[Lukien]

Hi all, i'm new in buying higher end earphones so i'm looking for some help.  I'm looking for a pair of noise cancelling earphones for my sony phone under $100.  I've looked around the internet and saw brands like grado, seinhesser and shure.  Most of them are out of my budget, shure is closer to my $100 budget and they have good reviews so i was thinking i may get one of them.  Not sure about the models though..any advice?  Grado/seinhesser earphones below $100?  Please feel free to list other brand and models which you think are better.
 
I listen to mostly metal (symphonic/death/power metal).  I understand headphones would give me better sound quality, but i want to use it when i'm travelling, so earphones are less troublesome and more comfortable.
 
Also, i've seen the term "amp" being used about.  Is it short for amplifier?  Is it supposed to make the earphones sound better through increasing the power output?  I use a sony xperia for my mp3 player, and i've noticed the sound quality from my phone is worse than when i play the music from my labtop. Would using an amp help in this case?
 
Appreciate the help, thanks!

 

[herpderp]

I'm a bit new myself but I think clear a couple of things up for you, I'm not sure if you're looking for active noise cancelling headphones or IEMs (in-ear monitors) aka the earbuds that go into your ear canals. I would recommend if you're looking for headphones that you go with a pair of closed headphones, they will not block out much noise but generally will not leak sound.
 
Being a fan of all of those genres you've listed with the inclusion of metalcore, black metal, and a lot of other subgenres, I would recommend you have a look at the Audio Technica ATH-M50s, I hear they're great for rock/metal. I can't really recommend anything else as I'm not too keen on closed headphones myself, I prefer open ones, they're generally more comfortable and a sound I prefer when I listen to heavier music.
 
You've pretty much got down the definition of amping although, an amp wouldn't improve sound quality. It can color your sound, but not improve it. The purpose of it is to provide power your source cannot provide, although it may not sound important, having a good headphone amplifier is extremely integral if you want to have better sound. If you want to "increase" (I italicized this because different people want different sounds from their music. It's so subjective.) your sound quality, you'll want to upgrade your source and/or your headphones.

 

[Lukien]

  I'm a bit new myself but I think clear a couple of things up for you, I'm not sure if you're looking for active noise cancelling headphones or IEMs (in-ear monitors) aka the earbuds that go into your ear canals. I would recommend if you're looking for headphones that you go with a pair of closed headphones, they will not block out much noise but generally will not leak sound.
 
Being a fan of all of those genres you've listed with the inclusion of metalcore, black metal, and a lot of other subgenres, I would recommend you have a look at the Audio Technica ATH-M50s, I hear they're great for rock/metal. I can't really recommend anything else as I'm not too keen on closed headphones myself, I prefer open ones, they're generally more comfortable and a sound I prefer when I listen to heavier music.
 
You've pretty much got down the definition of amping although, an amp wouldn't improve sound quality. It can color your sound, but not improve it. The purpose of it is to provide power your source cannot provide, although it may not sound important, having a good headphone amplifier is extremely integral if you want to have better sound. If you want to "increase" (I italicized this because different people want different sounds from their music. It's so subjective.) your sound quality, you'll want to upgrade your source and/or your headphones.

 
Hi herpderp,  thanks for the reply.  I'm looking for IEMs (in-ear monitors) aka the earbuds that go into your ear canals, because i want to use them on the move and they are more comfortable and convenient.  Would you have any recommendations for IEMs?
 
Thanks for the clarification of amping.  

 

[herpderp]

This is most definitely where you want to start looking at first:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-297-iems-compared-steelseries-flux-in-ear-flux-in-ear-pro-added-09-25-13-p-772
 
I'm not good with IEMs at all but if you want my opinion:
 
I've owned tons and tons of IEMs and the saddest part is I have no idea what to recommend, except what I'm currently using (the JVC HA-FXT90s). The earbuds I have are actually amazing but I don't think I can advise you getting these since I purchased these for a really good deal (locally from a store called FutureShop we have here in Canada) at $80 + tax (normally retailing for around $110~ USD and maybe a bit more since they've recently been discontinued). They sound great for rock and metal, they've got a lot of bass while not overpowering and pretty recessed mids / treble and while generally this isn't the type of sound signature I look for in audio equipment, I enjoy them for what they are, solid earphones with a pretty fun sound.
 
From what I hear, the Shure SE215s are quite good as well, but having had no personal experience with them, I can't whole-heartedly recommend that. I also have heard that a lot of what Westone has seems to be quite good although having had the opportunity to listen to them, I don't actually agree with that statement, something about the sound doesn't seem to fit well with me.

 

[Lukien]

  This is most definitely where you want to start looking at first:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-297-iems-compared-steelseries-flux-in-ear-flux-in-ear-pro-added-09-25-13-p-772
 
I'm not good with IEMs at all but if you want my opinion:
 
I've owned tons and tons of IEMs and the saddest part is I have no idea what to recommend, except what I'm currently using (the JVC HA-FXT90s). The earbuds I have are actually amazing but I don't think I can advise you getting these since I purchased these for a really good deal (locally from a store called FutureShop we have here in Canada) at $80 + tax (normally retailing for around $110~ USD and maybe a bit more since they've recently been discontinued). They sound great for rock and metal, they've got a lot of bass while not overpowering and pretty recessed mids / treble and while generally this isn't the type of sound signature I look for in audio equipment, I enjoy them for what they are, solid earphones with a pretty fun sound.
 
From what I hear, the Shure SE215s are quite good as well, but having had no personal experience with them, I can't whole-heartedly recommend that. I also have heard that a lot of what Westone has seems to be quite good although having had the opportunity to listen to them, I don't actually agree with that statement, something about the sound doesn't seem to fit well with me.

 
Thanks for that thread link, it should help a lot, will bookmark and take a look later.  

 

[Byrnie]

Check out the klipsch x10s. They're my favorite and amazon is selling them for 140 right now which is a great deal.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

 

[In Over My Head]

Check out the klipsch x10s. They're my favorite and amazon is selling them for 140 right now which is a great deal.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

+1n the x10. Excellent value at the current rate.