[oli_ramsay]

Hi

I recently bought some Klipsch Custom 1's from Amazon for £18 as they were on offer. I'm disappointed with the bass from these headphones, it sounds very flat and the mid-range is way to over emphasized (I mostly listen to hip-hop and rock).

I'm now looking for some sound isolating earphones with a better bass response, my previous headphones were some fake CX500's from ebay and the bass was very good, but the mid + highs weren't. I've narrowed it down to these 3 pairs, and I've read that the EP-630's use the same driver as the CX300's and they're about 1/2 the price too.

I'm unfamiliar with Skullcandy earphones, but I've read that the smokin' buds are their better earphones.

So I'm basically after a the set with the best bass, and a decent mid + high (if that's not asking too much from a sub £20 pair of headphones). My budget is £20.

Thanks

 

[Tmacfan4321]

Just stay away from Skullcandy, I can't tell you much else.

I don't have experience with the other ones, but the Skullcandy line in its entirety is pretty bad.

 

[Bombyx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tmacfan4321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif the Skullcandy line in its entirety is pretty bad.

Have you tried their Ink'd canalphones? They sound pretty good for $10, and they come with the best single-flange silicon eartips I have ever tried.

Edit (to avoid cluttering the thread with off-topic matters): You may be right about the modded Marshmallows (my HA-FX34 are not modded) but that does not make the Ink'd "crappy all-around". They compare well with Creative EP-630.

 

[Tmacfan4321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bombyx /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you tried their Ink'd canalphones? They sound pretty good for $10, and they come with the best single-flange silicon eartips I have ever tried.

Yep, they are pretty crappy all around. Have you ever tried a pair of kramer modded Marshmallows? They kick the crap out of the Ink'd cans for $5.

Also, the Marshmallows are a better alternative to the entire line from a value standpoint.

 

[oli_ramsay]

I've decided to get some for Chrstmas so my budget is now ~£50. I've read that the Sennheiser CX95's are good. Anybody got any ideas? How about Shure? I'm a bit confused, there's too much choice and I'm a complete noob when it comes to earphones IEMs.

 

[oli_ramsay]

Would I be better off buying a little headphone amp for my Custom 1's? Do they just make the headphones louder? Can you adjust the bass using an amp? Is an amp like a graphic equalizer?

There's some fioo amps on ebay for only £5-10.

 

[mark2410]

i got a pair of those custom 1's at that price too, i thought they a tad bass light but otherwise ok once i got a good seal on them (which was impossible with the gel things that came with them)

if you are looking for bass then i believe the cx95 or if you can stretch a tad the denon c551's might be an idea. the shure 110's (assume u were meaning them) are nice but not very bass heavy

edit if you want a fiio and yes it makes a fair difference on the custom 1's can be had very cheaply from dealextreme

 

[oli_ramsay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 /img/forum/go_quote.gif i got a pair of those custom 1's at that price too, i thought they a tad bass light but otherwise ok once i got a good seal on them (which was impossible with the gel things that came with them) if you are looking for bass then i believe the cx95 or if you can stretch a tad the denon c551's might be an idea. the shure 110's (assume u were meaning them) are nice but not very bass heavy edit if you want a fiio and yes it makes a fair difference on the custom 1's can be had very cheaply from dealextreme

Thanks!

I think I'll get the CX95's as I'm a fan of bass

And I'll also try out the amp cos it's fairly cheap. I wasn't being specific when I mentioned the Shure's cos I've seen loads of different models mentioned in these forums.

Cheers again!

 

[mark2410]

if you want shures with lots of bass you will have to grow your budget substantially

for circa £50 CX95 or C551 are your best bet i would think, google some reviews of them to be sure what is what you are looking for

 

[jonathanjong]

For what it's worth, I liked the C551s much more than the CX95s. Thought the bass response was fuller and the sound was less congested (= wider soundstage and better imaging?). The CX95s were more comfy, though, like my old CX300s. In the end, I just didn't think the 95s were that much better than the 300s (relative to the price hike).

 

[nickdawg]

Avoid the Smokin Buds. They cost more and are not very good. Bombyx is right, the Ink'd are far better, and they can be had for $10. I wouldn't recommend the Marshmallows(the tips suck, IMO). But if you do want a JVC product, try the FX-66. They come with three sizes of silicon tips.

*I'm a bit biased with the Ink'd, as the medium silicon tips are the most comfortable I've ever worn. You don't even realize they are in your ears.

 

[oli_ramsay]

I think the Denon C551's are a bit out of my price range (~£60). I'm gonna try and stick it out with the Klipsch Custom 1's and get a Kiio amp to see if that improves the bass at all. If not, then I'll do some more research and get the best IEM's I can for ~£45.

Out of interest, has any1 had any experience with the Fiio E3 amp paired with the Custom 1's? Did it improve the otherwise lacking bass?

 

[mark2410]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oli_ramsay /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think the Denon C551's are a bit out of my price range (~£60). I'm gonna try and stick it out with the Klipsch Custom 1's and get a Kiio amp to see if that improves the bass at all. If not, then I'll do some more research and get the best IEM's I can for ~£45. Out of interest, has any1 had any experience with the Fiio E3 amp paired with the Custom 1's? Did it improve the otherwise lacking bass?

yes, I have and yes it definitely improves the bass significantly. what made the biggest difference was getting a good seal with them though, i found it impossible with the gel buds that came with the customs and resorted to using a pair of shure olives, they made a huge difference and improvement particularly to the low end

 

[oli_ramsay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 /img/forum/go_quote.gif yes, I have and yes it definitely improves the bass significantly. what made the biggest difference was getting a good seal with them though, i found it impossible with the gel buds that came with the customs and resorted to using a pair of shure olives, they made a huge difference and improvement particularly to the low end

I find it pretty hard to get a good seal too. I've tried all the eargels and the large double flanged ones seem to be the best for me. However my ears start to hurt after wearing them for a while. Where did you purchase the Olive tips and Fiio E3 from out of interest?

 

[mark2410]

Fiio i got from DealExtreme: Cool Gadgets at the Right Price - Site-Wide Free Shipping (Page 1) shure olives i got from Headphones SALE | ipod Headphones, Sennheiser Headphones, Wireless headphones they only have the small ones which was fine for me as they were the size i wanted as i know from my pairs of shure earphones they are best for me, plus that site seems to be the cheapest in the uk for them as far as i can tell but the delivery cost seems a bit steep to me (i didint mind at the time as i was ordering a pair of C751's anyway)