[despotjoe]

I've been looking for a pair of in ear headphones that cost around 60 pounds/100 dollars for my iPod. I already have a pair of Bang and Olufsen Form 2's and I need a pair that I can use on the go that has good sound quality.

So far, these are my choices:
- Monster Turbine
- Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio
- Etymotic Research ER6i
- Shure SE110

I am a musician that mainly listens to jazz, blues, pop rock, swing, and alternative and indie rock. If you could pick the one you would have from the list, that would be great and feel free to recommend another one too.
Thanks

 

[a~ 1/4 Pepea~ 1/4]

For those genres, most people would recommend the ER6i

 

[rawrster]

x2 on the ER6i

btw, what are Monster Turbine ? never heard of them before..

 

[despotjoe]

They just came out this year. I heard good things about them, but I didn't know if they were any good.

 

[lauinbeta]

x3 on the er-6i for the genres you listed

 

[jtgamble]

Think you won't be able to beat the Ety's for that money

 

[feNcheL]

I own the SF3 and heard the ER6i and IMO, ER6i is superior for detail but lacks a bit in the bass department. But I'm sure you could fix that by using a Fiio amp for example.

 

[chinesekiwi]

For pure overall sound quality, the Monster Turbines.
For those genres, may I suggest another one in the Head-Direct RE2. Has good soundstage and sparkly treble (coloured imo), perfect for jazz. Bass light however.

 

[ipodlover77]

i voted for the turbines. you cant get any bigger bass than that.

 

[mow_the_hawk]

I agree with a bunch of the people here. I would choose the ER6i if I were you. I listen to pretty much the same genres and love my ER6. They are fantastic. I have had them for a few years and still do not feel the need to upgrade.

 

[skeptic]

I strongly disagree with the recommendations on the er-6i. If treble detail is what you care about, first and foremost, that they will provide. But they cannot reproduce realistic bass. The armature driver will give you the sensation of the impact but no resonant sustain, no decay. String bass becomes hollow in jazz and rock suffers tremendously in the bottom end.

Haven't heard the others in your list, but I think the above needs to be said in every thread in which the 6i's are being pushed by "trebleheads."

I far prefer the NE-7m's to the ER-6i's for their balanced response, transparency, and sufficient (but not hyper/artificial) level of detail.

 

[Young Spade]

Etymotic. Detail is great. I would, however, go look at the Phonak Audeo thread and see what all the hub-ub is about. I just got a pair and I love them.

 

[GreatDane]

I remain fairly impressed with my ER6/i7 combo but I do use a good dose of EQ.

 

[ethan961]

I would also suggest taking a look at the phonaks. However, the turbines are said to be pretty good except for the cable, one thing that is important for portable rigs.

 

[jonathanjong]

I'm going to disagree with ER-6i too. I mean, I have a pair and love them to bits, but the C551s were better for alternative and indie rock, and weren't much worse for jazz. Which is to say that ER-6i outperformed C551 on jazz by a little, but C551 outdid ER-6i on rock by stacks. It's the bass. C551 might be a little too much for some, but ER-6i is not enough for most. RE2s recommended earlier might be another way to go.