[neoufo51]

I need a secondary In-Ear to use instead of my expensive IEM when I'm on the go and I don't need the very best sound quality because I'm listening to something like a podcast or radio show.

I need something:

1) Under $30
2) Durable for on the go listening to a podcast while commuting.
3) Decent sound quality for the price and durability.

I imagine most of you guys have a cheap secondary pair to keep from using your prized IEM's safe, so what do you use?

 

[^adm^]

Soundmagic pl30 is about 30$ shipped and matches your criteria.

 

[ClieOS]

I'll go for PL11 or PL20 instead. PL30 doesn't isolate as well as the others.

 

[neoufo51]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ^adm^ /img/forum/go_quote.gif Soundmagic pl30 is about 30$ shipped and matches your criteria.

Hmmm, I don't trust the build quality on those. Or am I wrong?

 

[^adm^]

Quote:

Originally Posted by neoufo51 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmmm, I don't trust the build quality on those. Or am I wrong?

They seem pretty decent to me, i use iems fairly so not any of them broke on me so far.

 

[ljokerl]

I've had my pl30s as my daily beater phone for about 5 months now. No damage yet except the rubbery skin peeling off the bass knobs in some places, but that's because I cram them in my pocket with my phone and keys. I use them on the bus pretty often and I think the isolation is perfectly reasonable (we have natural gas-powered buses; they sound like monster trucks).

 

[tstarn06]

No brainer. Get the UE Metro.Fi 200v from Amazon for $25 shipped. I sold my PL30s for $12, too tough to fit in my view. The UEs are $99 MSRP phones, work with iPod Touch/iPhone if needed, and overall, very, very good sound to price ratio. I bought two pair, at that price, and they are outstanding for the money. Oh, I did switch to the Sony Hybrid or Comply T400 tips, depending on my listening mood, but the PL30 stock tips stink too, so either way new tips might be in order (or maybe not, if the UE tips work for you).

 

[neoufo51]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif No brainer. Get the UE Metro.Fi 200v from Amazon for $25 shipped. I sold my PL30s for $12, too tough to fit in my view. The UEs are $99 MSRP phones, work with iPod Touch/iPhone if needed, and overall, very, very good sound to price ratio. I bought two pair, at that price, and they are outstanding for the money. Oh, I did switch to the Sony Hybrid or Comply T400 tips, depending on my listening mood, but the PL30 stock tips stink too, so either way new tips might be in order (or maybe not, if the UE tips work for you).

Just brought them. They're perfect. Just the right kind of durable design and a steal at $25 even. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[hockeyb213]

that deal is ridiculously tempting for iphone/blackberry cans for knocking around with

 

[tstarn06]

I'm on my third pair (bought one for a Swedish HFer as a favor), and have them in now with my Zune80, and medium hybrid tips. I love this deal! Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense" (Life During Wartime). Nice balanced sound, nothing garish or overdone. I am really surprised by this phone, since I would never had looked at it for full price (or even the $65 it's selling for on most sites). And works nicely with my Touch. Think about it, 3 pair of Comply tips cost $15 or so. For $10 more, backup phones that work with iPhone/Touch.

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by neoufo51 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just brought them. They're perfect. Just the right kind of durable design and a steal at $25 even. Thanks for the heads up.

No problem. Another HFer posted this deal last week. Today, Amazon is selling the Super.Fi 3 (the AL branded version) for $35, so I picked up a pair of those too. This is fun, and costs as much as a decent lunch out. I still really love the W3s, but only need one top tier IEM. It's fun to have some low priced, decent quality IEMs too. No more mid-priced in-ears for me.