[thorrad]

Hi all! It's been a long time since I posted here but I need to get the collective wisdom of all of you to decide which phones to get for my wife as she prepares to travel to Italy next month. Here are the specs.

Super small

Durable

Inexpensive (she is prone to lose small items)

Good isolation

Don't seat too far into the ear canal (No Ety's! I know... I know....)

Sound quality is not the top priority for her but I want to make sure that it's good.

Just so you know I am by no means a noob in this. I have run the gamut from Sony 71s through the Ety line all the way up to the Sensa 2XS. (I am listening to the Sensas as I type this.) I just haven't kept up with all of the lower end changes that have occured in the last year or so. It looks like there are some great new phones out there now. I just need you to tell me which ones you think are in the running according to those specs.

Thanks you guys!

Thorrad

 

[souladdikt]

super.fi 3 studio's. Haven't tried them myself, but I'm thinking about them for the same reasons you mentioned. You can find them for around $75.

Senn CX300 if you want cheaper. Not an IEM, but a canalphone. I'm looking at these to replace my EX71's.

 

[thorrad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by souladdikt super.fi 3 studio's. Haven't tried them myself, but I'm thinking about them for the same reasons you mentioned. You can find them for around $75.

Yeah. I had been thinking that too. I saw a guy on the bus yesterday who had em. He was just some yahoo but he seemed to really enjoy them. I hear Costco has them for like 50 bucks (worth looking into!) but I have heard some folks badmouth them too....


Anyone out there own the Super.fi 3s?

 

[souladdikt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thorrad I hear Costco has them for like 50 bucks (worth looking into!)

50 Bucks at Costco would be great. I would pick up a pair for sure to test them out. Costco lets you return anything.

 

[thorrad]

HeadRoom seems to think that they're worth it. they gave the Super.Fi 3s a five bar rating. Thats a supposedly better value for the buck than the Senn HD650. Seems a bit far fetched. but maybe it's true. They also gave the Super.Fi 5s the same rating. Interesting....

 

[GMan4911]

CNet's Review

I've never seen them at Costco. If they had them, I'd get a pair to use as a spare.

 

[GaryAR]

I have the clear fi.3's, I bought them at guitar center for $99 before I found this place. They sound great though so no regrets, but I'm seriously considering buying a pair of 5's for home use now that I know I can get them for $170 (until tomorrow anyway).

Gary

 

[AdamP]

The CX 300 is RETARDEDLY GOOD for the price. Easily the best IEM for the price. It's honestly better than the SuperFi.3.

 

[Sodacose]

I have some Super-Fi 3's and I think they're pretty good. They have great impact for things like drums; well-recorded snares have an amazing 'pop' to them. For vocals and acoustic guitar they are also great. The bass is pretty neutral: I came from a set of Grado's, which I love, so I find it sufficient. I listen to all types of music on them: from Naughty By Nature to Sigur Ros.

Great isolation and comfortable. The way the cord is designed also makes it easy to let it hang behind your back, making them extremely discreet if needed.

The only downfall I have found is the reproduction of electric guitar. It doesn't have the kind of 'bite' I like to hear (the kind I had with Grados), this also seems to extend to cymbals, which don't 'shimmer' quite as much as I'm used to. I think this is an issue with transparency. But I'm really making that small gripe out to be more than it is.

I'm very happy with them, and I got them for $99. If you find them for $50 at Costco, like someone said, I think that's a steal.