[Bonersahoy]

Hi guys.
 
I am by no means an audiophile like the majority of you on here, but I do appreciate decent music that sounds good.
 
I've only dabbled with cheap earphones in the past. Mainly £10 skullcandy's. The last pair was a set of £21 sony things that weren't anything spectacular and ended up getting lost. Recently though, I decided that I'd like a pair of solid, durable IEMs that I can actually take care of rather than spending a few quid on something underwhelming every few months. 
 
I'm not looking for anything that will break the bank, but I want the sound quality to be at least noticeably a step up from the piles of junk that I've used before . £50 is a good average I think. I'm happy to spend a bit more on something mindblowing but ideally I'd like to spend less.
 
I actually work for a major film and audio chain (Guess which). I asked a guy in the technology section at my store what to go for, and he said that most of the skullcandy and similar makes that we sell are basically the same earphone repackaged with a different brand so you need to be careful.
 
He also said that there's not really a discernable gap between low and high end, you could find really good earphones for £20 that only need a new tip to sound amazing, but they might be on the shelves next to some £20 piles of crap. So he recommended this site for me to come and have a look and ask around.
 
I already looked at the Thermaltake Isurus, which I have found online for £15 to £35 and seem to be a gaming earphone (I actually don't mind that, I spilled a drink on my macbook a while ago and shorted the logic board. The mic was also ruined, but they didn't notice that when they fixed it at the time and I only noticed it recently when I tried to use Skype) so the mic would be welcome, but not essential.
 
I also checked out the JVC FXC51 and the Klipsch Image S4s which are nicely priced, and were recommended elsewhere on here.
 
Edit: Just noticed these in another thread on here: http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/shop/Clearance.255/+/ATOMIC-HIDEF-DRUM-BGRADE/Atomic_Floyd_HiDef_Drum__B-GRADE_.13532.html
 
So basically I'd like a good all round IEM that are basically a step up or two from the cheap earphones that I have had before. I mostly listen to rock and hip hop with a few other things thrown in but I'm not listening to house or metal enough to buy earphones that just cater to those. And I'm not one of those kids who has to have the bass on full constantly. I like a nice, punchy but not overwhelming bass. I don't want it to make the entire track sound muddy.
 
Any help you could give would be great thanks guys.

 

[Bonersahoy]

Can anyone offer any help?

 

[Angelopsaro]

If i were you and wanted to buy a less than $70. i would buy the soundmagic e30 or the dunu trident. They cost 30-40 dollars and imo you cant get much of an upgrade for another $30.
You could take a look to the slightly more expensive brainwavz M2 or the vsonic gr06. I am not sure about the gr06 cable though. I think its quality is very good but as its more expensive brother gr07 could be untamed. They might fixed it though as they did in the newer batch of the gr07.
There are detailed reviews for all the models i suggested in this forum. check them and pick the one you like most

 

[Huxley]

I've suggested it a few times, but if you can stretch to £80 then the yamaha EPH100 is within your grasp, and floors anything at that price point.

 

[mark2410]

GR06

 

[kckc]

Vsonic GR06 or Dunu Trident.

 

[ostewart]

soundmagic E30, or Dunu Tridents. MEelectronics A151 are also good, if you get the A151 i advise you get Shure foam tips for them, more comfortable.

Regards.

Also advancedmp3players.co.uk is a good place to get things from, very helpful and good service. I actually got some review samples from them.

 

[Angelopsaro]

Quote:

soundmagic E30, or Dunu Tridents. MEelectronics A151 are also good, if you get the A151 i advise you get Shure foam tips for them, more comfortable.
Regards.
Also advancedmp3players.co.uk is a good place to get things from, very helpful and good service. I actually got some review samples from them.

A bit  expensive though to be honest. Their price probably is explained by importing them in the EU but i have seen shops not affected by this. Therefore it costs 20 usd more than other sellers.

 

[ostewart]

true, but their B-stock section is usually quite good.

 

[afhstingray]

The thermaltake isurus which are getting a lot of positive comments in this thread : 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/586909/the-thermaltake-isurus-rebranded-audio-technica-and-the-philips-she3580
 
Are going for 15 quid on amazon .. I ordered a pair but I haven't got them yet, however the soundmagic e30 is a solid suggestion too

 

[Mactire]

I've got a couple of "cheaper" IEMs, and am a big fan of Klipsch. I've got the Image S2 and S2m, the latter one has an inline mic. Compared to others I have the sound is very nice, not bass heavy and a detailed sound. They cost around €50,- Note that the S2 might be out of production. 
I heard that the S4 has a more detailed sound, but they are thicker. I like the fit of the S2, which is more sleek.
 
A half year ago I had AKG K330’s, the yellow ones. I liked the clear sound of the IEMs very much, the fit was a bit of getting used to, but In the end I really happy with them. They cost about €50,- also. Do note that the K330 might have build issues. My right channel went out after 3 to 4 months of use and I've read similar reports on the net. Because of that I wouldn't recommend them.
 
 

 

[nipit]

IMHO, I would suggest you to buy 1 time a good quality pair of earphones for ~100 pounds than as you were doing buying cheap s**t models for 10, 20 pounds. If you could stretch your budget one time to 100 there would be such great earphones as : Vsonic GR07, JVC FXT90 & Triple.fi 10. If you can't afford now just gather some money. Believe me, I came here too to find some budget earphones, but that's just a waist of time... and money. You are buying earphones for a long time, so why don't you spend a little bit more but instead you will get a quality product.

 

[bob13bob]

only problem with that, is some users like myself are hard are their gear (some lost, some broke; I take them everywhere).  I'm on my third pair, so $50 range that is right for me.

 

[JK1]

The JVC HAFXC51 is an unusual IEM. It has a micro driver which is inserted deep into the ear canal, which is uncomfortable for some people. It takes getting used to. It needs plenty of burn in to sound good. It has less bass than many other IEMS, however it has great highs and the midrange is detailed. For even more detail, get the FXC80. perhaps you might find the A151 or E30 much more comfortable than these. The FXC51 or FXC80 is probably best suited for classical music, especially violin and piano.
 
I assume you are looking for a neutral IEM and not one with extra bass. I have been thinking about buying the A151 and CX21 by Meelectronics. I might buy one or both of these.

 

[Ninety]

I'm a big fan of my Audio Technica ATH-CKM50s, but they're probably a bit bass-light for your tastes.  ATH-CKS55s might be more suited in your price range (though I'm a bit of an AT fan).
If you're looking at JVC though, Asda (yes, Asda) have FXC80s for £19 and FXC50s for £14.97 (http://direct.asda.com/Audio-Hi-Fi/4101,default,sc.html) - I've ordered a pair of the FXC80s as I'm curious and they seem like a proper bargain.  Plus, carbon is cool...