[frazzledglispa]

Hi all, I am looking for a recommendation for an iPhone headset. Currently I am using some Sennheiser CX300s for audio only. They are the only IEMs I have ever used, and I think they are alright, a little overpowering in the bass, and they love to slip out of my ears (especially in the morning after a shower unless I Q-tip my ears to death to get all of the water out.)

I had thought about the mm50 IP, but decided against them because of the way the CX-300s tend to distort and overemphasize the low end.

I also thought about the Shure SE 210s with the separate microphone cable, but really would rather not have two cables and have read really mixed reviews on the 210s

I believe I have narrowed it down to either the UE 4vi or the 5vi but am trying to decide if it is worth the extra money to upgrade from the 4 to the 5. The $190 or so for the 5vi is really the most I would want to spend - a little more actually.

I will primarily be using these on the train to and from work. I listen to primarily female vocalists, but a wide range of genres - acoustic singer/songwriter, alt-country, "alternative" (ridiculously wide category, I know) art-rock, some dance, a bit of classical. Some artist examples would be Fiona Apple, Nico Case, Laurie Anderson, Sam Phillips, Kate Bush (Hounds of Love and The Dreaming must sound good) Tanita Tikaram, Basia Bulat, Sinead O'Connor, etc...

Another thing to take into account is the fact that I have some scar tissue and thickening on my ear-drums from surgery and tube implants as a child, so my ears are not the most sensitive, especially on the very low end and the very high. I can tell that the CX300's are too bassy, and I listened to a friends Vibe Duos and they sounded horrible to me - most of the high end was completely lost on me and everything sounded like a rumbly bassy mess - like someone turned the treble knob on a cheap stereo all the way down and the bass knob all the way up. Or like when someone drives by on the street listening to hip-hop and all you can really hear is the bass.

I like to hear the bass, even to feel it, but not at the expense of the rest of the music.

I rip all of my music to 190kpbs AAC, but to be honest I cannot tell the difference between 128 and 256 and a CD, except on a very few songs - and even then the difference is very negligable - to my ears anyway. I can hear more distortion at the end of Troy by Sinead O'Connor at 128 than I can at 190 for example.

I mention this, because obviously, if the details will be lost on me there isn't a lot of point in paying the extra money.

I also like the shape of the 5vi better than the 4vi, they look like they would be more comfortable and could be worn up or down.

Anyway, sorry this was so long, just wanted to give as much detail as possible. I would really appreciate any suggestions anyone has to give. I have never shelled out this much money for a pair of earphones before, and am a bit anxious about doing so without having much experience.

Peace!

Brent

 

[nc8000]

Another option could be Etymotics HF2. I should be getting mine sometimes in the coming week.

 

[frazzledglispa]

I had considered the HF2s, but my understanding is that they may be weaker on bass than I would prefer. Not sure how they would compare with the two UE models.

I also like that the UE models have a the control button separated from the microphone

 

[nc8000]

Have not heard any of these yet but based on ER4 I would guess that the HF2 is going to share the same charactaristic which will mean that the bass will be there and precise but wil not have much weight so based on that the UE models are likely to have a weightier bass.

 

[Malux]

i did the denon 751s with the shure MPA mic. I hated the shure 210s, but love the denons.

If you don't go that route, consider the 5vis. That's the new model and seems to be a better implemented that the 4vi.

finally, if you want, you can be the guinea pig on the new dual driver apple headset. You can tell us how u like it

 

[frazzledglispa]

I actually ordered the HF2s after all, for a couple of reasons. I had some concerns about reports of breakage with the UE 4vis, lack of reviews/1.0 status on the 5.1s coupled with very good reviews on the HF2s. I figure it might be time to try to train my ears not to expect over-emphasized bass as being the way music should sound.

I found the HF2 NIB on ebay for $147 shipped, which seemed to be a pretty good deal, so I went for it. I also saw the new Ruby ones available for the same price, but I like my earphones to look plain - it arouses less curiousity/temptation.

I may try the new Apple ones when they come out, as I imagine they will be less expensive that any of these other, but honestly I am not a fan of white headphone cables.

I live downtown, and walk to the train in the dark - and soon home in the dark as well. To me white earphones scream "steal my iPod!"

I guess I kind of figure since that my ears are used to cheap earbuds/headphones anyway that any model I went with would be a vast improvement over the CX300s and the cheapo behind the head no-name headphones I usually use.