In-ear bud recommendation

sweener2001 · Post by **sweener2001** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 7:18 am

i've got up to US$100 (not including tax) that i want to spend on some quality in-ear buds (in-earbuds?)

i've owned two pairs of v-moda vibes, and i enjoyed the sound i got (and they looked very nice as well), but the two wires from the buds would get super stiff after time, making them uncomfortable. and i've been hearing that there's better for the money.

i'm currently considering the shure se115's. sennheiser's own website doesn't put specs up (looking at the CX400-II), and i don't want bose.

having gone through two pairs of v-moda's, i'm very hesitant to give them another try. although they appear to be on a different model from the previous two i've used. and my fiancee's v-moda's just had a bud blow out.

if anyone has any recommendations, i'd love to hear them. i want this purchase to actually last and be well worth the money.

adventure_of_link · Post by **adventure_of_link** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 5:18 pm

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6855998648

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6826106031

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6826106225

sweener2001 · Post by **sweener2001** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 7:43 pm

the first pair isn't what anyone what would call high quality, since the spec sheet gives no specs, and only assures that it will work on all ipod models

the second two simply aren't the type of in-ear that i want.

i'm assuming that you at least looked at the pairs i mentioned?

Post by **grinvader** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 8:31 pm

sweener2001 wrote:vibes

This thread is now rated AO.

stands for audiophilic otosturbators

Post by **odditude** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 8:35 pm

my gf had se115s. she loved the sound, but they could get uncomfortable with the rubber tips.

("had" is because she lost them on the train.)

i have a hand-me-down set of shures from my sister-in-law - couldn't tell you what model they are, but my only complaint would (again) be discomfort after a while of using the rubber tips.

i haven't tried the foam tips yet, but apparently they're fantastic - they just don't last as long and will eventually need to be replaced.

Panzer88 · Post by **Panzer88** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 10:05 pm

these are the best there are. This company (Ultimate Ears) started as a company making earphones for professional onstage musicians.

http://www.ultimateears.com/_ultimateea ... erview.php

there are ones under $100

the best you can get for $100 are these

http://www.ultimateears.com/_ultimateea ... i220vi.php

you can also get a set that is in the next tier of product quality for $130 here

http://www.ultimateears.com/_ultimateea ... studio.php

also these, they are a difference set but also for $130

http://www.ultimateears.com/_ultimateea ... perfi4.php

these are the people that will take you in and make a mold of your ear for their top product line which is something rediculous like $1000.

the cheaper ones are just regular stock earbuds but still great quality

here is a page and video on how they make the ultra expensive ones.

http://on10.net/blogs/laura/pt2-Ultimat ... In-Action/

a brief overview and history of the company by one of the employees

http://vimeo.com/1031785

sweener2001 · Post by **sweener2001** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:30 am

thanks for the tips, i'm now leaning towards the superfi 4's

@grin: i couldn't figure out the second word in the AO rating

Post by **odditude** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:44 am

sweener2001 wrote:i couldn't figure out the second word in the AO rating

oto-: prefix indicating "of the ear"

sweener2001 · Post by **sweener2001** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:57 am

ah

i cut the word wrong when i was trying to find my definitions

DOLLS (J) [!] · Post by **DOLLS (J) [!]** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 2:56 am

UE's cheaper earbuds are sensible options, though there could be sometihing better around.

I bet your question has been asked a bunch of times over at head-fi.org.

PHoNyMiKe · Post by **PHoNyMiKe** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:49 am

I have ultimate ears super-fi 3's, I got them at radio shack on clearance for $30, last time I checked they were $90 on ebay. they're awesome, weird thing they wrap around the top of your ears, and have a little flexible metal insert to curve around your ears like glasses. awesome quality.

Post by **odditude** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:41 pm

gizmodo quick comparison (from today)

sweener2001 · Post by **sweener2001** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 1:45 am

ai

i owned a pair of shure se210's for about 20 minutes today. the bass was a little weak compared to the vibes, but everything else about them was pretty amazing. i was hearing new things even in 256 AAC files. but they were not comfortable. the buds were most definitely in my ears, and they didn't let you forget.

i learned that i can also use the wrap around types without any major issues. i thought i wouldn't like them at all, but i barely noticed the cord, and they didn't interfere with my glasses.

that was making me seriously consider the klipsch custom 2's until i saw the gizmodo link. amazon has them for just under 100.

i'm seriously considering going a little bigger and getting monster turbines. they seem to be what i wish the vibes were.

Cyrus · Post by **Cyrus** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 10:45 pm

I also have V-Moda Vibe earbuds. My first pair's wire stopped working in like 20 days and it took the idiots two months to ship me a new pair. Due to their taking forever to ship the replacement and mixing everything up they actually ended up shipping me two.

Anyway, based on reviews I've read the Sennheiser CX 500 earphones are similar but with better bass. Sennheiser has a pretty good reputation but their prices are usually way up there.

Personally I'm never buying earbuds again, they're a pain in the ass to maintain. I constantly have to be paranoid about dirt going into them because if that happens I'm basically screwed.

sweener2001 · Post by **sweener2001** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 6:01 am

does anyone have experience with either the monster turbine or beats tour buds?

it looks like it's between these two. the beats do deliver on bass, but the turbine is said to have a more neutral EQ that doesn't over-emphasize anything.

my source, found at head-fi:
http://playback.avguide.com/issue/18

reviews of both start at 182

sweener2001 · Post by **sweener2001** » Tue May 05, 2009 2:04 am

last update, i went a bit larger and bought the monster turbine buds.

thanks for all the help in this thread, i wouldn't have looked as hard as i did without it

Post by **grinvader** » Tue May 05, 2009 9:18 pm

sweener2001 wrote:monster turbine

This thread is still totally non-worksafe.

Panzer88 · Post by **Panzer88** » Wed May 13, 2009 4:02 am

how did the earbuds turn out? I actually have a few monster products and they are quality but they are despised in the home theater world for their arrogance and overpricing.

Just curious if they are as good as they say.

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