[FrenchDavid]

Guys, I've spent the past few days looking at earphones, and now I need you, the experts, to make the final choice. I've never had high quality earphones before, so i'm looking to take the next step from my SOny MDR-EX71, without going into the top models such as the Westone 3 or the Schure SE530...

I'm looking for great isolation, durability, comfort, and a warm/dynamic sound to listen mostly to British rock (Muse, Placebo, Franz Ferdinand, Oasis, ...).

Based on that, what would be the best choice for my next quality earphones ? I listed the prices next to the options as you might want to consider that criteria too.

I really want to thank you all for your help, and I'm very curious about the result of this poll.

Please explain your choice by replying to this post

Cheers

 

[Beyerfan70]

Based on the info in your first post i would say the atrio as they fit your bill nicely.
Perfect for the music you are listening to,comfortable great isolation plus they are dynamic so a nice warm bass heavy sound.
Sorted!

 

[chinesekiwi]

Where's the 'other' option?
I'll go the JVC HP-FX500 from Japan! 90 Quid quick shipped! (not including VAT and custom fees if any)

SEYO-shop.com*»*Headphones*»*JVC-Victor*»*JVC-Victor HP-FX500

The FX-500 are often compared to the Sennheiser IE8's!

Hehe, sidenote, I'm guessing these are getting popular on Seyo-shop (as that's the lowest price for these even with the price increase for US$6) thus the price increase.

 

[cn11]

X2 on the FX500's. They're a must hear. Except, looking over your requirments, if you need major levels of isolation these may not be the best choice since they're a canalphone.

 

[koven]

is that the cheapest place for fx500's? i'm going to pick one up i think, i wanna see just how bassy these are

 

[chinesekiwi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by koven /img/forum/go_quote.gif is that the cheapest place for fx500's?

Yes. They transform with burn-in and 3rd party tips.

 

[cn11]

Yeah, let's see... best tips: Sony hybrids, the Koss tips?, and also Comply's seem to be really good with them too (and I never seem to be able to get them to work at all with any of my other IEM's.

 

[Crazyguy106]

UE 700 if it's as they say, the same as SF 5 Pro, it has a very dynamic sound with quite good speed with the right amp. =)

Great for the music that you listen to.

 

[mark2410]

IE7 if you can live with the isolation

 

[FrenchDavid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beyerfan70 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Based on the info in your first post i would say the atrio as they fit your bill nicely. Perfect for the music you are listening to,comfortable great isolation plus they are dynamic so a nice warm bass heavy sound. Sorted!

Makes sense. They seem like they are a great value for the price too. And when I'll be ready to get to the higest level, I could go for Westone 3 for example.

Are the Atrio reliable earphones, and how good are their cords and isolation ?

 

[FrenchDavid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazyguy106 /img/forum/go_quote.gif UE 700 if it's as they say, the same as SF 5 Pro, it has a very dynamic sound with quite good speed with the right amp. =) Great for the music that you listen to.

I won't be using an amp with my earphones. They'll be plugged directly into my iphone 3G.

 

[ABathingApe]

OP I believe if you look on ebay, you can find Shure SE530's for ~ 194 Euro .

 

[FrenchDavid]

It looks like the Image X10 have the early lead. Are they worth the price though ? The Atrio sounds like they're very dynamic earphones, at half the price, which is why I'm asking...

 

[Beyerfan70]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrenchDavid /img/forum/go_quote.gif Makes sense. They seem like they are a great value for the price too. And when I'll be ready to get to the higest level, I could go for Westone 3 for example. Are the Atrio reliable earphones, and how good are their cords and isolation ?

Very reliable yes,ive had mine for about 9 months now and they look as good now as when i first used them.
The cable is nice and well made while not cumbersome.
As for isolation i find them to be very good indeed,once you have them in cars and buses etc do seem very quiet indeed.
For the price they cannot be beaten,and as i said before perfect for your music.
And yeah when you are ready you can move up,why spend a fortune now!

 

[markh78]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrenchDavid /img/forum/go_quote.gif It looks like the Image X10 have the early lead. Are they worth the price though ? The Atrio sounds like they're very dynamic earphones, at half the price, which is why I'm asking...

I can't comment on the Atrios, but if you're looking for absolute comfort and isolation in universal IEM, it's really hard to beat the X10.
If you are on tight budget, maybe you can go with X5 which are slightly larger than X10 but just as comfortable.