Mods: Question on Earphones

[jkads3]

What earphones do you own or have tried (list all if you don't mind)?


What are pros and cons you see in them?


What pair do you recommend for each budget (Under $75, Under $125, Under $250, etc)?

[Interpol]

Originally posted by jkads3
Please choose the appropriate forum for this topic. Thank you. As the subject suggests, this topic is for mods to reply to.
Just moderators, or can anyone answer your questions? I'm not a moderator here, but I'll contribute.

What earphones do you own or have tried (list all if you don't mind)?
A partial list:
Koss PortaPro
Sony EX71
Sony EX81
Koss KSC50
Koss KSC75
Etymotic ER-6
Etymotic ER-4
Sony V6
Sony V600
Shure E2c
Shure E3c
Shure E4c
Shure E5c
Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro
Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3
Bose noise-cancelling (overpriced garbage)
Various Sennheiser closed-ear phones

That's all I can think of right now. There's probably a few more.

What are pros and cons you see in them?
Ergh. I don't want to go into specific models as I don't have all day, but in general:

Earbuds: don't fit in my ear that well.
In-ear monitors: my current favorite as I get a good seal and they're small and very portable.
Closed studio monitors: sound the best, but aren't as portable
Over-ear portable headphones: relatively inexpensive and good for workouts or when phones could get wet and/or damaged

What pair do you recommend for each budget (Under $75, Under $125, Under $250, etc)?
It really depends on the type of headphones you're looking for, but my recommendations are:

Under $75: Koss KSC75, Koss PortaPro, Sony EX81
Under $125: Shure E2c, UE Super.fi 3, Sony V6
Under $300: Shure E4c, Etymotic ER-6
Over $300: Shure E5c

If you want the best sound, get a dock connector with line out and connect it to a headphone amplifier.

[jkads3]

Really anyone could answer, I just thought mods would have the most info.

You listed like 3 choices for each price range, could you pick a top choice?

I'm pretty much considering the Shure e2c and Etymotic ER-6i, which do you think is better?

[JazzyMac]

Just received the E2c and ER-6i in the mail. Will be posting my reviews later, but initial impression is the E2c is better for "get up and go" listening pleasure. I am waiting for Etymotic to send me smaller size earpieces for the ER-6i.

[Interpol]

Originally posted by jkads3
Really anyone could answer, I just thought mods would have the most info.

You listed like 3 choices for each price range, could you pick a top choice?

I'm pretty much considering the Shure e2c and Etymotic ER-6i, which do you think is better?
A top choice for each category? Hm, difficult choices:

Under $75: Koss KSC75 for clip-ons, Koss PortaPro for over-the-head
Under $125: Shure E2c for in-ear monitors, Sony V6 for over-the-ear
Under $300: Shure E4c
Over $300: Shure E5c

Is that better?

If I had to pick between the E2c and ER-6, I'd probably choose the ER-6 on sound quality alone. There's about a $50 difference between the two so if you're looking at price you can't really compare.

[jkads3]

On Amazon I am finding the Shure E2c's for $84.94 and the Ety ER-6i's for $87.50. So the price is fairly similar.

How well do they hold up? Have you ever had to send either in for a problem?

The reviews I've read give the Ety's the upper hand in audio quality, but people seem to praise the warranty and customer service for the Shure's.