The Hellacious “best headphones under $100” Thread

[aquatint]

I just ordered the Sure E2 headphones from Musician's Friend.com for $49.
I'll post again when I get them.

[Blackstar]

Post updated with pics. Still have not had a chance to write up the full size section yet, just too busy at work.

[Err0r]

Just a quick note: Crossroads are from Singapore and their earphones are produced by Chinese OVC.

[Blackstar]

Are you 100% certain on that Err0r? All my sources and various reviews state that Crossroads Audio is a Korean company, their homepage also has their domain in Korea www.crossroads.co.kr

I'll need to amend the info if thats the case.

[Err0r]

Wow, I'm really not sure anymore. Jaben used to be the only source for these, so it was natural to assume that Crossroads was an in-house brand.

[Blackstar]

Well crossroads has quite a few distributors for their audio products, Jaben is one of them.

I've just checked OVC though, the OVC T20 (I think its this model) looks quite like the mylarone and mylarone X3 except it has different colours. OVC is a Chinese company although and whilst it looks like a carbon copy of the mylar3 (or the other way around, I'm not sure what came first), people over at head-fi and the forum community at Singapore HardwareZone tend to agree that the mylar3 is using tweaked mylar drivers and hence sounds "better" than the T20.

Could be one of those cases where an OEM provides cheap casing solutions for earphones and various headphone companies will use the housing and place their own unique (or tweaked) drivers in that housing. Its happened in the case of the Creative EP630/Sennheiser CX300/AKG K324P , so it could be similar for Crossroads and OVC.

[Err0r]

Ah... According to what I've heard, Crossroads guys went to OVC, modified their TC-20 and started selling it under their name.

[madman]

Blackstar, I would be interested in reading your comments\comparisons of Jays q-Jays against some of the higher end products you have experience with should you ever get an opportunity to use them.

Whilst I consider myself far from an aficionado\audiophile when it comes to these matters I am absolutely astounded at the quality and capabilities of the q-Jays.

Although being quite neutral\balanced and showing no noticeable leaning towards either bass, mids or highs there is certainly no lacking in any of these areas when required and the thundering rumble of a kettle drum which can literally be felt in no way overpowers the gentle plucking of a violin string.

They also possess almost binaural qualities being able to separate and layer sound both directionally and dimensionally creating a wider more open listening experience rather than the in-head sound of other IEM's I have used.

With their incredibly small size and beautiful form I almost suspect Jays may have used a bit of alchemy to endower the q-Jays with such characteristics. Although at $179 USD they are slightly more expensive than the Super.fi.3 you list, it is hard to believe that IEM's in the $300-$400 bracket would deliver significantly greater audio quality or a more pleasurable listening experience.

[Blackstar]

@ Err0r

I guess we'll never know lol.. Crossroad's homepage does not say very much about the history of their company, in fact it only gives an email address

@ madman

q-Jays are at the bottom of my want list, in fact they're not even on my list :D Not that it means they're bad or anything , I've just got my wants list focussed mainly on full sized headphones right now. I've heard the q-jays use dual armature drivers, those would do wonders in making the music sound more natural, but the kind of drivers they use is another story.

Regardless, if you're wanting extra opinions on the q-jays then you can have a skim of this long thread on head-fi:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...ghlight=q-jays

As for a more pleasurable listening experience, I guess that would depend on each individual. Some phones' can easily hit the sweet spot for some people and they'll be satisfied with it. And if you enjoy it then theres no reason to upgrade or even consider upgrading :D (Unless you want to end up like me, purely buying stuff for personal research and enlightenment). I haven't heard the q-jays before so I can't really comment, but if the q-jays match (or sound just as good as) the Shure e4c or Etymotic Research ER4-P then yes, I will agree that theres not much more that you can expect from IEM's.

Sure you can go buying a UE10 pro or the Shure E500, but in terms of a jump in audio quality over the E4c or ER4 they really do not provide a "huge" leap in terms of audio quality. The clarity and details are improved (Exception is the ER4, that thing is the final benchmark for neutrality and detail without colour), but for an ordinary enthusiast, I can't justify the cost. The only real way to see what you're missing out on is to try something like the UE10 then go back to the q-jays and you'll see what your missing and you'll be able to quantify that and relate its worth to an enjoyable listening experience.

All IEMs to me have the same characteristic of a sound thats "in your head" and its this limit that dictates a boundary of the audio quality IEMs can achieve, in terms of soundstaging and air they will always lose to headphones.

So yea, if you've skimmed what i just wrote, theres no real way to conclude if something would provide a greater listening experience until you've physically heard what that greater "thing" is.

[madman]

Thank you, the Head-Fi thread pretty much sums up my experience although I have not tried them amped, maybe my next investment .

[Blackstar]

lol, just don't hang around head-fi too much... doesn't do any justice to your wallet :D

[aquatint]

Okay. I just got my Shure E2c earphones in the mail.
It took awhile to get them fitted correctly (takes practice).
I'm listening to Andreas Vollenwieder's "White Winds".
Wow! Very peaceful. Very clean. I certainly think they were worth the 50 bucks I paid for them. I ended up turning everything down, and down, and down. I guess distortion needs to be loud, whereas clean sound does not need the volume.
I don't like the idea of shoving something way inside my ears, and these things only need to be in enough to create a seal. I ended up using the black rubber boots to get this. The foam boots were cylinders and quite uncomfortable; the pvc clear boots were not soft enough to seal.
I don't recommend these to bassheads, though.
I think my quest for a great pair of earphones is finally over!

[barlevix]

What do you think about the Pioneer SE-CL30 ?

[Blackstar]

I've never heard of it unfortunately..., you might try google or asking around at head-fi.

[ashbandicoot]

lol, just don't hang around head-fi too much... doesn't do any justice to your wallet :D

I second that! Another Head-Fi victim here!:D

Ended up getting the Shure E2c and JVC Marshmallows modded with E2c foams (gym-only).

How do the MylarX3s compare to the E2c? Worth it to change?

[Blackstar]

hmm.. a double edged sword that one. The Mylar3 in my opinion sounds better than the e2c in almost all respects, however the durability is nowhere near as good as the e2c. If you're going to make a jump from the E2 i suggest saving up a bit more and getting either Super.fi.5.pro or the Shure E4 or SE310 (I think its the 310, numbers of newer models are all jumbled up in my head :D ) or the Etymotic ER4 (etys are good If you like detail, resolution and accuracy)

[marleyfan]

I agree with you about the x3's vs the e2c's. I have both. I find that the x3's are clearer and have better defined bass. The bass on the shures is too muddy and they are not as comfortable. They are, however much more sturdy. I also have the Super.fi5 Pro's. They are have superior sound in all aspects, as they should for the price, but they are very large and ungainly and stick pretty far out of your ears. If you don't mind that cosmetic aspect then they are the better headphone. But start saving your pennies.

[kirkhere]

RE: Etymotic and durability

In Dec 2000 I bought a set of ER-4Ps. The lower impedance really *does* let a portable drive them with a lot of sound. I love them still. I will add that it is true, they are weaker in bass, and you have to get a good "seal" in the ear canal to boost the bass (or use a player with a good EQ). It's not the same as having a good thumping low end, but the clarity of the music may be a fair trade-off. It's a personal choice.

After 7 years (!) I have noticed that the location where the molded ear plug meets the cable, they have begun to come apart, so the thicker cable has held up to a LOT of use (and some abuse) in those years.

Etymotic is evaluating whether a repair can be made now. I'll let you know what their reply is. Considering the high quality sound I've had from them, and the number of years they've lasted, the price was well worth it.

[ashbandicoot]

hmm.. a double edged sword that one. The Mylar3 in my opinion sounds better than the e2c in almost all respects, however the durability is nowhere near as good as the e2c. If you're going to make a jump from the E2 i suggest saving up a bit more and getting either Super.fi.5.pro or the Shure E4 or SE310 (I think its the 310, numbers of newer models are all jumbled up in my head :D ) or the Etymotic ER4 (etys are good If you like detail, resolution and accuracy)

Thanks for the advice.

Amazon had too good of a deal to pass up on the E2c so I picked them up. But I am thinking of getting the MylarX3 for my brother who so far has only had experience with ipod earbuds. But if durability is an issue, I may have to rethink the Mylars.

[Blackstar]

been experimenting with tips on my CK7 recently, heres the result:

ATH-CK7 with Shure QuietPoint Foam Tips







A bit of physics, when you squeeze foam with your fingers and place them in your ear, the foam actually forms a "mold" of your ear canal shape offering superior comfort and isolation from ambient noise.

Tips play a large role in how your canalphones sound. Foams seem to work best for me :D