Which Headphones under $100??

[Andras5soul]

Alongside an iPod Touch, i received a $100 gift certificate for apple stores only. I'm willing to pay the tax from my own wallet if the headphones are around $99.95...but I can't decide which IN-EAR headphones (in-ear only).

The in-ear bose look nice, but I'm really liking the V-Moda Vibe's!! What else is good? I listen to lots of Metallica (primarily), iron maiden, queen, and lots of techno. Rap isn't important neither is soft rock or lots of speech, but I do want clarity in lyrics. Please help, I'm going to the apple store tomorrow.

 

[aaronw1986]

I have the Shure e2c's. They are great.

 

[blurstar]

I use the Ep-630 with my iPod mini. They're affordable and good and sound better then the bundled earphones supplied by Apple. You can also consider the ZEN Aurvana In-Ear as well. IMO they're good and affordable then some other brands. Just not me to break my piggy bank for a pair of expensive phones.

 

[davegoody]

The Vibes are great

Alongside an iPod Touch, i received a $100 gift certificate for apple stores only. I'm willing to pay the tax from my own wallet if the headphones are around $99.95...but I can't decide which IN-EAR headphones (in-ear only).

The in-ear bose look nice, but I'm really liking the V-Moda Vibe's!! What else is good? I listen to lots of Metallica (primarily), iron maiden, queen, and lots of techno. Rap isn't important neither is soft rock or lots of speech, but I do want clarity in lyrics. Please help, I'm going to the apple store tomorrow.

Hi there. I have been using the V-Moda Vibes (Gunmetal to match my touch) for a few weeks and they are AWESOME for the money. They sound better after "burning in" for a while (leave on overnight with music playing).

The only niggle I have with the V-Modas is that despite them supplying a multitude of silicone fittings for your ears, in different sizes, I had trouble getting them to fit securely in my ears. If possible, if there is someone you know who has some, try them first. If not then see how friendly your local retailer is ! Good luck

 

[shigzeo]

if you wat clarity for that price you could consider the etyomtic er6i which also have pretty good bass and excellent sound isolation. you can enjoy at low volumes the ipod touch. the vibes and any other 630, cx300 or kenwood c711 will sound pretty good (the kenwoods sound excellent, perhaps the best under in under 200$ category i have heard) but they will hiss quite a bit with just about any source. the ety are not very sensitive - they will do a better job. they are also just a bit better at reproducing sounds with out too much flab compared to the shure e2c

 

[Arisian]

sony MDR-V6
this design is 20 years old and they are still making it. that should tell you something. I use these for casual listening as well as studio monitors for recording. For around $75 dollars, you will NOT beat these.

I will also point out that you are going to get tons of OPINIONS on this subject so take everything with a grain of salt (including my comment)

good luck,
arisian

 

[legacyb4]

Ya beat me to the punch. I thought a good sticky thread might be recommendations for head/ear phones.

I'm currently using the in-ear Apple (not the ones that ship with the Touch) which fit well but I am interested in getting some over the ear headphones.

 

[s e 7 e n]

if you wat clarity for that price you could consider the etyomtic er6i which also have pretty good bass and excellent sound isolation. you can enjoy at low volumes the ipod touch. the vibes and any other 630, cx300 or kenwood c711 will sound pretty good (the kenwoods sound excellent, perhaps the best under in under 200$ category i have heard) but they will hiss quite a bit with just about any source. the ety are not very sensitive - they will do a better job. they are also just a bit better at reproducing sounds with out too much flab compared to the shure e2c

I have to disagree on this one (although, of-course, this is my personal opinion): I own a pair of Etymotic ER-6i, and while I do love them (they bring out a lot of detail), they are *very* sensitive. When used in combination with my Touch, I hear a very noticeable hiss at low volumes. I blame the iPod, not the ER-6i for this, but still. It annoyed me enough to make me go out and buy a separate headphone amplifier (Total Bithead from HeadRoom). So, bottom-line: excellent headphones but they do tend to bring out the flaws in the source (both music & player)...

 

[mrgreen4242]

I think that any request for advice on headphones should be accompanied by the results of a recent hearing test. I'm practically deaf (not really, but I have substantial hearing loss, mostly in high frequencies) so for me headphone choice is about comfort and noise isolation/cancellation, acoustic properties are a secondary concern. For that reason, I'm partial to the older Griffin in-ears - can't remember what they called them, but they were discontinued and I think brought back under a new name. They run around $20, are very comfortable, have good sound isolation, and are reasonably good quality as far as my poor hearing can tell (they are audibly better than the iPod headphones, and on par with any other sets I've used in the past).

 

[BiikeMike]

Shure E2C's hands down