Another thread about 150$ - 200$ earphones...

[bertrand]

Hi,

I'm looking for some earphones for my iPhone.

I've just spend around 30 minutes reading through the ton of information on iLounge about Earphones. Wow. I'm so filled with information it's insane.

After all I've read, I think I'd be willing to spend around 150$-200$ on the new earphones. Here's what I'm looking for :

- sound quality
- not too much bass
- durability

I listen to a wiiiiiiide range of music : elton john, john mayer, alexisonfire, metal, rock, scream, punk...!

I think what I read seems to indicate that the Etymotics 6i Isolator Earphones would be a good choice for me.

I know this has probably been asked a thousand times but, what would you recommand for something around 150$-200$ (which is the sweet spot by iLounge standards...)?

Edit: Whoa!?! What are these : Etymotic hf2!? Anyone got those??

Thanks for your inputs! :D

[bobb-mini]

Real research takes days, weeks.

Hf2 = with a microphone.

[hyroboarder]

The 6i is a lot less than what your budget is (around 80$) and I'm sure if you really want etymotic go for the er-4p. But if you want something that is really good, just get the ultimate ears super.fi 5 pro.

[jhollington]

Also, for the record, the Etymotic hf2 is really just the ER-4P with an inline microphone for the iPhone. It's a great price, considering the standalone ER-4P's are twice as much. The reason that the hf2's are sold at a much lower price is simply that they're not "certified" to the same audio quality standards as the ER-4P's. However, they're built using the exact same parts and construction.

Another good option is the Shure SE210 earphones, which are the sweet spot in the Shure range for the lower end and provide a nice very balanced sound (not too bass-heavy). The SE110's are far too low-end to be worth bothering with, and beyond the SE210's you only get incremental improvements until you get to the king-of-the-hill SE530's in the $500 range. For instance, the SE310's don't offer much improvement over the SE210's for the price, and while the SE420's are good earphones, the SE530's are much better for the price different (ie, if you're going to spend that much on the 420's, you might as well go all the way).

[bertrand]

The H2 and the ER-4 don't seem to have the same specs? Am I seeing wrong?

Also, the line-in would prevent me to have to look like a fool talking in my upside-downiPhone like a microphone!

[bertrand]

I'm having a hard time to find a canadian reseller for Etymotic. Anyone could help me?

I live in Quebec city (Quebec, Canada).

[jhollington]

I'm not sure off-hand about Canadian resellers these days. Long & McQuade used to carry Etymotic products, but did not necessarily carry the entire line up, and I don't know if they even carry them at all any more.

I've also seen Etymotic products at Bay Bloor Radio in Toronto.

As for the specs, I suspect the differences are based on what standards they test/certify the earphones to -- in other words what quality they guarantee. However, when we visited them at Macworld last January, they had confirmed to us that the hf2 is definitely the same technology and drivers which they use in the ER-4P earphones -- they simply don't test and certify them to the same performance standards, so you're not guaranteed to get ER-4P quality, but they're still very good earphones.

Note that you can also get microphone adapters for normal earphones as well for the iPhone. Shure makes the MPA-3C specifically for their earphones, which is designed to replace the lower cord that all SE-series Shures come with, and a number of other accessory makers also provide more generic microphone adapters that are iPhone compatible.

[urbanlegend]

www.beamecho.com seems to have etymotic. i've never shopped there my self.

john