These days everybody loves to listen to music, whether it be on our daily commute, whilst doing work/study, out and about or just at home relaxing. With the advent of cheap and good quality portable music devices, it has allowed virtually everyone to participate in this enjoyable past-time. However, although people have decided to often spend hundreds of dollars on purchasing a media player, they often use the pre-bundled earphones which are usually poor-regular quality and can often diminish the listening experience greatly. If you paid so much for the mp3 player, why not pay some more for the thing which acts as the interface between you and the device!
After seeing numerous earphone deals posted and some forum enquires about what earphones to buy, I figured it would be good if we could have a single thread where OzBargainers can discuss/review the earphones/headphones which they have used and post any suggestions they have. Although other sites like head-fi.org and whirlpool probably have similar threads already, I figure quite alot of people here don't check these sites so why not create one of our own!
Now, I don't claim to be an audiophile (my hearing ain't the best after years of loud pumping music and also the fact that I'm a student means I can't justify spending more on earphones than the media player!) but after going from my crappy stock earphones to in-ear/canalphones I can safely say I will never go back. I know there are OzBargainers who are much more knowledgable and experienced than me in this area so your input would be much appreciated :)
We all know what regular earphones and headphones are. But here's a description (stolen from ClieOS from Head-Fi.org forums) of the basics of In-Ear Canalphones:
In-Ear-Canalphone, also known as canalphone, ear-canalphone, ear-canal headphone, or In-Ear-Monitor (IEM), is a type of Inter Aural headphone that is designed to be used where the user’s ear canal is sealed by the ‘phone. The seal generally serves two functions: 1) blocks noise and 2) forms a sealed acoustic chamber to achieve a fuller sound. To create such as a seal, the earphone’s nozzle along with its tip (or sleeve) is inserted into the front part of the ear canal. Many high end canalphones are custom molded for comfort and perfect seal.
A common misconception about in-ear canalphones is that being deeper in the ear canal means users are more likely to experience hearing problems. However, the same poster explains the situation clearly:
First, you need to understand that listening music at loud volume over time can damage your hearing, regardless of what kind of headphone (or speaker) you used. The advantage of using an IEM is that you can turn your volume down since you do not need excess volume to overcome ambient noise. The lower volume used in IEM means IEM is actually much safer than using earbuds or headphones in a noisy environment. Do not think that IEM will cause damage to your hearing as it is closer to your eardrum. As long as the volume is low, IEM is just as safe as any headphone on the same volume
And for all those who want to read further from what ClieOS has to say, check their thread:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/310723/fyi-basic-guide-t….
It goes into great detail into the intimacies and usage of in-ear canalphones and is a good read for beginners.
As I had explained earlier, I have practically no knowledge about sound production or engineering or any of that stuff. I'm just posting as an everyday listener who likes to hear their music nice and clear :) (and without the chatter of other people on the train). As you would have guessed, I prefer in-ear canalphones over other types however I understand other people have different preferences and you are more than welcome to express them here. I haven’t actually had many different pairs of earphones as yet since I'm only farly new to this (am getting some more off focalprice) but in the long run see myself trying out many different pairs to find the ones I like most. I didn't bother reviewing earphones that I couldn't use for more than a week either.
Okay, so here goes:
Apple stock earbuds comes bundled or purchase for $39 from apple store
You're at a live concert listening to your favourable band. Now fill your ears with foam and cover them with your hands. Now run back 100 metres whilst screaming expletives loudly. Now constantly bang your head on the ground. People would probably think you're insane- but this is probably the closest thing to describing the experience of listening to music with these.
Sennheiser CX300-II $79 or cheaper on ebay- watch for fakes
My first ever in-ear canalphone, bought it after the recommendation of a friend. I must say, going from stock earphones to these was a MASSIVE step. It was like I was hearing my songs for the first time again- the difference was so great. Sennheiser is a brand renowned for their expertise in sound equipment and are growing in popularity. However, although my initial impressions were very good, after comparing other sets of earphones I have realised that the bass on these is monster. In fact, it drowns out most sounds altogether. Good for if you like listening to really heavy music and like to really get into the raving mood but not so great for vocals. Slightly weak cord and I don’t like the L shaped plug.
Ultimate Ears MetroFi 220 2 for $40 from logitechshop
Got 2 of these from the logitechshop deal a while back. Am using these now actually. Going from the CX300 to these it was evident that these were much warmer and clearer, especially in the high and mid ranges. With alot less bass, it’s also less heavy on the ears as I often found with the CX300’s that I’d have to stop listening for prolonged periods. I find the sound isolation is not as good as the CX300’s though. Construction is solid.
Sakar Noise Isolating Earbuds ~$3 from 1saleaday
Bought from 1saleaday. Look sorta like CX300’s. Quality nowhere near them though. Put plainly, they suck. Poor bass. Not clear at all. Cord is of poor quality. I paid around $3 for these so didn’t expect much and didn’t get much. Better than apple earphones but then again, so is using paper cups and a string.
HiFiMan RE2 $59 from headphones.com.au
Listed on headphones.com.au as a recommended product. Bought for sister. Didn’t get much time to use them however from the short time I had them I found them to produce some very warm sounds and crisp across the board. Also liked the biflange tips they had. Apparently the cord of the earlier edition of these earphones (or is it the RE1?) was made using a very strong metal-like material but that is no longer the case. It still seems of good quality however.
Kanen MD-52 $4.29 from focal price
On the way in the mail
Kanen KM-92 $4.80 from focal price
Likewise
So please, contribute what you’ve found with the earphones/headphones you’ve bought. And yes, I know this is an epically long thread. If you’ve stuck with me this far, reward yourself by getting a free chocolate bar using the Cadbury hack :)
MOD: Added other peoples reviews below to make it clearer.
User Slowmo
I have a sony mdr-ex55 absolutely love it… it has all the things I like..
- a neck loop (ie. one longer loop which goes behind the neck to the other ear) vs the normal Y-shaped which i hate.
- 1.8 meters worth of cord, of which it could be segmented at the first 1m so if i am wearing a player close to me, I don't need the 1m 'extension cord'.
- comes with a small cloth pouch which I can dump my HTC touch pro 3.5mm/usb adapter as well as the 2-plug adapter for personal listening on the airplane (i stopped using those nasty free headsets provided, as you have to listen at max volume with those).
- comes with a plastic 'casing' to hold the L and R earpiece in place so that the chances of those 2 wires tangled up is minimised (don't you hate those occasions you have to spend 10 mins untangling the wires?as for sound quality, it is decent/good and to be honest, i don't expect a lot of good SQ from a earphone… I would go for full-sized headphones if I wanted full SQ reproduction.
User Davo1111
Sennheiser Mx560
- RRP $50
- great sound
- Comes with "leather" bag / cord loop
- Felt ear buds always fall off, expensive to replace.Sennheiser Mx470
- RRP $25
- Sound is fine (considering half rrp of above)
- Doesnt come with accessories like bag
- Top of headphone is sharp, so you cant lean on a pillow with them onSennheiser HD202
- Cord is wayyyy too long.
- Sound produced is fine
- "ear muffs" are too small (unless you have tiny ears)
- Squeezes head to the point where its uncomfortable (if you have a large head)
- Cant replace cord (or ear covers) if it breaks/gets wornFiio E5 (headphone booster)
- Really good
- no sound distortion
- bass boost (override)
- Charges via usb (E3 has user replacable batteries)
- makes walkman last longer
- built in clip for belt
User: Purple Bangle
Had a pair of CX300's a while back and after I got the R02's I never looked back. Using Sennheiser IE8's right now and I gotta say I everything else, every other pair of headphones just sounds muddy with crappy soundstage and instrument separation (except UE10 and SE530 of course).
User: Leonheart1
Just wanted to say that I hate my Logitech Metro 220vi headphones.
They're uncomfortable. The spongy bit is too hard and my ears get soft after using it for a moderately long period of time. Other in-earphones were much more comfortable. Even my (eBay fake?) Creative EP630 is more comfortable.
To me, audio quality seems similar to EP630. The only plus that I see for the 220vi is the button(easy to skip, repeat or rewind songs), the mic and the seemingly sturdier cables.
Well I guess I shouldn't expect too much from some cheap $23 earphones especially since I don't want to pay more.
EDIT: Forgot to add that the soft rubber bits keep falling out, especially when I'm taking them out of my pocket/bag. Also the chrome paint is wearing out.. fast. God these things are decaying quick!
holy moses didn't realise it was THIS long