[clarkyb]

hi....i am not too impressed overall with my shure e2c's, they are lovely yes, but are lacking in a bit of sparkle...if that makes any sense

i was thinking along the lines of:

Shure E3C's
B&O A8 (because they look so cool, but how is the sound quality?)
Future Sonics EM3
Etymotic ER6
and i hear that Future Sonics are teaming up with Extreme Mac to craft some new phones for around the same price bracket

naturally sound quality and price are the 2 factors here....and would a cheapish headphone amp help to enhance the E2C's, but then again you cant exactly carry a headphone amp round with your mp3 player can you

and posibly....if i get round to it- Sennheiser HD 650's if i save up enough pocket money

thanks

[Grahamhyde]

Get yourself to www.head-fi.org and all your questions will be answered.

It is possible to get battery powered amps.

Consider HD600s. Less money, very little difference to HD650s. Money saved can be spent on cables or upgrading the amp.

[extremelydodgy]

If you're looking towards a step beyond the entry level but are still on a budget, I suggest the Ultimate Ears Super.Fi Pro. £150ish delivered from handheldaudio.co.uk. Rather good. Quite balanced sound, decent resolution, nice design.


For quite a large budget, I'd recommend the Ultimate Ears UE-10 Pro at £800ish, also available from handheldaudio. Not a quantum leap over cheaper IEM's but certainly an improvement in both comfort and range. It's what I use when on a plane.


I find the HD650 to be better balanced for a generally more genre-independent listen and less 'boring' for want of a better word than the HD600.

UE-10 pros are avaliable for $900 (about £500) off the official website, and yes they do deliver to the UK!

[extremelydodgy]

Did you happen to work out how much it actually is when it turns up on your doorstep? That's one of the reasons I decided to buy from a UK-based supplier.

[Phill1978]

I listened to the Etymotic ER4`s last week, stunning made my HD-600`s sound too warm and flabby. easy to drive and cancel all outside noise, no noise escapes either.
they had a tonal brightness that was noticble but not glassy or grainy, in fact considering the source a fairly "crisp" sounding Lynn all in one CD/Reciever system they were probably perfect on tonally even systems.

what i noticed WAS the sparkle !! i listened also to some grado`s SR80`s which to my disapointment sounded more "live" than the HD600`s but i could never live with their discomfort compared with the relaxing senn`s.

for the sparkle and in ear benefits get the ER4P`s. They are bassier than the ER4S and do not require a separate head amp although i can imagine these monitors would get better and better the higher the source.

not only that but you get a full kit or buds, foam filters for further noise cancellation, cleaners, a large hifi jack and a nice case + a tool to easily remove the rubber pieces for cleaning where as the ER6 are huge in comparison with some strange bulbous in ear thing ? the ER4`s look like nothing for the money, very much like a tiny thin microphone you see stage performers holding just a direct feed of sound straight into you ear. The ER6`s dont come with all the extra the ER4P do and the ER4S are more a reference monitor

they were £200 but can be had new for £169. Expensive for their substance in weight and shape but stunning to listen to and are made by the makers/designers of hearing aids so deadly accurate.

hope this helps.

((ohh btw the bass isnt there unless you insert them right in the ear then it arrives just fine !))

[Phill1978]

try shures aswell

[NicolasB]

If you check my signature, you can probably figure out what I'm going to advise.

[Reano]

For good portability go for the e5c from Shure (try eBay can be had for not far off £200) for at home listening try getting the Grado 325i again can be had for £200 and less on eBay from high rated/feedback users. The shures are better than the e2c by a big magin (e.g. even my wife can tell) The 325 are at least as good as the Senn 650 for serious listening the RS1/RS2 beat the Senn's

[NicolasB]

You might want to check out the Beyerdynamic DT-880 as well.

[clarkyb]

thanks..illl give some of them a test then

£800 on headphones....you nutter !! bet they're crackin' though, what h-amp are you using for them?

[extremelydodgy]

I got them mainly for the custom fit. I'd gone through a number of generic-fit IEM's and they started giving me ear trouble. The UE-10's can still irritate but for the short times I use them they're fine. No headphone amp usually. Straight out of whatever I'm using, usually an iPod.