Best Earphone/Headphone/Speaker System Thread

[megayo]

the best earphones ever!

[MiloFo]

Have a couple of UE's and although they sound great I'm one of those people who absolutely can't stand anything in my earcanal for any extended periods of time.

In the earbud department options are a bit slimmer atm with all these itchy IEM's, but I've found these very nice:



Sony MDR-E931LP.

Nice build quality with gold-plated connection, rubber cord attachment (the black things on the buds) and an extremely nice assymetrical nylon-texture weaved cord.

Not as good build quality as Sony's old high-end earbuds MDR-E888LP, but just as good sound quality and much lighter in terms of weight. One of the few earbuds where I've felt the assymetrical cord was actually liveable/comfortable (the low weight doesn't make the cord fall out of your ear and the textured cord feels nice and soft against your neck in comparison with those plastic ones - the texture also gives some resistance to it, making it less slippery).





AKG K314P.

Dirt cheap with a crisp and clean sound. Very neutral, precise and detailed just as the Sonys.


I prefer the Sony ones due to them being much lighter (weighs virtually nothing) and having that soft, textured cord - but as far as sound goes you couldn't do much better when it comes to earbuds imo. Much better than the uncomfortable (albeit flashy) Audio-Technica ATH-EC700 "audiophile" choice.

Compare these two really cheap investments to any standard earbuds and you'll find them having a lot more details to their sound in a way you could easily appreciate without being all neurotic about it. Really does make a difference and is so cheap there's no reason not to get either of them.

[JkPwNsTeR]

I use these earbuds :

Anyhow, with some EQ tweaking they sound pretty good.
I got them from my friend's iPhone, I also have an old pair from my old iPod nano 1G.

Oh yes, those adapters are Griffin in-ear iPod earbud adapters.

[Salsa]

Couldn't the new Apple In-Ear Headphones with "two separate high-performance drivers — a woofer to handle bass and mid-range sounds and a tweeter for high-frequency audio" the right one for our M6, too?

Apple - iPod - In-Ear Headphones

[JkPwNsTeR]

I never bothered.

[hli53194]

Gasp! JkPwNsTeR is an iPod owner!

*Happens to look at own signature and sees 2 iPods *

[JkPwNsTeR]

It's my dad's earbuds. I used to have an iPod nano 1st gen, but then stopped using it since an iTunes update killed my computer.

[Eins]

Sennheiser Orpheus.

/thread

[hli53194]

Wow those are some pretty expensive cans!!

[Rabsi1]

i had a look around at all of them and i hvae to say, its pretty close between Sennheiser Orpheus (Eins) and the first ones nice2know_u mentioned at the beginning. they were awesome...

[stonecoldd]

if anyone's considering on buying some IEM's, the Nuforce NE-7M get a lot of praise at head-fi.org ....

and considering their sq (said to rival those that cost $100-$150) the price is really quite unbeatable at only $49 at amazon...I just ordered it and suggest you guys have a look if you're considering on buying IEMs in the near future...

also here's a poll on head-fi comparing the best IEMs under $50 (in which the NE-7M is included)..

[hli53194]

What about the SoundMAGIC PL-30's I just got those in January. These things sound amazing, they can't be beat at $20. Although they could use a bit more bass in my opinion. Very balanced sound, soundstage is terrific, but the high trebles can get sharp at times. Bass is, however, very refined and clear, just wish there was more of it, although I've heard with Burn-In, the Bass increases a lot.

[JkPwNsTeR]

I usually use the JBL Reference Series 410 headphones at home due to portability issues, but the bass is extemely smooth, and the highs are nice and crisp. They only sound good up to a high volume - the bass cracks. It doesn't matter to me since I don't even listen to music that loudly. I got them for 30CAD at a liquidation store, but you can find them for around 90CAD anywhere else.

[hli53194]

Those don't look bad at all (Not asthetically, specification-wise), although I do have a set of Bose QC1's for Home use.

[JkPwNsTeR]

They're also extremely sensitive for headphones; they have about the same sensitivity as the DX earbuds.

[hli53194]

The DX's are blunt compared to the PL-30's, you should really try them.

[JkPwNsTeR]

I got the Logitech X-540 surround sound system for my computer, it's very decent for its price. For me it's great for gaming and music. The bass is very good up to a very high volume, and is adjustable on a wired remote. I got it for just $49.99 at a liquidation outlet, retail is supposed to be $99.99.

[ri_toast]

I got the Logitech X-540 surround sound system for my computer, it's very decent for its price. For me it's great for gaming and music. The bass is very good up to a very high volume, and is adjustable on a wired remote. I got it for just $49.99 at a liquidation outlet, retail is supposed to be $99.99.

nice, you feeding it 5.1 through a good surround card?
i found the step from pro-logic to dolby digital huge when i upgraded and used toslink optical. dts music is eyepopping, i don't understand how it works, don't really need to. i just listen and am amazed!

[JkPwNsTeR]

Yeah, I'm just using a intergrated 7.1 surround card from Realtek, so it's not the best, but suits me.
"...dts music is eyepopping..."
rotflol, wrong comparison there...

[ri_toast]

here it is. just an fyi for those going wth is that?
DTS-HD Master Audio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
i prefer headphone listening and it's a little strange having the auzentech card with so many settings ie: underwater < works but who needs it
i don't have any doubt that onboard audio can be as good as stand alone cards and even some outboard dacs. seems to depend on motherboard engineering to isolate it from rf interference.