[Xirus]

I bought the Klipsch Image X10s about a year and a half ago for $125 (Ultimate Electronics), and I pretty much loved everything about the sound quality and comfort. Mine had experienced a little tearing at the strain reliefs (apparently not that uncommon), but I was going to live with them.
 
Of course, nothing ever goes according to plan. I lost them

. Since I'm leaving for college in a few weeks, I need to buy some replacements soon, and that's where the problem lays. What IEMs would you guys recommend around $200 that offer sound quality comparable to X10's (or better...)? The X10's seem to be known for their warm sound and strong bass, so anything along those lines is fair game.
 
I would prefer earphones that are easy to put in, so no squeezing expanding foams, or wrapping around the ear (I had some Shure SE210s before) and something more durable than the X10s. I've also had some Ultimate Ears (SuperFi 4 and 5's) but the experience wasn't exactly what I was looking for, at least from what I can remember.
 
Any suggestions? I'll be using them on a Zune HD and MacBook Pro with no amp.

 

[mvw2]

Custom 3?  Despite being discontinued, they are still available on eBay, and they are technically better than the X10 (Klipsch's words).  I'm not sure how close they sound to each other though despite being the same brand and developed by the same engineers..  As for the whole durability thing, meh.  I have yet to have problems despite the cable being laughable.  Also, the foams don't have to be squished.  Depending on what you're using and what you require from the insertion, you can many times just push them in and leave it at that.  The Shure foam tips, commonly referred to as "Olives" are good about that because they are firmer design and with a tapered end.  It's one you can squeeze but typically don't.  You just sort of press in and done.  Also the Shure foams don't color the sound.  Something like the Comply foams tend to soak up a bit of the highs and change the overall sound of the earphone.  The Shure foams don't which is nice.
 
I've never used the X10, so I can't really comment on what is like them in sound signature.  I just see the Custom 3 as a safe bet because they were developed by the same engineers with the same goals.  It's also a really good sounding product on its own and well balanced to suit a lot of people and a lot of music types. 

 

[lucozade]

x2 on the custom 3 

 

[Xirus]

I found the Custom 3's for $99, which is really tempting, but I'm not confident I want to resort back to the around-the-ear style. It just makes it a chore.
 
Either way, I'll definetly be looking into them some more.

 

[lucozade]

Quote:

I found the Custom 3's for $99, which is really tempting, but I'm not confident I want to resort back to the around-the-ear style. It just makes it a chore.
 
Either way, I'll definetly be looking into them some more.

they are very easy to put on as the part of the cord that goes around the ears is a firm memory wire so it stays in shape when you take them off

 

[Anaxilus]

Nothing that I have put in my ears matches the comfort and isolation of the Klipsch X5/10.  Sound is above average on my x5 (8/10).

 

[BRCMRGN]

At $100, the Custom 3 is a great deal. I use mine almost every day. I did have to replace the Klipsch oval tips with Sony Hybrids to get a good fit, but sound is very good. I have a set of Image X5 and the Custom 3 is better in every way except for the goofy cable.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

At $100, the Custom 3 is a great deal. I use mine almost every day. I did have to replace the Klipsch oval tips with Sony Hybrids to get a good fit, but sound is very good. I have a set of Image X5 and the Custom 3 is better in every way except for the goofy cable.

And comfort and isolation.

 

[lucozade]

Had my custom 3 in my ears for the last two days with monster hybrid foam tips on Playing the quicksilver messenger service on them at the moment, they sound fantastic.
 
I had forgot how good these c3's sound , they may even regain there thrown as my favorite sounding earphone before long 

 

[Xirus]

How about the Monster Turbine Pro Gold? OneCall has them for $179 (open-box). Any better/worse than the Custom 3's?

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

How about the Monster Turbine Pro Gold? OneCall has them for $179 (open-box). Any better/worse than the Custom 3's?

Well, if you are looking at all these other phones then I assume you are no longer looking for a package similar to the X10 and just care about SQ now.  Maybe you need to revise you initial post a bit.

 

[Xirus]

Quote:

Well, if you are looking at all these other phones then I assume you are no longer looking for a package similar to the X10 and just care about SQ now.  Maybe you need to revise you initial post a bit.

Well, I stumbled upon the Monster's because they supposedly offer a similar sound (warm, good bass), but your right. I'll update my post so as to not seem so restrictive.

 

[josesol07]

Damn!! I wrote a detailed comparison between X10 and DBA-02, but the PC played a nasty game on me before I could reply.
Fischer Audio DBA-02 are way better than X10 which I used to love!
there is no contest. Price? $145 right now on pre-order.
I like them that much that I'm purchasing another pair as back-up, after even being tempted by earsonics ES3 and the like.
I hope this helps you
regards
Jose

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Damn!! I wrote a detailed comparison between X10 and DBA-02, but the PC played a nasty game on me before I could reply.
Fischer Audio DBA-02 are way better than X10 which I used to love!
there is no contest. Price? $145 right now on pre-order.
I like them that much that I'm purchasing another pair as back-up, after even being tempted by earsonics ES3 and the like.
I hope this helps you
regards
Jose

So the ES3 was gonna be your DBA-02 backup?  

 

[josesol07]

lol, actually, by the price the SM3 goes on the American dealer I was considering expending that much to get to a higher SQ level, but I'm not convinced paying twice the DBAs price would get a significant improvement to justify the expenditure. So,I played safe.