read the top dogs are Sennheisers IE8’s and the Shure se530’s . Anyone have either of these earphones?
 
I'm using the se530's with an iPod touch 3g. I too was looking at the sennheiser, but didn't want that much bass, based on what I've read. The shure's are pretty awesome. You'll need to get a headphone amp to get the most out of them when using an iPod but the difference is significant. When plugged into my dedicated cd player the performance is quite impressive. These are highly recommended.
 
Surely said:
Unless you're ripping your music at a high bitrate, you'd probably be wasting your money.
Click to expand...


+1
i liked beats by dre...all the models in the store will usually look crap...just think how many people play with them everyday...i am sure they are more sturdy than that...

or you can also look into sure...
 
pukifloyd said:
+1
i liked beats by dre...all the models in the store will usually look crap...just think how many people play with them everyday...i am sure they are more sturdy than that...

or you can also look into sure...
Click to expand...

Ultimate Ears are great too.

I have the MetroFi 220vi's for my iPhone, and I really like them.

I had the MetroFi 200vi's, but one of the buds crapped out, and UE sent me the 220's as a replacement. Not bad for a $25 purchase on Amazon (the 220's are currently $92 on Amazon, so sweet for me:D)
 
Go to www.head-fi.org, their Portable Headphones, Earphones and In-Ear Monitors forum, and do a search. Someone starts a thread asking this question nearly every day, so there is lots to read. [http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/] Many of the people on this site really know what they are doing.

Sound and Vision magazine just did a feature article comparing high-end in-ear monitors. [http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/features/3274/in-ear-headphones-face-off.html] It is well worth reading.


Mooch
 
I second the poster that said go to Headfi.org for info. That site has a wealth of knowledge from true audiophiles that know headphones in and out. My personal reccomendations would be Sennheiser IE-8 or Westone UM3x's. Sure these are $400 plus in-ear monitors, but I own them both, and you'll be hard pressed to find better sound quality out of anything short of custom molds, which get into $900 and up price range. Custom Westones will be my next purchase. And like another poster mentioned here, to get true use out of these, you will need to be ripping your music at a very high bitrate.
 
Surely said:
Ultimate Ears are great too.

I have the MetroFi 220vi's for my iPhone, and I really like them.

I had the MetroFi 200vi's, but one of the buds crapped out, and UE sent me the 220's as a replacement. Not bad for a $25 purchase on Amazon (the 220's are currently $92 on Amazon, so sweet for me:D)
Click to expand...
I got the exact same headphones on amazon, and they are simply amazing. However, a few days ago, one of my buds also stopped working.I know that it comes with a one year warranty, but how did you get ultimate ears to get you a new pair? I was planning on trying to do the same, but I didn't want to do something wrong
 
imaliar793 said:
I got the exact same headphones on amazon, and they are simply amazing. However, a few days ago, one of my buds also stopped working.I know that it comes with a one year warranty, but how did you get ultimate ears to get you a new pair? I was planning on trying to do the same, but I didn't want to do something wrong
Click to expand...

I called their warranty department and told them that one of the buds stopped working. I emailed them my receipt as proof of purchase, and shipped them my defective buds. That's it. How can you do something wrong?:confused:
 
Surely said:
I called their warranty department and told them that one of the buds stopped working. I emailed them my receipt as proof of purchase, and shipped them my defective buds. That's it. How can you do something wrong?:confused:
Click to expand...
Ok well what did the warranty people tell you? And did you have to pay to ship it to them? Also, did they tell you that they were going to ship you a pair of 220s instead, and how long did the entire process take you (like from shipping it to them until you got it back)?
 
imaliar793 said:
Ok well what did the warranty people tell you? And did you have to pay to ship it to them? Also, did they tell you that they were going to ship you a pair of 220s instead, and how long did the entire process take you (like from shipping it to them until you got it back)?
Click to expand...

Really, there's no trick to this.

I told them they were broken, they told me they were sending me a new pair. I don't know why they sent me the 220's, but I'm not about to call them and ask.

I think it took around 2 weeks, and they emailed me a shipping label.
 
get some nice ultimate ears like the triple fi 10 or or the superfi 3. if u are looking for cans, the sky is the limit. for cans go for something from either sennheiser or grado or audio technica. klipsch makes an comparable okay set of earbuds called the S4i. they are good but the ultimate ears beat them. for cans, i suggest the sennheiser HD555. For a closed set of headphones, get a pair of HD 280 pro. lastly stay the hell away from bose. The Dr. Dre's headphones are known to over emphasize on the bass end. don't go for those if you are looking for a flat response from the audio.
 
Get a pair of SE530s or Westone 3s, there really is no middle ground between quality and a something with a powerful bass.

You could also check out JH Audio, I haven't had the opportunity to hear a pair, but they are from the former brains behind Ultimate Ears (before the Logitech sale)
 
If you want the best audio quality, then get a set of cans from sennheiser. Try the Hd 650 series and also get a headphone amp from headphone.com. the amp is required to fully power the headphones to the fullest extent. or a set of ultimate ears. there you have it, the best ear buds and cans. anything better is cost prohibitive.
 
wywern209 said:
If you want the best audio quality, then get a set of cans from sennheiser. Try the Hd 650 series and also get a headphone amp from headphone.com. the amp is required to fully power the headphones to the fullest extent. or a set of ultimate ears. there you have it, the best ear buds and cans. anything better is cost prohibitive.
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As with any sound, it's all subjective – especially at that price. As you get higher and higher up, fewer and fewer have had experience and those that do have experience have varying preferences, but generally specific ones. However, cans ≠ buds.

OP, I have two suggestions. First is go to head-fi.org. Second, apparently if you go to an Apple store and go to the Genius Bar every Apple Store in the U.S. is supposed to have a Shure demo kit that includes the Shure SE530s, this is one of the rare instances in which you can test them out, also you would be able to bring your own music, etc. I highly suggest that you take a look at them. You can find my thoughts on them here.
 
thegoldenmackid said:
As with any sound, it's all subjective – especially at that price. As you get higher and higher up, fewer and fewer have had experience and those that do have experience have varying preferences, but generally specific ones. However, cans ≠ buds.

OP, I have two suggestions. First is go to head-fi.org. Second, apparently if you go to an Apple store and go to the Genius Bar every Apple Store in the U.S. is supposed to have a Shure demo kit that includes the Shure SE530s, this is one of the rare instances in which you can test them out, also you would be able to bring your own music, etc. I highly suggest that you take a look at them. You can find my thoughts on them here.
Click to expand...

True, cans don't equal buds. However, i ha e found that cans are able to reproduce that sort of reverberation of sound better than buds that go deeper into your ear. If i sound like i am spouting B.S, i might be. :D anyways, i had no idea about the sure SE530 demo sets. Oh, and as you get higher and higher up, i suppose you start getting less responses about experiences but usually, you do get responses that are well thought out and try to give a better feel of the headphones without just saying "this headphone is good".
 
Another vote for westone. They are probabaly the most comfortable pair of IMEs every made.

I have a pair of UE 5 but they are not very comfortable. :D
 
wywern209 said:
True, cans don't equal buds. However, i ha e found that cans are able to reproduce that sort of reverberation of sound better than buds that go deeper into your ear. If i sound like i am spouting B.S, i might be. :D anyways, i had no idea about the sure SE530 demo sets. Oh, and as you get higher and higher up, i suppose you start getting less responses about experiences but usually, you do get responses that are well thought out and try to give a better feel of the headphones without just saying "this headphone is good".
Click to expand...

Yes, but cans also require more power and an amp, where is even the highest of highest end IEMs don't require in amp. That being said, my PS1000s don't require a whole lot of power...
 
well cans and buds have their upsides and downsides. i would be hard pressed to wear my cans in public. i enjoy good music but not at the cost of looking like a nut in public. Oh and try out the etymotic research phones. they invented canal phones.
 
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