Let's face it... we all want great stuff... just don't want to pay great money for them! Especiallly true is the case for people like myself who are married with kids.

I've tried (and disliked) Shure's E2c earbuds ($60) but it left to be desired personally. Though I own Sennheiser HD-497 at work and use HD-535 at home, I needed portability. Lurking my Zen 20 GB or laptop around, I didn't need huge phones to listen to and carry in addition of.

I then came across peeps at head-fi.org who mentioned AKG's K14P. AKG is a very established European company with excellent line of headphones and is on the same order of Sennheiser (at least in my books!). And to top it off, I found one from SamAsh.com for $20 (plus wunderbar $3 shipping)! So needless to say, I decided to jump the bandwagon and give it a try.

It's a very simple earbud and it is (unfortunately, but expectedly) made in China. Oh well. But what are you going to do when you pay $20 for it! Cosmetically, there's nothing bad (or good) about it. But the downside was the comfort factor, or rather the lack of. It is very harsh in my ears. I used to own Aiwa's earbuds... the ones with rubberized air bubble around the earbuds and so they fit in very snuggly and comfortably for hours. Though I did find less painful way of inserting them in my ears, I still find it not useable for longer periods of time (> 1 hour).

HOWEVER, the upside is that they sound awesome! Music comes out very clear and clean! For $20, it rivals my ex... Shure E2c, that is! Bass is not very heavy or present of course, as expected, but not absent. It is in the mids and the highs that it shows its prowess! Or as you young ones say these days: "It 4wns!" I just wish there was a way to make them more comfortable! Dang it... 7.5/10

Pro: Awesome sound and portability for even more awesome price!

Con: Hurts your ears and very uncomfortable like ______ (fill in the blank with your obscene language).

K14p: Great mids, no bass.

mx550: Waaaaay too bright, no bass.

mx400/500: Ballanced, has bass.

You might like the new white JVC plug with volume control or the
Creative/Sharp plug.

Koss has a new white bud. Don't know what it sounds like.

Hey AlphaOmega, thanks for the inputs...
Do you know the model number of that JVC buds you are referring to?
How much do MX400 and MX500 run?

Hey Pete, awesome review.
Although, I have a 2 questions for you though about the shure e2c since you mentioned you have them and disliked them. I'm thinking of picking up a pair shure e2c- what did you not like about them? And I know it might be hard to compared in-the-ear and full sized headphones, but how does the e2c compare to the Sennheiser HD-497 only in terms of sound quality? Are they close?

Again nice review,
thanks

The JVCs referred to are probably JVC HA FX-55. I tried them and I found that I had difficulties easily getting a good seal (and I wasn't sure if I ever had the right ear sealed). So I will probably return them, assuming I can be bothered to and buy.com allows me (since the package, once opened, cannot be returned to original state).

The SONY E10 buds are better than AKG k12p/k14p and Sennheiser
MX400/500/450/550.

The E10's are clear sounding, have bass, and are very comfortable due to their small size and shape. They are inexpensive (half the price of the other buds) but the sound quality is very high. They look like toys but sound great!

I haven't heard the JVC HP-FX55V white plug with volume control myself
but a lot of other people on the net say they are great. One guy
said they didn't fit his ear though. He should try the SONY E10's.

E10's cost $15(Canadian); The Sennheisers cost $40(Canadian).

Quote:



Thanks, jumpinjohn.
Shure E2c, I got it USED for $55! So I'd expect much better fit AND quality... However, I found it to be bit lacking in bass (though that is heavily dependent on how well you plug your ears!) and rather tricky and time-consuming to put them in.

As for pure SQ comparison to HD-497, it's a no-contest! HD-497 is waaaay much clearer all across the ranges!! 497 just blows it away! I was only planning on needing occasional usage out of AKG K14P when I had to travel with lappy or something...