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Giz Explains: Why You Can't Get Decent Earphones for Less Than $100

post #1 of 15
10/6/09 at 2:16am
Thread Starter 
Giz Explains: Why You Can't Get Decent Earphones for Less Than $100 - Earbuds - Gizmodo
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post #2 of 15
10/6/09 at 4:34am
Well, interesting article with some truth, but not really informative. I would have loved some facts& figures, which could prove the cost of production on more expensive units like the 530, and not the R&D money being pushed onto the consumer.
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post #3 of 15
10/6/09 at 6:03am
Lol i hate the comments. People preferring Apple buds over Shures and such, pfft. Like seriously, I can honestly say I prefer 10 yr old piece of junk $5 Sony earphones over my Ultimate Ears Metro.Fi 100. Does that stop me from getting Westone UM3X $350 earphones? No, actually I'm getting some within the next few weeks I reckon
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post #4 of 15
10/6/09 at 8:10am
Haha @ their implication that "boomy bass" and "sizzly treble" is a good thing.
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post #5 of 15
10/6/09 at 8:39am
Well that was an utter and complete waste of 1) my time 2) processing power 3) energy 4) that guy's time in that order.

His argument is so generalized it becomes irrelevent. His point about how single drivers can be amazing may be valid but futuresonic customs aren't the best example of that - they're dynamic aren't they? Etymotic perhaps?

And you do get decent sub-$100 earphones like the PL50, addiems, etc etc
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post #6 of 15
10/6/09 at 9:30am
"Unless you derive some sick pleasure from jogging with a pair of giant cans bolted to your head, earbuds are the way to go."

My experience is that in-ear buds are not good for running: sweat builds up destroying the sound, and making it impossible to get the buds back in after allowing the built up sweat to escape as the ear canal sides are damp.
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post #7 of 15
10/6/09 at 9:41am
The most annoying claim was, that you can't really hear the difference between 20$ and 500$ phones, unless you have some kind of superman ears....
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post #8 of 15
10/6/09 at 10:00am
The most annoying comment was that it is best to get neutral sounding 'phones so you can EQ it up, because there is no difference in bass quality amoung them, only quantity. What a joke, yes lets over compensate and make muddy the bass of neutral earphones. You like bass? skip that subwoofer, just EQ it!
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post #9 of 15
10/6/09 at 2:38pm
"Interestingly, Fremer says what you're looking for in great earbuds is "a relatively flat frequency response so no frequency is accentuated above another," so "the product that sounds the best is usually the one that impresses you the least at first." Buds that tout big bass, for instance, don't actually have better bass, just more of it. (You can always adjust the EQ if you want more bass.)"

ER4S!
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post #10 of 15
10/6/09 at 3:37pm
Aside from the obvious truisms--cheap, crappy materials+cheap, crappy build=cheap, crappy sound--I didn't find the article that bad. For the average reader, who's probably wondering why earphone quality is even worth caring about, this is a good primer. The word about price drops for last-generation models is a handy one, too. (Remember when the Shure SCL5s were $600 phones?)
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post #11 of 15
10/6/09 at 4:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ibis99 View Post
ER4S!
Sound terrible with any EQ settings other thsn flat as they are extremely revealing. Don't get me wrong, I love the Ety's.
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post #12 of 15
10/6/09 at 5:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Blood_Raven View Post
Sound terrible with any EQ settings other thsn flat as they are extremely revealing. Don't get me wrong, I love the Ety's.
I never said EQ them. I have this strange illness where I will yell out "ER4S!"
it even happens in public places. I have had many iem's but ety's er4 remains my favorite.

As for the article it's fine for the average Joe. Just judging from the comments at the end of the article I would say most people just don't get what good music sounds like when paired with a good set of phones. Too bad for them!
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post #13 of 15
10/6/09 at 6:02pm
I think all Etys sound terrible without a boost in lower end EQ.

Too sterile, shrilly and cold sounding to my ears.
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post #14 of 15
10/6/09 at 6:27pm

Interesting article, but not good

I have some Shures I got on clearance for $20, and some JBL (really AKG) for $10 that seem pretty good. And lets see, the Koss KSC-75 for $8 at RatShack, and....

How do these bones get a job writing on blogs?
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post #15 of 15
10/6/09 at 7:30pm
Great troll, or greatest troll?

I'll let you decide after we reach page 10.
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