[Beltonius]

A year and a half ago when I got my Cowon X5L I almost blindly picked out the EP-630's to go along. I was wonderfully surprised (since I paid ~$30 for them) with their audio quality.

Unfortunately, I've discovered while packing to go back to school, that I've misplaced them

Therefore I have to face the unhappy prospect of spending some cash on new earbuds. Now, it's certainly easy (and affordable) enough to plunk down the ~$30 for another pair of EP-630's, I know I'd be satisfied with the audio quality. However, I figure if I'm going to spend some money on new earbuds, perhaps I should upgrade. I'm looking to spend less than $60-$75US all told. Brief internet searches have turned up several options, mostly at the top of my price range:

1. Creative Zen Aurvana (I get the impression these aren't worth the ~$75 price)
2. Ult Ear Super.Fi 3
3. Ultimate Ears Metro.fi 2
4. Etymotic Research ER-6(i)(B)

I'd appreciate any opinions on those or other suggestions while I finish packing and hoping that I find my original pair of EP-630's.

 

[cmirza]

JVC FX33s at ~$20 (or even $10 at the occasional Circuit City sale) would have to be the best value. If isolation isn't important to you, Yuin PK3s or PK2s would be a good choice at $35 and $70, respectively. I'd also look into Jays j-JAYS at $50. If you had any preferences in music or an idea of what type of sound you're looking for, that would help narrow down the list.

 

[LaBreaHead]

I read the title and was going to suggest the EP630s. If you like the way canal phones fit in the ear (vs. earbuds, even ones as highly praised as the Yuins), in addition to the already suggested JVCs (slight step down or sideways, arguably), there are the JBLs and especially the Crossroads Mylarones (in regular X3 and the metal-bodied XB -- extra bass ... free shipping from Jaben in Singapore, I believe).


__________________________
Phones (in order of purchase):
Sony MDR71, Sony MDR51, Etymotic ER6, Panasonic RP-HJ50, Shure E3C, Koss PortaPro 2, Creative EP630, Etymotic ER6i, Sennheiser PX-100, Sennheiser HD555, Future Sonics Atrio M5

 

[supakij]

IMO, Yuin PK2 is the best earbud.

check is thread out!
http://166.90.205.111/forums/showthread.php?t=245999

 

[_M2]

I went from JVC Marshmallows to Ep630 to vibes to crossroads X3 and tried im716 selling every one of them along the way and re-bought the ep630, since it was what "I" wanted. Especially in the bass and price department

 

[Beltonius]

Thanks for your suggestions!

I guess I should elaborate as to the features I liked of my EP-630's

The form-factor was great. They were extremely comfortable and stayed in my ears (unlike my wholly-underwhelming pair of Senn MX-500's) and provided great isolation. I was also constantly surprised by the 'bass-y' nature of the EP-630's, which I found quite remarkable in such a small piece of sound equipment, but it still had relatively good detail in the mids and uppers (unlike some extra-bass speakers/headphones I've heard).

The more I think about it, I think I'll just buy another pair of EP-630's. Now, this won't happen for another couple of days, so I'll have some time to think and consider your suggestions.

The MylarOne XB's do seem particularly appealing .

 

[77Pat]

Even though you want to get another pair of ep-630's, the jbl 220's are another one to consider for $38, although they probably will not isolate as much. http://www.buy.com/prod/harman-jbl-r...204685827.html
http://www.amazon.com/JBL-On-Ear-Hea...dp/B000OZNKXA/

 

[MontyPythizzle]

Marshmallows are 16 dollars at CC, tell them to match their site's prices.
Were 24 before I told them the business.

 

[incognitoedleon]

Those JBL 220's for 30 bucks is a great bargain if you don't need isolation. I personally suggest the Crossroads MylarOne X3 for $57. There's no point getting the Marshmallows previously suggested. They are a bargain canalphone, but they aren't really bargain sound. I think the EP630 easily beats them out.