[Orcin]

My son needs something to take to college, and he doesn't want to mess with an amp. He also doesn't want to invest in anything too expensive. However, I have convinced him that he can do better than iPod earbuds.

Comfort is important because he isn't used to IEM's. He doesn't want an open phone because he wants to be able to shut out the noise around him. He doesn't want a closed can because <quote>"I don't want to look like a geek"<unquote>. I think he was talking about me, but I let that slide.

He listens to a wide variety of music, everything from Pearl Jam and Nine Inch Nails to Scott Joplin piano rags. So I think he just needs a good balanced phone which is easy to drive from the Nano's headphone jack.

I thought about the Shure E2C/E2G. Are those decent and are there other good phones in this range we should consider?

 

[epaludo]

I love my Shure E2c. It does it's work with no problems (gym and on the street usage).
Be advise though that there's lots of better IEM, but that for a higher price ofcourse ...

 

[episiarch]

I'd suggest the Etymotic ER-6i. It's running about $80 at Amazon these days and is almost my favorite with a Nano and no amp. It comes with a pretty wide range of eartips, and is compatible with others such as Comply tips.

My favorite with the Nano and no amp is the ER-6, but it has a smaller range of available eartips, so it's slightly less of a sure thing, fitwise.

If your son is a basshead then the Etys are not for him, but if he likes a neutral, highly-detailed sound then he should like these. I also find them more isolating than Shures (they seal deeper in the ear canal rather than at the entrance), which IMO is a useful property in a college environment.

As for not looking like a geek, the ER-6i is very stealth: it goes so deep in your ear that it's barely visible other than the wires.

 

[lostbobby]

i think i'd go with super-fi 3 or Um-1. I wasnt too impressed with E2c sound or ety er-6i's sound or build quality.

 

[virusvoodoo]

For the price you can get the Ultimate Ears super.fi 3 Pro's and maybe the Westone cable which supposedly improves the sound of the IEM's.

 

[nibiyabi]

I hope you're way more confused now than you ever were about this.

 

[antonyfirst]

I wonder what are better: the Etymotic ER-6i or the Altec Lansing IM716.

 

[ricthaman]

I'd suggest V-moda vibes.

They're very good for all sort of music. Very good IEM's for that price.
They're said to rival IEM's like Shure E2, E3, E4 westone UM2 etc.

So very very good IEM's.

greetz

 

[tstarn06]

The Mylar X3s, of course. $57 shipped. A no-brainer. Just bought my second pair (and I have no affiliation with the seller, other than being a customer). If you want to spend a little more, get the Atrio M5s. I've been through several flavors, and these two taste best to me. Of course, other views may differ. I've owned ER6is, ER4Ps, Vibes, PK2s and sold them all when I found the X3s and the M5s.

 

[tstarn06]

And the V-Moda Vibes don't rival the PK2s or X3s, much less the the UM2s.

 

[Dual]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Mylar X3s, of course. $57 shipped. A no-brainer.

I concur. Excellent value for money.

 

[Orcin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nibiyabi /img/forum/go_quote.gif I hope you're way more confused now than you ever were about this.

LOL... this is Head-Fi so I expected (and hoped for) lots of opinions. I am surprised that no one has tried to push me above my budget yet though... you guys are slipping!

I was shying away from the Ety's because I had heard that without an amp they sound thin. My own experience with UE's (5 pro, not 3) made me think that they would need an amp to sound clean. I would welcome any "no-amp" testimonials from people running either of these (Ety 6 or UE 3) straight from a Nano.

I need to further investigate some of the other suggestions here. I had the UM-1 and X3 on my "maybe" list from reading other threads.

 

[Solitary1]

Sennheiser CX-300s, better than e2c or ER6i.

 

[iPatcH]

Mylar X3's definitely. Awesome customer service, and they sound fantastic for $57. I had some super.fi 3's and these things just dominate them.

 

[souperman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ricthaman /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd suggest V-moda vibes. They're very good for all sort of music. Very good IEM's for that price. They're said to rival IEM's like Shure E2, E3, E4 westone UM2 etc. So very very good IEM's. greetz

Yeah, but he wants isolation and they aren't IEM's. Vibes are horrible at isolating sound.