itskbyo
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2014
- Posts
- 2
- Likes
- 0
Hello,
First let me start with an introduction. YES I have read the threads and I was going to comment on the thread for Buying In Ear headphones with the 357 pages of posts. I got to page 3 and it is going to take forever to read through all of that. Plus I went to the last page and they closed the thread. SO idk where to go.
My name is Kevin I am 29 and live in Northern VA and DC. I have been interested in music since a young boy. I recently over the last 7 years or so been really intrigued with audiophile equipment. I was introduced to high audio from a coworker who swears by his B&W speakers and Bryston amp, etc. etc. Cables that cost hundreds of dollars and so forth. I've watched the videos on youtube about the audiophiles in and around the world with 100's of thousands of dollars worth of speakers, running power straight from the street to their stereos to get a consistent 120.
I have been putting together a home recording studio. I purchased the Yamaha HS8 monitors and matching sub. I bought Mogami Gold wires and have been trying to get descent equipment for what I'm trying to do which is to Record, Edit, Mix, and Master. I know what I have may not be the best but I got what I thought was the best at the time and with the allotted amount of money to my disposal.
NOW! I have owned several headphones and earphones over the years. Most notably so was my purchase of a set of Sennheiser CX680i. They were ok. I bought them to wear when I run commercial landscaping equipment. I didn't like their fit with the little rubber piece that you stick in your ear so it can hold. It was painful. BTW I am very sensitive to things touching me, rubbing me, or sticking to me. I don't mind in ear buds but need them to be comfortable. Well long story short I lost the damn things and I never missed them after that. If that tells you anything.
So then I found a set of Klipsch S4 and they were AMAZING! I am a big advocate of natural balanced sound but I love bass as well and these buds really put out the bass and everything else was pretty nice as well. Not the best in the world but I thought for the price point that they were really good. HOWEVER!!! they shocked the **** outta me all the time. When plugged into my phone or computer or whatever they would send a electric shock and was VERY painful at times. I lost these during a snowstorm while shoveling snow. At least that's the last I remembered the. I did miss these!!!
I also own a pair of Dr. Dre Studio Beats. That I used to use as an everyday headphone until it just was too much with recharging batteries, the quality of sound, and the HEAT and discomfort from wearing them for long periods of time. So I keep them in the studio for artists to listen to. Now they are broke as one side has went out. Don't worry though I just ordered a set of Sony MDRV6 to replace them and will test these to see which headphones to keep in the studio.
NOW!! I have been researching, reading reviews, comparing, etc. etc. for the last few weeks now on different IEM and went to the guitar center to check out the Shure SE215. I ended up going with the Westone UM Pro 10 instead. I don't like them too much. I love that they are made in the USA and they also have a great FLAT balanced sound but just not enough bass in them. I have made sure to fit the buds to my ears with the mass assortment of tips but still, not the experience I need to enjoy. Plus they are quit uncomfortable wearing for hours at a time. They also do not go in and out very easily which is a pain. Also the wire wrapping around my ear wasn't a big deal at first and I acutally kind of like the stability it offers and the reduced chance of them just falling out. But to be honest my Klipsch that I had stayed in pretty good and I liked how easily they went in and came out.
SO here is what I am looking for.
- I want the best IEM for under $150. The reason I am stopping at this price point is simple. IM NOT SPENDING 500-1500 for a set of earbuds to get lost, stolen or damaged.
- These will be an everyday set and I need them to be comfortable for long periods at a time. I would say 3-4 hours straight.
- I need them to be comfortable.
- I need them to be noise isolating both blocking outside noise for me and also to not put out a bunch of noise when Im jamming and sitting next to someone on the bus, train, or plane. THAT ISH IS ANNOYING TO ME so I don't want to be the one. HAHA
- I want a nice bass response but at the same time it cant be overwhelming and muddy things up.
- I like crisp highs
- I need my mids to be clear and warm
- I would like for them to have iOS controls for stop, play, etc. with a mic as well
- I don't mind if they cables are detachable or not but this IS an added bonus and I can see it clearly after owning the Westone UM PRO 10.
- I want to be able to wear them when jogging, running, biking, or just walking the dog
- I don't want the mic to be all nasty sounding when Im talkin to someone on the phone. what I mean is I HATE being on the other end of the line with someone using a cheap POS Bluetooth or inline mic on their headset. PUT YOUR PHONE TO YOUR FACE. so this really isn't a necessity to have the controls and mic in line but it is an added bonus and convience feature but will need a clear mic that doesn't pic up everything but the persons voice
- I would like a descent warranty
- if they are made in the US that is an added bonus!
- honestly I just want the best all around sound with a nice smooth deep bass that is clear but that gets you into the track when the bass is there. these Westones Im using now just don't have the bass I seek out. I don't want to get the Shure SE215 either. If I get a Westone, Shure, or Ultimate Ears they will be customs and I will save the 1300-1500 and get a nice set with more that 4 drivers and they will be impeccable. this is really for an everyday and if I loose them or they get stolen or damaged it wont hurt TOO bad and I can easily know what to get.
- there are just too many damn headphones out here. Ive seen where people recommend $60 earbuds over several hundred dollar ones
- I will more than likely get the Fiio E10 to have an amp for whichever earbuds I end up getting but for now I need something that will produce without the portable amp.
- I have ordered the Velodyne Vpulse earbuds and will check these out when they arrive next week.
- I will be returning the UM Pro 10's as they just don't cut it and are uncomfortable to me and don't have the functionality of an everyday set with using an iOS device.. BTW I have the iPhone 5S
- I would like to have a nice sleek small portable case to protect them and keep them safely stored in my travel back or to fit in a pocket in my jeans
- I always tuck my wires between my shirt and undershirt to not have the wires dangling around. so a descent length cable is required. earphones with too short of a cable are a pain in the ass when you wear your headphones like this
- also I wear my earbuds under my over the ear ear protection. the problem I ran into with the standard Apple earbuds was not only the hard plastic painful feeling when you wear them, or the poor sound quality, but instead the long stem that comes down from the but. I can't have any earbuds designed this way because of the pain it causes when I put my ear protection over the cup on the protection set pushes this stem into my ear and hurts like hell after a while.
- I do like the design of the UM Pro 10's but something like this I will need to get fitted and just order some custom fit to my odd shaped ears. LOL
- I'm all about quality!!!
- I listen to everything. Mostly old soul, then jazz a lot, blues when I'm in the mood, hip hop and rap, rock, folk, country, classical, everything.
- I listen to majority of my music on Spotify Premium and Pandora One. I use Pandora to turn me onto new things and use Spotify to save those songs and to have the ability to listen to pretty much anything.
- if possible I'd like a set that I can use as a reference after completing a mix to see how it sounds in in ear buds as well as over ear, in the car, on a small stereo etc.
If I left out any valuable information that would help with a decision on this ask and I will let you know. But going off of this what do you all think?
HELP ME FIND A PERFECT SET. I'm looking for 10 recommendations for earbuds under the $150 mark that meet the criteria listed above
First let me start with an introduction. YES I have read the threads and I was going to comment on the thread for Buying In Ear headphones with the 357 pages of posts. I got to page 3 and it is going to take forever to read through all of that. Plus I went to the last page and they closed the thread. SO idk where to go.
My name is Kevin I am 29 and live in Northern VA and DC. I have been interested in music since a young boy. I recently over the last 7 years or so been really intrigued with audiophile equipment. I was introduced to high audio from a coworker who swears by his B&W speakers and Bryston amp, etc. etc. Cables that cost hundreds of dollars and so forth. I've watched the videos on youtube about the audiophiles in and around the world with 100's of thousands of dollars worth of speakers, running power straight from the street to their stereos to get a consistent 120.
I have been putting together a home recording studio. I purchased the Yamaha HS8 monitors and matching sub. I bought Mogami Gold wires and have been trying to get descent equipment for what I'm trying to do which is to Record, Edit, Mix, and Master. I know what I have may not be the best but I got what I thought was the best at the time and with the allotted amount of money to my disposal.
NOW! I have owned several headphones and earphones over the years. Most notably so was my purchase of a set of Sennheiser CX680i. They were ok. I bought them to wear when I run commercial landscaping equipment. I didn't like their fit with the little rubber piece that you stick in your ear so it can hold. It was painful. BTW I am very sensitive to things touching me, rubbing me, or sticking to me. I don't mind in ear buds but need them to be comfortable. Well long story short I lost the damn things and I never missed them after that. If that tells you anything.
So then I found a set of Klipsch S4 and they were AMAZING! I am a big advocate of natural balanced sound but I love bass as well and these buds really put out the bass and everything else was pretty nice as well. Not the best in the world but I thought for the price point that they were really good. HOWEVER!!! they shocked the **** outta me all the time. When plugged into my phone or computer or whatever they would send a electric shock and was VERY painful at times. I lost these during a snowstorm while shoveling snow. At least that's the last I remembered the. I did miss these!!!
I also own a pair of Dr. Dre Studio Beats. That I used to use as an everyday headphone until it just was too much with recharging batteries, the quality of sound, and the HEAT and discomfort from wearing them for long periods of time. So I keep them in the studio for artists to listen to. Now they are broke as one side has went out. Don't worry though I just ordered a set of Sony MDRV6 to replace them and will test these to see which headphones to keep in the studio.
NOW!! I have been researching, reading reviews, comparing, etc. etc. for the last few weeks now on different IEM and went to the guitar center to check out the Shure SE215. I ended up going with the Westone UM Pro 10 instead. I don't like them too much. I love that they are made in the USA and they also have a great FLAT balanced sound but just not enough bass in them. I have made sure to fit the buds to my ears with the mass assortment of tips but still, not the experience I need to enjoy. Plus they are quit uncomfortable wearing for hours at a time. They also do not go in and out very easily which is a pain. Also the wire wrapping around my ear wasn't a big deal at first and I acutally kind of like the stability it offers and the reduced chance of them just falling out. But to be honest my Klipsch that I had stayed in pretty good and I liked how easily they went in and came out.
SO here is what I am looking for.
- I want the best IEM for under $150. The reason I am stopping at this price point is simple. IM NOT SPENDING 500-1500 for a set of earbuds to get lost, stolen or damaged.
- These will be an everyday set and I need them to be comfortable for long periods at a time. I would say 3-4 hours straight.
- I need them to be comfortable.
- I need them to be noise isolating both blocking outside noise for me and also to not put out a bunch of noise when Im jamming and sitting next to someone on the bus, train, or plane. THAT ISH IS ANNOYING TO ME so I don't want to be the one. HAHA
- I want a nice bass response but at the same time it cant be overwhelming and muddy things up.
- I like crisp highs
- I need my mids to be clear and warm
- I would like for them to have iOS controls for stop, play, etc. with a mic as well
- I don't mind if they cables are detachable or not but this IS an added bonus and I can see it clearly after owning the Westone UM PRO 10.
- I want to be able to wear them when jogging, running, biking, or just walking the dog
- I don't want the mic to be all nasty sounding when Im talkin to someone on the phone. what I mean is I HATE being on the other end of the line with someone using a cheap POS Bluetooth or inline mic on their headset. PUT YOUR PHONE TO YOUR FACE. so this really isn't a necessity to have the controls and mic in line but it is an added bonus and convience feature but will need a clear mic that doesn't pic up everything but the persons voice
- I would like a descent warranty
- if they are made in the US that is an added bonus!
- honestly I just want the best all around sound with a nice smooth deep bass that is clear but that gets you into the track when the bass is there. these Westones Im using now just don't have the bass I seek out. I don't want to get the Shure SE215 either. If I get a Westone, Shure, or Ultimate Ears they will be customs and I will save the 1300-1500 and get a nice set with more that 4 drivers and they will be impeccable. this is really for an everyday and if I loose them or they get stolen or damaged it wont hurt TOO bad and I can easily know what to get.
- there are just too many damn headphones out here. Ive seen where people recommend $60 earbuds over several hundred dollar ones
- I will more than likely get the Fiio E10 to have an amp for whichever earbuds I end up getting but for now I need something that will produce without the portable amp.
- I have ordered the Velodyne Vpulse earbuds and will check these out when they arrive next week.
- I will be returning the UM Pro 10's as they just don't cut it and are uncomfortable to me and don't have the functionality of an everyday set with using an iOS device.. BTW I have the iPhone 5S
- I would like to have a nice sleek small portable case to protect them and keep them safely stored in my travel back or to fit in a pocket in my jeans
- I always tuck my wires between my shirt and undershirt to not have the wires dangling around. so a descent length cable is required. earphones with too short of a cable are a pain in the ass when you wear your headphones like this
- also I wear my earbuds under my over the ear ear protection. the problem I ran into with the standard Apple earbuds was not only the hard plastic painful feeling when you wear them, or the poor sound quality, but instead the long stem that comes down from the but. I can't have any earbuds designed this way because of the pain it causes when I put my ear protection over the cup on the protection set pushes this stem into my ear and hurts like hell after a while.
- I do like the design of the UM Pro 10's but something like this I will need to get fitted and just order some custom fit to my odd shaped ears. LOL
- I'm all about quality!!!
- I listen to everything. Mostly old soul, then jazz a lot, blues when I'm in the mood, hip hop and rap, rock, folk, country, classical, everything.
- I listen to majority of my music on Spotify Premium and Pandora One. I use Pandora to turn me onto new things and use Spotify to save those songs and to have the ability to listen to pretty much anything.
- if possible I'd like a set that I can use as a reference after completing a mix to see how it sounds in in ear buds as well as over ear, in the car, on a small stereo etc.
If I left out any valuable information that would help with a decision on this ask and I will let you know. But going off of this what do you all think?
HELP ME FIND A PERFECT SET. I'm looking for 10 recommendations for earbuds under the $150 mark that meet the criteria listed above
