Best sound-isolating IEMs for less than $100?

Looking to get some IEMs to use at work. I want maximum sound isolation without spending more than $100, give or take a few. If I need to get aftermarket tips to improve sound deadening, that's fine. They'll only be powered by a MacBook Pro; I'm not interested in an external sound source. Any recommendations are appreciated - just don't post about Shure because while I like the look and sound of them, they're not reliable. Last two pairs of IEMs I had from them broke in less than a year of moderate use.

 

I own (and have owned) about 2 dozen pairs of IEMs in the past 5 years.

It does not sound like you have very stringent requirements on sound quality. There will be a lot of audiophile-wannabe's that will reply about how model XYZ from brand ABC has slightly better sound stage, imaging, etc etc than model UVW from brand DEF.

If you're just looking for a single, simple recommendation on great bang-for-your-buck IEMs for general purpose "good enough" use, get the Xiaomi Piston Hybrids for $23. They are made by a Chinese manufacturer named Xiaomi (a huge electronics manufacturer that makes decently high-quality products) for the Chinese market. They have the equivalent sound quality (with a V-shaped curve) of IEMs that cost $80-$100. But in China, people don't spend $100 on headphones. They just don't do it. So Xiaomi made this pair of headphones mostly as an accessory to their Xiaomi line of smartphones, and sell it at a price that the market will bear; which is around $20 in China. Add a few bucks for import fees & seller fees, and you get to ~$25 in the US.

They have durable construction; has a braided cable; in-line mic / remote. And the fact that they cost ~$25 means that you can buy an extra pair or two to throw into a travel bag, gym bag, etc; or not have to worry too much about losing or damaging them, because they are relatively inexpensive to replace. If you do research on these headphones, you will get a single universal opinion: excellent headphones for the price. Has sound quality that can rival $80-$100 headphones. Easily the best-buy recommendation for under $100.




They come with those rubber-dome ear tips in multiple sizes. They have decent sound isolation for non-travel use. But if you want the best sound isolation you can get, buy a set of Comply 200-series foam ear-tips along with these.

 

Etymotic's three-step design also seems to do well to isolate outside noise, though other manufacturer's also use this for some of their models.

Nothing beats custom, of course, but re-shelling alone would set you back $200. Had custom iems in at night when there was an explosion down the street. Only noticed something happened because the window panes rattled and the house shook, but the bang might as well have been a book dropping on the floor.

 

Jesus wat.

For isolation I personally prefer my LZ A4's with the JvC spiral dots.
But the pistols are amazing fo the price they retail at.

 

Kids with illegal fireworks and an underground trash container somewhere around new years day. Lots of car alarms went off, to be sure.

 

I also own multiple pairs of Etymotics. Excellent soundd isolation. But the reputation of Etymotic sound isolation comes from the fact that they include eartips that do an excellent job (triple-flange rubber tips, and compressible foam tips). Several years back, they were pretty much the only manufacturer that offered these types of eartips out-of-the-box. However, now that there are a few companies that sell aftermarket ear tips (e.g. Comply), the advantage of Etymotic as the "best" sound isolation can be found on other brands as well.

The reason I do not recommend Etymotic is because they are relatively fragile, and relatively expensive to replace. I've had multiple pairs of Etymotics fail after several years of use; mostly just from the wear-and-tear. The plastic housing and joints tend to come apart after a few years, or with a good accidental tug / push. I've had this experience universally across 2x pairs of Etymotic ER-4Ps, 3x EtyCom headsets, and 1x Etymotic ER-6i.

 

I've also used a ton of iems. Going by noise canceling alone, the Shure SE215s are gonna run you more along the lines of 80 bucks, but with the right tips are insanely good at canceling noise. (Haha I see you won't get those though) They're huge honestly, but if that's your number one requirement they would handily beat those Xaomi's.

I will say the reliability thing sounds like bad luck or poor treatment. Know a lotta people with Shure's never heard quality complaints about them from any of em or as a general repuation. Several 215 users on 2-4 years at this point.

Also lol, at a lot of that. But generally, that's mostly true. If you hate Shure, I'd go with his advice. The audio world has diminishing returns throughout, cheaper is almost always better value.

Edit: What would seperate a wannabe audiophile from an actual audiophile?

I'd consider myself a fan of audio, but not an elitist about it, many budget levels are valid.

 

I actually have a set of SE215s that are gathering dust in a drawer because the left earpiece died. The cheaper SE110s I had before those actually lasted slightly longer before one of those earpieces went out.

I've contemplated getting more seriously into audiophile stuff, but there isn't much point for my usage. I don't spend a ton of time listening to music, and it's not worth spending a crap ton on headphones when I game and watch Youtube most of the time. I quite like the HiFiMan HE-350 headphones (at least once I replaced the stock pads) and FiiO E10K DAC/amp combo I'm using right now.

Those Xiaomi IEMs look mighty fine. Will pick those up and the extra tips next time the Amazon credit card reward points roll in.

 

Yeah... It's harder the higher up you go. The highest I would go is probably Sennheiser ie80s for like 250. Those sound great without a dac or amp. Good warranty too. I personally don't like most of the products above that. I find there is one final tier where you see noticeable improvement around 1000 dollars (around where custom iems or open back iems begin in earnest). The 300+ to like 700 dollar area I think is not worth the money vs good 250 dollar iems. Not that 1000 dollar ones are, but at least the difference is more immediate.

But it's probably smarter to save that cash for something else if you aren't that into audio.

 

I was talking more about not wanting to spend a ton on audiophile gear in general. But that's just me. Now if you're a critical audiophile and spend hours a day listening to music, then I can totally justify spending $1800 on a single set of headphones, $2000 on an amp, $1000 on IEMs, $500 on a FLAC audio player, and so on. And obviously, you can spend even more on additional gear that you can change according to whatever music you're listening to at a given time, etc. A lot of people would look at you cock-eyed for saying that you spent $2000 on a set of headphones, but if you're an enthusiast, how is that different than a computer geek spending the same on a gaming PC; an amateur chef spending that much on a high-end stove; or or a coin collector spending that on an 1893-S silver dollar to complete his collection?

 

It's not. I pretty much never gawk at people spending a lot on things unless it's so high that it's only attainable by the elite. Like spending several thousand on a hobby is all good if you love it, it's when you spend like 50,000 on headphones (i.e. Orpheus) that makes me gawk because most people even if they save for years and years can't afford that so you have to be quite rich.

Stick to the Xaomi's though, I have no idea about how good they are at noise isolation and Kent didn't mention that aspect of them.