Need help choosing some inexpensive (<$40) Sennheiser Earphones
Aug 9, 2013 at 4:44 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 9
skippytheturtle

skippytheturtle

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I am looking to buy some new Sennheiser Earphones. Looking in the <$40 price range. I listen to mostly techno, and house music. Although I listen to "bass heavy" music, I DO NOT like headphones where bass over powers everything, and mids and highs suck. I prefer a flatter frequency response (hope that's the right term) I have a pair of Sennheiser HD518 headphones and love them to death! 
 
Looking at these Feel free to recommend something else though :)
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-502544-CX200-Twist-to-Fit-Earbuds/dp/B001EZUQ5E/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1375761188&sr=1-2&keywords=sennheiser+earphones
 
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-CX-215-Earphones-Blue/dp/B005EIVKLQ/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1375761188&sr=1-6&keywords=sennheiser+earphones
 
Leaning Toward These
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Precision-Enhanced-Earbuds-Black/dp/B001EZYMF4/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1375761025&sr=1-1&keywords=sennheiser+earphones
 
Thanks for the help 
 
Aug 9, 2013 at 6:50 PM Post #2 of 9
Why only Sennheiser? For $40 or less there are many other better choices. For example,
the Sony MDR-EX210B for around $19 has 13.5 mm drivers and deep bass, however the bass sounds natural and not exaggerated. The Panasonic RPHJE450 for around $23 has 12.5mm drivers and prouces deep bass that is not exaggerated, as well as decent detail. It is very ergonomically shaped and imo fits great and is very comfortable. It is the IEM I use the most due to ut nice sound and great fit. It is ported though, so isolation isn't great. The Panasonic RPHJE355 for around $18 has more detail than the HJE450, but not as much bass impact since it has a smaller driver. The JVC HAFX40 for around $18 has great detail and good bass, however it is very bright, and some say it has too much treble.
 
I have the Sennheiser CX300, which is very much like the CX300II. The CX300 is okay, however imo the other earphones I mentioned above sound better than the CX300 and also cost less. The earphones I mentioned above are all more efficient than the CX300II. The CX300II is only around 95 db/mw(113 db/V 16 ohms) vs at least 102 db/mw for the other models I mentioned.
 
Aug 11, 2013 at 12:54 AM Post #3 of 9
Thank you for your reply! I will look into all of those. Other notes: I do not like in line volume control and a symmetrical cable is preferable. 
thank you so much! Other recommendations are greatly appreciated! :)
 
Aug 13, 2013 at 4:48 AM Post #4 of 9
I think I may go with The Panasonic RPHJE355. I am looking at earphones instead of headphones because I want portability and isolation. My hd 518s (which I LOVE and am listening to right now) are wayyy to open to be out in public with. :)
Are these panasonics ported at all? I also like the looks of these the best out of what you recommended to me. Also great reviews on amazon.
 
Any other recommendations would be great!!!
 
thank you so much 
 
Aug 13, 2013 at 8:49 AM Post #5 of 9
Quote:
skippytheturtle said:
I think I may go with The Panasonic RPHJE355. I am looking at earphones instead of headphones because I want portability and isolation. My hd 518s (which I LOVE and am listening to right now) are wayyy to open to be out in public with. :)
Are these panasonics ported at all? I also like the looks of these the best out of what you recommended to me. Also great reviews on amazon.
 
Any other recommendations would be great!!!
 
thank you so much 
Click to expand...

The RPHJE450 is ported. The HJE355 seems like it isn't ported. I just compared the HJE450, the HJE355, and the Soundmagic ES18. The ES18 is the least expensive of these, but also seems like it has the lowest build quality of the three. While I like the added detail that the HJE355 has over the HJE450, the larger  driver in the HJE450 give it better bass. The Soundmagic ES18 is fun to listen to and sounds very musical. It seems to have extra bass, Which some may like or dislike.
I love the way the ergonomic shape of the HJE450 gives it a great fit and great comfort. It is a pity that all IEMs aren't shaped like this. The Soundmagic ES18 is said to come very close in sound to the E10 but at 1/3 of the price. The E10 has better build quality(I haven't tried the E10, I just read plenty of reviews). So imo, either the HJE450 or HJE355 is worth getting, but for just $12 you should also get the Soundmagic ES18.
 
Aug 15, 2013 at 1:14 AM Post #6 of 9
For $39.55 USD I can have both the Panasonic RPHJE450  and the Panasonic RPHJE355.
Is it worth it to get both? Or should I just get the Panasonic RPHJE355. 
Are they so similar in sound that it would be hard to tell the difference between the two. 
 
thanks 
 
Aug 15, 2013 at 7:47 AM Post #7 of 9
Quote:
skippytheturtle said:
For $39.55 USD I can have both the Panasonic RPHJE450  and the Panasonic RPHJE355.
Is it worth it to get both? Or should I just get the Panasonic RPHJE355. 
Are they so similar in sound that it would be hard to tell the difference between the two. 
 
thanks 
Click to expand...

The HJE450 is my go to IEM, the one I use the most.. I love the very ergonomic shape that gives it great comfort and fit. Since it has 12.5mm drivers and the HJE355 has just 10.7mm ones, the HJE450 has more bass slam. The HJE355 is newer though, of the next generation and has greater detail. It is a pity that they don't yet make an HJE455, with the larger driver size of the HJE450 but with the greater detail of the HJE355. The HJE450 is ported, while the HJE355 seems to not be ported. I guess the ports help with the bass, however they also decrease isolation a bit. The HJE450 is physically much larger than the HJE355.
 
Aug 15, 2013 at 1:48 PM Post #8 of 9
I would highly recommend the Sennheiser CX150. The CX200 looks identical but is really lacking in the mid-bass area. It's really odd since they look like the exact same product but the CX150 is much better.
 
If you are looking for that signature "Sennheiser sound" then the CX150 is pretty much the perfect representative, without the boominess of the CX300 and cheaper to boot. I suspect this is why they were discontinued and replaced with a identical-looking model that doesn't sound quite as good.
 
I would also recommend the Philips SHE7005. They're similiar to the SHE3580/90 that so many people here like, but the overall build quality is better, the cord is more substantial, etc. and it has a bit more extension in the low end. The only problem with these is they're very small and if you have bigger earholes they might not fit very snugly.
 
Both of these should get you under your budget enough to get a six-pack of your favorite juice on the way home. :wink:
 
Nov 17, 2013 at 4:10 AM Post #9 of 9
jk1 said:
  Why only Sennheiser? For $40 or less there are many other better choices. For example,
the Sony MDR-EX210B for around $19 has 13.5 mm drivers and deep bass, however the bass sounds natural and not exaggerated. The Panasonic RPHJE450 for around $23 has 12.5mm drivers and prouces deep bass that is not exaggerated, as well as decent detail. It is very ergonomically shaped and imo fits great and is very comfortable. It is the IEM I use the most due to ut nice sound and great fit. It is ported though, so isolation isn't great. The Panasonic RPHJE355 for around $18 has more detail than the HJE450, but not as much bass impact since it has a smaller driver. The JVC HAFX40 for around $18 has great detail and good bass, however it is very bright, and some say it has too much treble.
 
I have the Sennheiser CX300, which is very much like the CX300II. The CX300 is okay, however imo the other earphones I mentioned above sound better than the CX300 and also cost less. The earphones I mentioned above are all more efficient than the CX300II. The CX300II is only around 95 db/mw(113 db/V 16 ohms) vs at least 102 db/mw for the other models I mentioned.
Click to expand...

 
Does the Panasonic RPHJE450 have a symmetric on non-symmetric cable?
 
thanks 
 
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