Headphones!!!

[Keyser.]

I love my Beyer DT 880s.



http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DT880/

[PITTM]

those are awesome! My good friend has a pair of beyer 880s. they are dreamy with a good amp.

[niquewon]

One thing to keep in mind about the K701 is that it really needs a quality amplifier to sound it's best. To be honest every headphone I've heard benefits from quality amplification, but higher impedence phones particularly dependant on the amp. If you're just going to be using a standard headphone out you might find something like the Sennheiser HD-595 to be more to your liking.

In regards to the earbuds or IEMs, the Etymotic er-4p are the best sounding IEMs that I've every heard. My second favorite would be the Etymotic er-6i. I know a lot of people love the Shures but IMHO the Etymotic sound signature is much better and the Etymotics are far more comfortable.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

I made a post in OOT a couple weeks ago about getting a new pair of IEMs. There have been some developments since then, but I do think I've identified the best contenders in the $100-$200 price range.

First, I'll say that I ended up ordering a pair of Shure E4Gs from DigitalEtc via Amazon. They were supposed to arrive some time between April 5 and today and I just found out today that they haven't even shipped yet. So, I've e-mailed to try to cancel the order. I hope I can cancel. This whole thing is killing me, as I've had to use a big, bulky, crappy pair of Panasonic headphones with no isolation whatsoever this whole time and it's sucking hard.

I'm now thinking that I just want to go get a pair of the JAYS d-JAYS for $99. I'm also flirting with getting a cheap pair for a month or two until I can get a pair of JAYS' new q-JAYS.

Here's how my list currently stands, in rough order of preference:
1) JAYS d-JAYS - $99
2) Shure SE210 - $149
3) JAYS q-JAYS - ~$180 + a cheap (Koss "The Plug," JVC Marchmallow, etc.) hold-me-over until I can get them in May/June
4) Shure E4g - $180
5) UltimateEars Superfi.5 Pro - $190
6) Etymotic ER-6i $70
7) Etymotic ER-4P $150

If I go for the q-JAYS, I might also be able to convince my wife to go in on something like a pair of ER-6i with me for $70, use those for a month or two, and then she'll take them when I get my q-JAYS.

Here are a couple of reviews for the d-JAYS and q-JAYS, for those who haven't heard of them before.

My OOT post:
[ QUOTE ]
I'm looking into a new pair of canals and I'm leaning towards the Etymotic ER-4Ps, but there are a couple of hangups that could be deal-breakers for me.

First, here are my requirements, in order of importance:
1) Noise isolation - very important in chatty room situations as well as on airplanes
2) Sound quality - the reviews I've read on the ER-4s indicate that their sound is flat and accurate to a fault - that they're almost too crisp. I think this is actually what I want - I want to be able to hear everything.
3) Comfort - so subjective that I'm not sure it's fair to list
3b) Aesthetics & other non-sound issues

And of course, price is in there somewhere around 1 or 2 - I'm trying to keep it around $150-$180 or less.

The cans I'm currently debating between, in order of preference at this very minute (it changes roughly at the top and bottom of each hour):
1) Etymotic ER-4P (or 4S?)
2) Shure SE210
3) Shure E3c
4) Shure E4c
5) Ultimate Ears Super fi.5 Pro

Now, the ER-4s seem to be nearly everything I want with one small, yet potentially killer hang-up. On the basis of performance only, they seem to be the clear winners. However, I hate hate HATE that they seem like they're going to be sticking way out of my ears and that the cables just hang straight down in the standard Y style. Beyond the desire to avoid looking like some sort of alien or some idiot with cables sticking an inch straight out my ears, I'm concerned that the cords will be very susceptible to brushing and catching on my clothes, getting microphonic effects, pulling out of my ears, and just generally being annoying as hell. This is something that will ruin the whole thing for me. I keep looking for a picture of someone actually wearing these earphones, but for the life of me, I can't. I imagine there's a pretty good reason for that - they're not exactly the best-looking earphones to begin with and I'm pretty sure any pictures are only going to confirm my fears.

Can any ER-4 owners comment on these concerns? Do you happen to have a good picture of you wearing your ER-4s that you wouldn't mind putting up on the internet? How about my next question? I'm wondering if I should get the ER-4Ps or the ER-4Ss. I'm planning on using these exlusively with my iPod, which suggests that I pick up the ER-4Ps. However, when I listen to my iPod, I always have the volume as low as I can possibly have it. Unless I'm in a real loud place (airport, on the plane), if I listen to it any louder with canalphones, it's too loud. Should I just go for better sound with the ER-4Ss and expect to turn the volume up a bit? If I get the ER-4Ps, will I be able to turn the volume down low enough if I'm already listening to it at the lowest level with my crappy Sonys? I know I can buy the cable to essentially convert the Ps to the Ss, but I don't want to shell out an extra $65 or whatever it is.

Finally, does anyone have enough knowledge of the SE210s to comment on them in comparison to the others I have listed? Any other opinions on any of them? Oh, and I do know about head-fi.org and I've been poring over the info over there.

[/ QUOTE ]

Follow-up post:
[ QUOTE ]
Well [censored]. Now I've got JAYS d-JAYS on the list. More troubling, though, is that I now REALLY want to get the q-JAYS, but those are now not expected to be available in the US until May. I can't wait that long! Plus they'll almost for sure not be available on Amazon and I'm hoping to use $90 in Amazon gift certificate on these things.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm no longer worried about buying on Amazon, as I've been able to offload my $90 Amazon gift card for $90 cash.

[niquewon]

[ QUOTE ]
I owned a pair of Er-6s about 2 years ago. I had a problem with their lack of bass and somewhat tinniness and sold them to another head-fi member. I certainly saw the many benefits though and i know tons of people love those things.

As far as an amp goes. I have the absolute PERFECT amp in mind but its probably a bit too expensive. The Ray Samuels Tomahawk($295):

It is designed for IEM's(in ear monitors) like the ER6's. FWIW, the amp i have is the ray samuels hornet, which is almost identical cosmetically but was designed with full sized headphones in mind. For me, Ray Samuels blows other amp makers out of the water. The only other makers even in the same league are Tyll Hertsins of Headroom and Phil Larocco at larocco audio. Ray just finished making what looks like a piece of art and what is now probably the best consumer headphone amp in existence, the B-52($5,350):

I have tremendous respect for Ray's work and think it is the best in the business.

[/ QUOTE ]

Have you ever heard the chance to check out a Singlepower amplifier? IMHO Mikhail at Singlepower is the absolute best in the business.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
PITTM,

I'm in the market for some new earbuds. It seems like the Shure ones are the clear concensus pick.

So, here's the question. Speaking to a relative non-audiophile, how would you characterize the difference in experience between the e2c ($70), e3c ($150), e4c ($200) [amazon prices]?

[/ QUOTE ]
El D,
Shure are definitely the biggest name out there and the E3s and E4s are probably a safe bet, as are the lower end of Shure's new SE series - SE210 and SE310. However, there are definitely some other very good options out there, as is evidenced by the overly torturous process I've put myself through in trying to pick my new pair of IEMs. See the post I just made for what I consider to be the best options in this price range, at least for my taste. The JAYS d-JAYS and q-JAYS are looking VERY nice. The only problem with them is very few people have much experience with them, so they're still a pretty unknown quantity (and the q-JAYS won't be here until May/June). Initial reviews are very good, though.

Other earphones to seriously consider would be the V-Moda Vibes, UltimateEars SuperFi 5 Pros, and the Westone UM1 and UM2s.

[TheWorstPlayer]

El D,

I had a pair of e3c's, lost 'em, and decided to go for the e4c's when i replaced them. Very happy I did. Very noticeable improvement in sounds quality, particularly for songs with heavier bass (yes, I listen to rap, so sue me.) The amount of enjoyment I get out of the 4cs over the 3cs is well worth the nominal price increase.

- TWP

[Buried]

I got a set of Shure E4Cs and am happy with them. They were for me a good compromise between price and sound quality. The E5Cs have a somewhat clearer soundstage, but are a noticable step up in price.

I listen mostly to orchestral classical and some big band jazz. I rip to WAV rather than MP3 or FLAC. I've never been happy with MP3 rips in terms of string sounds, cymbals/hihats, and clarity in the top end. iPods won't play FLAC.

The E4cs aren't the equivalent of an absolute top end set of cans or preamp/amp/speaker setup, but they're MUCH better than I expected out of earbuds. The isolation is really good. If I use them on an airplane, I can't hear the screaming kid so long as it's 3 rows away. They deaden at least as much sound as the earplugs I always wear on airplanes. If I wear them in my cube, I can't hear my cube neighbor who is incessantly making personal phone calls, and I also can't hear people come into my cube by knocking on the supports.

I haven't had any problems with them bumping into things due to sticking out of my ears too far. I do wish they had a better wire solution. I've tried the suggested "loop it above your ears", but it didn't work for me. They do have a slider over the wires leading to the buds so you could slide that up and tighten the wires near your chin.

I've tried all of the various fittings and the foams work best for me both in terms of comfort and sound/isolation quality. I actually experimented with wearing some of the rubber ones in the cube so I could hear people come in, but they are too uncomfortable for me. I purchased a pack of 20 replacement foams, but haven't cracked it open yet. I've had the Shures since December.

[raptor517]

does everyone hate the bose noice cancelling headphones? ive had mine for like a year and a half, and i like them a lot. very comfortable for long periods of time.

[PartyGirlUK]

Best headphones for jogging?