[MightyJordan]

OK, I managed to get the Shures shipped off yesterday just in the nick of time (thanks to a mad car dash from my dad

) I'm still trying to decide between the headphones though.

I've whittled it down to seven now:

1. Sennheiser CX400 II
2. Denon AH-P372
3. Klipsch Image S4
4. Sennheiser PMX200
5. Skullcandy FMJ iPhone
6. Urbanears Plattan
7. Ultimate Ears Metro Fi 220 VI

I'm quite tempted by the Denons now after reading up more on it, but I'm still drawn towards the Urbanears, even though not much is known about it.

Actually, I am probably going to end up going for one of the full-size headphones again, so I'll take out the canalphones (and the Sennheiser PMX 200), so that narrows it down to just two:

1. Denon AH-P372
2. Urbanears Plattan

The Denons definitely look like the best all-rounder of the three. From the reviews I've read, the sound quality is good, I think it looks alright, but it looks even better in white (which, thankfully, is also on the site there, but for a few quid less).

I had a bad experience with my first Denons (the AH-C360s), but they're canalphones, so it's a completely different ballpark. I'm a bit concerned though about the "creaking" from the headphones, as Dangermouse2003 mentioned in Seidhepriest's review. The other concern is that Seidhepriest had to make quite a couple of significant modifications just to get them sounding really good.


Now, it's tricky to decide on the Urbanears. They definitely have style on their side (they come in a wide range of colours), and they look clean and simple. The addition of a microphone and remote for mobile phones is also a bonus, and even the "zound plug", which is basically a splitter built into the headphones, but it's a nice feature. They're also a lot newer than the Denons. I don't know the exact release date of the Denons, but I've found reviews for them dating back as early as July 2008, whereas Urbanears only launched their headphones range last month.



I think after much deliberation, I am going to go for.........................

the Urbanears Plattan.


When the Shures get back to iHeadphones and they email me, I'll be choosing them (I just need to decide what colour to pick now!

), and I'll post my experience with them after I've used them for a little while.


Thanks for your help, everyone.

Sorry if I've disappointed some of you.

 

[Eric_C]

They do look nice. Yes, please post your impressions (did a quick search on Head-Fi, yours is the only post to mention the Plattan) and hope you're happy with your new headphones!

 

[MightyJordan]

OK, after waiting a while for iHeadphones to go through their Christmas returns and then open up mine, Jamie (from iHeadphones) finally sent an email on Wednesday confirming the Shures being faulty, but he recommended that I get a replacement instead of an exchange. He reckoned I was just unlucky, as three pairs of headphones do not just go faulty. I did another Google search for the Urbanears Plattan, and right at the top was a very recent review of them from CNET, and that pretty much put me off them.

They rated them 6.0 out of 10. "We wish they sounded as good as they look, but their audio quality is generally disappointing."

So I ended up choosing the replacement (again), they sent them out just before the post was collected on Wednesday, and they arrived the next day when I got home from college, and I spent today getting used to them again.

I've really missed them.

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Just wanted to mention I listened to the Urbanears yesterday ... Looks are good, sound is pretty sad.

Porta-pros or PX100/200-II are the way to go.

 

[MightyJordan]

OK, time to revive the thread again.

I went for the Shure SRH240s again, and well, they went faulty last week during a flight. As I was in Jersey at the time, and didn't get back until yesterday, I'm only just beginning to get it all sorted.

It's a different story this time round, though: I have extra money available to get a more expensive pair. It still has to come from iHeadphones though. I've got just over £100 available, which means I've got a limit of about £150 with the value of the Shures included (I bought them for £45.99 on there, but they're currently £55.99). Ideally though, I don't want to spend more than £50, so I'd like to keep the limit down to £100, but I'd be willing to go a bit over it if it's worth the extra money.


At the moment, I'm having a hard time finding out which headphones are good and which ones aren't on there, so I've currently got a shortlist of just three:

Klipsch Image S4 - £69.99

Shure SRH440 - £99.99

Shure SE210 - £99.99

The Klipschs seem like the best choice at the moment. They're the cheapest of the three, and they also seem to be getting better reviews than the other two. Even CNET America have it down as the best headphones they've ever reviewed. Well, it's actually tied on ratings with the Sennheiser HD 800, and the Grado PS1000, but they both cost more than 10x the price of the Klipschs! CNET UK have it down as tied fourth with the Denon AH-D5000, Sennheiser IE 8, and Shure E500PTH, all four of them on 9.0/10; only behind the Shure SE530 (9.1/10), Sennheiser HD 800, and the Denon AH-D7000 (both 9.3/10).


Despite the several times I've had to send a pair of SRH240s back, I am leaning towards the SRH440. One definite advantage it has over its lower-end brother is a detachable cable, which I had on my Sennheiser HD 215s, and I never had any problems with those, as I used to just detach the cable whenever I wasn't using it, so it wouldn't get damaged.

One of the potential downsides though is portability. It does come with a bag to carry it around in, and it can fold up, but is it any good on the go? I'm guessing they're not much bigger than the 240s, and I used to comfortably wear those on the go all the time. Sounds mad, I know.

Obviously, if I want portability, it'd be either the Klipschs or the Shure SE210, but two things worry me. Firstly, comfort. It may be a bit painful for me at first, but if the sound is great, I'll stick to it until my ears adjust to it, which they have done before. The other problem is sound quality (and cable voice). The last in-ear headphones I used were the Denon AH-C360s. I thought the quality on them would be amazing, but they were terrible. The bass overpowered everything, the sound was muffled, and I was hearing a load of cable vibration even with Metallica's "Sad But True" blasting through.


Which one would you recommend, or if you know any better suggestions on the site?

Please remember that it has to be on iHeadphones. There were so many people before that kept recommending the Head-Direct RE0s and I kept saying that they weren't on there.

 

[MightyJordan]

Before I head off for college, I'd like to ask another quick question. If I end up getting a pair of in-ear headphones, should I splash out a little bit extra and also get some Comply foam tips for them?

 

[mark2410]

id say IE7

IE6 maybe if you cant stretch but it ive not heard so guessing there

 

[MightyJordan]

Hmm, it's definitely an option. I couldn't find any reviews on the US CNET page for the Sennheiser IE headphones, but on the UK one, they've got the IE6, 7, and 8 all there reviewed. 9.0/10 for the IE8 (same as the Klipsch Image S4), but that's out of my price range, 8.5 for the IE7, and 8.4 for the IE6. The only downside they mention about the IE6 and IE7 is a slight lack of treble. The downsides they post for the Klipschs though are that the cable doesn't seem very durable, and that the included eartips may not work for everyone.

 

[Carlosfandango]

Dude... you'd better take more care of your headphones I think

 

[MightyJordan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlosfandango /img/forum/go_quote.gif Dude... you'd better take more care of your headphones I think

That's the thing though; I have been. I took more and more care of each replacement pair, yet they always went faulty after just three months of usage.

At the moment, I'm most tempted by the Shure SRH440, mostly due to the fact it uses a detachable cable. Unfortunately, it's like the one on the Sennheiser HD 215: coiled, but 3m long, so it will probably weigh it down a little bit. But if that's the only downside, I'll be happy to live with that.

Then again, I just looked around on Google, and it seems that iHeadphones are charging pretty high for it. I've found them on other sites for £70 and £80 (in stock, as well). Hmm, I think I might give them a miss then if I'm just gonna get ripped off.



I have to lower the budget a bit, BTW. It's now £120 at the max, but like last time, I'd prefer to keep it under £100.

 

[MightyJordan]

So unfortunately, the Sennheiser IE7s are out of the question now.


I'm down to just in-ear headphones now, but still torn between quite a few:

1. Klipsch Image S4 - £69.99
2. Klipsch Image S4i - £89.99 (the S4 but with a mic and three-button controls for iPods and iPhones)
3. Shure SE110 - £79.99
4. Shure SE210 - £99.99
5. Sennheiser IE6 - £92.99

For me at the moment, the Sennheiser is the outsider. I'm leaning towards the Klipsch, but I've seen some very glowing reviews of the Shure SE210. I'm tempted by the Image S4i, but that's just me feeling too lazy to actually get my iPod out and adjust the volume. Anyway, their compatibility chart for the controls are a bit worrying. I own the iPod Classic 6.5G (the newest one, the 160GB model), but their chart only mentions the old 120GB model, which are essentially the same, just that one's got more storage, but I don't think I should chance it.


Anyway, I'll stick around for more suggestions before I jump in and make a decision.

 

[Carlosfandango]

thought about the Westone truefit?

 

[MightyJordan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlosfandango /img/forum/go_quote.gif thought about the Westone truefit?

Hmm, I'll be honest, I've never heard of that make, but that doesn't really matter.

I did get another suggestion on another forum; one guy recommended I get the Ultimate Ears Super Fi 5. I've linked the VI version though, as they're only £6 extra, and come with the three-button remote, and a mic on top. They seem to come well-equipped as well; a carry case, three different-sized pairs of silicone tips, and even two pairs of Comply foam tips!

But then again, I just read the review of the Westone 2 True-Fit on CNET US, and it comes with even more!

Quote:

Westone includes an optional inline volume control attachment that increases the overall length by 10 inches. There's also a quarter-inch adapter, a cleaning tool, and a soft-sided zipper pouch, along with perhaps the largest selection of eartips we've ever seen. There are three sets of stiff and tapered rubber eartips in S, M, and L; three sizes of soft silicone sleeves; three sets of foam fittings in various lengths; and one triple-flanged set.

Unfortunately, it is literally right on my limit.

Thanks for the suggestion though, Carlosfandango. I'm going to go with the Super Fi 5s for now, mostly due to the cost, but if they don't work out, I'll send them back and get the Westones.

 

[mark2410]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MightyJordan /img/forum/go_quote.gif So unfortunately, the Sennheiser IE7s are out of the question now. I'm down to just in-ear headphones now, but still torn between quite a few: Klipsch Image S4 - £69.99 Klipsch Image S4i - £89.99 (the S4 but with a mic and three-button controls for iPods and iPhones) Shure SE110 - £79.99 Shure SE210 - £99.99 Sennheiser IE6 - £92.99 For me at the moment, the Sennheiser is the outsider. I'm leaning towards the Klipsch, but I've seen some very glowing reviews of the Shure SE210. I'm tempted by the Image S4i, but that's just me feeling too lazy to actually get my iPod out and adjust the volume. Anyway, their compatibility chart for the controls are a bit worrying. I own the iPod Classic 6.5G (the newest one, the 160GB model), but their chart only mentions the old 120GB model, which are essentially the same, just that one's got more storage, but I don't think I should chance it. Anyway, I'll stick around for more suggestions before I jump in and make a decision.

of them id be inclined to the senn (even if its the only one ive not heard) the shures are fine but they are just ovor priced at that. the pl-50 beats them both. the S4 is probably better value than the shures but thats still a bit much for it i feel. oh and its cable may not last long with you.

6, well the 7 and 8 are great so id guess it cant be that far away but for you most importantly its got kevlar cables.

 

[davidcotton]

Have a look at the westone 1's (not the um version)on the site. Oh they also have the original Monster Turbines. Could be worth a look. I find Iheadphones a strange site. Some of the prices are a bargain whilst others are a bit What? Can't argue with the service though so far