[Mr C]

Hi I've been into headphones for a few years, but i've always like full size headphone more than IEM.
But I've got to get a pair of discreet phones for work (the most discreet pair of cans I have atm are hd25) so I've been looking at a few models.
The one that caught my attention were the
PK3 and OK3 from yuin
The RE2
And the cx 300 from senn
I'd be listening to all kinds of music, but I need my phones to at least a bit of bass.
Any suggestions are welcome.

 

[scottyb06]

I think one thing that is important is to know whether you do or don't want to hear outside noise. For example, I like to isolate as much sound as possible, but there are times when my boss (who sits a little behind me and to the side) calls my name but I can't hear her. Instead, she now waves her hands a little to get my attention. If she was out of my sight line, this wouldn't work.

 

[Bilavideo]

You don't have to go cheap and work your way up, but if your budget is modest and you want to get a taste of the good stuff, buy a single driver IEM using a balanced armature. That will be your cheapest entry into the market. For all the hype, it's still all about the drivers. You don't want a low-cost dynamic driver. That's the hanging-hook crap at Walmart. High-quality dynamics are fine, but they aren't cheap. The IE8 gets endless raves but that's a $400 earphone. If you're going cheap, get a single-driver IEM. That will be your best chance of getting in for around $100.

Once in, you'll discover the difference between BAs and the cheap stuff. If you can handle something jamed into your ear canal (It takes a little getting used to), you'll be in a better position to take your time on the next purchase. Time is also on your side. Duals were the big thing. Triples have become the new standard in premium IEMs. The UE11 is a quad, at $1,100, but by next year, quads will probably be the next standard configuration in in-ear monitors.

 

[ljokerl]

Keeping in mind the differences between earbuds (no isolation) and IEMs (moderate to high isolation), you need to decide which class you are looking for, as well as your budget, so that good recommendations can be made.

 

[Mr C]

I'm not aiming high because I like the feel of over the ear headphones better, I'm just looking for something below 60$ (cant go much higher because right now i'm saving to get a good dac) that wont make me miss my main cans too much.
I'm fine with either iem or bud because I'll be working alone and in a not too noisy environment.

 

[.coco]

If you want to spend a bit more, you may want to consider a used set of TF10s. You can pick them up in the FS forum for around $200, and it will for sure give your full sized cans a run for their money.

I used to feel the same way as you about my full sized headphones, but after getting my TF10s, I never looked back. I used to fumble around with my 325i/HFI780, Mini3, and LOD. And I would still need to worry about leaking and what not too. Now I just bring around my TF10s and iPhone and it is GREAT.

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr C /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not aiming high because I like the feel of over the ear headphones better, I'm just looking for something below 60$ (cant go much higher because right now i'm saving to get a good dac) that wont make me miss my main cans too much. I'm fine with either iem or bud because I'll be working alone and in a not too noisy environment.

Ok, for under $60 the PK3s are indeed the best earbuds you can buy.

As far as IEMs go, the usual suspects are the RE2s, ADDIEMs, Nuforce NE-7Ms, Maximo Im-590s, and the new Soundmagic PL50s. I haven't gotten my PL50s yet, but the rest I would arrange as follows:

<------ Low-Focused ----------------- Neutral ---------------- High-Focused ------->
--------------------------NE-7M----Im-590---ADDIEM--RE2------------------------------

 

[Mr C]

How do the UE sf 3, ety er6 and hf 5 compare to the re2?
I head good things about the ety's so I'm wondering if the few extra bucks would be worth it.

 

[ljokerl]

Don't have HF5's but the Er6i has nicer highs than the RE2 and ridiculous, almost artificial, clarity. The RE2's have more bass to give potentially, though it can be shy just like on the Etys. The SF3's are meh and you should be looking at the UHP336 anyway, as they are simply rebrands and a lot cheaper. They have somewhat rolled-off highs and boomy bass, not to mention excessive sensitivity that causes them to hiss with some sources.

 

[Mr C]

Hmm looks like i'm gonna have to flip a coin to decide between the ety and the RE2.
I love bass, but my full size headphones are all more or less bassy so I migh get they ety's to discover a radically different sound signature.

 

[Bilavideo]

Do yourself a favor. Drop a whole $20 on JVC's Marshmallows, which are sold at Walmart. For this price, they should totally suck. Instead, they're actually pretty good, totally destroying one of my favorite lines, "plastic hanging hook crap at Walmart." The best thing about it is you can buy them locally and take them right back if you don't like the presentation. If you have an iPod, play with the EQ settings. I bought mine simply to scavenge the shells for iems I'm building but when I gave them a listen I didn't have the heart to tear them up. I guess I'll have to find something else to destroy.

By the way, the thing that blew me away first was the bass. It's throbbing. I used my EQ settings to find a good spot to balance out that bass is HF clarity. I'm not saying these are the world's finest by any stretch, but for $20, they'll surprise you.

 

[Mr C]

I live in france and couldnt find the jvc last time I tried to buy em.
Anyone knows a good online shop for ety's (pref in europe)? The only place I can find them is a uk website that sells them at more or lesss 100$

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bilavideo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do yourself a favor. Drop a whole $20 on JVC's Marshmallows, which are sold at Walmart. For this price, they should totally suck. Instead, they're actually pretty good, totally destroying one of my favorite lines, "plastic hanging hook crap at Walmart." The best thing about it is you can buy them locally and take them right back if you don't like the presentation. If you have an iPod, play with the EQ settings. I bought mine simply to scavenge the shells for iems I'm building but when I gave them a listen I didn't have the heart to tear them up. I guess I'll have to find something else to destroy. By the way, the thing that blew me away first was the bass. It's throbbing. I used my EQ settings to find a good spot to balance out that bass is HF clarity. I'm not saying these are the world's finest by any stretch, but for $20, they'll surprise you.

I understand you excitement on ""discovering"" cheap earphones that you think are good, but that's no reason to go around pushing them on everyone in every single thread. You've obviously never tried any of the other bang-for-the-buck $20 earphones and expected them all to suck horribly. Well, I paid $3.99 for my marshmallows and they only barely reached mediocrity after modding, so I think they are hugely overhyped. There is no reason for someone looking at $50 IEMs to spend half of their budget on marshmallows.