Quality mobile IEM's..

Yeah another headphone thread. I picked up some skullcandy titans on the recommendations of a few people, but they are either lazy or immobile or deaf since nobody mentioned the horrible line feedback from the wire. Basically, they sound ok until you move (or brush the wires in any way IE on your shirt), at which point it sounds as if you have covered your ears with your hands while grinding your teeth.

I bought IEM's for their mobility; I have cans and a 5.1 system at home. I don't have any use for these titans with this problem so I guess they go back to the store. Can anyone recommend something in a similar price range (30-60$) that sound similar/better and would not cause problems while being active?

Bonus points for IEM's with 15h - 20khz; the titans' lower freq of 20hz is alright but could be better, like 15

Or better yet if someone has had titans and found a way to fix this problem, do tell...

 

No there is no way to fix the issue with the wire.. It's bad design on part of Skullcandy.. Then again all their headphones/IEM's suck beyond belief.

At that price range there isn't much to recommend.

http://gizmodo.com/5617200/the-secret-scam-of-cheap-earbuds

If anything maybe MEElectronics M11+... In which case I'd rather put another $20-$30, and get some Klipsch Image S4's...

Also here's a good source for a ton of IEM's.
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread...ps210-yamaha-eph-50-pioneer-clx50-added-09-08

 

Thanks for the head-fi link, that is quite a guide that I missed :|

 

I have no idea why someone would recommend anything from Skullcandy to anybody. Look at the headphones - they put more effort into the design and flashiness than they did into the actual "headphone" part of the product.

In the $30 price range, my favorite IEM's by far are the Sennheiser CX-300B's (sometimes called the CX-300 II's). Absolutely fantastic headphones for the price. I have found some headphones that are slightly better in one area or another. But the Sennheiser CX-300B's always win because of the price, comfort, and light weight if you intend on using your headphones while you're actually moving around (in a gym, for example). You can find a better headphone, you can find a cheaper headphone, but you can't find a better cheaper headphone.

If you're willing to spend up to $60-$80 for headphones, I'd recommend the Etymotic ER-6i's, the Shure E115's, the Shure E2C's (discontinued, if you can still find them), or the Klipsch Image S2 or S4's. All of them are made by companies that actually make audio products, and will be far superior to the Skullcandy crap that focuses on endorsements and flashy paint jobs.

 

ALL IEM's will have that problem. It is an effect of having the ears sealed by something connected to the wires. There are just headphones with different levels of the feedback. Thinner wires apparently cause less noise as well.

 

You can get a pair of UE700 for cheap on ebay. I wouldn't touch them for their $200 MSRP, but for $80-100 I can't think of not getting a pair.

 

There are a lot of fake headphones on ebay.

 

Yep, just have to know which brand/model to go with. There is no fake UE700 at this moment.

 

Definitely not all - my Sennheiser IE8 do not have that problem.
They can be bad when you eat something crunchy though

The only thing that I can think about the wire on my Senns is that it's quite "soft"...

 

I can confirm my Klipsch Image S4's do not have that issue either.

 

i have the scosche idr355s.

great headphones for $60. they have mic and volume control as well.

there is SOME wind-sounding noise occasionally, but its very minimal. no feedback when using them with the iphone 4.

 

Somewhat correct. The noise that the OP complains about is a combination of microphonics (a function of the cable) and bone conduction (a function of sealed ear canals). Microphonics can be remedied completely by wearing the cord up and over the ear, looping down the back of the ear. Bone conduction can be avoided by using open instead of sealed headphones.

The reason why bone conduction isn't a factor during everyday life is that the human brain actively filters out the frequencies at which swallowing and chewing produce noises, though only while those actions are being performed. Pretty freaky if you ask me.

 

And your Sennheiser IE8's retail at about $200. Of course Sennheiser is going to reduce bone conduction on their flagship IEM.

I would someday love to own those. But I don't think I have the money to spend on them, lol. It would be easier for me to get some HD 650's or something - open, better SQ for money.

 

Try the IE7 or IE6 they IE7 should be quite close in sound quality.

I suppose you have a point - but it also proves that not all IEMs have that issue.

On that note - I cannot remember if my Sony EX85 (pre Senns) had the issue - but I vote for "no" because it would have driven me up a wall.

 

Yeah, the IE7 is still crazy expensive over here though. Still about $350 at best, and the IE6 is about $200. This is in AUD, as well. It would be nice not having to bother amping headphones, and having decent SQ.

Most IEM's have it. Some have it real bad, some don't. I suspect that the EX85's only had it as a minor effect.

 

The EX85 had soft cables too... but I've never bothered to research it in depth as it hasn't been an issue for me.

 

My earlier advice was to get the Sennheiser CX-300B's (sometimes called CX-300 II's). I still stand by that advice. They are sold for about $30 USD here in the United States.

I recommended them because they are an excellent pair of multi-purpose headphones in the $30 range. Excellent sound quality in that price range, decent noise isolation. They are excellent headphones for moving around (during workouts, or walking around on the street) because of the lightweight rubber-coated wires that they use. This reduces weight (there is no heavy wire that feels like it is "pulling" the headphones out of your ears while you're walking around), and tremendously reduces microphonics (the feedback from the wire moving).

So, I recommend you look into my advice, and take a look at the Sennheiser CX-300B's. I've bought maybe 10 different headphones in the $30 range, with several reviews from reputable sources all claiming that they are the "best value" in that price range. In my personal opinion, the Sennheiser CX-300B's win, hands down.

 

Unless I am mistaken they are sometimes described as bassy and muddy

 

Sometimes they are, yes. Personally, I don't think they are, especially when compared to something like Sony EX-51's or EX-71's. But every headphone has its shortcoming.

If you prioritize sound quality and price, and want something that isn't as "bassy", then you would look into headphones like the Altec Lansing UHP-326's, which use a balanced armature driver model for driving sound. But those headphones have a braided cloth cable, which have disasterously annoying microphonics and tend to "pull" down from your ears because of the added cable weight.

You could get something like some crap Skullcandy or V-Moda headphones which have better comfort and are inexpensive, but then you have crap sound.

If you want comfort and excellent sound, you could look into something by Etymotic, Shure, or Klipsch, but then you are looking at a minimum of $60+ for the entry level models from those companies.


Comort, Sound Quality, Price. You can pick any 2 of the 3. The reason I recommend the Sennheiser CX-300B's is because they are the closest I have ever seen out of headphones in the $30-ish price range that has all 3 of those categories. Not perfect in every one, but pretty darned close for $30.

 

I just got some Panasonic HJE900's today. Although they were for 78$ the other day, at the 89 they are still a great deal I would say.

The build quality on these things are the BEST I have seen, they also have replaceable cables, with a non-proprietary jack. The build quality alone is worth paying that much for. But the sound quality of them are also very impressive. I haven't put alot of time on them yet, but first impressions rate them very high, even up with my Westone ES3X Custom fitted IEM's.