Best IEM's in low 100's or less?

[ashenkin]

Hi Folks,

Sorry to post another IEM query, but less than 300 is a bit much for me. I'm looking to get a pair for myself, as well as my mom and brother. None of us are audiophiles per se, but I've been so disappointed by the quality of earbuds, I'd just like something with nice sound, yet very portable. We all usually use ipods or computers, and listen to a good range of music - basically everything minus HARD rock (i listen to acdc and stuff like that), punk and that type of thing. We all listen to music while exercising as well, so don't want anything that will pop out of the ear with a little jiggling.

I've seen posts for the very cheap creative ep-630 and senn cx-300. The super.fi 3 seems ok, but i've really seen alot of complaints about the sound (perhaps unavoidable for a cheap pair).

Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated - thanks folks!

Best,
Allie

 

[Jam_Master_J]

im716 would be good, maybe E4 if you can go to mid 100s.

 

[RedLeader]

honestly, I would say V-Moda Vibe. They're the best ~$100 IEM I've owned (e2c, er6i, UM1, Vibe)

 

[ashenkin]

How are the V-Moda Vibes for exercise? I'm wondering about the weight of their alloy construction. Thanks a bunch.

allie

 

[bazmonkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashenkin /img/forum/go_quote.gif How are the V-Moda Vibes for exercise? I'm wondering about the weight of their alloy construction. Thanks a bunch. allie

They're very light, as light as any other IEM. I wouldn't be concerned with them falling out at all. They don't isolate a lot of sound, which, depending on what you do for exercise, could be good (hearing traffic as you jog, more open sound), or bad (hearing the gym's music or listening so loud that you drown it out).

 

[MikoLayer]

sorry to threadjack, but I happen to be on the same boat, so here is my shameless plug

I may want to upgrade from my e2c, if there is something that comes with smoother sounds in overall with similar sonic signature. In fact, I am very comfortable with the shures, except I havnt really tried another IEM other than the koss plugs (if you can call them IEMs, that is). My past experience with other headphones or earbuds including cd3000, sr60, k701 and mx400 suggests I am very sensitive shrill, dry, brittle highs, and prefer liquidy, lush sound. Can we do any better than e2c in that regard? Many seem to think etys are more sterile, analytical - the characteristics I tend to dislike. Also, microphonics do matter tons since I mainly use them for walking to school / jogging. TIA!

 

[RedLeader]

the Vibe aren't shrill or piercing, I'd call them more "fun" than anything. Decent bass, decent detail and just alot of fun to listen to. I haven't used them for running, but walking around I don't notice any majour microphonics issues.

 

[MikoLayer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedLeader /img/forum/go_quote.gif the Vibe aren't shrill or piercing, I'd call them more "fun" than anything. Decent bass, decent detail and just alot of fun to listen to. I haven't used them for running, but walking around I don't notice any majour microphonics issues.

Sounds promising. At first, I was thinking of trying out one of those creatives to see what the fuss was all about, but remembered deviations like such almost always ended up in a ditch

Never really heard of the Vibes though, any information on pricing in and where to get them from?

 

[bazmonkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikoLayer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Never really heard of the Vibes though, any information on pricing in and where to get them from?

V-mode Vibes. http://v-moda.com

They should be available in any Virgin Megastore now.

 

[Mrvile]

Unfortunately the V-moda's aren't real IEM's in that they don't isolate sound as well as say the Shure, Ety, and Westone offerings. For real IEM's the Shure E4's in the mid-100's range are great sounding IEM's, and the IM716 are probably the best you can get for under 100. Ety's sound great but they do have pretty bad microphonics to use with running and are a bit too analytical to use for "fun," IMO.

 

[podunk]

There are a lot of choices and all of the ones below have some good features. Here's my take on each of them.

I have Senn CX-300, Vibes, Ety ER6i, and Sony EX71, and also a pair of Sumajin's that for all aspects, are nearly identical to the CX-300 so you can consider them the same as CX-300.

I'm not a big fan of the ETY's because apparently I have large ear openings and their largest silicon plugs don't work for me, and the foamies are too much hassle for working out. And I'm just not a huge fan of the Ety's sound for general purpose listening. I love the clarity but for much of my listening, I need more bass.

The EX-71's are good for working out, and they are decent overall. They are not my favorite for sound quality, but decent sound and very versatile wires. (Don't get the white ones though...I've had two with white cable melt and disintegrate in a couple months....no problem with black.) They make a nice setup for the gym when using the short cord without the extension with my new Shuffle. The behind-the neck-cord is handy, especially for bike riding. Two piece cable with micro thin cable is very lightweight and versatile, but the extension piece is about a foot too long.

The Vibes sound great, and they are absolutely beautiful. Very well designed, which is part of what you're paying for.
They are probably my favorite overall and for general use, but for working out, I found one small turnoff compared to the CX-300. They stick farther out of your ears than the CX-300 or EX-71, and only the slightest amount of tugging on the wire dislodges the earpiece enough to break the seal, and I find myself fiddling with them a lot to keep them in place. You asked about the weight, but I don't think the weight is any problem...its just the angle that the cable pulls the earphone that cause me any trouble. This can be mitigated by running the wires over your ears. I find the silicon earpieces with the Vibes too thin or something and they don't seat well in my ears but this problem was easily solved by using my spares from the Sony EX-71/Senn-300. I'm not sure if they are thicker or what but they seal better for me than the clear ones included with the Vibes..at least for the L size clear ones.. Nice cable length with front Y type.

Which leaves me with the CX-300. They're not much to look at, but for the money, they sound absolutely great. Honestly, I can't tell them from the Vibes for sound. Both are great. But as mentioned the CX-300's aren't as wide so pulling on the cables doesn't move the earpiece much, and the behind neck cord also helps with this by reducing the weight of the cord. They also have a good overall cord length, and have an L-bend plug which I find a nice option where cord yanking is a factor, like working out.

But at the end of the day, if someone I had to get rid of all my earphones and could only keep one of the four listed, I'd keep the Vibes. The sound is great and I really appreciate the beautiful design.

EDIT: after reading the post above, I wanted to also add that I think that the Vibes give me a good deal of sound isolation, especially after I swapped out the clear earpieces as mentioned above.