$100 earphone recommendations

[black the sky]

i'm new here, so hello everyone.

first up, i am not an audiophile, i love music but i'm not really into all the equipment anymore.
i actually did join a different forum a few days back,[one for headphones] and i may of imagined it, but many of the people came across as quite snobby once they found out i didn't have expensive hi fi gear.

i just bought a sansa clip + and i'd like to get some new earphones for it. the player sounds great, a bit of an improvement over my old creative tx fm.

i can go up to around $100 or so, my current ones are by creative and i think they were around $35. i have to say i was looking at various 'phones yesterday on the net, and i was shocked to see some selling for $2000!

another question is this. if i plugged in a $2000 pair of 'phones into my cheap clip+ would i be bowled over by the difference? or do you need expensive high-end gear?

is there a noticable difference between $100 and $200 earphones?

actually last night while surfing i 'discovered' grado headphones! yes, i know i'm a little late i suppose. even their low-end headphones get tremendous reviews. would it be a good idea if i bought a pair of their headphones for my mp3 player? do they produce earphones?

thats it, thanks.

[Drubbing]

Originally Posted by black the sky

another question is this. if i plugged in a $2000 pair of 'phones into my cheap clip+ would i be bowled over by the difference? or do you need expensive high-end gear?

is there a noticable difference between $100 and $200 earphones?

actually last night while surfing i 'discovered' grado headphones! yes, i know i'm a little late i suppose. even their low-end headphones get tremendous reviews. would it be a good idea if i bought a pair of their headphones for my mp3 player? do they produce earphones?

thats it, thanks.

Unlikely. They'll sound pretty nice, but such phones were designed with all the other expensive gear in mind, you'd never get your money's worth using them off a mp3 player.

There is a noticeable difference between any number of phones of the same price; they'll all sound different. Unlike the snobs at that other forum, you spend you money on what sounds best to you, and they'll spend up big to impress each other.

Grado have just started to produce earphones, but I've no experience with these. They certainly won't sound anything like the phones they're renowned for, as their line are entirely open headphones; you won't find that sound in any earphones.

Their full size models will run pretty well of players, and depending where you are, are very good value. Pretty much everywhere outside the US pay a premium for them.

They have a bright, clear, punchy sound, with natural bass. If you're outside the US, the Alessandro MS1 is a better bet, it's still essentially a Grado, but better priced ($100 or so) and smoother sounding than it's Grado equivalent, the SR125.

[black the sky]

thanks for the reply.

actually i was just reading up on the Alessandro MS1 you mentioned, they do sound like good 'phones.
i also saw some grado around the neck headphones that are meant for portable players too, i think they're pretty new.

i hardly ever use to listen to music with headphones, however i now live in a unit and the walls are very thin. thats one reason i got hold of an mp3 player, and i'm glad i did.
i suppose there must be 'high-end' players with fantastic sound quality?

cheers.
btw i'm in australia.

[Drubbing]

Some players sound better than others, but none are high end.

If you're in Aus, check out Headphonics in Perth. Marcus sells Alessandro and more, and is a headphones specialist; the only one in the country.

I've got all my stuff from him and can recommend his advice highly.

[LFC_SL]

The Clip+ contains an excellent sound DAC. Just be sure to buy portable headphones so you know the Clip+ can drive them properly. I would advise investing in a pair of nice IEMs, perhaps customs. Although no saying if the isolation is what you want. Can't steer you without knowing if you would consider IEMs or what music you like

If you want something cheap I would recommend the Senn PX100. Best budget portable imo

If you are really indulgent the Audio Technica ESW9 and ESW10 are a consideration but imo they are only for the brave as the exchange rate means they are too expensive imo

[black the sky]

the music i listen to is stuff like: jeff beck, beatles, ufo, king's x, thin lizzy, cocteau twins, fleet foxes, floyd. artists like that, i like lots of guitar.

does iem mean in ear? i do prefer canalphones as they do seem to cut out the outside noise.

[Drubbing]

If you need isolation, canals are best. If not, the MS1 are still a top pick

As I mentioned, if you're in Aus, checkout headphonics forums. You'll get advice on what's available locally.

Headphonic Forums | Australian Headphone Forums • Index page

[black the sky]

i was just looking on ebay and saw some sennheiser cx500s going for only $12.95!
i presume these are fake?

actually a month or so ago i bought some cx400 for a ridiculously low price, i should of known they were not the real mccoy.

i then found some threads that had pictures of the real ones vs the fake. the differences are very small, and when your eyesight is deteriorating thru' aging, its hard to see those differences to be honest.
one thing that convinced me was that the sound was crap! very tinny with hardly any bass at all.

i was disappointed of course, but i've learnt a lesson.