[Harry Tuttle]

what's the best earbud ever?? sorry I really don't feel comfortable with inner-ear earphones I've tried...

 

[poonpower]

wow, i was just gonna post a thread on this. Thanks!

 

[EdipisReks]

sony MDR-888, probably.

 

[Roasty]

u may wanna try the audio technica CM7/CM7ti. very clear and detailed, i found it a tad bit bright for my liking but enjoyed it v.much for the time that i had them.

 

[camille]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdipisReks sony MDR-888, probably.

seconded. you may also look into the MDR-EX90 as well (although it's a canalphone -- not an IEM)

 

[blazer78]

ATH-CM7Ti with foamies.

 

[krmathis]

I am pretty sure the Stax SR-001 MKII qualify as a earbud.
They certainly dont go deep into your ears, and they have awesome sound in a small package!

 

[jdimitri]

Sennheiser MX400/450 is pretty good

 

[dohdough]

The Sony 888 is definitely the best I've ever had but a bit fragile.

 

[KrustyK]

I've only owned about five pairs of ear buds, but the best of the bunch were the Sony 888. They are pretty fragile, but I've managed to keep them in working order. Opinions on the 888 are pretty polar; for me, they sounded great.

 

[bpm2000]

Are they much more fragile than the senn mx series? I've gone through at least 6 pairs of those already and i dont want to pony up 888 type money for something even more fragile

 

[t10]

CM7 / CM7ti imo.

(both use same driver).

 

[KrustyK]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bpm2000 Are they much more fragile than the senn mx series? I've gone through at least 6 pairs of those already and i dont want to pony up 888 type money for something even more fragile

I haven't had any experience with the mx series at all... except a visual inspection at the local Hi-Fi shop. My impression (...purely visual and definitely inconclusive) is that they look to be more rugged than the 888. The main problem with the 888 is the spider web thin cable used. Another thing is that the transducer housing kinda rotates around the base... another point of fragility. But, having said that, I wasn't particularly careful with my 888's and they seemed to last me about two years before I purchased my Senn 650 and Shure e3c's. I've been out of the market for ear buds for sometime... so, to be quite honest with you, I'm not even sure if the 888's would be that much of an upgrade from the higher end senn mx series (... perhaps someone who has heard both the mx series and the 888 can comment on the relative performance between the two).

 

[SimpJee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis I am pretty sure the Stax SR-001 MKII qualify as a earbud. They certainly dont go deep into your ears, and they have awesome sound in a small package!

That they do, that they do ...

 

[vinjeman]

Yeah I know these are not really buds but they dont seem like IEM the way Shure and Westones do. the, ah foamy expansion process...

Still, for someone trying to get something good for the money these Sennheiser ear-phones are really great, especially driven by a small cmoy amp. They can be had for as little as $30 and I cant fault them bang for buck. Mid-tones resonate, low frequencies rumble and imaging of live performances is wonderful.

Just make sure if you go on line to search for them you dont get burned with "oems" or fake copies.