[NavyASW02]

I'm looking for a good set of earbuds, but before you jump right in and recommend the etymotics, read the rest first. I need a good set of earbuds that are not competely sound dampening like the etymotics and still have a good quality sound. Im looking to replace the stock headphones on my nomad. If you can think of anything, please let me know. Thanks

 

[strohmie]

That's kinda tough. The best earbuds out there are canal phones (like the etymotics) by design. The Shure series of earbuds are in-ear and dampen sound as well.

The next step down from those are more traditional Sony or Sennheiser earbuds. The Sony MDR-E888s are still relatively easy to find and do provide good sound. Audio-Technica has a couple types of earbuds (CM5 and CM7 if I remember correctly), where the CM5s are of similar quality to the E888s and the CM7s are a step up (and at a steep price). Here's the link to the CM7s at AudioCubes:

http://www.audiocubes.com/product_in...roducts_id=622


Outside of that, most other earbuds isolate. So you either have to go with isolating earbuds, or step down in quality somewhat and get one of those mentioned above. Or if you're really ambitious, you can look around for the Sony MDR-E484s, long discontinued but still one of the best pairs of earbuds ever made.

 

[NavyASW02]

thanks for the help. I was looking on that web page and I saw the Audio-Technica ATH-EW9's, are those any good? How about any other clip on headphones? Ultimately, Im just looking for something with good sound quality and are easily portable without taking up much space and dont fully dampen outside noise. I'm a submariner and I need something that matches all those criteria.

 

[bubsdaddy]

If isolation isn't desired then I highly recommend the Sennheiser MX500's usually available for $16 from newegg.com or less than $20 at some retail record stores.

 

[strohmie]

I haven't heard the EW9s yet, and I'm not sure anyone on this board has yet, mainly because of the price. I personally have heard the EM7s though, which were a bit too bright for my tastes. As for other clip-on headphones, you might want to track down the KSC-35s, which have been board favorites for a while now and do provide good sound and portability. See if they're still selling them on koss.com

 

[digitalcat]

I think STAX has some earspeakers ,which somehow still fall in the earbuds category(?) .I don't know if the isolate as much as Etys but from the pics it seems that they're not designed to block outside noise.but these boys are not cheap though.

 

[Patrickhat2001]

I think either the MX500s or the E888s would suite you fine--I like them both equally. The E888s have greater clarity but are a little bass weak and can sometimes suffer from a slight bit of simbalance. The MX500s have more present bass than the E888s but not quite the clarity--but they sure can groove better. The MX500s can be had from newegg.com for $16 while the only place I can find that still has the E888s new in minidisco.com which sells them for $65. Minidisco only has the short cord version to so unless you use a remote for your portable you'll need an extension--which is really dumb, it would only cost them about $0.25 to include the extension which would make them much more versatile. I'm guessing this is why minidisco only has the E888sp (short cord as opposed to the E888lp--long cord) left in stock because everyone bought the long cord version over the short. The E888 phones have been discontinued which is why they are hard to come by new.