[iceflamephoenix]

This is somewhat of a re-post, my original one was nowhere near detailed enough and I realised I hadn't put the right foot forward at all, so please bear with me.

My current Sennheiser CX-300s have died a death, at least in one ear. Instead of getting another pair, I'd like to (hopefully) upgrade.


Requirements:

I listen to a lot of pop or pop-inclined indie/disco/dance/alternative/electronic music. (No dubstep, drum n bass, or hip hop.) Thus, I'm after brilliant treble and mid-upper ranges (ie. melody and vocals). (This doesn't mean I want the mid-bass and deep bass distorted out of my sound, but from what I can tell, numerous audiophile earphone/IEM reviews concentrate on bass.)

I commute to/from work on the train, and frequently go on longer train journeys around the UK. I don't want anyone to be listening to what I'm listening to. Or at least I want to keep this to an absolute minimum, even if I choose to turn the volume up some. To this particular end, noise-attenuation would be something to aim for.


Helpful information:

My audio is mostly mp3/V0 (I'm not sure if this influences what quality of earphones to go after)

I don't care how ugly or not ugly is, so this isn't a factor.

My main portable audio device is a little 4gb Sony Walkman NWZ model.


Cost:

I'd like to have £50 as my upper limit, but if there's something *spectacular* a bit above that, please inform me.

I'd also like to buy from a proper retailer (read: Amazon.co.uk or Play.com or HMV or similar, so no eBay.co.uk only items please.)


Cheers in advance.

Oli/Ice x =) 

 

[Marcus_C]

IME etymotic's pair very well with sony dap's and seeing as the hf5 is above budget and the er6i isn't as good i'd say the mc5 is worth a shot. I have heard the other two but for any specifics about the mc5 there is a big thread to read which always seems to be on the first few pages atm.
 
Did you like the sound signature of the cx300's? Most earphones above it in price will have less bass and more detail. While I and many others think this is only a good thing it can leave you a bit underwhelmed at first, just to make you aware.
 
Also, what do you mean by "proper retailer" as it's worth mentioning there are earphones which can only be bought online that fare very well in your price range. Meelectronics M6 is an example which I have had and liked, sold primarily via their own website. Others which I haven't tried are from mp4nation (brainwavz m1/m2) apparently also very good.

 

[mark2410]

PL-50

 

[iceflamephoenix]

Quote:

Did you like the sound signature of the cx300's? Most earphones above it in price will have less bass and more detail.
 
Also, what do you mean by "proper retailer" as it's worth mentioning there are earphones which can only be bought online that fare very well in your price range.

Less bass and more detail? This is exactly what I'm aiming for! Gimme!
 
By proper retailer I mean a businesses registered in the UK or Germany and subject to local laws. For example in the UK you have Distance Selling regulations/laws to protect buyers. I named Amazon.co.uk, Play.com, and HMV.com because they usually discount the hardware the most, but I won't restrict myself to only them.
 
Any further suggestions with this extra info?

 

[Marcus_C]

TBH i'm probably not the best person to ask but I can give suggestions of what's popular at that bracket. The best place to look is probably |joker| 's iem comparison thread http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/478568/multi-iem-review-112-iems-compared-jays-t-jays-three-tdk-eb900-added-09-30. The problem is a lot of the better one's are only available direct from seller's on ebay or from the manufacturer's own website. As said above, also maybe look at ety mc5, SM pl50, me M6, maybe also UE sf.5 if you can get it for around £40.

 
In case you're not aware, play.com's head office is in New York and their business base is in Jersey (tax reasons). If you're in germany iheadphones.com has good shipping to europe although I haven't noticed any really good deals with them recently.