Alternative to Koss

[Jutti]

Please choose the appropriate forum for this topic. Thank you. Hi all!

I need your expertise on this one...

I bought Koss PortaPro headphones 1 year (give or take a few months) ago because the standard iPod earphones just have a "shallow" sound.
Since I listen to Metal/heavy metal/Symphonic metal (-> artists: "Dream Evil", "Theatre of Tragedy", "Nightwish", "Nickelback") I want high-quality sound and lots of power in the Bass area.
The Koss PortaPro's do VERY well. I actually really enjoy them.
But a few characteristics of them make me want new headphones-
.) The Koss phones are very loud -> towards the environment.
The volume range is sufficient, but these headphones make everyone in my surrounding hear my music. I had complete strangers in the Tram tell me that I am going to ruin my ears very soon if I go on listening to music at this volume.
.) ambient nose quickly ruins the music. Flying in an airplane and listening to music is not really fun.. The Koss headphones mix ambient sound into the music experience, as they mix my music into the ambience.. :)
.) they are headphones. Even though they fit comfortably, I want earbuds, that are less obvious and are discreet to wear.

So, my PortaPros cost me 60 dollars (in a European shop! - they are more expensive in Europe since import tax is added), I am willing to raid my bank account. But I am in the USA now..
This doesn't mean I am gonna go for the Shure-E5c.. In god's name, NO...
I was reading reviews for the Shure-E2 and E3's..
Does their Bass-power hold up to those of Koss'?
My budget goes up to 150 dollars..
headphones that can be bought at stores are preferred..- not because i dont like internet shopping, but because maybe I *could* test some earbuds in-store.

I hope that you could give me some recommendations what would be a good choice before I end up opening all the headphones and earbuds they have in-store and end up saying : "sorry guys, none of these are good"...

Thanks,

Thomas

[c.you]

I myself have the shure e2c's. They're great phones, with great isolation. Basically as good as it gets. They are pretty bassy and a little muddied but is not very noticable. The treble is a little rolled off and the mids are decent. They're good phones and have good build quality. You can get them for about $60-$70usd checking various sites like earphonesolutions.com or disountearphones.com or jr.com. I am not sure about stores but I recently bought mine off discountearphones.com and I recommend getting anything from that site. The company is great that run its and its fast shipping as well. All great sites. I have heard great things from the e3c's but cannot give you any input on them because I have yet to hear them yet. Good luck in your search and feel free to ask anymore questions.

[Myr]

63 dollars from amazon with free shipping

[Jutti]

Whats 63 dollars? The PortaPros?

[Jutti]

So, a little first impression report:
- I went to the Apple Store today to get the E2c's..
I decided to buy them not online since I could return them if I wasn't as satisfied with the sound.

To make a long story short, the E2c DO provide good sound.. They really are decent phones. No doubt.
But I feel that my Heavy Metal, or Metal in general needs more Bass-power than the E2's can deliver.. Comparing the Bass with my Koss PortaPro's revealed, that the Koss phones have more Bass..

I did try to insert them "properly".. well.. I'll keep trying and experimenting and I hope that the bass gets better.
I've heard of beginner problems concerning sound performance, especially in the Bass area.
If I insert them loosley, the bass is very bad.. I push them in (with the finger-ear pulling trick) with quite some force, and the bass is better. They do seal out outside noise very well.. I can type on my laptop in total silence. But still nothing comparable to the PortaPros.

Any owners of PortaPros and E2 are more than welcome to comment on their Bass experiences with these phones!
Also, any recommendations on how to insert the E2s are very welcome.-

Thomas

[thedodgyguy]

The E2c's provide a more balanced sound to the 'bass overkill' (IMO) Portapros. There's really nothing until the higher-end canalphones which provides the impact (if not the bloat) of the Portapros with good sound. You might like to check out the Sony EX71 for something with lots of bass. Poor quality sound undoubtedly which you'll dismiss unreservedly if they were a pair of headphones as opposed to handy in-ears, but you might not care.

[SDA]

Whoa, the E2c is BALANCED now? The E2c is among the bass-heaviest 'phones I've ever used, and muddy at that... are you sure you're getting a good seal with it?

[thedodgyguy]

The E2c is not particularly "bass heavy" in my experience. It definitely has bass though. Muddy? no. A little reduced in the trebles? Yes.

[Jutti]

It is sealed I guess. When I try to pull I get that tingling on my eardrums from the airseal. I can wear them and write on my computer-keyboard in total silence. But they arent that solidly in my ears, that I would want to exercise with them.
Since they are my first in-ear phones, I dont know what a good seal is.
I gave them a strong push into my ears.
I wouldn't know how far more in they could go to wear them properly, but again- I have no experience.

Any signs that I am wearing them correctly?
Ever compared them to the Portapros?

Thanks..
Thomas