Help me convert my roommate from Ibuds... recommendations needed! ($30-40)

[irjoe]

Hey folks,
here's the weekly "what ___ do you recommend for under $__" thread

I'm trying to get my roommate some quality IEMS for his birthday, so he can appreciate (just a tad) why I spent so much $ over headphones and fuss so much about SQ, and i think its time he needs to move away from his Ipod buds, which are ragged and torn..

So, I'm looking for (first) good build, comfortable, IEM's with good isolation.. I currently own the Creative EP-630's, and he seem to like it, but I want to try something new.

He listens mostly to electronica/folk/indie, and excercises a lot with his buds, so again, the criterias above are a must.

I'd like some recommendations, for under $30, ($40 would be pushing it)
obviously, he wont be a true head-fi'er, and tell the subtle differences between a PK line and the OK Yuin series, but i think, at this point, anything from the dreadful ipod earbuds would be a worthy upgrade.

Thanks in advance guys,
stick it to the Ibuds!

 

[Ballz2TheWallz]

I really cannot recommend the RE2's enough, but sadly even though they're on sale they still cost $50(I've heard normal price is $100)

But you can find a Sennheiser CX400 for $35 on amazon, not quite as good as what you get for $20 more, but it will probably have a more powerful bass to it than the creatives, they are warm sounding buds in comparison to the neutral and accurate RE2's.

 

[kmhaynes]

Couple of cheap, available options to open someone's ears: Sony MDR-E828V (<$20), Koss KSC75 (same), Sennheiser PX-100 (<$30). E828V is at all the cheap places, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, etc. Others easy on Amazon.

Then he can save some money and get some NuForce NE-7M.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Do you have to get him IEMs? $49 buys the iGrado which would be a great fit for his music tastes.

 

[irjoe]

I'd love to get him some igrados, but i know he'll want isolation, so sadly, open headphones are not in the interest atm.. and i cant spend $50

I'll keep the CX400 in mind..
open to more suggestions

 

[iareConfusE]

Just to get him away from the iBuds, tell him to get the Jlab J2's. They sound fine after the burn in period.

 

[irjoe]

iareconfuse, how do these compare with other IEMS you'vre tried?
and what kind of music do they sound good with?

Are they pretty unbiased in their sound? (neutral? any sound signatures?)

 

[ARCH1K]

I always thought that Portapro are the best ear openers. Cheap and make people realize the potential rather quickly.

 

[Headphile808]

Nu Force NE-7M $49 Amazon.NuForce-Icon.com. Best buy within your budget IMO. Good Luck.
Aloha

Headphile808

 

[ARCH1K]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Headphile808 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Nu Force NE-7M $49 Amazon.NuForce-Icon.com. Best buy within your budget IMO. Good Luck. Aloha Headphile808

Wow. i never even heard of those. How do they compare to Denon 351?

 

[irjoe]

spoken like a true head-fi'ers, i like how the suggestion always bumps up the suggested budget up by a few bucks...
but I'm still interested in the Jlab J2's... again, any thoughts on my questions?

How do these compare with other IEMS you'vre tried?
and what kind of music do they sound good with?

Are they pretty unbiased in their sound? (neutral? any sound signatures?)

 

[my.self]

i would go with px100's. u said 40 bucks was pushing it, px100's fit the bill just right. trust me, i did the same, i converted one of my friends to much better quality headphones. i let him try out my px100's and he was blown away. excellent bass for the money on those.

 

[chews89]

Get the RE2s and say they're for his Christmas present as well

 

[aj_brown_99]

Soundmagic PL-30? I have also head many good things about the J2's

 

[average_joe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iareConfusE /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just to get him away from the iBuds, tell him to get the Jlab J2's. They sound fine after the burn in period.

In my experience (owning 2 of these) they are mid forward and the deep bass is non-existent. Even EQed I couldn't bring out the bass. The mids are nice and detailed for their price range, but not sure that sound signature will suit your roommate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Headphile808 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Nu Force NE-7M $49 Amazon.NuForce-Icon.com. Best buy within your budget IMO. Good Luck. Aloha Headphile808

I currently own the NE-7s, and they are very good, extended deep bass, good treble extension, good balance, good detail for this price range. This is a HUGE step up from ipod earbuds, even my wife and

mom think so! They make the ipod earbuds sound like the have no treble and crush them in detail and extended bass IMHO.

There are also Zagg Z.Buds that might still be $40, but for most people they don't compare favorably to the NE-7. From what I have read the extra $10 is well spent, but haven't heard the Z.Buds to really know. And NuForce is a top flight company!