[tidytrev]

hi people i have been hunting for some iems for my ipod but cant make up my mind, i was ready to buy some ultimate ears 3s but after seeing mixed reviews on amazon iv been a little put off.
i have a pair of koss portapros which i love and would like something that sounds like them.
im in the uk but dont mind importing from overseas as il be getting them online.

[YellowSphere]

If you look around all the manufacturers, Ultimate Ears tend to get more good reviews than Shure and most other alternatives (Westone, for example) come in more expensive.

I've just bought a pair of Studio 3s from handheldaudio.co.uk for just over £50 inc. p&p. Unfortunately, the pair that came through appear to be faulty, but I'm sending them back for a replacement (I was having problems with the earphones hissing a lot, even when plugged into pro equipment).

When I was trying them, they were pretty good, provided what was going into them was good, low bit-rate mp3s suffer like anything. Detail retrieval is absolutely astounding, sometimes you hear things that some £3k hi-fi kit wouldn't show off. Soundstaging is also really good and whilst they don't have the bass response that some crave, the rolloff is pretty good. I'm keeping the PX100s for home though.

But this is indoors, i.e. quiet.

When you're on the go, and in a noisy place like a bus or a town centre, the extra detail makes the Studios a far more exciting listen than something like the PortaPros or the PX-100 (which is what these 3s are replacing for me), especially considering that the bass response of these tends to tail of and be masked a fair bit by low frequency ambient noises like vehicles rumbling.

Fit is also fantastic, really comfortable, and you couldn't get them to fall out if you tried.

[aliflack]

I got a pair of Beyer DTX-50s about 6 months ago and am well chuffed.

I've used Sennheiser PX-200s for a couple of years and bought the Beyers' as a more travel friendly backup. Different design (Beyer is in-ear vs Senn which is over ear) and different sound characteristic - Beyers just seem to have more depth, layers and you can really hear the tiniest detail on vocals and instruments.

I don't use the Senns any longer

I have some px100s and they have served me very well. great sound and pretty cheap too.

[SPRINGERS]

I had some B&O A8's but could not get on with them I have just bought some Sony MDR-EX71 in ear phones from Amazon £17.99 Fantastic value and fabulous sound quality.

[1012007]

Mylarone x3i from Jaben.net

Any other owners out there?

Free shipping and no customs. Many reviews on head-fi of them

[Mat-Pecker]

I would say try the Crossroads Mylar X3i as well

I have owned both generations and they are brilliant...

Jaben also has an awesome customer service.

If not the x3i look at yuin pk series if you don't mind buds

[tidytrev]

iv just checked some reviews for the x3i and i dont think there right for me, just for the record i want in ear monitors so px100s and such arent any use as i have my portapros for that.
i think il be going for something like ultimate ears 3 or 5 or shures but still cant decide.
on a side note, i used to have a pair of in ear skull candy phones but every so often the tips would come off and id have to literely tweezer them out of my ears, is this a problem with higher priced iems?

[Mat-Pecker]

Nope!

The high range iems have a stronger seal making them hard to take off when wanting to change, never mind just falling off

[mattski73]

well i have the Metro.fi 2's and i think they're brilliant. never tried the 3's but hey, why not!

[AbbyW]

Originally Posted by sp4rc

I can recommend the Sennheiser PX200 foldable headband headphones. They have a closed back, so they keep noise out to some degree, and also keep you from annoying people nearby.

The PX200's are very light and do a reasonable job of isolating you from noise to some degree (although nowhere near that of an IEM).

My PX200s are a little light on bass, but I put on a winter hat with earflaps and get it just right. Also, they are only $50 here in the states. A heavy hat is the best noise reduction!