buying earphones - any tips??

[DevO]

Hey skanks,

The time has come: I'm going to buy a good set of earphones for when i'm cruisin' around with the mp3 player.

I need the "ear bud" style though that fits in your ear, to compensate for my toque come Winter time. I get the idea that this means a sacrifice in sound quality to some extent, but c'est la vie.

Can anyone recommend some sweet "ear bud" style ear phones? Make & model? I'm looking for the best. I don't know much of anything about this stuff just yet.

edit: I should mention my budget actually.. "the best" may be out of my league. I'm willing to spend about $150 give or take.

Edited April 27, 2007 by Guest

[afro poppa]

i bought phillips ear phones out in HK for about 10 bucks canadian...they have amazing sound and the best part about em is they have a little hook on em so they'll stay in ure ear when walking around etc (my biggest problem with buds is that they fall out of my ear really easily, the hook keeps em on)

not sure the model tho, they are white...haha if that helps

[bouche]

I keep 'hearing' the name "Sennheiser". Have you seen those anywhere?

I'd love to get a good set too. Either that, or I look like a uber:nerd wearing full ear-cup headphones.

[dancingbear]

Seinnheiser...is what i have, but they are not earbuds. i like over the ear...but not too big/djstyle (not a cup). the sound is amazing, serioulsy good. i wear them over my toque...figure better for my long-term hearing, and have had no problems. the model is px-100. they are the fold up ones, which i like cause although they are pricey 80 bucks at the source, they come with a case and hence dont bust when i throw them in my bag. i've ahd them for over a year, and before would be buying headphones every three or four months.

it would be great if shops had earphone booths,...wear you could listen to several headphones before buying them.

canadian dealer...

amazon reviews.

Edited April 27, 2007 by Guest
added links

[Kanada Kev]

it would be great if shops had earphone booths,...wear you could listen to several headphones before buying them.

I totally agree. If you want quality headphones you want to HEAR what they sound like. Imagine if they didn't let you listen to speakers?

They do have a headphone sampling area at Bay Bloor Radio in Toronto. They have staff that actually KNOW what the fuck they are talking about too!

http://www.baybloorradio.com/

Here's their April flyer ... lots of headphones:

http://www.baybloorradio.com/images/bbrapril.pdf

[bokonon]

I keep 'hearing' the name "Sennheiser". Have you seen those anywhere?

I'd love to get a good set too. Either that, or I look like a uber:nerd wearing full ear-cup headphones.

I've got Zennheiser ear buds. (I think it's spelled with a Z, but the printing is too small, i can't see it) I love them. I can hear Van Morrison breathe. I think they were only thirty bucks and they came with a warranty. I had problems with the cord once and they were replaced. Good product, I'd say.

[bokonon]

Oh yeah, and I've got super small ears. I had to take the foamy bits off to keep them in, but it doesn't hurt and it solved the problem of the buds falling out.

[LXQ42]

you can also get sony 'phones that go into your ear but they also have the headband part...the joy of these is that the sound quality is kick ass, and if you need to wear them under head gear they are plyable enough to fit.....I have a pair of 'em and I love 'em!

[SolarGarlic]

For earbuds in your price range I hear these are pretty awesome: http://www.productwiki.com/shure-e3/

As for larger style, I have had Sennheiser Headphones for the last 15 years and they are pretty awesome....great bass response and the overall depth of sound is wonderful and clear. Even the entry level HD 490s (if they still make 'em) sound really nice. Not very portable though.

Check out the Shure E3s above for wicked portable sound.

[AD]

I've got Zennheiser ear buds. (I think it's spelled with a Z, but the printing is too small, i can't see it)

those are the kinds you get in Chinatown next to the 'Kaddyshack' dvds

[DevO]

Someone in another forum pointed my towards iLounge's Complete Guide to Earphones which is a good read.

Have a look at these things.. It just looks so intrusive.

[DevO]

After doing a bunch of reading, mainly that iLounge guide (very helpful), I am heavily leaning towards the Etymotic ER-6, with Shure E3C or E2C a close second. I'm in Korea and apparently over in the huge electronics mall/district there's a headphone shop where you can test them all out.

[DevO]

For anyone following along, I ended up getting the Shure E2C earphones.. And they sound sweet! A bit awkward figuring out how they go in your ear though, and also having to put the cable behind your ears but I can get used to it.