[Gluegun]

Okay, so my dad loves going out for walks with his iPhone, listening to books on tape, and he prefers to use canalphones.  However, he has gone through... many canalphones over the past few years. UE, Shure, Etymotic, etc. etc.  Generally. one of the sides starts working intermittently as the electrical connection in the wires gets shoddy.  It's usually near the earpiece itself.  Recently, he's decided that he doesn't want to have to spend a few seconds extracting himself from the canalphones in order to take a call, so he wants a canalphone/microphone combo.
 
So, with this in mind, what is the SINGLE most durable, most resistant of wire damage, sweat issues, or anything that will cause the damn thing to be flakey, canalphone type, iphone ready, microphone/iem on the market?
 
ALTERNATELY, what is the *cheapest*, somewhat durable, canalphone/microphone combo on the market?

 

[Gluegun]

Okay, so he's used some Logitech (I dont know the model number), some Shure SE110, some Etymotic ER6's, Some UE Superfi 4's, and now he is on V-Moda Faze's. Help?

 

[dfrost]

All the MEElec "P" models (M2P, M6P, M9P, M11+P, in order of ascending price) use a very durable, low microphonics cable. The mic/remote has a single button with multiple functions, but no volume control. The silver models look a little glitzy to me, but some like that. Black models have a more subtle, grayish cable. The sound quality with music is different between the various models (see reviews by joker, ClieOS and many others), but all should be fine with spoken word recordings. MSRP for the cheapest M2P is only $20, and MEElec has frequent sales that bring the others close to that price.

 

[a_recording]

I know you've tried Etymotic, but the new HF3/ MC3 headset models apparently have much improved cables. They are new out on the market, so long term reliabilit is unknown, but I have a pair of the new MC3's. The overall build really inspires confidence, with apparently kevlar coated cables and a two year warranty. I haven't seen anything around the MC3 price point ($99) with such a nice build, and I think the HF3's might be even a little better.
 
I really recommend that you encourage your dad to wear the cable under his shirt though. That solved wire issues most of the time with me.

 

[ljokerl]

I have both the MC5 and HF3 and the HF3 is definitely the sturdier of the two. Not sure if I'd encourage anyone to use a $180 earphone while sweating though so +1 to what dfrost said. Meelec earphones have excellent build quality, the (discontinued) M11P and M11P+ being the best of the bunch. Amazon had the M6P up for $29.99 yesterday but they're on pre-order now. Meelec was running some sort of promotion too but I've forgotten the coupon code. The M2P is also excellent for the $15 or whatever it costs.

 

[Gluegun]

So what ways of treatment can extend the life of the latest, the Faze's?

 

[stevenswall]

Mc3 and Mc5 are more durable than the Hf3 and Hf5... The housing is metal, the whereas on the Hf series, they are plastic. I bought a Mc5 and an Hf5 to do a comparison, and the Hf5 broke the second time I tried to change the tips. The Hf3 has the same driver housing, and as such, will have terrible durability.
 
To extend the life of a headphone cable, make sure they don't wrap it around the phone... coil it loosely around 4 fingers and store it in a pouch.

 

[Gluegun]

So I was looking at the Meelectronics M11P, and I found some reviews saying the build quality on these things is absolutely horrible.  Any idea what gives with that?

 

[ljokerl]

Not a clue. They've got metal shells, a thick cable, proper strain reliefs, etc, etc. Plus Meelec's warranty service is absolutely fantastic should you need it.
 
Quote:

So I was looking at the Meelectronics M11P, and I found some reviews saying the build quality on these things is absolutely horrible.  Any idea what gives with that?