[osu1277]

Well I was sure on getting some sennheiser cx300's to replace my marshmallow-con-zune setup, but I keep hearing that I will want to upgrade further when I experience the better sound. Ive got the money now, might as well spend it on something nice and save the money I would have spent on the cheap(er) earphones.

Please help me. I have a 200 dollar budget. I read at cnet that the shure e4cs are the best. At ipodlounge forums, they say the q-vjays are better for the money, and have better bass, which I suppose is good for me since I listen to jazz, electronica, rock, etc.

It seems like every day I am changing my mind on what I should buy. If only I could hear each one....

goodbye wallet

 

[duckiedeity]

I think people will tell you to get Etymotic ER-4p's

 

[jsmithepa]

Next u gonna tell us u can't decide whether black or white.

 

[dunelly]

I had some mipros, they worked so well, but sadly, the wire came off after only 6 months and they costed me 60 bucks.(I didn't bang them around, i took care of them..i had shure e2's for like 5 years before they broke)...But i just picked up a pair of shure e3's and they're fantastic.(Picked'm up at sam ash for 100, they'll match the price at musiciansfriend.com)

 

[Danika k]

This forum is amazing, lol.

 

[SBD]

Yeah, it's hard at first. I'll save you a few hours:
Etymotic is mostly if you want clarity (leaning toward treble, lacking some bass)
Ultimate Ears has the most "fun" sound and the least lacking in anything (huge sale for super.fi 5 pros, $150)
Shure I wouldn't recommend because of performance per price but that's just me.
I would highly recommend the SF5pros without a doubt especially for your budget unless you get a set of full cans or look into something like Jays.

But no matter what you do do not listen to cnet, amazon, etc. Their ratings are seriously unreliable and the only site I really trust is ipodlounge for reviews in general. If you're looking for consumer level, I suggest you look into westone's too. Some people don't even like audiophile quality b/c it's the sound isn't as bassy or whatnot or they hear all the flaws in their low-quality music files. Price doesn't always reflect quality so don't expect to "pay a lot and get a lot".

 

[NoiseGUI]

stretch just a bit and get some Westone UM2s. I've never read anything bad about these. Best bang for the buck at $275 from Earphonesolutions.com. I'd get some myself, cept I'm on pre-order for the 3s.

Budget smudget!

edit: but if you're stretching a bit, Livewires also sound like a great option at $249 plus impressions. Custom fit ya know. Detail (Livewires) vs. Bass (UM2)

edit 2: but if $200 is absolute, I vote for qJays, then UE SF 5s. I had the 5s and 3s and I don't care for the stick out of the ear design (non-compatible with a cold weather hat), and the stems themselves are large, which can irritate. Nice sound, just looking for a flush fit at this point.

 

[SactoMan101]

Since you can spend up to US$200, my first choice would be the Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 Pro with dual balanced-armature drivers. I've heard them and they sound really good with a good-quality portable music player.

 

[4ki]

There are diminishing returns after $200, so you're on the money. In fact I'd be hard-pressed not to say that most $150 IEMs compare very closely to a pair of $300+ phones, even customs. As for full-sized cans, well, it seems like no one's complaining even after a good $500 spent!

Tell us your sound preference, what ranges you like to listen to (low, mid, highs), and whether you live in a shipping-nightmare like Australia.

My picks are the Atrio M5 (bass/soundstaging), denon c700 (like atrios but punchier and clearer, less musical to some), and etys as mentioned. However it's all relative to gear. Amped altec lansings have been known to sound really nice, and they're on sale for $49 at J&R music.