[ichbinder]

Thanks for answering Napilopez! That helps a lot... I guess I'm gonna purchase one of each kind, just for the sake of back-up whenever one of them breaks again. How is your experience with the cables, the original ones and those you bought extra? How long did all of these last for you and how to you handle them in order to extend their lifetime? Any special treats?

 

[Raguvian]

I've only had my Shure SE215s for about two weeks now but they are very comfortable, seem quite durable as the cable is quite thick, and sound very fun and engaging. They also are $100, have replaceable cables and also a 2 year warranty, unlike Panasonics terrible 3 month warranty.

They are worth a look, I think.

 

[qc98]

For durability in the price range, I would recommend the Westone W1.  I have beaten mine around for over a year and they have stood up very well.  Most nights I go to sleep listening to them.  I am sure they are yanked and pulled during the night.  They are also extremely comfortable.
 
The sound would not be up to the W3 or W4, both of which I also own, but it is very respectable.  The Westone 2 would have better sound, but I haven't heard it.  I have seen them available just under $200 and I assume they would have the same durability, having the same form factor.
 
I believe Westone gives a one-year warranty that can be extended to two years merely by registering.  I think you have to buy from an authorized seller though - not sure.  Good luck.
 
 

 

[ichbinder]

Thanks people for giving me more feedback! I finally also found ljokerl's famous and amazing thread.
 
About the Shure SE215s: I know it's not the best source but quite a few people on amazon complain about their durability. I didn't know that they have replaceable cable, that's really a plus! I wonder what type of connector they use? Similar to Panasonic's JHE900? And yeah, the warranty is great! The problem is: I am from Germany and going back means dealing with support about warranty will be much harder. Maybe also shipping costs to the US etc. And my JHE-900 demonstrated to me: cable thickness - which they had - does not mean that the stress relief at the earphones or the connector is great. :-/
Even though I believe they are awesome and the support is decent, as far as I know, I just have to look for headphones that are more robust in the first place. Thanks again for sharing your experience!
 
What I thought about is the following: as Sleek Audio uses the same connectors as my JHE-900, I'd kill two birds with one stone by purchasing the SA1 or SA6... ljokerl says, the SA1 don't have a comparable sound to the JHE-900. Then, I could spend all the money for cables instead of the SA1. So, the SA6 might be the best choice...  I found them refurbished for $150. Is that a recommendable choice? Cause new, they cost like $250?
http://www.mobilepc.com/Electronics/Sleek-Audio-SA6-In-Ear-Earphones
 
However, joker's review on the Fisher Audio DBA-02 sounds cool. Anybody got experience with the durability of those?
 
About the Westone 1/2: damn... those sound like another decent choice! Especially the W2 get good reviews. Do you maybe remember where you saw them for under $200? The cheapest I could find was $239 on accessoryjack.com.

 

[Raguvian]

The SE215's are still very new so there are no durability reports yet, but I've slept with mine on, and they've been fine so far.
 
I think you were reading the Amazon reviews of the SE210, which is the SE215's predecessor. BTW, the HJE900 and the SE215 do not share the same connector.

 

[supersleuth]

Cheap, good and durable = Ety MC5. IMHO they are severely underrated around here. They won't astonish but aren't designed to- they just sound natural, exceptionally so to my ears.

 

 

[Berkovajazz]

Sa1 is not very good about the cord. If you can make your custom new ot will be great. It is very thin.
Try UE triple fi 10, also you can easy f0und a new custom cord with a good price, or make yourself thе best cord

 

[ichbinder]

 
Quote:

The SE215's are still very new so there are no durability reports yet, but I've slept with mine on, and they've been fine so far.
 
I think you were reading the Amazon reviews of the SE210, which is the SE215's predecessor. BTW, the HJE900 and the SE215 do not share the same connector.

I think you are right, I must have read the reviews on the SE210. If I may ask: you previously owned the JHE900, right? Why aren't you using them anymore and comparing their sound with the SE215's one, what's your opinion? Thanks!
 


Quote:

Cheap, good and durable = Ety MC5. IMHO they are severely underrated around here. They won't astonish but aren't designed to- they just sound natural, exceptionally so to my ears.

 

Indeed, they have a nice price. I will look up some sound reviews. Thanks!
 

 
Quote:

Sa1 is not very good about the cord. If you can make your custom new ot will be great. It is very thin.
Try UE triple fi 10, also you can easy f0und a new custom cord with a good price, or make yourself thе best cord

Sorry, I have some problems to understand your post as a non-native speaker and new member to head-fi.org. With "ot" you refer to the Ortofon e-Q5? Why is very thin a pro for the cables and not a con?
A lot of people complain also about the short durability of the UE triple fi 10. Do you have different experience with them? How do you treat them?
When you say "you can easy f0und a new custom cord with a good price, or make yourself thе best cord" you mean for the UE Triple Fi 10? Or for my JHE-900?
And most imporant: you say that the cord of the SA1 is not really good? Do you own them or what's your background for saying that? Do you maybe also know if the quality of SA6's cable is better?
Thanks for helping!

 

[jankydude]

 
If your looking at durability I wouldn't get the Sleek's until enough proof comes out that they fixed their cables. When I had my SA6 the cable broke 3 times on me within 8 months.
 
I know you had a bad experience but for the most part HJE-900 cables are holding up really well for most people. My stock HJE-900 cable has outlasted all of the Sleeks combined and shows no sign of slowing down. 
 
Other than that, I also suggest the Westone because they're known for great build quality and the UM versions have detachable cables.

 

[supersleuth]

ichbinder, here's a review of the MC5 that's quite thorough and that agrees with what I hear from mine.
http://www.topreviewshop.com/etymotic_mc5_earphones
 

 

[Raguvian]

Quote:

 

I think you are right, I must have read the reviews on the SE210. If I may ask: you previously owned the JHE900, right? Why aren't you using them anymore and comparing their sound with the SE215's one, what's your opinion? Thanks!
 

I ended up selling them because I couldn't get a comfortable seal no matter what I did. I tried many different tips (including Sony Hybrids), over the ear, straight down, etc and none of the things I tried gave me a good seal. The only way I could get them to seal was to jam them very painfully into my ear so I sold them.
 
I don't remember how they sounded all that much, but I remember that the mids were very recessed so it sounded like (male) vocals were very weak and distant and the music wasn't quite as engaging. I also remember thinking it had a lot of bass. I'm not sure how the bass compares to the SE215 but I know the SE215 sounds more fun and engaging than the HJE900's.
 

 

[ichbinder]

Hi again!
 
As an update to this:
I ended up getting the Westone 2 and here a bit about my recent experience: (Also posted in ljokerl's IEM review thread)
 
For all of you who think about - or might one day think about - getting the Westone 2: I got a pair as a gift in April 2011 and immediately liked their imho clean sound and loved their very sturdy fit, something not all non-customized IEMs have.
 
However, after a few months they got damaged and thanks to Westones one-time-exchange-without-any-questions policy I got a new pair. Now, after approx. 22 months of daily and intensive usage, the jack starts to have a loose contact, causing dropouts every now and then. As always in the beginning of such problems, it now only occurs during movement, e.g. while riding a bike. But soon, they will be pretty useless.
 
Sad, cause I really liked them and hoped and expected them to be a bit more resistant, given their design and all. I already contacted Westone and they will give me an offer for a discounted exchange pair or upgrade for other Westone products.
 
As always, ljokerl's thread is my trusted place to see what I might choose, exchange or upgrade.
 
Best regards,
Manuel