[karlnapp]

Dear Head-fiers,

for many years I never understood why people liked music so much. Until the last of my sub 10 EUR earphones broke on a longer trip abroad and for some reason I ended up buying a pair of Shure SE315. What a difference. And what a joy that nice audio did bring to me all the sudden. Now, after a good and extended service the right earphone died, crushed in a door slammed shut. As I couldn't decided what to do, I have replaced them again with a very cheap pair of in-ears and I already have so many complaints about them. Why I am stuck and I really would appreciate your guidance:

Since I upgraded to a newer iPhone, I have lost the headphone jack on the device the Shure have been attached to almost exclusively. Also, for phone calls - and there a plenty - I was missing a mic dearly for a long time. Also, in contrast with the interim ear filler, the Shure had a very nice noisy blocking capability ever with the standard ear plugs. I should maybe add that my ears aren't that big (another reason why I really like the Shure; they always felt small and comfy) and I wear glasses (the over ear cable of the Shure did bother me but less than expected at first). I can't wear Apple earbuds as they don't fit my ears (this is why I - maybe luckily - didn't just buy the earpods but started searching the web (and thus found this forum). I don't want over ears as I already have some Bose QC25 but when traveling (which I do a lot) they usually stay at home due to the fact that they eat up a lot of space and have just nowhere to hide (except maybe in my laptop bag). The price limit I have set for myself is roughly 200 EUR (240 USD).

1More Quad or Tripple Driver were what I had in mind when I arrived at this forum. Digging through the forums here, iBasso or Brainwavz seem to be a cable bound option, but they don't seem to have a mic. For the "true wireless" kind, Jabra 65t seems to be an ugly looking compromise (don't know about their sound quality), and the Ear-in M2 are already sold out.

Best,
KN

 

[yong_shun]

1More Quad or Tripple Driver were what I had in mind when I arrived at this forum.

These 2 models would be good choices because they do have the lightning jack version. You can just throw your adapter away (Just kidding LOL). Triple drivers has a more balanced sound signature as compared to quad. If you are a bass head, go for quad.

You can consider some other IEMs with detachable cable so you can get a replacement cable with mic and lightning jack to suit your need. A lot of IEM manufacturers have produced this type of cable.
1. https://www.aloaudio.com/shop/litz/
2. http://www.shure.com/americas/products/accessories/earphones/earphone-headphone-cables/rmce-ltg

This will add a bit to your cost but it is a more flexible alternative.

 

[yong_shun]

Jabra 65t seems to be an ugly looking compromise (don't know about their sound quality)

This model has a pretty reference kind of sound signature unlike those sports headphones in the market which are mostly bass oriented. My friend find it a bit too polite in the bass and high but this can be solved by using the Equalizer in the app.

 

[serman005]

I think you might also consider a Campfire Comet--it might also work and it sounds terrific. $200 USD. Check it out.

 

[karlnapp]

These 2 models would be good choices because they do have the lightning jack version. You can just throw your adapter away (Just kidding LOL).

Does it hurt sound quality substantially when I have to use the old jack to lightning adapter? The 1More Triple are selling for about 104 EUR with the regular jack while the lightning version sells for 140 EUR...

Triple drivers has a more balanced sound signature as compared to quad. If you are a bass head, go for quad.

Well, I am not that much of a bass head, listening to quite some classic stuff, too.

You can consider some other IEMs with detachable cable so you can get a replacement cable with mic and lightning jack to suit your need. A lot of IEM manufacturers have produced this type of cable.
1. https://www.aloaudio.com/shop/litz/
2. http://www.shure.com/americas/products/accessories/earphones/earphone-headphone-cables/rmce-ltg
This will add a bit to your cost but it is a more flexible alternative.

I was totally unaware of this option. I only read about the "wireless cable" from Shure when thinking about a replacement bud but that cable had such terrible reviews that I didn't go further down this road. But as the cables you have suggested are non-Bluetooth ones, the vendors should be able to add a mic and some buttons without compromising SQ too much.

I think you might also consider a Campfire Comet--it might also work and it sounds terrific. $200 USD. Check it out.

So this adds the Campfire Comet as an alternative to 1More TripleDrivers, new SE315, iBasso or Brainwavz. For the three later I would need a new cable with a mic, possibly a lightning version.

This model has a pretty reference kind of sound signature unlike those sports headphones in the market which are mostly bass oriented. My friend find it a bit too polite in the bass and high but this can be solved by using the Equalizer in the app.

How big is the loss in SQ compared to the wired brothers mentioned in this thread?

 

[yong_shun]

Does it hurt sound quality substantially when I have to use the old jack to lightning adapter? The 1More Triple are selling for about 104 EUR with the regular jack while the lightning version sells for 140 EUR...

IMO, using 1More Triple Drivers with lightning jack would be better as compared to using a 3.5mm model with an adapter. Whenever there is additional adapter or connection, if the connection is not well established, it will lose some of the analogue signal and this compromised the SQ. According to 1More official website, the lightning version actually embedded a HD DAC in the headphone and it helps to decode the source better. This explains the differences in price too.

Well, I am not that much of a bass head, listening to quite some classic stuff, too.

I think triple driver would be a good choice. Another model would be pioneer CH-9T but you need to change the cable to a lightning cable.

I was totally unaware of this option. I only read about the "wireless cable" from Shure when thinking about a replacement bud but that cable had such terrible reviews that I didn't go further down this road. But as the cables you have suggested are non-Bluetooth ones, the vendors should be able to add a mic and some buttons without compromising SQ too much.

The SQ would not be compromised that much for this alternatives except for some microphonics introduced by the mic which is not significant.

How big is the loss in SQ compared to the wired brothers mentioned in this thread?

This is tough for me to define because ultimately it still depends on the user.

 

[karlnapp]

Okay, I have ordered the 1more triple driver w/ lightning and the Jabra and will see which I like more. So far already thanks a lot for your support!

 

[karlnapp]

Well, well. After two weeks of testing I am basically back to square one:

The Jabra didn't really fit my ears that well. After some hours of wear they began to hurt and I had to either remove them or constantly move them to relieve my ear. The final deal breaker, however, was that their *minimum* volume during calls was simply too loud and thus hurt my ear. Their email support was horrible ("did you update iOS to the latest version?" and "did you press volume down often enough?") which didn't make me regret sending them back.

The 1more haven't received that much attention over the last two weeks as I also ordered the Campfire Comets.

Regarding the Comets. The pros: I really like their (in my ears neutral) sound; they have a wide range of loudness for both music and calls which makes them well suited for my daily headphone scenarios; their metal body feels sturdy and valuable. The cons: the cable is pretty noisy; the insulation they offer is mediocre at best even with different tips; both cable and the metal buds are (relatively) heavy and the resultant force gives a noticeable pull on the ear. As an aside, I had some funny (electromagnetic?) effect when the cable would change the loudness while rubbing over a certain pullover.

So the Jabra is already on its way home and I have seven more days to decide what I should do the the remaining two.

Any ideas?

 

[fjeena]

If you prefer the over ear style, I'd go for the UE900 or ue900s

Cables are replaceable cable and come with a mic cable too. Only disadvantage is that they don't do lighyning connectors as far as I know.

They retail for £250ish, but can be had brand new on eBay for sub £200