[kais0r]

Hey,
I just bought a new mp3 player which is the SanDisk Sansa Clip+ and since the provided earphones are not very good, I want to buy some new.
First of all, I'm from Germany so brands such as Head-Direct are unfortunately not available for me. I don't want to pay more than 35 EUR for the earphones which are about $43 unless there is one which costs a bit more than 35 EUR but is clearly better than the ones below 35 EUR.
I almost exclusively listen to metal (thrash, speed, heavy, death...) and (hard) rock. I don't know if I like bass accentuated earphones, because so far I only listens to very crappy earpones^^. But I guess I prefer a more balanced sound (and I think that's a point that will disqualify a lot of earphones in my price region).
Here are some earphones which I found but you can also suggest others:
 
- Denon ah-c 551 (only costs 30 EUR at the moment which is VERY cheap)
- Denon ah-c 252 / 351
- Klipsch Image X1
- Ultimate Ears MetroFi 170vi
- several Creatives
- Sennheiser CX200, CX300 II
 
The Denon AH-C 551 normally costs about 80 EUR, so I think this one should be the best for under 35 EUR or what do you think? The Klipsch earhpones should be generally great for metal I've read, but I don't know if that's the case for the X1.
 
Regards
 
P.S.:
I already read this thread. It was useful but I want to know if the Denon's are perhaps not that good for metal and so other ones are better.

 

[kais0r]

Okay, I've just found ljokerl's and ClieOS's review threads. Wow, I haven't known that there are so many great earphones from brands I've never heard in my life.
So far, I only knew more popular brands like Creative, Sennheiser, Philips, Denon, Klipsch etc. and I thought that their products are out of competition.
Are the earphones in these 2 threads all chinese products or why are they unknown?
 
Well, I've studied the threads and have found some earphones which sound very intersting:
- Brainwavz M1
- Maximo iMetal iM-590
- Soundmagic PL50
- ViSang R02
- Denon AH-C 551
 
Like said, I don't necessarily want to pay more than 40$ (don't know if it is worth to pay more for the Fischer Eternia, which has get a very very good review by ClieOS). I'm quite inexperienced with earphones, so I would love to hear from some experienced users which of these (or others which I haven't listed)you would recommend for my taste of music (preferably ljokerl and ClieOS ).
 
And I'm sorry for the double post.

 

[ljokerl]

Props on doing your research. Most people just sit back and wait for the answers to come to them.
 
Quote:

 
Are the earphones in these 2 threads all chinese products or why are they unknown?

If by Chinese products you mean 'made in China', then yes, they are all chinese products. I'm quite sure that all or nearly all earphones in your price range will be manufactured overseas. If by Chinese products you mean of Chinese origin, then no. Fischer Audio is a Russian company, Maximo is from the USA, Denon, as you probably know, is Japanese. It just so happens that a lot of the high price/performance ratio earphones are indeed put out by lesser-known brands, partly because they can't get away with charging a premium and partly because they seem to be more focused on getting a foot in the door with great sound rather than clever marketing and Dr. Dre - flavoured merchandise. 
 
Chinese earphones have another advantage - as a general rule they are easier to get worldwide. You mentioned Head-Direct being out of the question for you, but that isn't so - last I checked, their website had worldwide shipping at a flat rate.
 
In your price range and with your music preferences in mind (I'm a metal listener myself), I would recommend the Brainwavz M1 for balanced but still fun and involving sound. The ViSang R02 are similar in overall sound quality but have a slight low end slant. The Maximos may not be trivial for you to obtain and the M1s are better all-rounders anyway while the PL50s just aren't ideal for rock and metal. The AH-C551 I can't comment on.

 

[kais0r]

Thank you very much for your detailed answer.
The Brainwavz has been also my favourites so far, mainly because of your very positive review.
ClieOS is not that enthusiastic about the sound qualilty of the M1 than you are but since you are a metal listener (Megadeth, Iron Maiden and Metallica are also some of my all-time favourites), I think I'm gonna try them.
I forgot to list the Head-Direct R02, but I think they are inferior to the M1 in your opinion.
 
Some more opinions about the M1s would be great, though.

 

[mark2410]

the M1 are pretty great and could well be what your after

 

[mark2410]

btw if you pm your email address i can send you a copy of my not tidied up review of them

 

[kais0r]

Ok, thanks for you reply.
Does somebody know if the value added tax is included in the prices at mp4nation / the prices are net prices? If not, then you should get them (at first) 17% (I think) cheaper when you order them from another country.

 

[mark2410]

its not, but its below the customs threshold so they wont care

 

[kais0r]

Ok, I've just ordered the Brainwavz M1 a few hours ago. How long does it normally take from Hong Kong to Europe / Germany?

 

[kais0r]

The Brainwavz have arrived two days ago, pretty fast I would say.
They sound very good, although I don't have other In-Ears to compare. So far I've only used normal earbuds. The only thing I've noticed is the cable noise? Is this normal for In-Ears or does the M1s have more cable noise than others?

 

[ljokerl]

The M1 has less cable noise than most in-ears. I would recommend at least trying to wear them with the cable routed over your ear (pic). The included cable guides can help you get used to it at first but can be dropped later for convenience.