Which Ear Canal Headphones?

[fuzzybabybunny]

I'm thinking I'm either going to get the Shure E4C or Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 Pro. The Shure seems to have better bass though.

The downside is that both of these are $170.

Are there any hidden gems out there? There's the Altec Lansing iM716 which is based very closely to the Etymotic models and is between the Etymotic ER-6 ($129) and ER-4 ($299).

 

[Rubycon]

Westone UM2 = E5C for half the price.

< UE10 user hear.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Sennheiser MX300.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

What's your price range?

I've owned the E3C's and don't think they're bad at all, especially if you buy them online or something.

What is your usage like? Are you sitting in a room with them or travelling with a portable audio device? If you aren't moving around somehow, I'd steer away from IEM's just because there's no need.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Have you been to www.head-fi.org yet?

I just upgraded from a pair of Sony EX51s to the Audio Technica ATH-CK7s. My decision came down to those and the Etymotic ER6i and Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3s after having decided against the very popular V-Moda Vibes due to their lack of isolation.

You can read my "review" here:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=226350

I am quite satisfied with my decision.

Edit: My criteria was to find canalphones significantly better than my Sonys that isolate very well for my noisy commute and cost around $100 or less.

 

[Gibson486]

er6i

 

[handoverfist]

super.fi 5 pro's :thumbsup:

Use it with a 5g ipod, and it sounds excellent.

 

[Relayer]

Originally posted by: handoverfist
super.fi 5 pro's :thumbsup:

Use it with a 5g ipod, and it sounds excellent.

+1

 

[tm37]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
er6i

Have a set and I love them

 

[manly]

Is the Shure E4C worth the 40% premium over the E3C?

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I'm really worried about the short warranties that all the manufacturers carry. The reason my old headphones are broken is because somewhere along its length the wire has developed a break. This has happened to two headphones I've owned.

If I get a Shure with a two year warranty (the longest of all the IEM manufacturors), and the cable breaks 2.5 years from now, that's $170 down the drain....

I'd expect something so small and expensive to offer something like a lifetime warranty...

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
What's your price range?

I've owned the E3C's and don't think they're bad at all, especially if you buy them online or something.

What is your usage like? Are you sitting in a room with them or travelling with a portable audio device? If you aren't moving around somehow, I'd steer away from IEM's just because there's no need.

Something less than $200. If a $100 IEM has the same performance as a $170 pair, I'm all for it.

Usage will be primarily at the computer playing video games and such, but this summer I will be going on a crazy long plane ride to China as well as walking around the city. I'd like to get an in-ear headphone first, and then later get an over-the-ear headphone. Right now I have neither, and can only afford one.

I would also like them to be comfortable enough to wear lying down and on my side, and maybe worn as regular ear plugs, so I don't want headphones that really stick out.

 

[Rubycon]

The better ones have detachable leads and replacements are cheap.

 

[handoverfist]

Originally posted by: MS Dawn
The better ones have detachable leads and replacements are cheap.

I've snagged the cable twice on my super.fi 5 pro's from ultimate ears. The leads are detachable as ms dawn said. All it took was a quick phone call, and I had the replacement cable only a few days later. They send it free of charge also!!! Props to ultimate ears on excellent customer service!

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: MS Dawn
The better ones have detachable leads and replacements are cheap.

REALLY? Even on canal headphones? I know good full size headphones have detachable leads, and even better ones have plugs on those leads instead of bare wire. I didn't know this sort of thing was offered on tiny canal phones...

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: handoverfist

Originally posted by: MS Dawn
The better ones have detachable leads and replacements are cheap.

I've snagged the cable twice on my super.fi 5 pro's from ultimate ears. The leads are detachable as ms dawn said. All it took was a quick phone call, and I had the replacement cable only a few days later. They send it free of charge also!!! Props to ultimate ears on excellent customer service!

Cool. It looks like the Super.Fi 5 Pros are definitely in the running, with the Shure ones almost definitely NOT because they do not have detachable cables. Which other ones have detachable cables? I've tried looking at the manufacturer websites but can't seem to fine such information

Westone?
Audio Technica?
Etymotic?

I MIGHT be persuaded to get something pricey like the Westone UM2 if it had detachable cables and could thus theoretically work forever (barring stuff like crush damage )

 

[thecrecarc]

butttt... bunnies has such large cuddly furry cute ears! it'll be hard to find a large enough one...

 

[Sust]

Ive got the altec lansing Inmotions and they're okay.
First the pro's:
Their outside noise isolation is very good.
Sound quality is excellent everywhere in the highs, mids, and even mid bass tones.
Volume control module attached to ear buds that hangs/clips onto your shirt.
Neato carrying case for ear buds since they recognize that it could get broken easily if not carefully packed away.

Now the cons:
Earbuds have foam tips that can be compressed and re-expand to fit in your ear canal, but they can only be used so many times before their perofrmance degrades and you have to get new ones at places like www.earplugstore.com.
Finally, there's the poor low bass performance where it knows that it cant play that low so it just cuts out, but that's to be expected.
My benchmark for bass notes is the bass sweep in the Chemical Brothers song called "Under The Influence".
Its hard to know just how deep that sweep goes without hearing it on a nice pair of subs, BUT if you're satisfied with the earphone's performance on this song then youre probably okay in terms of the bass department. After all, should we really be looking for ear buds to rock a lung like a giant subwoofer?
For true bass heads, the final 6 seconds of that song is really wicked in the way it just plays that one oscillating bass wave which can really mess up your room and windows with the right sub.

 

[uhohs]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
Sennheiser MX300.

i hope you mean the CX300's.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Usage will be primarily at the computer playing video games and such, but this summer I will be going on a crazy long plane ride to China as well as walking around the city. I'd like to get an in-ear headphone first, and then later get an over-the-ear headphone. Right now I have neither, and can only afford one.

Your call, but after having owned both, I wouldn't bother with IEM's if you're just sitting at a desk and using them 99% of the time. I have both, the E3C's and the Sennheiser HD280's and while there is a big price gap, I prefer the HD280's. Yes, they don't isolate nearly as much, but in my usage that isn't too much of a concern. They still do a good job and since it's all relative, you won't know what I mean until you try them in person.

Check around if there's a Guitar Center near you, you can demo the HD280's there. Just so you know, I went from the E3C's to the HD280's, there is a drop in price and I am still very happy. IEM's are great depending on usage, but they just don't have the bass I want in general, especially in this price range.

 

[EGGO]

Originally posted by: Relayer

Originally posted by: handoverfist
super.fi 5 pro's :thumbsup:

Use it with a 5g ipod, and it sounds excellent.

+1

Another satisfied user here! I need to buy more foamies soon, too.

 

[aphex]

Westone UM2's

 

[IAteYourMother]

um1s

 

[MazerRackham]

Originally posted by: handoverfist

Originally posted by: MS Dawn
The better ones have detachable leads and replacements are cheap.

I've snagged the cable twice on my super.fi 5 pro's from ultimate ears. The leads are detachable as ms dawn said. All it took was a quick phone call, and I had the replacement cable only a few days later. They send it free of charge also!!! Props to ultimate ears on excellent customer service!

Really? That's good news. I have the super.fi 5 pros as well. I love them. The sound is great, the metal case they came with is awesome. I haven't tried any other brands so I can't comment on which is best, but I do love my UEs.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

OP - before you buy, listen to some stuff in person. Even if you can't hear the exact one, maybe similar brands or something... I jumped into a decent IEM too quickly and had I compared them to others sooner, I would have found what I preferred without having to go through multiple headphones.

 

[ed21x]

canal phones hurt my ears, and I can never be comfortable with them when they always feel so stuffy. I recommend the Grado Sr80s, Sennheiser HD280s, and if you must go smaller, try the Sennheiser PX200, but they lack soundstage.