[nyonya]

Hey guys, brand new to the forum, but I have looked around and feel like my question hasn't been answered exactly. I'm looking for the lowest-priced headphone I can get that will give me "good" sound, which obviously is subjective, but I'll give you guys (hopefully) enough info to help me decide. For ease of reading I'll put this in an outline format.

Form factor: in-ear, so earbuds, canal phones, IEMs

Price: No real ceiling, but don't really want to go much over $100, cause I feel weird buying headphones more expensive than my mp3 player

Source: Toshiba Gigabeat F60 running Rockbox, laptop

Music: My tastes are primarily in rock, but running the gamut from Beatles to Queen to Led Zeppelin to Pink Floyd to Metallica to Iron Maiden to Iced Earth

Important: sound quality, fit, durability

Not important: looks, sound isolation (I'll commute with these and don't want to be hit by a bus, so slightly less isolation is probably more in my case)

I'm upgrading from the EP-630's that came with my XPS primarily because I can't seem to get them to fit well, so I end up not using them. The smallest size tips fall out of my ears, and the mediums don't quite fit.

From my limited understanding of the whole world of sound, with my music preferences, I'm mostly looking for mid-range and bass, not so much the treble, right? I'm not a "bass-head", so I don't need super booming bass, just something I can enjoy.

From reading these forums, seems like the consensus picks for moderate-priced headphones are the Denon C700 and the Atrio M5/M8. I can get the V-Moda Vibe for $70, but apparently they're on the 4th version by now? Has anyone given these newest ones a chance to see if they perform close to the preproduction ones that people seem to like? Also, seems like everyone bashes the Shure E2c and the UE Super.Fi 3, which surprised me, but I trust you guys.

So what do you think? What pair of 'phones would suit me? If possible, could you describe the sound of any suggestions as compared with the EP-630, the Sony EX-802 (stock with the A818), or the MDR-Q55? Those are the only 3 sets I've listened to much.

Thanks guys!

 

[intoflatlines]

I would consider the UE SF3 Studio. It has a nice warm sound but still provides the treble. I think it's a great value.

 

[robojack]

Well, the Atrio M5/M8 are both over $100 (closer to $150), but I'd recommend them if you're willing to splurge.

But X2 on the UE SF3, definitely good bang for your buck.

 

[nyonya]

would I (with my very untrained ears) hear a big difference between the super.fi 3 and the M5/M8? What do people think about the metro.fi 2?

 

[nyonya]

After some more searching, seems like these phones are the ones I should be looking at:

Denon C700
ATH-CK7
UE SF3
Atrio M5/M8

For my music preferences, which of these seems to be the best for the money?

 

[TSi]

x3 fo UE SF3

 

[Music Hunter]

if ur not a basshead or care at all for bass than yea i actually agree to get the sf3 if all you need is for your sound to have a lot of clarity

 

[nyonya]

Let me clarify: I do need some bass, I just don't need super booming deep bass. From what I've read here, the Etymotic ER6i would be the best choice if I didn't care about bass.

Looking around some more, seems like the Crossroads MylarOne X3i is very highly regarded, but maybe a bit suspect in the durability department. So how do the following 'phones compare:

UE SF3
ATH-CK7
MylarOne X3i
UE Metro.Fi 2
Shure E2C
V-Moda Vibe

and is there anything else I should be considering in the <$100 price range?

 

[jgonino]

Throw out the E2C and the Vibes, they are really not that great. The Vibes have massive boomy bass that ruins the mids, and the E2C's sound...off. The CK7 is a pretty solid choice, as well as the denon c700. The metro-fi.2 are not very popular because the super.fi.3 are a lot better, and not much more money.

Look at the Buyers Guide link in my Signature for more options.

 

[nyonya]

ok, so removing those underperformers, I'm left with

Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 3
ATH-CK7
MylarOne X3i

and adding

Jays J-Jays
Jays D-Jays

is the Sony MDR-EX85 worth considering?

 

[jgonino]

The EX90 gets a lot more respect than the 85. I would look for a pair of Mylarone's. I think there is a pair for sale in the FS forum right now.

The build quality issues were with the older model x3's without the 'i'

 

[AgainstTheGrain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nyonya /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey guys, brand new to the forum, but I have looked around and feel like my question hasn't been answered exactly. I'm looking for the lowest-priced headphone I can get that will give me "good" sound, which obviously is subjective, but I'll give you guys (hopefully) enough info to help me decide. For ease of reading I'll put this in an outline format. Form factor: in-ear, so earbuds, canal phones, IEMs Price: No real ceiling, but don't really want to go much over $100, cause I feel weird buying headphones more expensive than my mp3 player Source: Toshiba Gigabeat F60 running Rockbox, laptop Music: My tastes are primarily in rock, but running the gamut from Beatles to Queen to Led Zeppelin to Pink Floyd to Metallica to Iron Maiden to Iced Earth Important: sound quality, fit, durability Not important: looks, sound isolation (I'll commute with these and don't want to be hit by a bus, so slightly less isolation is probably more in my case) I'm upgrading from the EP-630's that came with my XPS primarily because I can't seem to get them to fit well, so I end up not using them. The smallest size tips fall out of my ears, and the mediums don't quite fit. From my limited understanding of the whole world of sound, with my music preferences, I'm mostly looking for mid-range and bass, not so much the treble, right? I'm not a "bass-head", so I don't need super booming bass, just something I can enjoy. From reading these forums, seems like the consensus picks for moderate-priced headphones are the Denon C700 and the Atrio M5/M8. I can get the V-Moda Vibe for $70, but apparently they're on the 4th version by now? Has anyone given these newest ones a chance to see if they perform close to the preproduction ones that people seem to like? Also, seems like everyone bashes the Shure E2c and the UE Super.Fi 3, which surprised me, but I trust you guys. So what do you think? What pair of 'phones would suit me? If possible, could you describe the sound of any suggestions as compared with the EP-630, the Sony EX-802 (stock with the A818), or the MDR-Q55? Those are the only 3 sets I've listened to much. Thanks guys!

my first piece of advice is to get over the fact of not wanting to have headphones that cost more then your source especially if that source is just an mp3 player.

 

[nyonya]

just read the entire thread on the X3i, pretty scared by the apparently crappy build quality. Not sure I'm gutsy enough to order a pair, although they do seem very affordable for the reported sound quality.

what are people's overall assessments of the J-Jays and D-Jays?

 

[nyonya]

So I've been looking at the technology behind the different headphones. Seems like there's two kinds, dynamic driver and balanced armature. Also, from what I've read here, armature seems to have trouble with the extreme high- and low-end. Why is it then that the "nicer" IEMs seem to be armature?

Out of the ones I'm looking at, the UE SF3 and the D-Jays are armature, while the ATH-CK7 are a dynamic driver. So does that mean that the CK7 (or the Denon C700 if I expand my budget) will inherently have a deeper bass and be able to play higher treble? What's the advantage of armature?

 

[martinmach]

so which is really better? if you consider the overall sound clarity