Inexpensive headphones / in-ear phones

nsomnac said:
IMO it would depend on the purpose. I've probably got no less than 5 - 6 sets of headphones all with a designated purpose.

Generally they fall in to following categories:
Working outdoors in the yard: cheap buds like Skullcandy.
Workout: Shure EC-3 buds.
Jet travel : Sony NC-120? closed ear with noise cancellation
Turboprop travel: Shure EC-3 buds (active cancellation doesn't work!)
Office Work in active environment (subject to interruptions): Sennheiser open ear.
Quiet Work: Sony w/ NC or my MDR-V6.

Sounds like you have a short list. If it's your only pair - get a decent pair that you won't be too upset if they break. If it's just an extra pair - spend according to the abuse and budget they'll receive. IMO - until you start spending >$75 (~£40 I'm estimating from my last trip over the pond) sound quality doesn't change much from $20 - $75; pretty much all same specs - you're paying for fit and a marketing dept. Even then, if you're over 35 yrs old - the odds are against you if your hearing is still good enough to appreciate the pricier pairs.

TLDR; if you can hear the mosquito ringtones - a high range pair is still worth a listen.

Good luck - and may your hearing loss be minimal!
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Thanks for this info, that gives a helpful insight into what works best where. Current finances dictate this will be the only pair for some time, but think standard in-ear buds will probably be enough for my use. That's a good point about the reducing frequency perception; hadn't considered that. I heard bats doing the high frequency pip thing last summer, so suspect the hearing range is better than many 44-year-olds, although tinitus has started to impose now.

cruciate said:
A UK based company called ei8htball produce some remarkable in ear headphones for roughly £25.
I prefer them to my Bose, sennheiser and Beats in ear headphones. The reviews suggest I'm not alone.
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Mod bullseyes on the ear-pieces! And top quality sound from a UK company? Looks very promising, thanks. They don't seem to have a West mids distributor yet but I could hold out for the next time I'm near one. Another option to look into.
 
If you've got the ears for them Motorhead Trigger or Overkill earphones are terrific. If they fit your ears OK. If they don't then you'll lack some bass but get plenty of mids and lots of detail so might still be worth a look. Originally circa £50 they're now doing the rounds at around £15.
 
RHA British made as well.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/RHA-MA350-Aluminium-Isolating-Earphones/dp/B0053R0WWG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402421027&sr=8-1&keywords=rha
 
Thanks gents, very good to see these UK products - had no idea of these options. Motorhead cans would be the antidote to the mainstream options, plus brass option to match your Digress, nice...

Overkill_brass_33003_earphones_front.jpg
 
Check out Sennheiser PX 100 II

An absolute steal on Amazon at the moment, these are light, comfortable and sound great.

Read the user reviews, sound better than many headphones costing hundreds.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-100-II-Foldable-On-Ear-Headphone/dp/B002VPDOH8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402439012&sr=8-1&keywords=sennheiser+px+100+ii
 
cruciate said:
A UK based company called ei8htball produce some remarkable in ear headphones for roughly £25.
I prefer them to my Bose, sennheiser and Beats in ear headphones. The reviews suggest I'm not alone.
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Thanks for the heads up on these.

Having previously praised my Motorhead phones they failed me and got quieter and quieter until they were un-useable. Which is a pity as up to then I'd loved them. The manufacturer was happy to replace them for me if I sent them a picture of them with the chord cut and the original packaging.. unfortunately I'd chucked the original packaging about 2 weeks earlier :-(
In addition they're length meant I spent much of the time with them deep in my ear, far deeper than any other earphones I'd used and a few weeks ago I took them off and... no rubber! It was lodged so deep in my ear I couldn't get it out and had to go to A&E.

So I replaced them with the ei8htball ex-811's. They seem well made, they're comfortable and light and sound superb so far. Detail and definition with decent bass and good volume. Perhaps not quite so engaging in the mid range as the Motorhead phones but better in every other way for sound.

So thanks again :)
 
Second the Sennheisers, I have the CX whatever model it is, for £30 I've had it for about 4-5 years and they're still going strong, block out noise extremely well and the bass response is great.
 
cruciate said:
Really glad you like them. I'm really happy with mine too.
What I love is they are the first headphones I have that don't need the volume high to enjoy them.
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That's true, I've had the volume down about 25% lower since getting them :)
Only downer so far is I'd prefer a right angled bracket at the connection to musical device.
 
One up for Sennheiser here. In no way the best but they seem to sit nicely in the middle price ranges. I have a pair of CX400 II earbuds for the commute (£40-£60). The Senns have outlasted all previous buds by a long stretch. No sound leaks (I don't want other people on the train to hear my music), although not the best at cancelling out environment noise. Adequately bassy, although maybe a little harsh on treble at times.

The only problem I have is the L-shaped plug: due to constant wrapping round my ipod the cable has split through the bottom of the 'L', almost to the end so I need to be careful now or I can see the cable getting pulled away from the jack. This is from 2 years of very heavy use though, including daily commuting and 3 weeks of snowboarding!

I also have an expensive pair of Sennheiser PXC450 for 'proper' travel (around £300). They require a battery for the noise cancellation feature but when switched on it plunges you into complete ear-ringing silence so great for air travel. Press a button on the side and it becomes a microphone so you can clearly hear somebody talking to you. I got fed up with changing the battery so they are now my 'at home' headphones as they have decent sound quality but they come out when I go abroad.

My advice is to look on What Hifi and other such places at reviews. I don't believe Sennheiser are the best, they just happened to be the most well received in the category and price range I was looking for at the time. I can only vouch for them though.
 
Just to mention I went for the Soundmagic E10 in the end as there was someone selling them for £21 including delivery. I'm chuffed to bits with them and have spent hours listening to old CDs and Youtube videos hearing new detail that my old ones missed. Also found I can run the volume higher without pain :) presumably due to a flatter response? No doubt the other suggestions would have been good buys too, so many thanks for all the advice
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