Are hi end in-ears really worth it?

[zackwok]

i really want to get the SE420 earphones. is there a real difference between Shure earphones and apple in-ears? cause my apple in-ears are really quite good. would i be missing out on a lot if i dont get the SE420s?

[bobb-mini]

Dunn care what others say, if yer happy, that's all that matters.

[tashabear]

I had two pairs of Apple in-ear headphones break on me within a 6-week period. Then I had a pair of Sonys (don't remember the model) and they bit, too -- had to turn the volume all the way up and it *still* sounded like it was being played in another room. Then I got my Shure E2cs and I never looked back. I'll never use Apple earbuds or in-ears again.

[zackwok]

thanks for you response. how's the bass and treble on the Shure earphones? do they sound tinny or rich and accurate? also, do they require some break in period?

[Signal to Noise]

I found the stock Apple buds to be uncomfortable and poor in fit for my ears. Because of that the sound suffered. Remember that the whole selling point of an iPod is the iPod itself. The accessories that are included with it are just filler and as a result inferior.

As for other higher end brands, yes, I say there is a huge difference. From fit to sound quality to customer service. I liked my Shures (see my sig) when I first got them. They were miles apart in comparison to the Apple buds. The only thing I wasn't too happy about was the lack of "oomph" in the bass department. I'm not a 'bass-head' by any means but I do like a bit of substance in the music I'm familiar with. I bought the triple-flange sleeves (which weren't included with the Shures) and they helped a bit.

After about a year I decided to try another brand out and after much research I opted for the Ultimate Ears. Now that's an earphone! It has everything I need in my criteria for enjoying the music. I did have a couple of separate quality issues though when I first got them. The cord jack was causing the iPod to pause if it got wiggled around a lot. Emailed UE and a new cord was sent out next day which solved that problem. Then a while later I noticed a small crack in one of the buds casing. I again emailed UE and this time had to send the whole phone package back for replacement . Got a new set within a week. Good thing I still had my Shures for the wait period.

I believe you get what you pay for. When you start dabbling in the higher spectrum of earphone brands I think you won't be disappointed. As for a break-in period I personally think the earphones do perform better over time. But that's a personal thing. Results may vary by listener.

[zackwok]

awesome. thanks. that really helped.

[iTony-B]

awesome. thanks. that really helped.

I used Sony 71s that were pretty good but the highs were really a bit much for my liking. Besides, my daughter did a hostile takeover on them when she got her pink Nano at Christmas. So I started looking and tried the Shure E2C, Bose In Ear TriPorts, and Sony 91s. Didn't like any of them. The Shures were the bottom of the group in terms of fit and sound. I probably never heard a good smapling of their sound since I couldn't get any of the ear pieces to fit me decent. I liked the sound from the TriPorts if I was sitting in a quiet room and didn't move. If I did anything else, the things fell from my ears and they do not have any isolation. I could hear everything going on around me.

Then I tried the Sennheiser CX-300s and never looked back. To my ears, they sound great, fit great, and for the $50 or $60 bucks they cost, I had a decent amount of cash left over that I used to add to the music on the iPod. I've never tried the really expensive in-ear phones since I just can't bring myself to pay more when I'm happy with the CX-300s.

[VipFREAK]

CX300s so FTW!

[pianomanss87]

Check with Bose on there in ear TriPorts. They said there was a problem with the tips on the early ones and are replacing them free.

Piano Man