Hi. A headphone novice here. Just wanted some advice before I decide to part with (and possibly waste) some money.
Got a £25 ($40) Amazon voucher left over from Christmas, don't know what to do with it, thought of maybe getting a pair of 'proper' in-ear phones. As per the OP, here are my "parameters":
- Type = in-ear, probably sound-isolating (although the Bose IE2s seem like they might be suitable)
- Budget = up to £100 ($160) approx (possibly more for the 'right' phones)
- Use = unamped, mainly for listening to speech podcasts and audiobooks, used with iRiver T60 (I know, it's old, but it's still in great condition, and I like that it uses an AAA battery)
My current phones are very basic: a pair of Sony MDR-E818LP (http://www.sony.co.uk/product/hpa-in-ear-classic/mdr-e818lp). Again, they're old, but even after several years of daily use they're still in great condition (which is more than can be said for pretty much every other pair of phones I've ever owned).
Anyway, after looking around online, it seems the following might be suitable (what puts me off in brackets):
- Bose IE2 (not noise-isolating)
- Shure SE215 (cable over the ear)
- Westone 1 (cable over the ear)
- Sony XBA-1 (seems their lack of bass irritates many people)
I guess what I'm asking is: all things considered, is it worth spending up to £100 ($160) on a new pair of phones? If so, which would be a good buy? Would it be worth (for example) spending extra on a pair of Sony XBA-2's?
Any advice appreciated.