Point spending much on phones for my music source?

[Gogo1]

I listen to mp3's of between 180 and 320 bitrate on a mobiBLU Cube mp3 player. Is this music source good enough to make it worth spending $100+ on some IEMs or should I just pick up some Sennheiser MX 450 buds?

Ill spend it if it will make a difference but I am certainly no audiophile. Also, those IEM things sure do look like they stick out of your ear a long way. Is that the case? I have always like buds for the discreetness but have never had anything else so dont know if they stick out like crazy or are worth it sound wise.

Music taste is very very broad.

Thanks for any help

Gogo1.

 

[Ingo]

Here's a few reasons to buy an IEM.

1. You need isolation because you're in a noisy environment.
2. You want better sound than what other portable 'closed type' headphones offer
3. You want to be discrete

If you don't value those things, you can get good sound for cheaper (like the KOSS KSC-75, Sennheiser PX100, Grado SR60, ect.)

*edit* Some IEMs stick out farther than others. The Super.fi series stick WAY out on most people (not me, I have huge ears). All of the Shure's are very discrete, and people will probably have a hard time noticing that you're wearing anything. The er6/er6i are very small and discrete, but the er4p/s stick out just a little more.

 

[skudmunky]

yeah, it's worth it, portable sources don't sound to bad on the grand scale of things. Spend the 100, you'll probably be much happier.

 

[Norbert]

I have the er6i's that I got for under $100 and I use them strictly for portable use. I love the sound isolation and they are easy to drive without an amp. I also have the Grado's SR-80's that I got for under $100. The grado's have broader soundstage, much more bass slam, but also are bright. Listening for long periods of time gets fatiguing. But until they reach that point, I love the sound. I NEVER listen to my grados out walking around. They are far to big and obtrusive for me, and they have no sound isolation. Most people would not notice you even wearing the er6's--they don't stick out. I hope that's helpful.

PS--Oh yea, I think at your bitrates you would notice an improvement in sound. But getting more revealing iem's like the ER-4S would definately be irritating because it would reveal the flaws even in 320 bitrates.

 

[bigshot]

Good cans make everything sound better. You can't spend money better than to invest in good headphones or good speakers.

See ya
Steve