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Can't Decide: Jay q-JAYS or a pair of Shure's?

post #1 of 27
1/29/08 at 2:05am
Thread Starter 
Hello

I'm trying to buy my first pair of IEMs and I'm having trouble deciding what to get. I'd prefer to stay sub-$200 so I was looking at these:

* Jay q-JAYS
* Shure SE210
* Shure SCL3
* Shure SE310

I thought about the Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 PRO but I'm seeing a lot of complaints about it's size so I think I'm not as keen on those. I've seen great reviews on the Jay's like on iLounge but it seems like you can get the Shure's a discount whereas the Jay's don't seem to offer any. The other thing is I've heard from people who've bought Shure's that the company is great about repairs/problems whereas I don't know anything about Jay.

I found a great deal on the SE530s ($350) but that seems a big excessive for my first pair of IEMs and I tend to throw my iPod/headphones in my pocket and I'm worried about doing that with those.

Any thoughts/opinions? I'm open to other suggestions as well.

Thanks!
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post #2 of 27
1/29/08 at 2:27am
Out of those four that you listed, I would rule out the SCL3. It's the same thing as the E3c and I wasn't too crazy about it.. lack of bass and very little treble. q-Jays are apparently pretty balanced sounding and SE530 gets overall pretty positive feedback around here.
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post #3 of 27
1/30/08 at 12:14am
Thread Starter 
Yeah I've heard that as well so I'll knock those out of the running. I've also heard that the SE210 are almost as good if not as good as the SE310 in most respects especially confort which has me wondering if they are worth the extra money. So that's part of my debate as well.
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post #4 of 27
1/30/08 at 1:17am
go with the JAYS, I've found the shure line especially disappointing unless you are willing to fork out the big bucks

also consider the UE super.fi5, they seem to have quite a following around here
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post #5 of 27
1/30/08 at 1:46am
Get the q-JAYS you're not gonna be disappointed. I'm listening to mine now and I love them. Their size is just amazing, I mean they're tiny. No problem keeping them in my pocket with my iPod.

They're a great company too, great with customers.
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post #6 of 27
1/30/08 at 1:51am
Thread Starter 
My only real fear with the JAYS is I don't know much about their return policy. Everyone I know who's used sure's love them. Plus I've heard you need to replace the filter because it get clogged every couple of weeks. Any issue with your filters or in what capacity have you had to deal with customer service?
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post #7 of 27
1/30/08 at 2:04am
Well, the SE210s are the replacement for the E3s, so I don't know that they'd even touch the SE310s. They won't if the differences between the two are as apparent as those between the E3 and E4.
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post #8 of 27
1/30/08 at 7:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by IbrahimSS View Post
My only real fear with the JAYS is I don't know much about their return policy. Everyone I know who's used sure's love them. Plus I've heard you need to replace the filter because it get clogged every couple of weeks. Any issue with your filters or in what capacity have you had to deal with customer service?
Customer service as I heard is excellent! They were very kind if I asked something, and the others who had any problem, got an exchange pair very soon.

About the filters: I had to change it regularly, because I used the smallest (xxs, no size comparable to other brands) and they are too short. Since I swapped them to one size bigger (size maybe the small by shure or smaller) i didnt' have to change it. I only can advise not to use the smallest eartip, You can chose from another 4 different size though.... they come with 6 pair 5 is different (You get 2 pair of the most popular medium size)
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post #9 of 27
1/30/08 at 11:41am
The Q-Jays. I had the Shure SE210 or SE310 and returned them. They sounded terrible. I have Ety 6 and 4s. The Q-Jays are the best of the lot. While the sound may be somewhat hard to distinguish between the 4s and Q-jays (the Jays have a punchier sound, which may or may not be good for you), but the fit is much better. The Jays are very comfortable. They fit deep in the ear and don't catch on hoods and scarves like the ety's do. Also, you just don't notice them in your ears as much. That being said, the sound isolation isn't as good as the ety's.

A couple of cons: They are small. If you have big fingers they may be difficult to extract. The cord is short. You'll need to use an included extension if you want longer. Whether the extension influences sound, I don't know. Finally, as noted above, there are filters that need changing. I've had mine for a few weeks and I've already had to change the filter (but I think that is a given with all the IEM I've had).
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post #10 of 27
1/30/08 at 11:50am
Q-jays for win.
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post #11 of 27
1/30/08 at 3:08pm
I have auditioned Shure SE210 and SE310 briefly and I believe that the SE310 is a very noticeable step up from the SE210 (or E3) - it has much better extension in the highs and better bass. However, the Q-jays, although I have never heard them, seem to be an even better choice than SE310 - they are much smaller and supposedly sound more in the league with Shure SE530 according to some reviews I have read about them.
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post #12 of 27
1/30/08 at 5:34pm
The other negative is no foamies for the q-jays yet AFAIK. Those worked best for me w/ the Shures, so I'm still trying to decide whether to upgrade to the E530's or the q-jays from my E4c's..
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post #13 of 27
1/30/08 at 5:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kenyee View Post
The other negative is no foamies for the q-jays yet AFAIK. Those worked best for me w/ the Shures, so I'm still trying to decide whether to upgrade to the E530's or the q-jays from my E4c's..
It is said the Jays foamies are on their way, and will be including in the new q-Jays packing!! Pet-Ced from Jays said it in another topic.

In other hand, what eartips You use is up to You. You can buy shure's and put them on if You like. I read about someone putting Shure olive foamies on them.

I want to try it too, but I cant get any now, maybe I will wait for the Jays foamies to arrive, and see how they look like.
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post #14 of 27
1/30/08 at 6:18pm
True. There will be foamies within the package on q-JAYS, q-JAYS LE, d-JAYS, d-JAYS LE (Maroon red, sea blue) and they will also be available as accessories (5 pairs). In the package from next delivery mid february and as accessories a few weeks later.
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post #15 of 27
1/30/08 at 9:08pm
Thread Starter 
Wow... that was an overwhelming concensus... I'm going with the JAYS...
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