Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphones, Earphones and In-Ear Monitors › Trying to find reasonably-priced short-cord canalphones to use with an armband at the gym. Suggestions needed.
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Trying to find reasonably-priced short-cord canalphones to use with an armband at the gym. ...

post #1 of 3
7/13/10 at 3:58pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for checking my thread.  I've searched the forum but have been unable to find a pair of canalphones like what I am looking for.  I'm not even sure if what I'm looking for exists.

 

My requirements:

  • Priced under $40 (preferably under $30)
  • Sound isolation
  • Short cord for use with my Zune and an armband
  • Decent sound quality

 

Please let me know if you are aware of a canalphone that meets these criteria.

 

The only pair I've found that comes close is the Sennheiser CX400.  I bought a pair that on ebay that I assume were knockoffs.  They sounded pretty good but they build quality was bad as I started losing sound in one ear after only a couple of weeks.  Are the ones for sale on Amazon in the $30 range authentic?

 

Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

Sennheiser CX300-B Earbuds (Black)
Sennheiser CX300-W Earbuds (White)
HEAD-DIRECT RE2 In-ear Headphones
post #2 of 3
7/13/10 at 4:37pm

Ones you might want to try:

Soundmagic PL30

Another set of Sennheisers (maybe CX300)

Head-Direct RE-2

 

I've not used any head-direct 'phones before myself, but there are a few threads on here where people have used them. The Senn CX300 are a set I've kept kicking around in kit-bags for a couple of years with no major problems (I'm on my second set) they're cheap, cheery and sound fine. They're also pretty robust, they don't sound as good as more expensive models, but you aren't afraid of them breaking. The Soundmagic PL30 have gotten decent reviews and I have used the PL50 model - it sounded pretty good.

 

As for cord length. I think you're just going to have to tie it up or hide it away. The only 'phones with short cords are ones like the Shure's and the cords on those is too short for reaching an armband. One thing you will want to check (if you can) is how securely they fit in your ears if you're going to be doing any exercise with them.

 

Finally, welcome to Head-Fi.

Reply
post #3 of 3
7/13/10 at 7:32pm

I personally feel like the RE2's would not be the best in this case.  I've tried a lot of different tips, and have found their isolation to be pretty poor.  My gym set is actually just a cheap pair of skullcandy iems (closed).  they were $15 at office max.  I've found that their combination of good isolation, solid fit, and deep bass (which may not be the best in a quieter environment) is perfect for my workouts.

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home

Gear mentioned in this thread:

Sennheiser CX300-B Earbuds (Black)
Sennheiser CX300-W Earbuds (White)
HEAD-DIRECT RE2 In-ear Headphones
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphones, Earphones and In-Ear Monitors › Trying to find reasonably-priced short-cord canalphones to use with an armband at the gym. Suggestions needed.