In-Ear Monitors and Working Out - Page 2

I've used Ety4s for a number of years.  They are built tough.  The wire hasn't hardened at all from the sweat.  While the microphonics are a pain, the isolation (esp. w/ Comply tips) is well worth it.  I pair them with an Arrow amp in a little bag (discontinued from HeadRoom many years ago) with a clip on my waistband.  

 

For working out I think the HF-series is a little better of a choice since you can wear over the ear.  Yes, you lose SQ, but you lose that already due to microphonics and bone conduction.  

I agree with the theory of not using expensive IEM's in a gym environment (there are some great sounding bargain basement IEM's out there these days) but I also sympathasize with you wanting the best sound possible. However you also mentioned using them for prolonged periods during the day so I would definitely go with customs if you aren't too worried about trashing them. Put "cheapest custom IEM's" into the search engine and that will give you some good places to start within your budget.

Sympathasize?  I really do speak English. Honest. 

I have used Etymotic ER6i IEMs now for years while working out. They are very light weight, and are not overly unstable. I have run with them with no problems. The cord, and clip, works fine, with minimal motion noise.

They have silicone sleeves, and replaceable filters, so that your sweat and ear wax don't trash your IEMs.

Current iPod Nano and the ER6i IEMs make a great team. You can even hook the Nano to a cap, and not have flying wires.

Ultimate sound? No, but pretty dang goog for workout gear.

As an aside, I tried running with my custom IEMs. The UE-10pros made a pretty loud thumping while going up and down in my ear canal with every foot fall. As well, they were hotter and sweatier in my ear. I only did that once.

Of course, you are hearing from someone who used to run holding the cassette Walkman, and a pair of those yellow Koss foam headphones.

This is why I highly recommend  the B&W C5- for me they are the best balance of secure fit for activity, high sound quality and price

 

For working out, they are great.  But I didn't feel they had high quality for the price.  The veil was just too much for me :(  There was some mud as well.  

I don't completely disagree, but are we in agreement they are a much better alternative to the Monster ISport?

 

I haven't heard the iSport, so I can't comment.  Monster isn't as bad of a company as people put them out to be.  The Beats line was a bad line.  The Turbine line is well respected.  Some of their newer offerings aren't as bad as you'd think :p

And we're talking about working out.  I sweat very heavily when I do and I wouldn't feel comfortable with most non-sport earphones not being trashed.  The main draw of the iSport is they are waterproof which is perfect for working out.  I actually like that I can clean them when I'm done so they don't get so grimy.  My brother wears a pair of Bose IE2s when he exercises and he swears by them and their warranty (he's a bit easy to sell by marketing...) because he's gone through like 8 pairs at this point and he's sure its because he uses them to work out.

 

I'll never claim the iSport has amazing sound but if you can tell how good your earphones are while you're working out you should probably actually start doing something ;)

Spend your budget on what you want, without getting them customized > save for remolding, get that done when you can is my suggestion.