Yet another which should I buy....

[juliemeikle]

Hi, been reading loads of posts and gradually geting ideas.

I want to upgrade my Sony EX71s as I find them muddy and muffled. I also have to turn the ipod up loud to hear anything.
I listen to a variety of music from classical to rock although most often I listen to acoustic, vocal, "soft rock" music.
I like detail, but with some bass. Just not too flat or heavy bass or not to tinny. Can't stand the apple original earphones.
I have small ears as all standard type earphones fall out!
Mainly used in noisy areas so fairly good noise isolating would be good.

Budget is limited sadly.....

You cannot try before buying in UK (as far as I've asked) so I need to get it pretty right first try.

Looking at :
Ety 6is
Shure 3c...but over budget and not sure about heavy cables
UE ...what are the 3s like?
saw these too....?? XtremeMac FS1 High Definition Earphones

any other suggestions gratefully received. Thanks




:confused:

[iTara]

Putting my vote in for the UEs :D

T.

[Jackonicko]

Easy!

Panasonic HJE70s. Should be able to pick them up for about £55.00. If you have any problem, let me know and I'll direct you to two stores who can order them in. Do a search on here for more info, they've featured in many threads.

Avoid ER6i like the plague, it's very flat for your listening, and not great for a small ear, and don't bother with UEs unless you're considering the 5s.

Other options include the Sennheiser CX300.

[yinyang]

Originally posted by Jackonicko

Avoid ER6i like the plague, it's very flat for your listening, and not great for a small ear, and don't bother with UEs unless you're considering the 5s.


not so sure about that jacko :)

given julie's musical choice the Etys might be quite suitable, since she doesn't really need too much bass, and sometimes the flatness of the ER6i's is very good for vocal stuff, without making it too shrill. and i remember when i upgraded from those sonys to the etys, it was a bit of a revelation for my ears :)

anyway julie, i've never hear the UE 3s, but i can gladly recommend the UE super.fi 5 Pros, but i'm not sure what your budget is, so they may be bit excessive. if you're considering non-IEMs, then sennheisers do make very good earphones, and for a pretty reasonable price.

according to the apple uk store, they stock UEs, etys, shures and altec lansings - you may want to ring the apple store (http://www.apple.com/uk/retail/) in regent st (or maybe even brent cross) to see if they have any in store for you to try out.

good luck and welcome to the lounge :)

[Jackonicko]

I'd say that the Ety's flat mids would make soft rock sound very poor, Albert, while she says she likes detail and some bass. Ety ER6is score poorly on both counts. Finally, she says that she has small ears, and that she's upgrading from EX71s, which she didn't seem to have a problem with, 'fit-wise'.

It's therefore logical to try to recommend earbuds with a similar 'fit', but with better sound.

If she was considering ER6is or Shure E3s, we have a broad price point to work to, which is why I recommend the HJE70. It's within budget and fits her needs. To do better than the HJE70, you have to go very much more 'high end' than the ER6i, the Shure E3 or the Superfi 3, all of which are broadly equivalent to the HJE70, sound-wise, significantly less comfortable (especially to the small-eared!), and significantly more expensive. By buying HJE70s she could afford to also splash out on a pair of Sennheiser PX200s.

She can afford better than the Phillips She 9500/9501 (widely available over here, now), the JVC HA FX55 (which is like a brighter, less muffled, better balanced EX71), the Panasonic HJE50, or the Sennheiser CX300 (which is hard to find), which would otherwise represent good options as cheap EX71 replacements.

Unfortunately, the UK Apple stores would not welcome people 'trying before buying'.

[yinyang]

Originally posted by Jackonicko


Unfortunately, the UK Apple stores would not welcome people 'trying before buying'.

that's a shame since earphones are such a subjective topic, and i'm sure their (Apple stores) sales of such earphones would increase if people were able to let their ears convince them instead of going just by reading opinions from a bunch of deaf old codgers like us ;)

[Cakbar]

Originally posted by Jackonicko
I'd say that the Ety's flat mids would make soft rock sound very poor, Albert, while she says she likes detail and some bass. Ety ER6is score poorly on both counts. Finally, she says that she has small ears, and that she's upgrading from EX71s, which she didn't seem to have a problem with, 'fit-wise'.

It's therefore logical to try to recommend earbuds with a similar 'fit', but with better sound.



I'd have to disagree here. I find the ER6i detail excellent, and they do have "some" bass. The bass is not a thumping enhanced sound like other phones, but it is there. I moved up from the Sony 81's and was delighted with the move.

As far as the fit goes, ER6i's give an excellent range of sizes in both foam and flange eartips. The smalls of both types should be good enough for small ears. To get all the different sizes, just ask Etymotic for a sample package after buying the phones.

Disclaimer: I have not tried the other phones so my opinion is based purely on moving from the Sony's to the Ety's. I think the thread starter would be happy with purchasing the Ety's, but I have no idea if they would be happier than they would have been buying any of the other phones.

[Jackonicko]

If all you've tried are EX71s and ER6is OF COURSE the ER6i sounds like a revelation.

But if you'd tried more earphones, you'd pretty quickly realise that you can do MUCH better, and (in the UK) much cheaper.

Make no mistake. A pair of ER6is cost £80 or so over here. You could buy a pair of HJE70s AND a pair of Sennheiser PX200s (arguably the best budget over-the-ear portables available in the UK) for the same price.

I'm comparing the ER6i with the EX71 AND the E2C AND the E3C AND the HJE70, and could add the FX55, and the HJE50, and the CX300 and several other earbuds to the mix. All of them are sitting on my desk in front of me, except the HJE70s that are hanging around my neck, and the E2Cs, which are on loan to a friend who didn't believe me when I told her how uncomfortable they are. She believes me now!

[juliemeikle]

The Panasonics sound interesting...my limit is really £100.
I don't need over the ear phones.....I listen on a CD/amp/speakers at home.
I have to sday I rather resent paying so much for these things! Shock , horror.....iPods do not have a very good sound quality!! Just convenient! Don't get me wrong they are brilliant things, just even at higher bitrates are still compressed! I just want to get the best from it.
They need to be inear phones as I cannot keep any other sort attached.
Thanks for the input....so far the jury is split on the Ety 6i, the HJE70s get a strong vote as do the super fi 5 (but way too expensive for me, unfortunately as on reading these sound fab).
Anyone any views on the super fi 3??
Thanks guys

[juliemeikle]

BTW yinyang you are geagraphically well informed......are you in Brisbane??

[juliemeikle]

.or even geographically!

[yinyang]

Originally posted by juliemeikle
BTW yinyang you are geagraphically well informed......are you in Brisbane??

i certainly am, but i hail from good ol' london town :)

[juliemeikle]

Any views on the super fi 3 phones?
Looked at the Ety 6is today they are very long! Have not seen the Panasonic anywhere. The Shure look to be larger in circumference than the etys (Oooh Matron!)

[Jackonicko]

There's a thread on where to buy HJE70s in the UK.

I recommend the Sennheiser CX300 as well as the HJE70. The UE5 is good (but outside your price range) but perhaps not as good as the price would suggest, but the UE Superfi3 is cheap feeling, uncomfortable and only average in sound.

[iMonster]

I just got the HJE70s today! I'm so in love with them.. I am hearing all these things standing out that I never heard before with my old headphones.

I cleaned my ears out a little too roughly with qtips before hand and have a bit of a headache now haha

but I LOVE this uneven Y cord deal.. it's awesome and I don't feel any weight at all from the extra wire <3

edit : is it super weird to use two different sized ones ? >.> it seems the most comfy if the one on the left is larger, lol.

Best news: I don't have to turn the volume up the Max anymore to enjoy it! it's half way or a little over for all the songs ~_^

[Jackonicko]

iMonster,

I'm so pleased you like them! They do sound great, don't they? And isn't the case cool?

I expect most people who bother to try them find themselves using different sized sleeves in each ear. I use small in my left ear, medium in my right.

[Legolars]

I've just got a pair of Creative EP-630. While I've never tried any of the other mentioned, I can testify that the amount of detail with these is amazing. The bass is tight, I miss a little warmth in the mids, and the treble is a tad too bright at times. They seem to be popular with people who think the Sony EX 51/71/81 are too bassy/muddy. The Creatives are certainly not muddy.
They were £20 here in Denmark.

[iMonster]

these are fabulous I can't even hear my typing and the music is very, very low right now! I don't hear any sound in the cord at all while i touch it or move it and the extra cord is perfect so I can hold it or clip it into my waistband. My god..I don't know how I was thinking of getting something else ^_^ they are so comfy in the ear..even though I know it takes some time getting used to sticking something in your ear like that (even earplugs feel a bit strange for a bit) I can have these in my ears for awhile and I don't mind the getting used to them time. I tried turning the volume all the way up and it feels like my ears are gonna bleed haha which is very good cause I definitely needed a good seal to block out outside noises without turning to volume up to max and ruining my hearing.

Thank you so, so much, Jackonicko!

if anyone wants pics or anything just post and I'll be glad to take pictures of them however you want! I took a few but my battery died so I am charging them up to get them on my computer.

using them as a necklace is awesome, Jack was right saying they stay perfectly anchored because of the weight in the buds and the uneven cord doesn't matter with this at ALL!

I got them from : http://www.digitallyunique.com/

pretty cheap and EXTREMELY fast shipping thinking of the weekend I ordered on Friday and got them today!

I just got the tracking number today and it arrived on my doorstep a few hours ago ^_^;;

[Aceospades1250]

Sweet. HOw is the clarity on those compared to the UE 3s?

BTW, Jackonicko, it sounds almost like you have never used the UE3s. There comfort rivals the Sonys and they do not feel any cheaper than the ER6is or the Shure e2c...Also the sound quality is excellant, but not the best, but remember that these are $99 earphones...

[Jackonicko]

I think that the Shure E2 feels really cheap, with its nasty hard plastic, and the Etys aren't much better. The UE3s feel cheap compared to the UE5s, too, plasticky and poorly finished.

Comfort wise, I take points off for any earphone where I have to route the wire down behind my ear.

You have to remember that I'm used to HJE70s, which feel expensive, and which really are comfortable.......

[iMonster]

Jack,

How do you store yours..? I usually twist mine around my iPod and put it on a table/nightstand is that alright for these? or should I unplug it everytime and put it away in the neat case, cause it takes me a minute to get the cord in the little pocket, lol. I love the box. I'm just worried that plugging and unplugging my phones will damage the headphone jack on my iPod.

thanks ^_^ these seriously SAVED my hearing and they don't crackle with thumping music like my old ones did.

[Jackonicko]

I often unplug mine and leave them on the door knocker on the study door. It was really the Gen 1/2 headphone ports that were delicate, plugging and unplugging from a more modern iPod is no big deal.

[iMonster]

ah awesome ^_^ thanks again, Jack!

I love the necklace feature so I can just take them out of my ears and clip 'em together.

I found now that my left ear isn't sore from jamming qtips into it so much that the small on both sides fits best ^_^ the large are way too large and pop out of my ear haha.

ah, also..I PMed you, but idk if you got it about the breaking-in time. I read about that somewhere? do I need to do that?

[Matt174e]

Anyone own the she9500/01 and the HJE70? My choice is now between those two, is the extra money worth it to buy the panasonics?

ps. my mind will change every second day. I've been shopping for buds for over a month and have yet to be impressed.

[iMonster]

I've been going crazy for them too(I want this..no,no..THIS, nah..THIS), but I'm glad I finally picked these.

I haven't tried those others though so I couldn't tell you ^_^ and I'm not one of those audiophiles either haha.. It pained me to spend that much money on headphones, but now that I have them I can tell they're worth every penny.

[Jackonicko]

I think that they may 'mature' a bit with use, but I'm unconvinced about this whole 'burn in' thing.