Looking for earphone under $100
Jan 24, 2010 at 8:05 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 4

ocean21

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Hi all,
Straight to the point, I'm looking for a new earphone to replace my spoilt Yuin PK2. IEMs are not on my wish list as I never get along with the underwater feeling while using them

Thanks for your reply
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Jan 24, 2010 at 8:34 AM Post #2 of 4
I'm not the most knowledgeable member, but I do know basic things to know before recommendations are what your source is, what type of music you listen too, and if there are any particular sonic qualities you are looking for(big bass? no sibilance? big soundstage?). How essential is comfort? Should they be portable, and can they be driven without an amp?

There are many generic suggestions. My personal you-can't-go-wrong-with-them cans are the JVC RX700s, especially after they are burned in and lightly modded(don't even need anything except your hands). 35 Dollars dollars so your wallet isn't obliterated. Many think they are the best cans under 100, or at least in the upper echelon. They have a slightly warm sound, and no harshness but plenty of detail. Bass tight and quick while still having some physical impact. Mids shine on these in my opinion after the felt mod, and they sound veryyy smooth(yumm violins).

Some other overall closed suggestions:

Sennheiser HD448s: have a more neutral sound, but the bass isn't as articulate.

The Denon D1001/Creative Aurvana Live: Essentially the same headphones(share the same drivers and pads), these have big bass. Some say they have recessed mids when not powered by the right amp, and harsh highs, but still a great value, especially for the CAL.

K81DJ: Big Bass, without losing too much of the others frequencies, especially after mods. Apparently are initially very tight, and can be quite uncomfortable at first. Provide great isolation, and are very compact.

PX200-II: Foldable into a very small(and pocketable size). Convenient volume control on the cords and great sound for such a small package. Significantly better if amped. Very comfortable and feel very sturdy. The sound is like a more neutral RX700 with less palpable bass and a bit less detail/speed(although this seems to equal or almost equal the RX700s with amping). I love these. They sound very airy for such small closed cans.

FC700: Very underrated cans in this price range in my opinon. Bass is nice and big though somewhat slow, perhaps bloated, but not bad at all. Are very sibilant at first, and still retain some of that harshness even after burn-in, but it barely bothers me anymore. Vocals shine. Impressive soundstage for being closed. However you might want to go for the upper class ES7s instead since your limit is 100. Haven't heard those though.

Check out the Shure SRH440 and ATH-ES7 out.

I don't know much about open cans, but the Grado SR60 or SR80 are always top recommendations for open cans, especially if you're big on rock type music. The HD238s are supposed to be quite good as well. THe yuin G2As are clip on that are supposed to sound awesome.

More details about what you are looking for would certainly help!
 
Jan 24, 2010 at 10:54 AM Post #3 of 4
If you like punchy bass, my vote goes to the Ultrasone HFI-550 in the $100 price range. Big fast bass which doesn't cloud the mids (which is my experience with the AKG K81DJ). More comfortable than the K18DJs as well (circumaural vs supraaural).

If you want some really good budget cans, the $30 DBI Pro 700 are a very capable closed can. More comfortable than the HFI-550, circumaural with large pads, they've got good bass (not as punchy as HFI-550's bass, but fast as well), dig EQ'ing very well and are very durable.
 
Jan 24, 2010 at 12:25 PM Post #4 of 4
thanks guys for the fast replies.
I'll check up those phones and cans and find what's best for me. Actually I do prefer a light earphones. For the moment I'm using bundled phones from Apple and a good ol PX100
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