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Best canalphone around $100

Oct 5, 2005 at 10:33 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 42
gordolindsay

gordolindsay

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I was wondering what the best sounding canalphone is around the $100 mark. I've looked at Shure E2c's, UE super-fi 3's, Ety ER6's, and Westone UM1's. What's the best one out of those and any other's you might throw in.

These are actually for my dad and for use on a plane or at work. Music preference is probably more fusion type jazz and some classic rock. Thanks in advance.
 
Oct 5, 2005 at 10:39 AM Post #2 of 42
ety er61i, are the best in the range, unless the um1's are awesome, no one has tried them yet i think...
 
Oct 5, 2005 at 11:42 AM Post #3 of 42
Another vote for 6i.
I've read somewhere in other threads, UM1 is supposed to be as "good" as E3C. Westone produced the old E1 for shure, and then it's replaced by E3C. Maybe UM1 is the westone version of E3C. I'm not too sure.

Then if it's true, then maybe you can compare the 6i with E3C, as no one posted any comments on UM1.
 
Oct 5, 2005 at 12:26 PM Post #4 of 42
Had the e2c and thought they were great. Sold 'em to buy the ER4P/S and wish I had kept them as the Etys are quite microphonic and not so good when moving around alot. Not sure if the 6i also share this trait or not but I think the e2c are good to have for that reason alone. I like the sound of the Etys better but I find I only use 'em in planes.
CPW
 
Oct 5, 2005 at 1:56 PM Post #5 of 42
http://earphonesolutions.com/beeaforip.html

According to the link above, it seems the new version of the westone UM1 is the best single driver canalphone in their opinion, followed by the shure E4, and E3.

From the canalphones I have tried (ER6i, Er4, E3), my favorite is the E3/E3c. It has a punchier sound, yet maintaing clarity and detail. It simply sounds much more full and natural to me. Based on the link above I guess the cheaper UM1s would be even better.
 
Oct 5, 2005 at 2:05 PM Post #6 of 42
ER6i is the best by far in the $100 range IMHO.

I haven't heard the UM1 though (the specs of 40-16000Hz doesn't seem promising though)
 
Oct 5, 2005 at 2:11 PM Post #7 of 42
I should have my new UM1s later this week. Unfortunately these are my first canalphones so I can't compare them to any of the other options but I'll hopefully have some impressions of them up soon.....

Ant
 
Oct 5, 2005 at 7:36 PM Post #8 of 42
Thanks guys. So The contest should be between the Shure E3's (used maybe), or Ety 6i's or Westone UM1's. The UM1's sound promising so hopefully some impresions will come from somewhere soon.
 
Oct 5, 2005 at 9:47 PM Post #9 of 42
I thought very well of the e2c's; i'd avoid the etys if bright is a bad word for you. With the soft flex tips they are comfy, easy to put in, and isolate well. They pair well with ipods.

(and, since shure -is- repairing mine, I guess I still do think well of them - they'll make a nice backup)
 
Oct 5, 2005 at 10:56 PM Post #10 of 42
i've not heard the UM1, but i think the er6i is a great deal at around $85 (that's how much amazon and earphonesolutions were selling them for). but, the er6i NEEDS an amp, IMO, so some of the others might be better unamped. the nice thing about the er6i is that microphonics is not a problem. it's not a perfect IEM (i wish the cord was a tad bid thicker, for example), but it can sound really good with the right equipment.
 
Oct 5, 2005 at 11:36 PM Post #12 of 42
I use my ER6's only on airplanes (and a few times at home or in a motel). I don't even use them in the airport terminal -- they just seem that vulnerable to physical damage. Having said that, and although I find them almost too bright-sounding, when a good seal is achieved, they really do isolate and block out the ambient noise in an airplane cabin very, very well. And it is fun to hear things in your favorite music that you hadn't heard before. Just not for fans of fat, funky bass. I'm not sure I'd use them on a subway or bus, though, and I can't imagine having them as my only, day-to-day set ... but maybe that's just me. Just be sure your songs are at a sufficiently high bit rate, because the Etys are certainly revealing.

I also have the Shure E3C's, and they are so much sturdier than the Etymotics. With the foam ear pieces, they're comfortable and they isolate on airplanes and in airport terminals very well, if not as awesomely as the Ety's do with the two-flange ear pieces. I just think they're a more natural, comfortable, and all-around better experience than the Etymotics ... these could be excellent day-to-day 'phones ... but you need to hunt for a good price to come even close to your price range.

The Westone UM1's sound intriguing, but I'll have to live vicariously through others' experience with them -- at least for a while! I hope to read more about them.

I hope your dad is happy with whatever he gets.
 
Oct 6, 2005 at 12:40 AM Post #15 of 42
I got my UM1s tonight so of course I had to immediately pop them in and see how it was. I won't comment much on the sound yet since these are my first IEMs (I know I can probably improve fit, etc.) other than to say I'm pretty happy so far with both quality and balance.

The listed frequency response appears to be a little conservative at 40-16k. At least with the assumption the test files here: http://www.media.uio.no/personer/arn...nds.html#Pink2 are accurate. 31.5 and 20kHz are both audible (albeit at a slightly lower level for both) . I'll give 20Hz and 25Hz another try once I'm sure I'm getting a good seal and with them amped though I'm betting, at this point, they probably won't go down to 20Hz.

I've tried both the short and long foamies that come with them (2 sets of each) and so far the shorts have provided a better fit. The long ones get compressed a little somewhere in my ear canal and the sound gets distorted, I suppose this may improve with time as well.

I typically wear earplugs when I'm on my motorcycle so I may be a little desensitized to the feeling of foam in my ears but right now I would rate comfort as excellent. The cable doesn't show any signs of being microphonic and comfortably goes over the ears.

Earphone Solutions was also very cool and threw in a set of tri-flanges and an airline adaptor which I didn't expect, not to mention getting them here in awesome time.

I'll probably run them for about a week or so and then actually do some real critical listening and put together a review (bout time I did one on the Woody 225s too
smily_headphones1.gif
)

Ant
 
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