[akina]

I have been buying these earphones for several years now and the sound quality is amazing but... I have had enough!

EVERY pair I get, one of the earphones stops working before a year has passed (maybe they time them to break after exactly 1 year). I've gone though about 7 sets of these now.

I refuse to support these earphones anymore! What are the alternatives?

I want an in-the-ear style. I don't mind spending upto £75 if the sound is good and they work for longer than a year.

The £200 Shure ones are just too much to spend on earphones.

[ABC1]

Try the Sennheiser CX300 Much better than the Sony, have had both and for the same money the Sennheiser wins hands down. Tried the Etymotics 6i as well (£100approx), whilst great clarity of sound, they lacked bass and were incredible uncomfortable for me. The problem with earphones is trying them out, I bought from the Apple store who have a 14 day return policy, and got my money back on the Etymotics which could have been a costly mistake.

[akina]

Thank you! They look good, 2-year warranty too!

I'm listening to music in 1 ear and it's damn annoying

[extremelydodgy]

In terms of audio quality the CX300 isn't that much better than the EX71 (which is not great by any stretch of the imagination), but it has a much more balanced tone with the overblown bass kept firmly in check. As a result it sounds like better quality for many people. The 2-year warranty is however the real attraction point if you have a habit of phones going out on you. Every Sennheiser has it. I say go for it.

[james.miller]

the ex90's, while not true iem's, are very VERY good for the money. imagine ex71's without the boomy bass or the shrill and horrid top end - that would be the ex90. They dont isolate as well though, so concider that. other than that, you can get them for ~£60-£65. Massive step up from the ex71's.

[akina]

I like the bass of the EX71's. And I've never heard ear phones that sound anywhere near as good - so I guess I've been missing out.

I need music so I have already ordered the CX300.

How about the Shure E2C's? I know that "proper" headphones will have the best sound, but seeing as I'm only used to earphones (namely the EX71's), will the Shure E2C's be a big improvement for me?

Hmm.. maybe I can stretch to the E3C's if I can find them for a good price.

My main preference for music is psy-trance so it's quite bass-heavy.

Thanks,

[james.miller]

well the ex71's are awful and the cx300's are better so you wont be dissapointed. most people prefer the ex90's to the e2c's, or if they dotn its pretty evenly matched. One things for sure is that if you like the ex71's, you wont need to spend a lot to be impressed

[akina]

Good to know

I found some Shure E3C's for £90, I think may get those, even though I already ordered some CX300's.

Thanks for the advice.