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Recommendations: Canal Headphones?

I used to have er4ps which were really awesome, but now I have the e2cs. I'm not nearly into being an "audiophile" as before so the e2cs suit me just fine.
 
You're going to get tons of different suggestions from this board...

Do you have a certain price range? A certain sound signature you're looking for? What kind of music do you listen to? All very important questions...
 
Originally posted by: Mrvile
You're going to get tons of different suggestions from this board...

Do you have a certain price range? A certain sound signature you're looking for? What kind of music do you listen to? All very important questions...
Click to expand...

$75-100 max.
I prefer more natural/neutral sound.
Very broad, from techno to classical.
 
Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Originally posted by: Mrvile
You're going to get tons of different suggestions from this board...

Do you have a certain price range? A certain sound signature you're looking for? What kind of music do you listen to? All very important questions...
Click to expand...

$75-100 max.
I prefer more natural/neutral sound.
Very broad, from techno to classical.
Click to expand...

Well, "natural" or "neutral" sound is very subjective, but I'll brief you about some of the more popular IEMs out there...

Shure E2C ~$100 - Sound is pretty blah compared to the rest of the Shure, Ultimate Ear, Westone, etc line. Most people describe it as bassy with very veiled trebles. If you want to get Shure, I wouldn't get anything less than the E4C.

Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 3 ~$100 - Are a bit better sounding and more balanced than the E2C's, but are still on the warmer or darker side and aren't as "clear" as the more analytical canalphones. Since they're so big, they don't isolate quite as well as the others, but they are comfortable and sound pretty decent.

Westone UM1 ~$110 - Dark, sound close to the Super.Fi 3 but with less emphasis on the midrange...some people find these a bit too muddy, but other swear by them. These are probably the top cans in this pricerange in terms of comfort and isolation.

Altec Lansing im716 ~$80 - These are the Altec equivalent to the renowned Etymotic ER4P. The much cheaper Altecs have about 95% the resolving power at half the price. Since they are designed almost the same, they retain the legendary isolation of the Etys as well. These are probably the best sounding in terms of detail and resolution you can get at this price point, period. The sound itself is a bit brighter and more analytical, with lots of detail but not as much of the "musicality" as the Westone or Ultimate Ears models have to offer.

V-Moda Vibes - ~$100 - These are pretty new and sound great. They are, however, not real IEMs and actually use dynamic drivers instead of balanced armatures, so they need to "breathe" and thus have venting in the back of the driver which also cuts down on a lot of the isolation. But if isolation isn't too important to you, these are one of the best sounding earphones for the money.

Ultimate Ears UE10Pro ~$999 - Best in-ears, period. Custom fit, custom colors/art/engraving. You can't get better than this.

Anyway those are the only ones I know. I've owned the Shure E4C's, which are some of the best sounding phones I've ever heard, but they are out of your pricerange. There are also the Sennheiser, Audio Technica, and Sony offerings which are nice but generally subpar compared to the ones I listed (except for maybe the E2C).

So have fun picking out a pair of earphones, there are many out there and they all sound different. The decision is ultimately up to you because only you know what kind of sound you want.

EDIT: PS - if you want more info and stuff, check out www.head-fi.org. They have very nice forums and knowledgeable people to guide you along your way.
 
In that range, pick up the Shure E2Cs. The best price can usually be found on eBay.

Personally, I just went from the E4 to the E500 series, and wow, just wow.
 
Altec Lansing IM-716 has been treating me very well. I would place it slightly better than the more expensive Etymotic ER-4P.

In my opinion, the Shure E2C does not hold a candle to the IM-716. Lacked bass depth.
 
Originally posted by: indamixx99
Originally posted by: Platypus
I love my e3c's
Click to expand...

+1
Click to expand...

++;

I've been using mine for quite a while now and am actually going to sell and upgrade to something else... they just aren't cutting it for me anymore to be honest. I feel like I want more bass and something more comfortable.

Would I maybe find this in custom ear molds?
 
Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
Originally posted by: indamixx99
Originally posted by: Platypus
I love my e3c's
Click to expand...

+1
Click to expand...

++;

I've been using mine for quite a while now and am actually going to sell and upgrade to something else... they just aren't cutting it for me anymore to be honest. I feel like I want more bass and something more comfortable.

Would I maybe find this in custom ear molds?
Click to expand...

Nah, looks like you just need a new pair of phones...the E3C isn't really the headphone to build off of anyway...

If you really want bass, check out the Shure E5C (not particularly good sounding but hell of a lot of bass) or the Westone UM2. The Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 Pro has decent bass too and sound great.

I would personally go for the UM2.
 
What would you guys suggest to someone like me who really just wants something really comfortable and pretty cheap? I don't really have the discriminating ears to tell the difference between lots of the sounds anyways so quality of sound is not of the utmost importance.
 
Originally posted by: Yossarian451
What would you guys suggest to someone like me who really just wants something really comfortable and pretty cheap? I don't really have the discriminating ears to tell the difference between lots of the sounds anyways so quality of sound is not of the utmost importance.
Click to expand...

Senn CX300s/Creative EP-630s/Sharp MD-33
 
Originally posted by: Yossarian451
What would you guys suggest to someone like me who really just wants something really comfortable and pretty cheap? I don't really have the discriminating ears to tell the difference between lots of the sounds anyways so quality of sound is not of the utmost importance.
Click to expand...

You can go even cheaper with the ~$20 JVC FX-33 "Marshmallows." They definately aren't high fidelity but they sound fun, are very comfy, and isolate surprisingly well. They're all the rage at Head-Fi right now and it's almost a crime not owning a pair 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Mrvile
Originally posted by: Yossarian451
What would you guys suggest to someone like me who really just wants something really comfortable and pretty cheap? I don't really have the discriminating ears to tell the difference between lots of the sounds anyways so quality of sound is not of the utmost importance.
Click to expand...

You can go even cheaper with the ~$20 JVC FX-33 "Marshmallows." They definately aren't high fidelity but they sound fun, are very comfy, and isolate surprisingly well. They're all the rage at Head-Fi right now and it's almost a crime not owning a pair 🙂
Click to expand...

Thanks I will have to give them a try. I just get so tired of my ears hurting from all of the regular earbuds, but I don't really want to spent 90 buck for some that would probably have better clarity than my hearing allows.
 
Originally posted by: Yossarian451
Originally posted by: Mrvile
Originally posted by: Yossarian451
What would you guys suggest to someone like me who really just wants something really comfortable and pretty cheap? I don't really have the discriminating ears to tell the difference between lots of the sounds anyways so quality of sound is not of the utmost importance.
Click to expand...

You can go even cheaper with the ~$20 JVC FX-33 "Marshmallows." They definately aren't high fidelity but they sound fun, are very comfy, and isolate surprisingly well. They're all the rage at Head-Fi right now and it's almost a crime not owning a pair 🙂
Click to expand...

Thanks I will have to give them a try. I just get so tired of my ears hurting from all of the regular earbuds, but I don't really want to spent 90 buck for some that would probably have better clarity than my hearing allows.
Click to expand...

Erm...if your ears can't handle regular earbuds, I don't know if canalphones or IEMs are for you...they definately do take some time to get used to, comfortable or not.
 
Originally posted by: Mrvile
Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
Originally posted by: indamixx99
Originally posted by: Platypus
I love my e3c's
Click to expand...

+1
Click to expand...

++;

I've been using mine for quite a while now and am actually going to sell and upgrade to something else... they just aren't cutting it for me anymore to be honest. I feel like I want more bass and something more comfortable.

Would I maybe find this in custom ear molds?
Click to expand...

Nah, looks like you just need a new pair of phones...the E3C isn't really the headphone to build off of anyway...

If you really want bass, check out the Shure E5C (not particularly good sounding but hell of a lot of bass) or the Westone UM2. The Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 Pro has decent bass too and sound great.

I would personally go for the UM2.
Click to expand...
I was actually looking at Closed Supraaural options available out there. I haven't heard many of them and so I'm really looking for guidance as to what would be better than my E3C's. I've heard a lot about the AKG K81DJ's and certainly like the price point, but because of the fairly significant price gap between those at my E3C's, I'm wondering how they'll actually be.

I'm looking to sell my E3C's and move into something larger, not canal headphones.

Edit: I should give an idea of the kind of quality I'm looking for... I've got a 2.1 setup with Paradigm Studio 60's and an SVS PC+ subwoofer driven by an HK AVR 335, source of music is either my computer and optical drives or my turntable. (Music Hall MMF 2.1)

I want something that sounds just as good, if not better. In terms of comfort, as nice as possible really - not having to wear headphones is obviously the most comfortable option, but I'm not always around my stuff unfortunately.

Also, the source for headphones will be either a laptop or a small portable MP3 player of some sort in the future. I wouldn't mind getting an amp for them though, main concern is price and portability 😉
 
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