AskAboutGadgets Archive

Suggestions for $150-250 earphones

• posted by: Robert Fraser on 2010-08-16
• tagged: audio, headphones, recommendation
• score: 5

After a lifetime of $40 Sony earbuds that break once a month, I'm in the market for a better pair of earphones. I've been considering Shures -- I tried a friend's and they were awesome, and I've gotten a few good recos -- but I thought I'd ask here before committing.

• Standard 3.5" connector
• [$/€/£] 250 or under
• In-ear
• Durable (and/or come with a good warranty)
• Long-lasting. Will they sound as good a month from purchase?
• Comfortable for wearing 4+ hours at once. If they're designed anything like the ones that come with iPod, those hurt my ears within minutes
• Ideally would also be comfortable if there's some pressure on them (i.e. I fall asleep with them in my ears on a plane and turn my head so they're driven into my ear)
• Will stay in ears when walking/running
• Wired (none of this newfangled bluetooth buisness)
• ~3-4 ft cord (though I can buy an extension if need be)
• Light & portable
• Don't require their own batteries (for active noise cancellation or what have you)
• Good treble (esp. for dance/trance music or string-heavy Baroque-era classical)
• Good midtones & vocals (I listen to a lot of hardcore/"screamo" as well as classic rock and would prefer anything that enhances textured vocals... Bob Dylan and Shawn Mike should both sound good)
• The bass should not distort or overwhelm. IMO, most modern music is overmixed towards bass already
• I'm not a huge audiophile and most of my music is ripped from CDs (and further compressed to MP3), so sounding good is more important than sounding accurate

Thanks!

UPDATE: I tested the Etymotics at a store nearby and they sounded great, but I didn't find them very comfortable (they go hella far into the ear; feel kind of invasive). I decided to go with the Shure SE420 after all. But thanks for your input everyone ;-P

Answer 1363

• posted by: on 2010-08-16
• score: 2

I would recommend Etymotic ER-4p; amazon has them for $170.

I use the Bowers and Wilkins P5's at home and on a plane but the ER-4P are what I use these whenever i leave home. Sound wise they are very flat; but deliver lots of detail in your music. They are very light and come well packaged with lots of different tips so one of them is bound to suit you (I found their pointy style more comfortable than the Shure in ear buds I had before (those always felt like they were going to rip my ears apart.)

I have had mine for 3 years of heavy travel they are designed to be user serviceable with wax filters to keep the sound going; with extras available from the etymotic website.

Answer 1379

• posted by: torbengb on 2010-08-16
• score: 2

Is there a reason you want to pay at least $150? I was hunting for in-ear headphones (either isolating or actively noise cancelling) a while back and settled on this Apple in-ear headset. I paid €70.

While I'm no audiophile, this headset is comfortable and (when using the right size earbud) fits fine in the ear and stays there. The passive noise reduction is remarkable, and the acoustics sound just fine to me.

Answer 1394

• posted by: Vlad Patrascu on 2010-08-17
• score: 1

Maybe something at about $120? take a look at this Bose In-ear Headset. They rock! Bose is well known for their quality.

Answer 1485

• posted by: Kristopher Johnson on 2010-08-20
• score: 1

I have the Shure SE420's. All-in-all, I like them, but some of the ambient music I have with very low rumbling sounds cause some crackling. I think the best feature of these earphones is the variety of earbuds it comes with.

I bought the Apple in-ear headphones too (I'm one of those idiots who buys everything Apple makes). Absolutely no bass response whatsoever, they constantly slip out of my ears, and they don't provide much isolation. They are better than the stock iPod earbuds, but not by much.

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