[sofastreamer]

after i had quite a lot of iems up to top tier customs, today i bought my first earbud: sennheiser mx580 and i cannot believe how much i like them. yes, i would never say, that they are better then any iem, by far they are not, but the have a sounding, that matches my actual needs. during the last year i developed from crazy basshead to smooth treble lover and ended up with the akg k701 beeing the headphone, i enjoy the most.
so, i was looking for something portable semi open, with decent soundstage, lots of details and really balanced sound. i read some reviews, and decided, that i give earbuds a chance. so i bought the sennis and i am more impressed, than i expected. especially soundstage capabilitys and airyness are well presented for not even 30 euros.
 
so, i now of that yuin hipe around here, but they are really hard to get in germany and some of the reviews here are talking of some small soundstage compared to others. besides that my "next mark" is 70 euros which is about 90 $US.
 
is there anything, that will come closer to my beloved k701? as you know, bass is not what i am looking for.

 

[lostid]

Yeah I love my cheap earbuds. It delivers amazingly genuine and balanced sounds for classical music. For long hrs of music listening, the buds simply beats the IEM's for comfort.
 
You can give it a try. For $5 you have nothing to lose. Here is more info:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/586997/am-i-so-bad-in-identifying-sound-quality

 

[kjk1281]

Hi sofastreamer! Welcome to the wonderful world of earbuds!

Although they're 10 EUR over your budget, I highly recommend the Creative Aurvana Air. I find them to be quite detailed with excellent airiness (as the name implies) combined with a good soundstage. Not sure how they compare to your K701s though as I haven't had a chance to hear them.

 

[Leonardo Drummond]

I'm not sure how much it costs these days but I truly love my B&O A8s. They really remind me of the K701 in that it's incredibly airy. However, instrument separation is not fantastic, the bass is lean (which is not a disadvantage to me) and the highs, although really spacious, are not that extended.
 
It does, however, mantain most of what makes the K701 special to me. It's about the lightness of the presentation. I adore it!

 

[Goratrix]

Quote:

today i bought my first earbud: sennheiser mx580 and i cannot believe how much i like them. yes, i would never say, that they are better then any iem, by far they are not, but the have a sounding, that matches my actual needs.

Based on this, there is only one obvious answer: the MX 980. Yes, they are over your budget. But you won't find anything better, especially if you already love the MX 580. You could try something else, but in the end you'll end up with the MX 980 anyway

 

[ZARIM]

The Sennheiser MX980 are highly recommended and they are available near this price range. They sound wide open and shows great details in midrange and offers extended highs with deep punchy bass.

 

[sofastreamer]

well maybe once i will go for the 980s, but at first i am definitely interressted in the aurvana airs. will read some reviews tomorrow. thank you so far. 

 

[chrisjackson]

The Aurvana Air is under £50 in UK and the MX980 £75. Several folks have reported that the MX980s are not provided with the non-optional accessory of gargantuan ear cavities 

 

[sofastreamer]

Any more suggestions? What about k319?

 

[JK1]

In your price range, you might be able to get the Sennheiser MX880 or the long discontinued Sony E888. I have the E888 and the MX580. The E888 is a step up from the MX580 as it has more detail and is more dynamic. it is also much more sensitive. The E888 has bio cellulose diaphragms. A warning. There are many fake E888 earphones around. I bought my E888 many years ago, before it was discontined.
 
Aside from the high price of the MX980, it is too large for many  people.

 

[sofastreamer]

so there arent any less thick sounding earbuds out there? dont get me wrong, the senns are good, but for my liking it could be a little more analytical with less bass and more airy.

 

[JK1]

If you want bright open and airy with great detail, then you will love the Sony E888. Make sure you get a real one.

 

[sofastreamer]

ok, i have recieved the m980s. they are ok, but they are not better than the mx580 in my opinion. they have more of a v shaped sound, while the 580s are more midcentric. the mx980 do not offer more details and that was what i was looking for. you can easily test that with micheal buble "cry me a river". just in the beginning there is a very low piano  playing in the lows and you cannot figure it out with any of the two. so i will give the aurvanas a shot. 

 

[sofastreamer]

today came a pair of akg k319. right now it is pretty much of a brand new toy syndrom, but they really sound like a tiny copy of my k701. so it seems my search is over. i will have to do some a-b-ing with the senns and write a short comparison here. hell, what a fast earbud...

 

[Danneq]

Good choice! The K319 is a great set of earbuds. There are however even more airy earbuds. You could look for a pair of Audio Technica CM700TI. They are discontinued, but pop up on Ebay sometimes. They have a similar sound to the K319, but with a wider soundstage.
 
If you are prepared to spend time and money, you could watch Ebay for the Aiwa HP-D9. It is a discontinued earbud that was sold between around 1990 and 1995. They pop up on Ebay sometimes. I got mine for 111EUR, and I've seen pairs sold for around 300EUR! They are of course more expensive since they have been discontinued for over 15 years and have an almost legendary reputation (along with other Aiwa earbuds such as HP-V9 and HP-V99 and old Sony earbuds such as MDR-E484). Anyway, my pair of D9 has got very little bass, but an AMAZING soundstage and detail. I can hear the tiniest detail in the music, especially well produced music. I really get lost in the music when I listen to them. They truly make music sound very 3D.
 
Anyway, I have become a retro- and vintage lover when it comes to earbuds. I have a collection of around 15 different earbuds, and I definitively keep my pair of K319. The volume control is a bit annoying, but other than that, they are great.