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Audiophiles! Suggest some in-ear canal headphones!

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Jr. Member
Jul 24, 2010
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Audiophiles! Suggest some in-ear canal headphones!

I'm looking for in-ear canal head phones that are noise isolating/reducing from a good company (no Sony, Bose, etc). These usually have those silicone tips in varying sizes.

The 2 companies that I'm aware of are Sennheiser and Shure.

I'm looking for some great deals on good brands, last year J&R had the Sennheiser CX300s at $16, and these are marked as $100 on Sennheiser's site. I had also picked up a Sennheiser CX500 for $30 about 3 years back.

Anyone know of any good companies and any good deals?

There's a thread in Hotdeals about FocalPoint, but I want genuine so I'm not buying fakes.

thx


Update on post #17.
Logical Response Unit
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Perhaps take a look at the MEElectronics ones, they're pretty great bang for your buck when its on sale.

Shure's are great but their lower end products have much to improve from last I heard.

Another option are the RE-Zeros, they've been pretty well reviewed.
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Well I wouldn't be buying the "lower end" models, I'd be waiting till their mid-high range models are in sale like the CX 300 and CX 500 were.
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Long and Mcquade has the CX500's for $50 until Dec 31
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I'd recommend you going to sites like head-fi.org for suggestions or just browse around their site looking at reviews.

I haven't had too much experience with different brands but I've tried several headphones / brands (in chronological order):

- Sony (some random in-ear): rubbish, breaks too easily
- Shure e2c: it's okay for it's price, but the cable quality and the ear casing can be vastly improved as it broke after a few months and I had to take it in for warranty

- Westone um1: Cable design is twisted (making it stronger and a lot more durable) and it's very comfortable to wear. In fact I've used these for 3 years and then passed it on to my girlfriend who has been using it for 2 years. It's still in great condition.

- Westone 2: Same cable design as um1, but a jump in sound quality, have been using it for just over a year and still in perfect condition.

I've fell in love with westones, as they are very comfortable and at least have impressed me with their durability + sound quality.

So I'd highly recommend you looking into westone. But it depends on your budget. I recently recommended Westone 1 to a friend, and he's been very glad about his purchase.

But then again, I've only tiny experience with Shure (and it's entry model), and Westones....

edit: I've just randomly been reading some threads on head-fi and they still talk about how bad the cable quality is for Shures, and how short they last. So... maybe stay away from them =\
I'd say Westone 1 is one of the best for $100 price range, and Westone 2 is one of the best for $200 price range.
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Sennheiser HD 595
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logico wrote: I'm looking for in-ear canal head phones that are noise isolating/reducing from a good company (no Sony, Bose, etc). These usually have those silicone tips in varying sizes.

The 2 companies that I'm aware of are Sennheiser and Shure.

I'm looking for some great deals, last year J&R had the Sennheiser CX300s at $16, and these are marked as $100 on Sennheiser's site. I had also picked up a Sennheiser CX500 for $30 about 3 years back.

Anyone know of any good companies and any good deals?

There's a thread in Hotdeals about FocalPoint, but I want genuine so I'm not buying fakes.

thx


Ultimate Ears
get them at Bay Bloor Radio
They have over 30 open sets of headphones and IEM's for you to try before you buy.


the real issue here is WHAT is your source??? If you tell me its just for your ipod then no need to spend a whole lot of money because the ipod sucks for audio anyways
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Akraz wrote: Sennheiser HD 595

...595's are completely open...the OP is asking for "noise isolating/reducing" headphones. This is exactly why this question should be asked at head-fi and not here...
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Is the op looking for headphones or earphones?

Get something with the best price/performance ratio with your budget. Save the rest for For other speakers that are meant to last like bookshelf or floor speakers.
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In the first line of the op he states IN EAR CANAL.

I found the earphones that fit me the best are the ones compatible with the Comply T-100 tips (these earphones use thin stems).

As such, the best fit I've had were from my Shures (foam tip) and my Etymotic ER4Ps (tri-flange).

The Woodees, Ultimate Ears and MEElectronics that I have using the stock tips or larger Comply T-500 tips don't fit my ear canal at all, they tend to fall out.

Of course, everybody is different, so what works for me may differ for you. Out of everything, I still prefer the sound of my Etymotics, but I use the MEE M6P on the go for the mic function
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MasZakrY wrote: ...595's are completely open...the OP is asking for "noise isolating/reducing" headphones. This is exactly why this question should be asked at head-fi and not here...

to be honest, i didnt even read his post. he said headphones. not IEM.
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Etymotics reference in ear monitors.

Ultimate Ears too.

But seriously. Do it right, see an audiologist, get the mold, and get a custom pair. It will be the last pair of headphones you need!!
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I get offended when people use the word, "audiophiles" as if some of us are not as aware of good sound and others are. To me, it's a snob term.
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I'm not sure of your budget, but my price range is $100 +/-$20. I recently got an iPhone 4 and my old Shure SE315s just broke (got the Shures on a crazy sale for abour $120 I think). I did some research and came out with the Klipsch S4i. The sound was amazing with deep bass that did not drown out the crisp and clear treble. The provided ear tips were oval and very comfortable to wear yet still providing an ample fit and blocking outside noise. They have the version without the microphone also. Klipsch S4. However, after 2 months of using them, I seem to have misplaced them. I bought the Monster Diddybeats from the boxing day sale for $79.99, but so far I am not too pleased with the performance of these earphones. I am considering returning them and buying another pair of the Klipsch.
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gordholio wrote: I get offended when people use the word, "audiophiles" as if some of us are not as aware of good sound and others are. To me, it's a snob term.

I guess terms like aficionado, connoisseur, enthusiast, epicurean, bon vivant, gourmet and sybarite must offend you too.
You gotta start shopping outside of WalMart, CanTire and the Beer Store for your clothes
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MeeElectronics - ok if I wait for sale.

"Re-Zeros" cant find a single thread about them on RFD, and can't even find the site from google. Saw some reviews, but the company site appears impossible to find??

Fischer?: Again no thread on RFD hot deals, ever...

Ultimate Ears: They've got a TON of in ear canal headphones, I don't get by what they mean by "monitor"
Triple-armature design with passive crossover: Low, mid and high sound frequencies are separated and directed to three individual armature speaker drivers for a sonically rich experience. Audio filters shape the sound for the closest experience to custom personal monitors available.
Will also keep an eye out for these on sale.

Westone: Again, not a single HotDeals thread posted.

Woodees: Not only does this brand not even have a single hotdeals thread, these don't have a single thread at all on RFD.

Etymotics: Again... not a single Hot Deals thread posted on these.

Klipsch Image: Will keep an eye out for some deals.


Also, maybe I should have been a little more clear. I'm not looking to spend $100+ on these earbuds, I'm looking to spend under $50 (when on sale), but hope to get the headphones that are priced higher. I understand that this could be a long wait, but thats ok.
For example, last year the J&R deal was CX300 for $16, considering these sell for $85-$95 on regular, that's a great deal.

I'm not looking to pick them up on regular prices, so its very important that the brands you guys suggest actually go on sale. They headphones you guys suggested could be the best in the world, but if they don't go on sale for me to afford them, then can't really buy them.

I wouldn't mind picking up the ones you guys suggested above, but are they actually on sale somewhere on some legit website (no focal price type sites that sell counterfits) for me to buy them?

Thanks again for all the suggestions.
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mikeymike1 wrote: I guess terms like aficionado, connoisseur, enthusiast, epicurean, bon vivant, gourmet and sybarite must offend you too.
You gotta start shopping outside of WalMart, CanTire and the Beer Store for your clothes

That's hilarious but Gordo there has a point. The term audiophile is somewhat watered down and neutered in the webisphere to mean someone who isn't rocking the stock white iPod headphones and has somehwat lost its authority as of late. There's a bevy of choices ranging from $20 to $200 to higher. Etymotic to Shure to cheap but competent ones from Creative that sell for $10 at times. Skully Candy as well?

I have a pair of Creatives from Dell when they were $10 and some Apple IEMs and those are all fine with me but I also want some AKG 601/2s for home listening.
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Akraz wrote: to be honest, i didnt even read his post. he said headphones. not IEM.

i'm with this guy, you don't stick headphones into your ear.

as for some in ears, I've been using the Jays Q-Jays for awhile now and love them. They're great for the price, they run in the mid-fi arena imo.
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