what should i get?

[chenyichung]

hey guys,

this is what i'm using right now
Koss Ear-Bud:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1051826212451&skuId=5426318&type=product

They are awesome, bass is really nice, but they are falling apart on me. I dunno if any of you have used these or not, but would it be worth it for me to switch to the "white sony ex71s"? I'm worried about the short cord, and annoying cord extention that swings around like a pendulum. Also, if you brush the cord, is the scratchy noise as annoying as everyone says it is? I get that scratchy noise when i brush the cord to my Koss ear buds too. Does this scratchy noise exist in all ear bud headphones?

So all in all, should i get the sony ex71s? Will i notice a difference from my Koss? Oh yea, i listen to a lot of HIP-HOP and TRANCE. Which earbuds would be best for these two types of music?

Thanks in advance guys! i know it's a lot, but any help is appreciated. Thanks again!

-Yi Chen

[bastion]

I like the 71's so far for hy hip hop/trance/jungle/drum&bass/breaks listening. The bass is nice and can get pretty low for earbuds. Good vocal separation too for when you are listening to some vocal trance. Really sounds like the concert is right in your head. Don't know if that is the soundstage you are looking for, but I think it sounds good. The short/long cord thing isn't too bad, actually pretty nice since you toss the long cord behind your neck, and if you need to pop them out for a second to talk to someone, they just hang around your neck.

The extension cord isn't too bad either, since you can wind up the extra length using the earbud holder, but having the extra weight from the connector can get a little annoying at times. I haven't found that it adds enough weight to the point that it pulls too much on your left ear though.

I got mine from Circuit City, got them to match Office Depot's online price of $34 (black ones), and so far it seems like a great set of semi-isolating headphones for that price range. I have a set of Shure E2's on the way to comapre with the 71's, to see if I feel it's worth an additional $40 for them.