Best In-ear Earphones <$200?

I had the UE super.fi 3.. I think it is very accurate with pretty alright noise isolation. I think you should go to www.head-fi.org for more information and comparison about earphones. Personally I think UE is more neutral but with more solid bass while Etymotic is detail but lack bass. As for Shure, I don't own it but I got friends who told me it sound very colored.


Cheers.

A friend of mine just scored a pair of shure E4C's for $150, they are some very good earbuds, they score very well on pretty much every one of your criteria, except quite possibly their greatest quality is their comfort and I don't see that listed at all.

Agree with armystud... the reason why I've to sold off UE in the end is that... I am just not comfortable with wearing in ear for long. I end up buying another earbud in the end.


I am pretty sure UE can be comfortable if you can get use to the sponge and tips but I just don't like the feeling of something in my ear. =)

I listened to all of the brands you are considering and I like the UE's the best. I think the 3's are the best bang for the buck under $200. Mine have been comfortable right out of the box. Make sure you spend a little time with the different ear pieces because it is VERY important to get a good seal in your ear. Good luck!

After a bit more research I think the ER-6i and Super.fi 3 are more accurate than the e6.

It looks like the Super.fi has a better warranty and swapable cable (goes to durability) and shorter cable (goes to portability).


However, I noticed the Super.fi's are supposed to be worn with the wire hanging over your ears. For those of you who have tried it, what are your thoughts on the over-ear wire?

I like the ER6i a lot for its noise isolation and overall clear sound. But I'd take the SuperFi 5 for all around best sound (has good bass impact but at the expense of sparkling highs). The new Shure line is supposed to be better now (more balanced) but I've always found the Shure single driver models to be very rolled off in the highs (too midrange centric)

If you're willing to live with an annoying cord blister, I'd recommend the Etymotic-sourced Altec Lansing im716. Amazon has them and I'm sure other sources do, too.


I'm not a fan of either the Shures or the ER6's. I've never heard an Ultimate Ears product. The im716's sound much like the ER4 line. The switch works does the same thing as swapping the cable between the ER4S and ER4P.


And always wear the cord around your ears with any IEM. It greatly reduces microphonics.

if you look around, you should be able to find the Ety ER4P/S for around the $200 range. i've had mine for nearly 4 years. it's probably the best audio purchase i've ever made, as they're still going strong and i still have zero desire to upgrade.

I have the Denon AH-C700's


Amazing bass response, very good range... They are also extremely comfortable...


Their only flaw is that they can tend to fall out of your ear with some jossling (sp?)... In other words, if you were going running or planning on being very active with these in-ear headphones, they might be prone to falling out of your ear...


I don't really have too much of a problem with it though.... I can't remember where but they were recently reviewed with some Boss in-ear headphones and another company's pair, they got very good reviews...

 http://www.shure.com/PersonalAudio/P...pa_E5c_content

I second saving up for the Etymotic ER 4S or 4P. Folks at head-fi are buying and selling frequently, so you can get a used pair if you're really on a tight budget. I know some local head-fiers who prefer the 4 series vs 6s.


- Steve O.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Ye110man /forum/post/0


After a bit more research I think the ER-6i and Super.fi 3 are more accurate than the e6.

It looks like the Super.fi has a better warranty and swapable cable (goes to durability) and shorter cable (goes to portability).


However, I noticed the Super.fi's are supposed to be worn with the wire hanging over your ears. For those of you who have tried it, what are your thoughts on the over-ear wire?

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I have not had any problem with the wire hanging over my ears. I think it helps keep them in place if you are moving around. A couple of reviews said this caused some wire noise, but I have not had any.

i still like my ue superfi.5pro for allaround comfort and different music and i think these

are close to your budget now try and give them a listen note also it comes with a lot of

tips a case cleaning tool and an attenuator and a quarter inch phone adapter plus the

cord is replacable since most in ears suffer cord damage at one time or another.