[Narcosynthesis]

Yep, the usual happened, after four years of (well cared for) use the jack on my Sony in ears has died, so it is time to find myself a new set for around the <£40 mark (bought in the UK).
 
To give a bit more information, the set I have been using recently were actually the supplied set of wired headphones with a Sony A829 that I found to be surprisingly good - both in quality and sound - so have been using ever since as a smaller more portable set of headphones when I don't want to carry bigger over ear sets. About the best comparison I have for them is the Sennheiser CX300's, which I also own but don't like due to the fact the tiny rounded form is near impossible to seat in my ear well.
 
I also found that I really liked the cable design on the Sony - one headphone on a longer cable after the split so designed to be worn up one side of your body to the first earphone, then around the back of the neck to the second - which I found very convenient and holds them in place nicely if you pop out one earphone. So if I can get that again, then awesome...
 
If it makes a difference on a relatively budget set of earphones, they are to be used with a small portable player (either the Sony A829 or an iPod nano) and for a variety of 'rock' music.
 
So what should i be looking at?
 
Cheer for any help.

 

[Narcosynthesis]

Nobody?

 

[phantompersona]

what type of music do you listen to?? Do you want lots of bass, lots of treble, or forward mids? Or an all-arounder? we need more information so we can help you out 

 

[Doc-holliday]

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About the best comparison I have for them is the Sennheiser CX300's, which I also own but don't like due to the fact the tiny rounded form is near impossible to seat in my ear well.

So what should i be looking at?

Do you like the SOUND of the CX300's? One option is to order a pair of Comply brand foam tips. I put them on my cx200s. With those tips on there not only will they stay in your ears, you will forget they are even there.

Keep in mind they will also change the sound. In my case for the better they seemed to tame the very heavy bass of the cx200's and also take the edge off of the highs creating more balance.

I think it is the 500 size but you can check it on the tip size calculator on comply's website.

 

[H20Fidelity]

I used to own Sony A829, they're a decent little player, I also know the IEM's that come with it, they aren't to bad at all. If you can handle losing the J cord (the one you liked) I would recommend going for something like SoundMAGIC E10 or Monster Turbine, they both paired well with my A829.

SoundMAGIC E10 - $35 - Amazon

Monster Turbine = $80 - Amazon

 

[Narcosynthesis]

The problem with the CX300's isn't necessarily the tips, but the fact that the shape of them seems to make it near impossible to seat them correctly in the ear - ie I can't get a good hold on them to push them in at the correct angle - I may give them another shot and try a different set of tips to see if it makes a difference. Certainly soundwise when I had them working I had no complaints with them, very similar to the bundled Sony set to my ears.
 
As for what I am looking for soundwise, basically a good all rounder with no real leanings to any particular frequency range - music ranges from indie, rock, electronic and more, so ideally I don't want them biased to anything in particular.
 
The SoundMAGIC and Monster Turbine sets I shall go and investigate, cheers for the pointers.

 

[Doc-holliday]

Ok well good luck with that.

The only other thing I wanted to say is that the comply tips, because of their shape and length, force those little drivers to point directly down your ear canal so you wont have that problem if you try those out.

Have a good weekend hope you find what you are looking for.

 

[Comply]

If you need a coupon code for Comply foam tips, just let me know. We're here to help.