[smeghead68]

I initially started out looking for noise cancelling headphones to use on the city transit.However those don't seem to be held in high regard here as sound quality seems to suffer with the noise cancellation on. So I am thinking of getting IEM's instead.
 
Can anyone recommend some good noise isolating IEM's for around $100. Some of the features like comfort and noise isolation would take precedence over sound quality for me as the bus/transit can be loud and the IEM's need to be comfortable. I assume that for this price range a universal fit would have to do as i expect that custom fit would be much more expensive. 
 
I like listening to old school new wave / dance / techno (think Depeche Mode, New Order) music mostly and may watch the occasionally downloaded TV show that i missed the night before.
 
So basically which IEM's for $100 have good noise isolation and comfortable fit?
 
 
Thanks for any and all help!

 

[Ceruleus]

Hey, I bought the Ultimate Ears 700 last Christmas without having tried them (don't have the luxury in Australia) and find that while they're good for some of the music I listen to frequently (metal), the bass response feels quite weak for electronic and more bass oriented music (DnB, Dubstep etc). I've been reading around and found that for "bassheads", the FutureSonics Atrio M5 with MG7 trandsducers would be considered one of the best, but I can't get them too easily in Australia. Anyone have any suggestions for IEMs under $AU200 that would sorta fulfill the role the U700s don't?
 
Thanks
C.
 

 

[l00l]

Quote:

 
So basically which IEM's for $100 have good noise isolation and comfortable fit?
 
 
Thanks for any and all help!

 
From what I found out so far, the Shure 215 seems to be a pretty good and popular choice. I might go for them.

 

[RokBoks]

Hey there I just started coming back to my old habits and I'm already looking to burn cash 

. I need some help deciding between two cans (no IEM's please). I listen to lots of Hip Hop, Rock, Metal, Classical, Hard Rock etc. and need these for portable use out of either a 4th gen Ipod Nano or Rockboxed Sansa Fuze w/32gb card added. Also have a macbook from 2009 as my home/transportable source! So it's down to these two or anything in "under $35ish" range (so hard to choose prices)
Koss Portapro:
I used to have a set of these and I really liked them because of their sweet thumpy bass and fun sound! However I did not like the new wiring especially the plug because i knew they'd be prone to breaking (I ended up ruining them...long story). I don't know if I could justify buying them again though due to their almost $40 price tag! 
AKG K518LE:
I was looking around and found these for about $25 down from $60ish I think! So being set at a higher price I was wondering if these would be a notable increase over the portapro's? I heard the bass on these phones was good but drowned out everything else...which I definitely don't want. Comfort could be an issue too since I wear my headphones for ungodly amounts of time (at low volumes of course) How would these sound switching between say Tech N9ne to Beethoven's 9th to Pink Floyd's Money to Damian Marley's Welcome to Jamrock and all around like so? 
A note: 
I really liked the sound of open cans and I can's stand the sound of tiny closed shrill cans :/ (had a pair of px100's, Grado Sr-60's etc etc) 
Thanks for your help and I hope I can find what i'm looking for!

 

[smeghead68]

Quote:

 
From what I found out so far, the Shure 215 seems to be a pretty good and popular choice. I might go for them.

Thanks for the tip, I'll check them out.
 
I was looking at the IEM review page and found that the Astrotec AM-90 have a great review! Anybody know where to buy these (other than Ebay)? If you buy them from Ebay how do you know that you are getting genuine article rather than a cheap fake? Are there any trusted sellers on Ebay for these headphones?
 
Thanks again.

 

[Ora M]

Quote:

Thanks for the tip, I'll check them out.
 
I was looking at the IEM review page and found that the Astrotec AM-90 have a great review! Anybody know where to buy these (other than Ebay)? If you buy them from Ebay how do you know that you are getting genuine article rather than a cheap fake? Are there any trusted sellers on Ebay for these headphones?
 
Thanks again.

I would recommend the Atrio M5 (MG7)'s myself. You can get them for $108 shipped (and even cheaper in the BST.) These are pretty great for dance and electronic music. Not entirely familiar with the music you mentioned though. 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/586322/future-sonics-atrio-mg7-review-and-appreciation-thread

 

[ogmz]

Hi everyone!
 
Apologies in advance for such a long post - I'm hoping that by providing as much information as possible, people will be able to guide me towards the right decision here!

I'm trying to decide on some replacement IEMs, and have been reading up for weeks. After all this, I'm finding that the sheer volume of options means that I'm struggling to make a decision. I am hoping that someone can let me know if I'm thinking along the right lines, and/or recommend anything that I've missed which would suit my needs. I'm also interested in hearing opinions on durability in general (and whether my issues are likely to be resolved by the options I'm investigating).

I'm sure it's a familiar tale, but all my IEMs seem to eventually fail around the cable connections (either at the plug or the earpiece) getting flakey and ultimately failing. This happens no matter how careful I try to be, so I'm assuming/hoping it's just a function of the price point I've been shopping at.

I'm flexible in terms of the sound signature, and am not great at articulating what I'm looking for. That said, the products listed below have all had a sound that I enjoyed at the time (though some took a little warming to).

- Sennheiser CX300-II
- Head Direct RE0
- Feels Pro 900

So...

Requirements:

* Sound, no worse than the above and ideally similar. Definitely open to higher quality options as well.
* Sturdy, I'm guessing either rock solid construction or replaceable cables are the best ways to address my concerns.
* Usage, exclusively for use with a Cowon J3 - unamped preferred. Used while walking for at least an hour each day, as well as in an office environment (so reasonable isolation and minimal leakage).
* Music style, eclectic - basically anything except classical. though with a tendency towards metal.
* Price, up to around $300 AUD or so, but flexible depending on the value proposition.

Options so far:

1. Atomic Floyd Superdarts - what I've read about the construction sounds great, but I'm not sure how I'd feel about the sound as there seem to be mixed opinions on this.

2. Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro - replaceable cables seem handy even if the stock cord gets poor reviews. These seem to be one of the most highly regarded options I've seen with replaceable cables.

Questions:

- Would anyone with experience with any/all of the above be able to comment on how I'd find the sound on either of the options (compared to the previous models I've had)?

- Are there any with replaceable cords that I should be looking at instead of the UE Triple.fi 10 Pro?
 
- Would you recommend replaceable cords over the reportedly high quality construction of the superdarts? I'm having a hard time telling which is more likely to help me keep them alive and kicking over the long term (as my assumption is that replaceable cables would put a strain on the connections over time).

 

[Intel]

Hey Guys, I'm new here. I have lurked a little. 
 
As of right now I have some KSC75's. I am looking for an upgrade to them.
 
First things first, I am not an audiophile. I kramer modded them, but was barely able to pick out a difference between the modded and unmodded.
 
I will be listening through an unamped iPhone 4s. I listen to primarily Hard Rock / Metal / Electro House / Dubstep.
 
Price: Less than $60
 
Primary Concerns
My main gripe about the the KSC75's is that the clips fall off all the time.
I need the headphones to be portable, and able to take a beating in my pocket.
If I'm gonna upgrade, I want to make it worth my while and get higher SQ, but as I said earlier, I am not an audiophile.
 
Secondary Concerns - If these are not addressed I'm fine
Not a fan of the plastic look on the KSC75s.
I would like a little more bass than the KSC75's have.
I am traditionally not a fan of IEM's. Apple earbuds stay in my ears, but I got skullcandy 50/50s free and they dont stay in my ears at all.

 

[SpiderNhan]

Quote:

Hey Guys, I'm new here. I have lurked a little. 
 
As of right now I have some KSC75's. I am looking for an upgrade to them.
 
First things first, I am not an audiophile. I kramer modded them, but was barely able to pick out a difference between the modded and unmodded.
 
I will be listening through an unamped iPhone 4s. I listen to primarily Hard Rock / Metal / Electro House / Dubstep.
 
Price: Less than $60
 
Primary Concerns
My main gripe about the the KSC75's is that the clips fall off all the time.
I need the headphones to be portable, and able to take a beating in my pocket.
If I'm gonna upgrade, I want to make it worth my while and get higher SQ, but as I said earlier, I am not an audiophile.
 
Secondary Concerns - If these are not addressed I'm fine
Not a fan of the plastic look on the KSC75s.
I would like a little more bass than the KSC75's have.
I am traditionally not a fan of IEM's. Apple earbuds stay in my ears, but I got skullcandy 50/50s free and they dont stay in my ears at all.

 
Well, Skullcandies aren't really the best way to judge quality IEMs. There is a great sale going on right now on woot for several MEElectronics IEMs and being the owner of a couple of their products, I can attest to their sound quality, comfort and build. This sale ends tomorrow, June 4th, but at these prices you can pick up two and have some pocket change leftover.
 
http://sellout.woot.com/plus/meelectronics-headphones

Simple breakdown:
CW31 - Rich, full sound with great bass. Most well-round of the bunch.
M31 - Basslover's dream. Slightly recessed mid-range. Somewhat sparkly treble.
M21 - A slightly crippled CW31. Strong bass, but nowhere near the other 2. Closer to neutral sounding.
R1 - Lots and lots of bass. Think, mini-subwoofers. Basshead IEM for sure, but at the expense of the other frequencies.
 
You said you're looking for something that will fit in your pocket and that you don't like IEMs, but having those two qualifications definitely limits your choices. I'd recommend an IEM over any clip-on in terms of sound quality and portability. All these IEMs also come with nice, little carrying cases. You can find reviews of other clip-ons here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/433318/shootout-102-portable-headphones-reviewed-panasonic-rp-htf600-added-04-29-12
 
And, except for the R1, you can find Joker's reviews of all the MEElectronics IEMs I mentioned here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-239-iems-compared-alclair-reference-added-05-24-12

 

[Michael1026]

I need semi-portable headphones, (not IEM) that I can find used for about 130-160$. I listen to music like Relient K, Blink 182, Green Day, Three Days Grace, Third Eye Blind, and some acoustic versions of their songs. I'd like them to have some durability, little leakage and isolation since I'll have them in my backpack for school. Also, I should mention I currently have AT ES7's and I want to upgrade. I'm not a huge basshead either. Could anyone help me please? Thanks.

 

[MarcusListens]

Hi guys, I'm thinking about buying new IEMs and moving away from my Westone 1. I am currently looking at the TDK BA200 and DBA-02 MkII. How would they compare against each other? I listen to Jason Mraz, Coldplay, Beatles and so. The TDK BA200 will probably come cheap in the upcoming PC Show in Singapore while the DBA-02 MkII is pretty expensive here.. Which will you guys recommend? My main output is my iPod Nano 5G while on the go. And can you recommend a portable amplifier that I can use it with? 

Thank you in advance!  

 

[RokBoks]

Ok ok bringing this thread back up cause it seems like lots of people need help (me too 

) 
So I narrowed it down to 2:
Senn's PX-100-II or Koss Portapro (pretty much the classic lightweight fight!)
Here's the deal though from what I've been hearing the Portapro's quality has been going on a steady decline and the price on a steady rise most places now have them for $40. The PX's on the other hand are said to be a let down compared to their predecessors. To be honest I had the Porta's and the old mk 1 PX's although at different times. My head loved the lax nature of the PX but made listening to metal (a big part of my collection) boring. The Porta's felt a little less defined to me though and the retro look did not appeal to me as much as the PX's. The new PX's look incredibly good to me. Another thing is the Senn's plug, which was the demise of my original pair. Its scaring me out of buying them right now but I came to think how easy would it be to get a fellow Head-Fier who's been rewiring for a while to put a neutrik plug on it? Now for the meat: I'd really like an all rounder pair to listen to movies, music and youtube videos and they need to be super portable no big clunky JVC sets or even m50's. these are my music tastes:
Hip-Hop

 
Metal:

 
Classical:

 
and more going from Damian Marley, Immortal Technique, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Dead Kennedys, Cypress Hill, Pink Floyd, KRS One, Public Enemy, Nas, Suicidal Tendencies and Van Halen. 
So taking those groups into account would the new PX100-II or Portapros fit in? I'm really trying to stay away from IEM's. I had looked at the HT-21 by MEE but their reviews stated they were prone to dying early as well. Budget is about $60 max. So thanks again Head-Fiers!

 

[Michael1026]

I'm going to bump this. I need to buy some headphones xD.

 

[stevenash13]

Hey guys,
 
thanks to your really good help I purchased the Ultrasone HFI 580. I really like the sound of those.
Now I'm looking for some IEM with a similar sound signature for <120$.
 
Any suggestions?

 

[setu4993]

Hello there!
 
I have had 2 IEMs till date. The Creative EP 630 and the Sony MDR-EX57 SL.
 
I'm looking for headphones now, though. I saw and liked the AKG K 450. It also has good reviews spread over the web.
 
What are the other options I have considering I would want them to be portable, and in and around the $100 price range?
 
Also, without the need of an amplifier, preferably. I'll be using them with my laptop and iPod Touch.