Headphones for Track and Field meets

OK, I'm going to say this right now, there is no IEM that will work for warming up, they all provide an amount of bone conduction (thumps that conduct through the body).  However, going past that give any of the following a try:

• Phonak PFE 0xx*: Well balanced, mids a bit covered up, nice V-shape though.
• ThinkSound TS02*: Beautifully crafted bass (although a bit on the heavy side), with great clarity and detailing in the midrange while still keeping treble detail and sparkle intact.
• Dunu Trident: Nicely blaanced IEM with great bass that digs deep along with clear mids and lively highs
• Brainwavz M4*: V-shaped IEM with Powerful bass clear mids and high end clarity and detail
• Brianwavz M3: Mid-heavy IEM with great bass and highs.
• Brainwavz M1: Balanced sound entirely
• MEE CC51*: Deep V-shape with impactful bass and sparkly highs. 

The ones with a star (*) next to them have a remote and mic option.  For your genres I'd recommend the following in order of best preference for the genres to worst: TS02, M4, PFE, CC51.

EDIT: Read your price range wrong, I thought it said under 100 :p  Give me a second.

EDIT 2:

• PFE 1xx*: Same as 0xx but with better balance overall (black filters).
• B&W C5: Although they are a tad overpriced for the SQ you get, the SQ still is good and worth a listen.  Powerful bass (sometimes too powerful) with clear mids that ride the line of being harsh.  Highs can be a tad edgy, but are detailed nonetheless.
• FutureSonics Atrios: For bassheads, still great quality though.

Of all the above, I'd still keep the TS02s in there, C5s do work for your genres though along with FutureSonics.  I honestly would lean towards FutureSonics.

Quote:

Originally Posted by geigerm 

Greatly appreciate the detailed post about possible headphone choices. As far as I saw through your links, seemed like you only mentioned in-ear headphones. What about over the head headphones? Which ones would be better for long bus rides and etc? I have no problem wearing over the head headphones as long as they aren't huge, making me look like a ******.

 

Both will work, however, buses can become loud pretty quickly (I run track to and have first hand experience of this :p), and many headphoens will not isolate enough.  From the list above, the following IEMs will isolate enough, the rest can be taken out (forgot about that sorry):

• ThinkSound TS02
• Dunu Trident
• MEE CC51
• B&W C5

I haven't been able to test Future Sonics with isolation, only small experience through a few auditions.

I don't know much about over-the-ear headphones, but this thread would probably help:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/433318/shootout-96-portable-headphones-reviewed-v-moda-m-80-added-11-27-11

From what it says there, the ones you're looking at are pretty good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by geigerm 

Thanks for that information tinyman392.

 

As far as noise canceling is concern, so far I have not had issues with noise on bus's/van's while going to track meets (currently a Junior). The only time noise really becomes an issue is on flights, so while it would be priority to have it, it is not a necessity by all means. If there are "better quality" headphones out there that don't offer great noise cancellation I would be willing to make the sacrifice.

 

You mention in your first post that pretty much no IEMs will work "well" for warming up... if that is the case, would it be smart to go with a on/over the ear headphone? A lot of my teammates have the beats by dre and they say that they work fine while warming up. Personally, I like beats by dre but that's why I am checking in here before making a "stupid" purchase. I feel like I am paying for the name rather than the quality of the headphones. Are there any on/over the ear headphones that you would suggest or is the quality just that superior with IEMs?

 

What about these: Audio-Technica ATH-M50

The Audio Technica's you stated are really high quality.  The only problem with using on/over ears for warmups is that these have some nice weight to them.  It can easily put some stress on your neck, which will do more bad then good in the end. 

For headphones, you should try them on and listen to them if you can. I suggest you use a very compact headphone while very active, perhaps something like the JVC HAS160(only around $10-15) or the JVCHAS650($34) which has more bass and better detail than than the HAS160. These are closed and isolate somewhat, especially the HAS650.

For use while not so active, a larger closed headphone that isolates better may make sense. Something like the Sony V6($95) or ZX700($120) or perhaps the Koss pro DJ100($80)

or JVC HAM750($40). For use while flying or on a bus, a very isolating IEM makes sense. Something like the Etymotic MC5( $59)  provides great isolation.

For use while very active it makes sense to use a low priced headphone, and a low priced MP3 player such as the Sandisk Clip+($35) with excellent sound quality. It is quite likely that whatever you use while active will get broken soon enough. Save your more expensive gear for when you are not so active.

The Meelectronics M6 would be a great choice for sports use. It's a great sounding phone, and it's shape allows it to sit flush against your ears.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eke2k6 

The Meelectronics M6 would be a great choice for sports use. It's a great sounding phone, and it's shape allows it to sit flush against your ears.

Remove the memory wires if you're doing this, they can conduct some noise nicely :p  Phonak PFEs are another idea as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinyman392 

Remove the memory wires if you're doing this, they can conduct some noise nicely :p  Phonak PFEs are another idea as well.

I didn't really mind the wires, but I guess that can apply to some. Besides, the m6 can be had for less than $20