[wnewport]

Which one of these is overall better? I know the sharp costs nearly half the price and is a bud style, and the Shure's are canal phones. I have never used bud/canal headphones before. I am concerned on how well the md33s will fit/stay in my ears. I want to get on the right foot with headphones, I would like to be "blown away" by the difference in sound. It would be dissapointing my only impression was "ehh thats a little better".

OH and another thing i read that the md33s were developed for sharps minidisc player and they use a special plug, i no longer have a md player, so would they still be ok for lets say a... Zen micro?

This may sound stupid but i don't want the koss kcs75 phones because i am tired of owning 20 dollar headphones. Screw Value.

On another note my friend has a pair of Sony MDR-EX51s, which ever earphones i get need to be able to beat his hands down. It is very important that the headphones you recommend be able to blow his ex51s out of the water. Also I don't want that much isolation, if someone talks to me in firm voice i want to at least be able to tell that they said something.

 

[pummer]

IMO, you have a problem. The Sharps, while they're better than the EX51s, aren't mind-blowingly better. While the E2Cs are much better, they'll have too much isolation for you. You need to decide what's more important: sound quality or not too much isolation. Are you sure you want one of these three? All are pretty well isolated.

 

[BowerR64]

I have both and i feel the MD33 are better, because they have a better fit. The shure has an awkward fit and the tips are better on the MD33 also.

 

[kramer5150]

Your post confuses me... Do you want a great can that sounds very good? Or are you after an image that will make your friend look stupid with his puny EX51?

If your after sound quality KSC75s sound better than any of the phones on your list... buy a significant margin in many ways. Get KSCs or portaproIIs and be done with it. Dont let the $20 price fool you. Often times I prefer my KSCs over my $200 DT770, and they stomp all over my $70 MDRV6 for music listening.

If youre after image and hype and dont care about value go for bose triports or MDRV700s and be the coolest kid on the block.

IMHO the Sony EX## is the worst sounding phone on that list (use search tool to find details), so it shouldnt be too sound better than your friend... IMHO.

e2cs are probably too much isolation for you, when I use foam tips I have difficulty hearing people around me. MD33s are probably more what youre after, although they do isolate. The plug can be modded to a standard 3 pole with a dab of solder and a file, and they come with a (long) adapter cord.