[tsj5j]

I enjoy my music alot, and my last pair of earphones broke, so I'm looking for a replacement.
As I'm pretty casual (not an audiophile), I'm looking to spend $50 and get the best bang for my buck.

So far, I've used:
- SoundMagic PL30 - I don't how to describe it. Sound sounds 'hollow'.
- Beta Brainwavz ($20) - Loved this, but broke after a year of use.

With a $50 budget I'm looking at:
- SoundMagic PL50 - Looks very hyped up, interesting/positive reviews.
- Creative Aurvana In-Ear (not the v2) - 50% promotion + I've used their MP3 players before, decent.
- Ultimate Ears MF170 - I've heard they are a pretty well-known brand.

Generally, I like a solid sound/base with decent clarity.
Noise isolation is also pretty important due to the relatively noisy environment I listen music in.

Any other suggestions (within my budget) is appreciated, but please note I reside in Asia, hence any suggestions not on the list should hopefully come with a site with international shipping.

 

[dlbernau]

The NuForce NE6 (or NE7 if you have an iphone or newer ipod). $49@ Amazon. Very full balanced sound for the price.

If you can go to $70 the Denon 751 is on sale at Amazon, I really like mine.

Good luck!

 

[ClieOS]

How can you break beta Brainwavz after one year of use? It only has been in the market for less than a year

That said, it is definitely still within warranty.

I have listened to Aurvana in Ear briefly before. If you can get it cheaper than PL-50, it would probably make a good buy. If it is more expensive (or closely price), than I will recommend PL-50 over Aurvana In-Ear. Haven't heard Metro.fi170 before, so no comment.

Some of these are close to your budget and might worth looking into as well: NuForce NE-6, Maximo iM590, ViSang R03 Pro a.k.a. Brainwavz M2 (about $60 but there will be a pre-order soon for $50)

 

[tsj5j]

Thanks for the comments!
You're right, I bought it in early July last year, so close to 9 months (just searched my mail)

I just noticed this (RE0):
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/d...giving-454649/

Seems like comments are raving and $30 won't break my budget too much.
However, looking at the pictures, the cable looks really cheap build.

Any comments on that versus the PL50/NE7?

 

[ClieOS]

RE0 is more of a neutral sounding IEM with great detail but a bit lean on bass, not sure if that is what you are looking for. On the other hand, I do prefer RE0 new type of PPE cable over that found on PL-50 and NE-7.

 

[tsj5j]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClieOS /img/forum/go_quote.gif RE0 is more of a neutral sounding IEM with great detail but a bit lean on bass, not sure if that is what you are looking for. On the other hand, I do prefer RE0 new type of PPE cable over that found on PL-50 and NE-7.

I'm actually more concerned about having a clear sound in the noisy environment I listen music in.
Does it have good noise isolation?

 

[ClieOS]

Decent enough for street use, but probably not enough in very noisy environment.

 

[tsj5j]

Thanks, anyone have any comments about the MF170?

 

[ljokerl]

Noise isolation is rather mediocre on the MetroFi 170/220. And they definitely don't sound as good as the PL50 or any of the earphones ClieOS mentioned.

 

[tsj5j]

I was looking at NuForce but it is not available/distributed in my region, it seems.
I want the M2, but I need it asap, I probably can't wait for it (my backup earphones are horrible).

Thanks for the comments, I think I'll try looking into the earphones ClieOS mentioned.

 

[ljokerl]

The M2 is already available from ebay under the ViSang brand name as the ViSang R03. I believe they are $65 with expedited shipping. They really do sound like what you are after though a bit over your budget.