[silvercats]

I have had certain issues with in ear earphones. My ears begin to hurt after a while of using an in ear earphone. I have tried several earphones and all are the same. So I decided to move to over ear headphones.

Are there better quality (under $100) in ear earphones  that do not hurt my ear? Will they all be the same?

Should I stick to the over ear headphones?
 
 prefer in ears as they can fit my pocket and portable. Don't I have any other option but to buy an over head headphone? 

 

[justaname]

Like you, I find over-ear headphones generally more comfortable but I still use iems for commuting and gym. I like iems that have the cable go over your ears. Comfort also depends on the tips used (it's a compromise).

I like the shure se215, vsonic vsd3s and etymotic hf5. The etymotics are the least comfortable and have the most balanced sound. Shure se215 has a smooth, easy to listen to sound. The VSD3s is the most comfortable and has a great fun (v-shaped) sound for the price (~45usd).

 

[BoseOrNothing]

I would suggest using an in ear product from bose. I love their over ear noise canselling quietcomfort 15, and I think that the bose quiet comfort 20 in ear headphones will do the trick for you (they are also noise cancelling in ears). Or you could go something without rubber ends like the Apple earpods they are SO comfortable for non rubber ends.

 

[Insayn]

It all really depends on what exactly you are doing. For going anywhere, or making any type of commute, IEMs always seem more practical to me because you can fit them in a case in your pocket. For me, Over-Ears definitely satisfy the "I'm wearing something comfortable" type of comfort, but IEMs satisfy the type of comfort where you forget that they are there. Granted, that is all based on which headphones/iems you are using. 

 

[Baroninkjet]

HifiMan RE-400 is amazing sound for $99, and is small, light and very comfortable. They come with comply foam tips now. I keep trying others, but so far have always come back.
 
p.s. Correction -- I see that they are $79 on sale now.

 

[rschoi75]

I'm going to have to agree with BoseOrNothing on this one. I used to own a pair of Bose IE2's a few years ago. While I think there are quite a few better sounding iem's at this price point, the bose ear piece is arguably the most comfortable universal tip made. Most iem's start hurting my ears after 3+ hours of listening, but I can go all day with the bose iem's. I've even fallen asleep with them on. 

 

[silvercats]

Great suggestions. I will consider them too. What do you guys think about shure se215

 

[tomatopunch]

In-ear earphones are picky about seals: You need proper fit to experience the full extension of their sound, and that often means spending more for the perfect ear tips. I would suggest purchasing tips from Comply or Sony if you can't achieve a good fit with certain models. However, I still like in-ears because they are much more portable, don't usually require an amplifier, and I don't end up with sweaty ears or my hair being styled along the headband in an unkempt manner. 

 

[Baroninkjet]

If you are looking for comparisons, this is nice:
 
http://theheadphonelist.com/

 

[justaname]

Great suggestions. I will consider them too. What do you guys think about shure se215

I had those but they got stolen. From what I remember, smooth warm sound without any harsh spikes in the treble region. The shells are a bit bigger than vsd3s and westones (iirc) which use a similar sized shell, so might get annoying after a few hours depending on your ear shape.

 

[silvercats]

I had those but they got stolen. From what I remember, smooth warm sound without any harsh spikes in the treble region. The shells are a bit bigger than vsd3s and westones (iirc) which use a similar sized shell, so might get annoying after a few hours depending on your ear shape.

I don't mind them being  a little uncomfortable. What I can't bear is the pain that stays after removing them from my ears. As long as they don't hurt, I do not mind. Would Shure se215 do that? I won't listen more than 3 hours anyway. Usually one hour. Heard that Shure se215 has a good build and sound quality than the others. (but my main concern is comfort, "pain" )

 

[justaname]

I don't mind them being  a little uncomfortable. What I can't bear is the pain that stays after removing them from my ears. As long as they don't hurt, I do not mind. Would Shure se215 do that? I won't listen more than 3 hours anyway. Usually one hour. Heard that Shure se215 has a good build and sound quality than the others. (but my main concern is comfort, "pain" )

For me, they don't give that sensation. I like their grey tips and the foam ones. Build quality is good and I haven't had any issues with the sound cutting out due to the cables.

Sound wise, I think the vsd3s is a better budget iem since it is more versatile (rock, pop, edm) but the se215 are fine as well though they do cost a bit more. Can't go wrong with either but get the se215 from somewhere that has a good return policy just in case

 

[silvercats]

  HifiMan RE-400 is amazing sound for $99, and is small, light and very comfortable. They come with comply foam tips now. I keep trying others, but so far have always come back.
 
p.s. Correction -- I see that they are $79 on sale now.

I wonder about their durability. I hope to buy from ebay and there is no sending back for the warranty

  If you are looking for comparisons, this is nice:
 
http://theheadphonelist.com/

Great comparisons. Is it a trusted and reputed site?

 

[silvercats]

Where does the comfort usually come from? from the original eartip? 
If we replace the original ear tip with a low quality one, is the comfort totally lost?

 

[justaname]

Where does the comfort usually come from? from the original eartip? 

If we replace the original ear tip with a low quality one, is the comfort totally lost?

Sometimes the original tips aren't necessarily the right ones for you. I've used shure tips on etymotic etc.

I don't think you can go wrong with the se215 really. Go for it.