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Hi I'm looking for a new pair of headphones for both my computer and ipod. I'd prefer earbuds since they're smaller and harder to break, but any kind is fine. Price range around or under $100. I did some research and found these
Sony MDR-EX75 Stereo Headphones http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/sony-mdr-ex75-stereo-headphones/
which seem to be of good value. Main reason I don't like the original ipod headphones is they don't have any bass at all. Thanks for suggestions.
edit: also something durable
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I usually trust anything Koss produces.
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United States20661 Posts
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United States22883 Posts
Those Sony earbuds are good for budget buds, but they will break. In fact, most earbuds will break in a stupidly short amount of time (less than 3 years) because they all make terrible design decisions.
V-moda Vibes (first generation) probably have the best sound/price, but they've only got a 1 year warranty. I think Shure has been making some cheaper earbuds, but they look thinner than their previous models.
My Sennheiser CX300s are cheap and have a lot of bass (maybe too much) but I think I prefer the sound of my original Sony EX71 to them.
So I guess I'm saying those are a good choice, depending on how much you can get for them. I've basically decided to never spend more than $50 on earbuds again because every $90 pair I've had have died from exposed wire or one of the buds randomly dying, and I treat them fairly well. The budget buds I've had (Sony & Sennheiser) have lasted longer, and I don't mind replacing them. The sound is obviously worse, but sound quality is one of those things where ignorance is bliss.
If you're getting headphones, then Grado SR60/80 are fantastic, as are Sennheiser HD280s. I've got the 280s right now and these things are built like a rock. Not good for a portable device, but excellent on a computer.
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yea like i said in IRC the 280pros are hero. Not sure about travel phones though, but I assume sennhieser is the way to go.
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I would agree, with Last Romantic, and that the best sound quality you'll get in the 100- sub 100 range would be from the Grado sr-60s. But be warned, those headphones are open back and will leak sound (and let sound in, it's all up to preference and application). If you were looking for sealed phones you should consider the sennheiser hd228. If you wanted buds, I'd look at products from iHarmonix, Ultimate Ears, and perhaps even Shure.
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The SR-60 is pretty awesome for the price, but worthless for portable purposes IMO. It doesn't block out noise at all, so you will be put in situations where noise will drown out, or at least seriously mess with your listening. Airplanes, for example, will do that every time.
edit:
If you want isolation, this is the best deal i've found. http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f38/99-re0-iem-summer-sale-head-direct-431735/
I've already ordered one but it hasn't made it here yet.
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earbuds are probably easier to break, but they're cheap and easily replaceable. if you want something portable and convenient get the budget earbud like the one you posted. I have the ex75, and they're functioning great after one year. I actually dropped them in the ocean, and they still worked lol (the ipod on the other hand had to be repaired >.< ). They're a great value. I also heard these were good (Seenheiser cx-400): http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-CX-Ear-Headphone-Black/dp/B000WOIG8C/ref=dp_cp_ob_e_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1248926142&sr=8-3 I'll probably buy them when my ex75 breaks.
If you want high sound quality/ audophile stuff, you should look into real headphones (the ones that cover your ear). Grados, Sennheiser, and Audio Technica all have good headphones for under 100. I currently have a ATH-AD700. I like it a lot, but it's too hot in the summer
check out Head-fi: head-fi.org
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i dunno if it's just me, but getting expensive earbuds just seem wrong to me. they seem so fragile... like they seem more prone to get broken or lost.
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what about the razor buds. are they any good?
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razor buds are for gaming nig
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is awesome32236 Posts
Grados sr60 are really clear and have awesome mids. They might need some equalizing (so that depends on your player, i never owned an ipod so i don't know how good the eq is).
I would stay away from sony, usually their build quality is not good for the lower price range, and for more money there's usually way better options.
Shure is tempting cause of the "oh im an audiophile" effect, but the cheaper models don't seem to have the same build quality as the rest of their line as I have read from experiences.
Senn's cx300 have good bass, maybe too loud for some people and they have a very good price/quality ratio, but there's a million chinese copies luring around, specially on sites like ebay. So try to find them closed in blister, never oem and check fake checking guides for them if you are going to buy them.
Creative's ep 630 are good too, nice bass, nice isolations, affordable.
Yuin Pk2 i only tried them once, and they sounded good. They get a lot of good reviews, dunno what price they are currently sitting at.
AKG is a very good brand. Their headphones are really comfy (at least the ones i tried) and they have great build quality. They also look good :3
Etymotic er6, super fi 3, etc.
Imo with audio it's about trial an error. Get to try them, see which ones are comfortable for you. People have different head sizes, ears. Some love in-ear, some feel like they are getting raped when they put them on. Street usually requires in-ears to listen to music at a safe level, unless you are fine with walking in the street with big headphones, some people are.
Don't buy gaming headphones for music. Never.
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ok yea after looking at some stuff I think i'm gonna get the
Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear Earphones
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On August 19 2009 11:32 zulu_nation8 wrote: ok yea after looking at some stuff I think i'm gonna get the
Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear Earphones
I have them and they are amazing.
Bit on the expensive side though so protect them
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Earbuds don't really have good bass. Ipod buds actually have decent bass for buds, but that's not saying much. I'd recommend you get real headphones. They are actually more durable than buds and you'll get your bass frequencies (>100Hz) too. I have Senheiser eH150. They're about $40 i think and they have pretty good sound quality. I use them for music production as well as listening.
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actually yea you're right, I think i'm gonna get earbuds for ipod and earphones for computer
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Yuin PK2 are very good even for very normal looking earbuds. They were my favorite and most used until I gave them to my bro. Shure is overrated imo. I have their top-line E530 and it is not worth the $250 I paid for them. Super nice details but a more than annoying cutoff of high freqs. Creative EP630s are a good cheap ear canal choice and I've gone through 2 pairs already ... $25 I think. Koss KSC75 are also supergood cheap choice and a must-have imo ... the sound on this thing is amazing and is considered the best in terms of sound-quality to $ I think of any 'phone. There are lots of reviews and discussions on head-fi.org if you're interested.
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I have v-moda vibes and they're pretty awesome, not very durable though. Some other good companies to look at for IEMs are audeo, denon, ultimate ears. read reviews and try them out.
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They have some rather nice ones in Best Buy, they are usually small and only 20-30 dollars but are quite good. I forgot the name now but I will update this when I remember/look it up.
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I just got the Etymotic er-6is recently as well (lot of reviews have them priced around $150, but I think I found them for $75 which is part of the reason I got them). Love them so far when I've gotten to use them, but I wouldn't even consider using them for my computer over my sennheiser headset.
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On August 19 2009 12:15 lac29 wrote: Yuin PK2 are very good even for very normal looking earbuds. They were my favorite and most used until I gave them to my bro. Shure is overrated imo. I have their top-line E530 and it is not worth the $250 I paid for them. Super nice details but a more than annoying cutoff of high freqs. Creative EP630s are a good cheap ear canal choice and I've gone through 2 pairs already ... $25 I think. Koss KSC75 are also supergood cheap choice and a must-have imo ... the sound on this thing is amazing and is considered the best in terms of sound-quality to $ I think of any 'phone. There are lots of reviews and discussions on head-fi.org if you're interested.
+1 on the Koss KSC-75s
for their price, they're a great a value and worth more than the cost
http://www.amazon.com/Koss-KSC75-Portable-Stereophone-Headphones/dp/B0006B486K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1250752460&sr=8-1
they lack oomph in bass, but they're just so fun and lively to listen to. they're not perfect. they'll distort with some songs, but for headphones under $20, they're pretty amazing.
please note though that the KSC-75s have a 60 ohm impedance while the Sony MDR-EX75s have a 16 ohm impedance. what this means is that when plugging into a MP3 player, the MDR-EX75s will have a higher max volume than the KSC-75s. read link below for explanation on impedance.
http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/headphones.html
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v-moda vibes (in ear monitors) have amazing midrange and bass
they're pretty fragile though
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Smart money is on the Sennheiser PC350's, the sound quality is amazing, as is the bass if you have a good sound card.
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Austin10831 Posts
the Grado SR60's were the best ~$60 I ever spent. As said, they're quite impractical for travel, and the open can means everyone can hear your headphones, but the quality is really impressive.
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