in ear headphone advice needed

[dave mc]

Hi

i am looking for some advice on in ear headphones, My shure E3C`s have just died after over 2 years good service and i need a replacement.

I purchased a pair of shure se110's earlier this year and was not impressed, so am looking at other brands so any advice would be appreciated.

Are the shure se210`s any better than the se110`s

My budget is up to £100

thanks

David

[dave mc]

does anyone have experience of the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio Earphones .

I am now looking at these and the bose in-ear headphones.

[willykatie]

I'm in the same position as you as well and have choices betweenNu Force NE-8, Ultimate Ears Super.fi 4, and Klipsch Custom-2. Not sure which one?

[LFC_SL]

If your budget is £100, then consider Westone UM1

Or second hand. If the IEMs have been well looked after then you only need to buy new tips and then good as new. My UM2 were second hand for £120

[BuyCleverStuff]

Have you looked at JAYS.

We run a AV Forums Power Buy fro the s-JAYS Earphones;
JAYS s-JAYS Noise Isolating Earphones Powerbuy

Here's a few reviews on the s-JAYS Earphones that you might like to see;

JAYS s-JAYS Review

Ears-on with the Jays s-Jays earphones - Crave at CNET UK

Jays s-JAYS In-Earphones - AVReview News and comment

http://www.techdigest.tv/2009/01/s-jays_from_jay.html

Stylish earphones promise superior sound • Register Hardware

Review: JAYS s-JAYS Siren Armature Earphones | iLounge

[Tomahawk]

I stick with Shure because their build quality is head and shoulders above what other companies tend to offer. Have you listened to the SE210s that are well within budget? They are essentially the same as the SE310s, sharing the same microspeaker/driver, but without the 'extra bass tuning' (multiple professional reviews are barely capable of telling the difference between them though). I know the 110s you tried were brought out later and seem as a result to be a much more budget oriented model.

Failing that, shopping around for SE420s is a good bet. I went for a pair to replace my E2Cs (which are still going strong) and managed to get my hands on them new for under £120- they sound fantastic, benefitting from their dual driver setup. I believe from my research that a couple of other companies give you a slightly better sound for the money, but I have always been troubled by their build quality and thin cables- when you're spending this much money they've got to last.

[LFC_SL]

Tomahawk

Yes and no. From user reviews and experience you can build up a picture. The reputation of the thin wires of the Westone range is that is has the best non-microphonics reputation in the market, and the thinness does not lead to it being vulnerable

I have owned my Westone UM2 for 2.5 years no issues. Used it much more than my old Shure E4G, which likewise had no problems, but the cable design of the Westone is/was better

[Tomahawk]

Thanks for this. I see the Westone range has from appearance solid looking connections between the buds and the cable, more than can be said for the likes of V-Moda from second hand experience, admittedly though I've not spent much time with them myself.

I guess I like to stick to what I know, but yes, reevoo and similar places are best for building up an idea of what's reliable and whatnot, something the professional reviewers fail to pick up on far too often. There's nothing worse than a £100 investment that falls apart in 3 months with "wear and tear" not covered on the warranty!