I Need Your Opinions on Shures, Sony EX71, and Sennheiser PX100

[lilelbee]

Please choose the appropriate forum for this topic. Thank you. Please choose the appropriate forum for this topic. Thank you. Hi everyone, im a new poster in the iPodlounge forum. I love the website! I was hoping you guys could give me some advice on headphones.
I'm thinking of upgrading my headphones for when i get an iPod. I've been doing research and my current options in my price range are:

-Sony MDR-EX71 (most affordable)
-Sony MDR-EX81
-Sennheiser PX100
-Shure e2c
-Shure e3c (these are a little stretch above my price range though, but i've heard good things)

Can any of you give me your opinions of each of these headphones? I mainly listen to tons of rock and classical music so I'd like something that would let me have instrument distinction and clarity in an orchestra piece but still enough umph for rock. Is this possible?

Also, will it make any sense to upgrade to high quality buds like the shures, because most of my mp3s encoded in 128 kbps or VBR and some of them are not too good (some have little pops, and i downloaded them from some questionable sources...)

Lastly, feel free to suggest headphones not on my list that would be most suited to the iPod's so called quality problems??? (the lack of bass or thin, flat sound?:confused: im not too informed about this topic please let me know if I'm wrong)
Thank You!:)

[warpdrive]

Even with 128kbps encoding, good headphones will sound tonally better and have better definition, you will still notice a difference.

Secondly, the more I listen to them the more I think the Shure E2 and E3 are overpriced. They both have a rolled off treble which really dulls the impact of certain types of music, and reduces the instrument definition such as strings due to a reduction of the high frequency cues. I find their forward sound signature in the mids a big put off as it skews the imaging. If you want to get a true canalphone, go for the Etymotic ER6i, which IMO, kills the Shure in clarity, detail, and is just punchy enough for general rock/pop/dance music **as long as you get a proper seal**

You can lump the EX81 and EX71 together, they are both similar in sound, the EX81 being a bit less bassy due to the clip design fitting. I prefer the EX71 for ease of use. However, these earphones both have a bassy signature, a somewhat muffled midrange, and scratchy highs. But most people seem to like these and I can understand, as they have a lot of wow factor to the sound. It's not accurate though, but I consider them a worthy consideration.

So that leaves the PX-100's. As you can see, I own a pair, and I think they are very good. They are bassy enough for rocking out, slightly grainy sounding but have a decent amount of detail, but don't recess the mids as much as the Sony's. I think these are the best overall headphones under $50. However, they are open design and leak a lot of sound, so it's not fair to compare them to the others. In terms of full sized headphones, also consider the Koss Portapros, which are directly comparable to the PX-100's

If you do go for the Shures, make sure you can return them....as it's highly likely you'll either like or dislike them. I have bought two dozen headphones in my life, and the Shure E3C was probably the most disappointing headphone purchase I've made. It was completely not what I was expecting.

[chef8489]

I agree that you will either love or hate the shures. i would reccomend you try them but buy from someone like earphonesolutions.com so you have the option to return them within 30 days no questions asked. You need atleast a week to play with them trying all the tips and different ways of inserting them. i use the shures and am inl ove with them. I am considering purchasing the e5c's when I purchase a new ipod.

[c.you]

I've had the Sony's and I did enjoy them for a while. Now that I've gotten my shures they blow them out of the water. (After burn-in) I recommend getting either the px100's or e3c's. I've heard great things from both. But I do agree also that you'll either love or hate the sound of shures. Good luck in your finds.

[lilelbee]

Thanks for the comments u guys! I'm considering investing in a pair of shures in the future. (I'm kinda broke now so I can't justify spending over $50 for earphones just yet until I get my ipod, whenever that may be :rolleyes: ). I recently replaced my cheap $10 sony buds for the sennheiser mx500 to tide me over till i can get something better. I really enjoy them and now im not too sure if canal buds are right for me, im not too keen of sticking things so deep in my ear no matter how comfortable silicone tips are, and i may not need so much isolation. At my house sometimes I NEED to hear things around me, and when im walking to and from school i need to hear traffic around me. Awhile ago I set out for the Sony MDR-E888 buds after reading some high reviews but barely anywhere sells them. are there anymore high quality non canal buds out there or is this a lost cause?