[thenightman]

I'm about to purchase a new Cowon J3 as I've heard so many great things about it and Cowon in general. Now I'm just curious about the perfect pair of earbuds to go with it. I hear that the Sennheiser CX500 are great and I see that Amazon is selling them for $35 (down from $120!), but I know these earbuds were pretty popular more than 2 years ago and I'm wondering if there were any better and improved products (doesn't necessarily have to be Sennheiser). I prefer earphones that won't require an amp as I like easy mobility while listening to my music. I'd also like ones that have superb sound quality and I'll know that I'm listening to flacs as opposed to mp3s. And my budget is $100 or less. Considering the CX500 are only $35, I'm sure I can get better ones within my budget. Thanks.
 
 
Okay, I see that the CX-95 looks like another good choice... but all of these phones were released in '07 and are not even listed on Sennheiser's official website anymore. So I'm wondering if they have released any updates to these.
 
I also see that the CX-550 look like a successor to the CX-95, so I suppose that answers my earlier question. But how does it compare to its predecessor? 

 

[mitkooo]

CX500 is not such a great one. Is that on AMazon marketplace? Because that might be a fake. 
For that price, you might get far better ones.
 
This is a good place to start
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/394365/review-multiple-iem-shootout-v-2
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/478568/multi-iem-review-75-iems-compared-radius-ddm-and-jvc-ha-fx67-added-06-07
 
Branwavz M2 are positively rated on head-fi. 

 

[thenightman]

Thank you for the links.

 

[thenightman]

I've done a bunch of searching on my own and now it looks like I'm gonna purchase the Sennheiser CX550.
 
So I only have two questions now:
 
1.) What is the difference in sound quality between the Sennheiser CX550 and the CX95 (e.g. is it improved, worse, etc.)?
 
2.) Is there any better earphones I can purchase that are less than $100?
 

 

[poliact]

cx95 and the 550 are like brothers, with 95 being the 1st gen and the 550as follow up. The cx95 had less bass on its side, so i guess the 550 was invented on that flaw...at least thats wat i heard.

 

[129207]

How can you decide on the CX550 if you just read that IEM shootout thread!? Do not think that just because Sennheiser is a well known brand, and probably the only brand you are familiar with, they also have the best sound for your budget. Also, what kind of music do you listen to? It's better to look for earphones that fit your musical preference.
 
For your budget, If you should consider in ear monitors:
Fischer Audio Eterna, Fischer Audio Silver Bullet, Head Direct RE0, Hippo VB, Thinksound Rain, Brainwavz M2/Visang R03, Soundmagic PL50
 
Earbuds? 
Yuin PK3, Yuin PK2, Crossroads HR1, Crossroads HR2

 

[thenightman]

Quote:

How can you decide on the CX550 if you just read that IEM shootout thread!? Do not think that just because Sennheiser is a well known brand, and probably the only brand you are familiar with, they also have the best sound for your budget. Also, what kind of music do you listen to? It's better to look for earphones that fit your musical preference.
 
For your budget, If you should consider in ear monitors:
Fischer Audio Eterna, Fischer Audio Silver Bullet, Head Direct RE0, Hippo VB, Thinksound Rain, Brainwavz M2/Visang R03, Soundmagic PL50
 
Earbuds? 
Yuin PK3, Yuin PK2, Crossroads HR1, Crossroads HR2

I listen to a wide variety of music genres. I really mean it. I listen to genres ranging from hip hop to classical music to rock n' roll to occasional electronic and pop.
 
Do you believe that all of the earphones you listed are better than the CX550 in terms of sound quality. I arrived at getting the CX550 because I've heard so many great things about the CX95... I mean really great things. 

 

[mitkooo]

Quote:

I listen to a wide variety of music genres. I really mean it. I listen to genres ranging from hip hop to classical music to rock n' roll to occasional electronic and pop.
 
Do you believe that all of the earphones you listed are better than the CX550 in terms of sound quality. I arrived at getting the CX550 because I've heard so many great things about the CX95... I mean really great things. 

 
Yeah, these should beat the CX550 Although they are well praised, good brand doesn't always mean top performance for the price, rather, they may be overpriced. I would suggest similar as Negakinu, those should do the work for you. Is it going to be your first pair of 'improved' IEM or you have tried something other than cheap earbuds before? 
 

 

[kjk1281]

I don't have much to add other than what's already been said, but in my humble opinion, the CX550 is outclassed by the newer CX280, the latter of which can be found for less than half the price.

 

[thenightman]

Quote:

 
Yeah, these should beat the CX550 Although they are well praised, good brand doesn't always mean top performance for the price, rather, they may be overpriced. I would suggest similar as Negakinu, those should do the work for you. Is it going to be your first pair of 'improved' IEM or you have tried something other than cheap earbuds before? 
 

Well... sort of. I did purchase a pair of Klipsch Image S4, but I was very disappointed with them; especially after reading all of the hype and praise for it. I gave it plenty of burn in time (over 100 hours), but they just didn't seem all that great.
 
Perhaps this is why I'm sort of yearning for the Sennheiser CX550. I only hear good things about Sennheiser all the time and a company with such a reputation shouldn't disappoint. That's why I'm a bit skeptical with regard to the others that were listed.
 

 

[thenightman]

Quote:

I don't have much to add other than what's already been said, but in my humble opinion, the CX550 is outclassed by the newer CX280, the latter of which can be found for less than half the price.

Really? How does that happen? Shouldn't there then be a successor to the 550 that will outclass both?

 

[129207]

"I only hear good things about Sennheiser all the time"
 
Like you only heard good things about the S4? The S4 are technically proficient but maybe they just lack the sound signature you're after. What didn't you like about the S4? 

 

[thenightman]

Quote:

"I only hear good things about Sennheiser all the time"
 
Like you only heard good things about the S4? The S4 are technically proficient but maybe they just lack the sound signature you're after. What didn't you like about the S4? 

Well first off, the bass was a little too heavy for my tastes. And overall, the sound quality just wasn't there... it wasn't nearly what I had expected.
 
And yeah, I did only hear good things about the S4. But there's something about Sennheiser where almost everyone has this profound respect for it as a company that understands sound even after all these years. Sure, there may be others, but it's certainly one of the few.

 

[129207]

It sounds like you want a Head Direct RE0! Beautiful treble, great detail and when amped and properly burned in they get even better. I have them and can't imagine upgrade my IEMs in the near future. They are THAT good. Read the reviews if you don't believe me. Sometimes they show up in the FS forum here. Recently the price dropped to only $79 new (they used to cost $199!) so if you find a second hand one the value is even better. 

 

[thenightman]

I read that the RE0 lacks a punchy bass. That can make some of my hip hop/rap songs sounding lackluster.  But other than that, really good things. I may just consider this one. Thanks for the suggestion.