[wicker_man]

After almost 2 years of daily use, the left earphone of my Sennheiser CX300 has stopped working, so I am now looking for a replacement.

I have an iPod Classic and listen to mainly metal (heavy/death/power/thrash) and hard rock. My music library is mostly encoded at 224-256kbps.

I'm looking to spend up to £40 on some isolating earphones, I liked the bass on the CX300, but want something better quality/detailed. Also, something with good quality cabling is preferred.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[Brava 210]

Get another pair
2 years use is GOOD

[jagr]

I just got these Beyerdynamic DTX50 for £37.50 delivered from here:

http://www.hificablesandaccessories....r_Dynamic.html

These were £150 last year

[wicker_man]

Originally Posted by Brava 210

Get another pair
2 years use is GOOD

The CX300 were good, but I'm looking for something a step higher in quality. They are quite cheap now though, but I'm going to research the successor CX400.

Originally Posted by jagr

I just got these Beyerdynamic DTX50 for £37.50 delivered from here:

http://www.hificablesandaccessories....r_Dynamic.html

These were £150 last year

Thanks, I came across the Beyerdynamic DTX-50 whilst browsing, along with other (rather large!) list of potential earphones in my budget:

Ultimate Ears Metro.fi 2
Skullcandy Full Metal Jacket 11mm
Sennheiser CX 55 Street
Sennheiser CX500
J-jays dynamic driver
Shure E2c
Goldring GX200
Sony MDR-EX85
Altec Lansing UHP306

Does anybody have any feedback on the above earphones?

[r@mside]

I'm upgrading from CX300 and have ordered a couple of canalphones.

The Denon AH-C700, which has a reputation of great bass, very detailed with wide soundstage and forward vocals. This is the exact same earphone as the AH-C751 but without the case.

I've also ordered Crossroads Mylarone X3i from jaben.net in Singapore after reading some rave reviews on HeadFi, cost less than £30 shipped.

[wicker_man]

I've just noticed that the CX300s actually have a 2 year warranty. Upon checking my order history at Amazon, I purchased them in July 2006, which means they are still under warranty. Would they replace them or class it as general wear and tear? If so, should I contact Amazon or Sennheiser?

Originally Posted by r@mside

The Denon AH-C700, which has a reputation of great bass, very detailed with wide soundstage and forward vocals.

I've also ordered Crossroads Mylarone X3i from jaben.net in Singapore after reading some rave reviews on HeadFi, cost less than £30 shipped.

Thanks for the suggestion, but the cheapest I can find the Denons for is £69.99. I'll have a look at the Crossroads though, please leave feedback once you receive yours.

[wicker_man]

OK, after spending a lot of time looking at reviews and reading various forums, I have my final shortlist:

Beyerdynamic DTX50
Goldring GX200
Ultimate Ears Metro.fi 2
Crossroads Mylarone X3i

Which one of these would be the best to go for?

The Crossroads look good but I am a bit concerned about the reports of poor build quality. R@mside, have you received yours yet? If so, how long did they take from ordering and what are your opinions?

I would like to order tomorrow because I am going on a residential field trip in 10 days which involves a 5 hour coach journey and at the moment I am forced to use some old Sony earphones which hurt after about half an hour of use!

[r@mside]

I haven't received them yet, delivery is expected to take a couple of weeks.

I understand your concern about the build quality, this is supposed to have improved with recent stock. The two big issues would appear to be the paper grille protecting the driver (rather than metal mesh) and the cable has no stress relief (a simple knot tied and hidden inside the housing on most earphones).

I'm pretty confident that these can be alleviated with the help of a sharp knife and some glue should they become a problem.

Personally, I'm so intrigued by the SQ claims, that for the price I'm prepared to take a risk.

[wicker_man]

Thanks.

I've been looking on the Jaben website and this looks like a good deal for £50.15:

Bundle : Beyerdynamic DTX 50 [Black Only] + CrossRoads MylarOne X3 Earphone + CrossRoads iPod Line-Out Dock
[US$99.00] - Free International Shipping

I'm quite tempted because the Beyers are £37.50 from the link Jagr gave, but for an extra £12.65, I get the CrossRoads MylarOne X3i and the iPod Line Out Dock (which is quite good).

I have sent an email to Wilson at Jaben regarding colour options for the X3i and warranty for both models, but not heard a response yet.

Also, I have contacted Amazon regarding my broken Sennheiser CX300, and they said to contact the manufacturer, but after emailing Sennheiser, they said to contact the retailer! I'll try ringing Amazon tomorrow.

[r@mside]

Originally Posted by wicker_man

Thanks.

I've been looking on the Jaben website and this looks like a good deal for £50.15:

Bundle : Beyerdynamic DTX 50 [Black Only] + CrossRoads MylarOne X3 Earphone + CrossRoads iPod Line-Out Dock
[US$99.00] - Free International Shipping

I'm quite tempted because the Beyers are £37.50 from the link Jagr gave, but for an extra £12.65, I get the CrossRoads MylarOne X3i and the iPod Line Out Dock (which is quite good).

I have sent an email to Wilson at Jaben regarding colour options for the X3i and warranty for both models, but not heard a response yet.

Also, I have contacted Amazon regarding my broken Sennheiser CX300, and they said to contact the manufacturer, but after emailing Sennheiser, they said to contact the retailer! I'll try ringing Amazon tomorrow.

It might be better to register on the forum and pm him. I've heard Jaben's 'no quibbles' customer service is so good you get an effective lifetime warranty.

[wicker_man]

The forum looks helpful, I am just awaiting my registration to be approved now.

I can't seem to see a full price list or anything on the site or from a quick browse of the forum. Do you know if there is one available?

[r@mside]

The site has a poor product list, nothing like what will be available in store.

I guess if you are looking for something in particular, contact David, enquire about a price, then barter. They are Singapore based after all.

[r@mside]

C700s arrived today - are you sure you don't want to stretch your budget to £70?

[wicker_man]

It would be nice to spend £70 on earphones, but unfortunately I live on a student budget.

I still haven't had a reply from Wilson or David at Jaben yet, nor have I been approved to post on the forum. Maybe they are busy?

[supagod]

Originally Posted by r@mside

C700s arrived today - are you sure you don't want to stretch your budget to £70?

Where did you get the c700's for £70? My se110's have just died after 3 months use so i'm getting my money back on them. TBH, I didn't like them and want something of better quality that is more comfortable.

[r@mside]

Originally Posted by supagod

Where did you get the c700's for £70? My se110's have just died after 3 months use so i'm getting my money back on them. TBH, I didn't like them and want something of better quality that is more comfortable.

iHeadphones; they received latest stock on Wednesday, so should still have some.

[wicker_man]

I've decided that I'm going to pick up some JVC HA-FX33 Marshmallows temporarily (which are available locally for £13.99) and are apparently quite good for the price.

That way, I will have some earphones to use for my trip (online orders probably won't come in time) and then once I have contacted Jaben and found out some more details on the MylarOne X3i and maybe worked out a deal, I can order them.

I have just received confirmation for the Jaben forum registration and currently reading about headphone amps (don't know if it will be beneficial to buy one yet...)

[wicker_man]

I have just discovered that Amazon.com ship to the UK, and their earphones are much cheaper!

From browsing, I have come across the following models now, which I'll be researching more:

Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio ($65.14)
Denon AH-C551K ($68.73)
Etymotic Research ER-6i ($74.99)

These work out to £36-£38, which is cheap compared to UK prices of £53-£69.

Obviously, customs/import fees and shipping would be on top, but according to this page, shipping should be around $10-13:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custom...&nodeId=596194

[r@mside]

I imported a video card from the states a couple of years ago, to get it released I had to pay the courier 17.5% vat on the insured value and a handling charge of around £12.

[wicker_man]

Apparently, "Amazon Export Sales will estimate and collect an Import Fees Deposit, and such funds will be used by the carrier or another agent to pay the Import Fees on your behalf (or on the recipient's behalf) to the appropriate authorities of the destination country."

I'll try emailing them to find out more.

But what are opinions of the three 3 mentioned above (Super.fi 3, C551K or ER-6i)?

[r@mside]

It's taken longer to get the Mylarones than it should and you're probably sorted with your phones by now, but I thought I'd let you know what I think of them anyway.

I'll try not to compare them with the Denons, it's just not fair.

v cx300 the x3is sound is more balanced. The bass is similar in depth but the X3i doesn't have the boom of cx300, doesn't muddy the higher frequencies as a result and has a little more punch.

The highs are better detailed on x3i, which might be better for metal (I don't listen to metal but assume you will like the cymbal crashes with x3i).

Mids are quite similar, the vocals appear a little more prominent on x3i, but not a lot.

On isolation, I think the cx300 edges it. There is less cable noise from the x3i, but this should be a non-issue as both can worn over the ear thus avoiding the problem.

I found the cx300 medium tips a very comfortable fit. The x3i tips feel a little harder but not uncomfortable. They come with 3 size tips and a pair of bi-flanges - another plus is the semi hard case to hold the earphones, you also get a handy cable wrap (I'll use it for the Denons) and an airline jack.

The cx300 build is definately better than the x3i. The L plug of the cx300 looks better moulded than the straight plug of the x3i whose housing looks a little femur. I've bounced the cx300 all over the place and they remain undamaged - I wouldn't be confident that the x3i could take a similar beating and come through in one piece.

Overall I think the x3i is a better sounding earphone than the cx300, but not by a huge margin.

If you want a drastic improvement, you can guess my recommendation, I really believe the difference is worth the extra money.

[HiFi Headphones]

We don't yet stock Denon headphones, but it sounds like they are well worth looking at.

wicker_man: The Etymotic ER-6i is a very accurate sounding earphone, but if are after a little better bass response then the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio earphones may be a better choice. Both will bring out much more detail in your music than the Sennheiser CX300.

Shaun

[wicker_man]

R@mside, thanks for the comments about the MylarOne X3i.

I have purchased the JVC Marshmallows and they are excellent for £14 (especially after a 37 hour burn in whilst testing my iPod Classic's battery life), although I am considering performing the 'Kramer Mod' which apparently improves the mids and highs.

They are going to be my everyday earphones for the moment, although I tend to prefer the behind-the-neck style, not Y-cord because I route the cable under my shirt and leave them dangling when not in use. I don't like routing the cable over the ear because I have long hair and also it takes longer to insert/remove the phones.

I will probably go for the X3i and some headphones (possibly Grado S80) with an amp for home use or longer journeys some time this summer when I get a job and save up a bit of money. I still haven't had any responses to emails sent to Jaben, but I have posted on the forums and had some advice (but no prices!).

[r@mside]

Wicker Man

I was very disappointed with the lack of communication from Wilson when I was trying to get confirmation the phones were shipping. But, once I emailed David I got a pretty quick reply from him and just as quick from his UK distributor.

The comms from then on were great and when they eventually arrived I found they were white. I didn't like that too much (foolishly I hadn't researched enough to realise that they come in 3 flavours now) and asked if I could exchange for the black.

David generously let me keep the white ones and is sending me the black when they arrive in stock next week.

I think if you like the marshmallows, it's worth waiting a while and saving for the Denons or something of equal or better quality.

[j0hn]

you could have bought another set of CX300's for £14.95 delivered

http://www.gnucklebish.co.uk/index.asp

[jazzperc]

I would really be interested to hear from John as to whether he has actually ordered and received any headphones from gnucklebish. I have tried and not received them. They have had my money and fail to respond to emails. Also they do not have a telephone or address so I have had to right off my money and buy from Amazon for £17.94.

[jazzperc]

I would really be interested to hear from John as to whether he has actually ordered and received any headphones from gnucklebish. I have tried and not received them. They have had my money and fail to respond to emails. Also they do not have a telephone or address so I have had to right off my money and buy from Amazon for £17.94.

[wicker_man]

Thought I'd just update the thread regarding the Sennheiser warranty situation.

After many emails with Amazon and even more with Sennheiser, I sent my broken CX300s off to Sennehiser (this was at the end of April) for repair/replacement, I received a brand new set of CX300s in the post earlier this week!

Now I am unsure whether to use them or sell them (I am currently happy with my JVC Marshmallows for everyday use for the time being until I can save up for some Grados or something).

[j0hn]

Originally Posted by jazzperc

I would really be interested to hear from John as to whether he has actually ordered and received any headphones from gnucklebish. I have tried and not received them. They have had my money and fail to respond to emails. Also they do not have a telephone or address so I have had to right off my money and buy from Amazon for £17.94.

sorry mate I didnt order because I was wondering if they were legit. When I put the link up I thought people would say they had used them. When no one came back praising them I thought better of it. Sorry bout that

[Stuart Wright]

It is a legal requirement that a retailer put their company address details on their website. If they do not have those details do not buy from them.
If they do not take credit cards, do not buy from them.
And my personal feelings are that if they do not have a (working of course) phone number on their website, do not buy from them.