[resiroth]

Gr, I hate making a new thread after just making one last week but circumstances have changed. I now have increased my budget to 250 dollars.

I made a previous thread that helped me determine the audio technica CK10 to be my best bet. The only problem is that the retailers selling it suck. A lot. Keenzo.com is going on the 3rd day w/o doing anything ( sent to warehouse ) so I am strongly considering canceling my order. I have decided to limit my search to only headphones that can be purchased with amazon prime on amazon. I wish I had the patience to wait over the weekend etc. but I just don't want to deal with it. Getting 1 day shipping for 4 dollars simply cannot be beat =).

What I found so far:

Shure E530 ( would have to be amazing for me to drop 280 on them but at least they're on amazon prime. The real issue is durability. )
Etymotic ER-4P (167 dollars is pretty good, generally well received, don't have durability issues )
Klipsch Custom-3(~165 dollars not the best reviews, some gripes about comfort etc. )
The last earphones I'm considering are pretty ridiculously expensive. At 330 dollars I'd expect aural sex essentially. I hear they have removable cords as well and with my recently expanded budget these are not SO far out of budget. They're an option but I'd like them to be a significant step up beyond the CK10 which currently are ALLEGEDLY being sold for ~220 on keenzo after shipping + tax. I'm interested in how they might feel but no one seems to complain about comfort so I suppose they'd be fine. http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Ears-...pr_product_top TF10.

I'm going to keep waiting for another day I guess and hope keenzo comes through. If they don't I hope to have some backups. Thoughts on these alternative headphones? Thanks!

PS: I like how I started my search considering headphones <100 dollars and ended up here =P.

 

[rawrster]

are the last earphones the tf10? you never mentioned what they were..

 

[resiroth]

Yes sorry, I edited my OP to say that. Doh.

 

[mark2410]

really? no one complains about fit on the triples? they do round here

of thase you mention my favs are the 530 but you dont really say what it is your looking for

 

[resiroth]

"For reference I listen to electronic music that does have some bass but it isn't the classic "UNCE UNCE UNCE" music. I also enjoy rock, a bit of heavy metal ( no screamo ), and classical."
From my first post. Those are the types of music I listen to. I'm mostly concerned with a somewhat durable pair of good IEMs. Not like rugged or anything, it just needs to not fall apart through regular use ( which I hear the shure 530s do =( ). If you have any experience with them that would be appreciated. How do the shure 530s compare to the tf10 in terms of sound quality and comfort? Have you had to return them due to a broken cord? Thanks!

 

[mark2410]

ive had no chord problems with mine but then i dont use them every day or even every week at times.

for me the 530 beat the tf10 on most things especially unamped but im not sure the 530 would be my first choice for electronic stuff. the 530 is a more mellow IEM and you listen to more aggressive stuff so the tf10 may be better for you. um3x might also suit you depending on how much treble you want, the tf10 may be a bit much for you

 

[AmanGeorge]

The price of the TF10 is not reflective of it being in a different league from the Shure or the Ety, it's just reflective of it being, well, more expensive to buy. I think your decision should come down to your sound preferences.

 

[3X0]

ER-4P is the best for the genres you've mentioned IMHO.

 

[silentmeloud]

Etys are great, but with decent source. I like to put bass up on my player. Still - one of the best IEM even compairing to TF10, but different!

 

[ocZZ]

get the IE7's for 170 @ ecost

 

[resiroth]

Ok so the tf10 are not hugely superior compared to the E530. I guess they're out. I'd love to buy the um3x but they are definitely out of budget ( trying to get away from shady retailers on ebay that sell it for 340 and headphone solutions sells them for 380 so both are out of my price range. )
Considering:
ER-4p: low price, apparently good with aggressive music? How are the tips? Some people have complained about fit/getting a good seal.
Klipsch Custom-3: Does anyone know anything about these? they're ~230 dollars and seem like a possibility.
Shure E530: ~280, a bit expensive but seem high quality. There are some concerns with cable durability though and I'd definitely need to get them through an authorized dealer.Currently the 280 dollar price is offered by Z Electria and fulfilled by amazon so I'm not sure if that qualifies. Amazon charges 450 so if that's the only way I can get service for them they're out.
How do these compare to the audio technica ck10? ( still says sent to warehouse ).

EDIT: Woot keenzo was shipping, they just didn't update anything. I'm going with the ck10 and am ecstatic =P. Keenzo should really update to say if they've shipped or not, they don't have the best reputation with plenty of people getting "sent to warehouse" for months. Any idea how they compare to the other headphones I was considering? Thanks!

 

[acolyte289]

Newer Shures no longer have bad cables. They aren't the best but they are no longer crap like they used to be.

That said warranty service seems to be somewhat hit and miss (from what I've read here) for people who bought from unauthorized dealer online or don't have receipt. If mine give out before the datecode shows they are 2 yrs old I will be sure to let Shure know I am a Head-Fi'er when I ask them nicely to replace it. That said I take very good care of mine and expect them to last past that, no sign of stiffening cables like with my scl4 and other past Shure phones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by acolyte289 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Last I read on here, they generally will replace if the unit is under two years old. With fairly new ones you can tell manufacture date by the four digit number on the plug. First three digits are the day of year (1-365), and last digit is year (for example 7 would be 2007). If this is within two years I believe they will honor warranty. I sure hope so or I will be very cross with them if my se530 give out before next summer. They show no signs of doing so at least . New cables really are far improved.

I think its fairly well agreed on head-fi that they are well worth $280 but definitely not worth $450.

 

[LeonWho]

Audio-Technica ATH-CK10 Stereo Earphone - ATHCK10A - Headphones - AUDIO - TECHNICA Headphones - TheNerds.net

They are a good retailer.

Oh, and I'd recommend the Head-Direct RE0. Way under your budget, yet better or equal to the ones you mentioned.