[mswer]

Some background: my current primary set are in-ear phones are Etymotic er6i. I found the triple-flange tip to be a little too penetrating (

) and the depth of the double-flange to be fine, but I had trouble consistently getting a good seal, and I didn't like the feel of the rubbery material in my ear (especially if "moistened" as recommended by the Ety literature that came with). So, I've been regularly using the foam tips, and I'm generally very satisfied with this setup. The seal is great, I get satisfying bass response and I find them to be acceptably comfortable about 75% of the time.

The remaining 25% of the time, however, the outward pressure they exert on my inner ear irritates me. Especially when I'm on the bus to work in the morning, it's just a little bit more than I'm prepared for. Another fraction of the 25% I just find the in-your-brain sound to be too fatiguing.

So what I'm looking for a is a good quality (similar to the Ety er6i, which I believe is somewhere in the MOTL) headphone that won't leak much/any sound that still reproduces good high-fidelity sound but will be less fatiguing/pressuring. They would also be useful for watching Seinfeld etc. on my iPod, as really don't need stellar bass response and absolute noise cancellation for that sort of listening

I believe I spent around $75 for my Etys on eBay new in the package, and that is roughly what I'd be interested in spending for this pair (could go a bit higher if I saved up a bit, which isn't out of the question). Something that's not super-excessively clunky is a plus. The quality of the phones is more important to me than that they leak no sound, but I would like to be able to listen to them in public at a moderate volume without being "that guy."

By the way, I'm basically new around here (those of you on AK know me under the same handle there), so hello! Can't wait to hear your thoughts.

 

[Al Paccioli]

Yuin PK2, K81DJ, D1000

 

[jclinton46]

My only iem experience has been with ER-6i and JVC Marshmallows ($20). I had a problem with the Etys at first getting a comfortable fit. I called Etymotic customer service and asked for a sample pack of tips. I received a package about a week later with assorted sizes of double and triple flanges and foams. For me the right size made a great deal of difference with fit and comfort. Certainly worth a free phone call.

 

[Webrider]

Staying within your price range the Sennheiser CX300 might fit the bill and they aren't bad for bass as well.

 

[mswer]

Al, either this question gets asked all the time and that's the stock answer, or you really know your headphones. All three of those just about perfectly fit the bill for what I'm looking for and you even gave me a choice of different types of phones. The AKG K81DJ look like they're nearly perfect for what I'm looking for, and they even fold. Also, I'll be really interested to hear them and then consider doing the blue tack mod I've seen threads on here.

Incidentally, those Yuin PK2s look really nice, and come with cool accessories, but I'm looking for something totally out-of-ear for this set. If I want something in my ear in any way, I'm happy with my Etys.

Thanks for your thoughts so far!