Needs some good portables ~$200

[NPoet]

As much as I would love to wear my newly shipped a900's in public, I think I may have to pass, so the only option now is looking for some good portables, I currently use crappy buds that came with my crappy no name mp3 player, but that is all soon changing as I made far too much money from working 60 hour weeks lately (ugh) think I'm looking more for a closed headphone, might even consider a canal phone... price range is around $200

ah, and for music specific... unfortunately I listen to about everything... excluding rap and hip hop...

 

[Taurui]

There you go:

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=72883

 

[LTUCCI1924]

HI: It seems like the ultimate portable are the shure E2 or E3 or the ety ER6 or the ER6I in or below your price range. All these are very small and all have isolation. I like the E2. under 100.00 and sound great and are very comfortable.

 

[pnrgi]

200$ man, personaly i think the koss portapros are just fine for portable use. and they are nice and cheap, i got mine for 31$ shipped. I would recommend those, but then agian im not a fan of the earbuds.

 

[jung]

For noise blocking, Sony NC11.

 

[Thaddy]

Have we forgotten about the Etymotic ER-4P?

 

[jung]

NC11 has active noise cancelling in addition to passive noise blocking. It is more comfortable, less microphonic, and much less expensive than ER4.

 

[Mr.Radar]

But does it sound as good?

 

[lizzardfire]

No, it doesn't. That's why he put "for noise blocking".

 

[Mr.Radar]

I didn't notice that.

 

[deviant03]

I had the Shure E2C's before I bought the A900 and to me the sound is extremely similar, the E2C has a tad bit more midrange punch. Like the A900 they are very musical, you just enjoy the music instead of analyzing every bit of detail. The only thing I didnt like was the procedure I had to go through everytime just to use them because sometimes I would answer the door and then put them back on. It takes me a minute to adjust before I actually start listening to the music playing. Once you get to them though they are very comfortable, I think they are great for portable use.

 

[remilard]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thaddy Have we forgotten about the Etymotic ER-4P?

The price has come down on these a bit in the last year and I think most people don't think of them as being $200 even though they can be had for that from an authorized dealer fairly easily.

 

[NPoet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by remilard The price has come down on these a bit in the last year and I think most people don't think of them as being $200 even though they can be had for that from an authorized dealer fairly easily

I didn't myself even realize that, guess it's about time to go do some browsing around all over again...

 

[commando]

I didn't like Shure E3s, they have a veil in the mids and highs, and E2s would be even worse. I like the Sony EX71s - or the EX51s which are identical IIRC - they're much more precise and more fun to listen to. Isolation isn't as good as the Shures, and the bass is a little bit too strong, but overall I much prefer them. I wouldn't have Shures at any price, and the Sonys are a steal.

 

[GanChan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by deviant03 I had the Shure E2C's before I bought the A900 and to me the sound is extremely similar, the E2C has a tad bit more midrange punch. Like the A900 they are very musical, you just enjoy the music instead of analyzing every bit of detail. The only thing I didnt like was the procedure I had to go through everytime just to use them because sometimes I would answer the door and then put them back on. It takes me a minute to adjust before I actually start listening to the music playing. Once you get to them though they are very comfortable, I think they are great for portable use.

Now that I have a brand-new E2, this is EXACTLY the comparison I was going to make. They're like the A900 of the earcanal world. I was struck by the overall similarity in timbre and musicality (though of course the A900 is a considerably better phone, not just in the soundstage department but also in revealing detail). Maybe it's just a gut reaction, but that was my experience anyway. Your mileage may vary.

The only thing I'm a little puzzled about with the E2 is the whole "earwax guard and nozzle" thing. I'm supposed to replace the earwax guard? I'm supposed to use an "wax removal loop" to clean the nozzle? Was this loop supposed to be included in my packaging? You Shure E2 owners, what has your experience been with this sort of maintenance -- in other words, what's the pain-in-the-butt factor?