Ipod in-ear headphone recommendations please

sofasurfer · 20-03-2006, 8:33 AM

I got a black video Ipod for my birthday at the weekend to replace my ageing white first generation Ipod.I have been using some Sennheiser MX500 white ones but now want some black headphones to match the Ipod and hopefully to prevent potential muggers from seeing I have an Ipod.

The only problem is that the MX500s dont actually fit my ears very well and for some reason the left bud always comes loose no matter how much I try and secure it.Its a long story but its all down to a recurring problem with my left ear which has been dragging on for years

So I would like the headphones that sit in the ear as these look like they would fit my ear better.I dont want to spend stupid money (£30?) but the sound quality has to be good.

Thanks for any advice

BBXepha · 20-03-2006, 8:38 AM

I am very pleased with my Shure ec2 headphones. I had 2 pairs of the sony in ears and both times the left channel stopped working, the Shure ones have been ticking on for over a year now of daily use and still sound great.

sofasurfer · 20-03-2006, 8:43 AM

Those look good but a bit pricier than I wanted to pay.Might just have to get them though.

*Reano* · 20-03-2006, 12:28 PM

Do a search and you would find there are two headphones that are standing out on this forum for mp3 player in ear's. One is the Sennheiser cx300 these isolate a lot of the sound from the outside world and so is not always suitable but the reviews say have excellent sound quality. Then there are the Sony ed21 and ed31 (pretty much the same headphone) for £12 and £17.50 from Amazon. These in my opnion beat the Sennheiser mx400/500/550. I won't provide a link as it has aready been posted on the site already, etc

gerbilly · 20-03-2006, 4:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reano

Do a search and you would find there are two headphones that are standing out on this forum for mp3 player in ear's. One is the Sennheiser cx300 these isolate a lot of the sound from the outside world and so is not always suitable but the reviews say have excellent sound quality. Then there are the Sony ed21 and ed31 (pretty much the same headphone) for £12 and £17.50 from Amazon. These in my opnion beat the Sennheiser mx400/500/550. I won't provide a link as it has aready been posted on the site already, etc

Reano I got the Sony 21 to check them out. They are better than the 71's and are equal to the Senn MX500 for bass but to me they are lacking a little in clarity compared to the Senn MX500's. Funnily enough the 500's fit my ears perfectly but the sony's hurt my ears a little.

I would love to try the 300's but cant find them anywhere in Glasgow.

*Reano* · 20-03-2006, 4:47 PM

Each to his own I must say the clarity of 21's for me are better than the MX500 and the Bass more so. I just cannot listen to the MX500 anymore. The 21's do have an egg shape and must admit I have heard it not fitting for some people's ears luckily it was fine with mine

At £12 you cannot go wrong unless they hurt your ears of course. Hmm my review going up over on the other thread

Funky · 21-03-2006, 8:16 AM

I have the audio technica ath- ck7! These inner ear earphones are just wonderful, my previous inner ear earphones were sony ex71 series,but these earphones are much better in clarity,deeper bass, bascially all around. If your are going for inner ear earphones, then you should go for these with out hesitation.

*Reano* · 21-03-2006, 10:40 AM

I've done a review of them over on another thread and I agree the Audio Technica are now my in ear non-isolated headphone of choice but remember this guy wants something less than £30 so really you could go with the senn mx series or even the px100 if overears are included but the ones to try are the sony 31/21's for half the price first.

sofasurfer · 23-03-2006, 4:07 PM

I have decided to splash out and buy some Shure e2c black headphones.

Whats the best price available on these?I have tried a few suppliers but they all seem out of stock.

*Reano* · 23-03-2006, 4:10 PM

Whats made you decide to go with the Shures?

Funky · 24-03-2006, 4:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reano

I've done a review of them over on another thread and I agree the Audio Technica are now my in ear non-isolated headphone of choice but remember this guy wants something less than £30 so really you could go with the senn mx series or even the px100 if overears are included but the ones to try are the sony 31/21's for half the price first.

Agree! Ck7 is too expensive! I had the Philips SHE9501 also! They are comfortable and fit snugly, and for the price, the sound is very good....

RandomLee · 28-03-2006, 11:32 AM

Shure's for £49.99 > hxxp://www.mobilefun.co.uk/product/7349.htm (dunno if I can link on here). That's cheaper than any I could find elsewhere. Cant vouch for the site though.

I'm thinking about buying some but am put off because I seems to trash headphones quite quicky... even though I'm careful! that's a lot of money to waste.

I've been through 3 sets of Sony MDR-EX71's in the past 18 months.... to the grand total of £75 (£25 from amazon, £35 from Dixons!). The sound quality and fit are both superb however the rubber on the earphone that goes round your neck always seems to degrade and expose the wires. So now I have 1 white set and 2 black sets, all with exposed wire! I tried to fix one set with some heatshrink but I didnt work.

I dont like the supplied headphones that came with my iAudio X5L so I'm currently using Logitech Playgear Stealth headphones but to be honest they're pish... I bought them for my PSP and soon realised the error of my ways... they have no bass what so ever and for an in ear type headphone they dont fit very well at all.

If only Sony MDR-EX71s were better made...

28-03-2006, 6:23 PM

RandomLee, the Shure's are rock solid in construction with a really meaty cable, I've had mine for just under a year and they are still going strong.

I use the E2c's for extended use with my Sony HD5H player and the sound is superb once you get used to fitting them correctly (took a bit of trial and error).

I've also purchased a pair of Senn CX300's via amazon to use for casual listening, and I have to say they are exceptional. They have much more bass than I would have expected from such a small unit, but still produce a bright sound. I really like the nice light wire as you can wrap them up to next to nothing and pop them in a pocket. (Not good if you trash them that easily!) Three sets of ear-fit rings which are very soft and comfortable round them off nicely. Sound isolation is approx 70-80% of the Shure's capability but still effective.

So I would pretty much stick to the E2c's for durability but anyone looking for a pair of in-ear's then the CX300's are excellent value for money.

RandomLee · 29-03-2006, 7:58 AM

Thanks nozman, that's a great help. If the CX300s have a thin wire then I think I might steer clear and go for the Shure's instead. Lucky you mentioned it as I was considering ordering some at the weekend.

*Reano* · 29-03-2006, 9:37 AM

If your willing to pay £50 for shures you may want to consider the Audio Technica EH7 excellent headphones

RandomLee · 29-03-2006, 2:46 PM

Cheers. Is that the correct model number as I cant seem to find them anywhere. Nearest I could find was these:

http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/he...4b8/index.html

They dont seem to fit in the ear like the ones mentioned above, so as sweet as they look I dont think I would consider them. Normal earphones dont fit in my lugs.

A collegue at work just got some new Philips SHE9500 earphones today so I gave them a little test and was very impressed. Build quality aside, bass is the main thing for me and they seem to have plenty of it, although being at work I couldnt turn the volume up as much as I would have liked. Dont think those around me would appreciate the sounds of Leftover Crack! I still think my old Sony's sounded better in general as they have a clearer sound that these but maybe not as bassy. The fit is really good too.

Hmmm, still leaning towards the Shure's.

*Reano* · 30-03-2006, 11:34 AM

Model name is ATH-EC7

RandomLee · 05-04-2006, 10:00 AM

Another one to throw into the mix:

Panasonic HJE70 / Panansonic eShop

The reviews for them seem really good but I was wondering if anyone had used them and could compare them to the Shure E2C's in terms of sound and build quality. In particular the thickness of the rubber that covers the wire as that's been the failing of my last 3 sets of MDR-EX71s. Also, how does the bass compare with the Shure's.

Ideally I want a bassy set of ear canal type headphones with a cable that wont wear out like Sony's do.

I like the Sennheiser CX300s but nozman has said the cable is very thin, and those new Sony's look awesome too... but I'm wary of their build quality.

Cheers

alhambra_c · 07-04-2006, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reano

Model name is ATH-EC7

Audio Technica have couple good in-ear phones too. Have you checked out the Ck5/CK7?

RandomLee · 08-04-2006, 12:53 PM

Peep this link for a good review of the Panasonics I was on about in my last post.

http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread...hreadid=148225

The reviewer seems to know his onions.

I reckon I'm sold on them over the Shure's. Just got to find 60 beans now!

Funky · 09-04-2006, 8:46 PM

The Philips SHE9501 Ultra Sound In-Ear Headphones are very nice also! Also recommend by the ilounge.

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/ipo...ar-headphones/

28-03-2006, 6:23 PM	#13
nozman Guest Posts: n/a	RandomLee, the Shure's are rock solid in construction with a really meaty cable, I've had mine for just under a year and they are still going strong. I use the E2c's for extended use with my Sony HD5H player and the sound is superb once you get used to fitting them correctly (took a bit of trial and error). I've also purchased a pair of Senn CX300's via amazon to use for casual listening, and I have to say they are exceptional. They have much more bass than I would have expected from such a small unit, but still produce a bright sound. I really like the nice light wire as you can wrap them up to next to nothing and pop them in a pocket. (Not good if you trash them that easily!) Three sets of ear-fit rings which are very soft and comfortable round them off nicely. Sound isolation is approx 70-80% of the Shure's capability but still effective. So I would pretty much stick to the E2c's for durability but anyone looking for a pair of in-ear's then the CX300's are excellent value for money.
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