What are the best in ear headphones for under 500 dollars?

I've always wanted to try using a pair of JH custom IEMs for mixing monitors on stage... The cost is too prohibitive for a 'trial', though, and I'm guessing I'd rather use the same speaker/IEM that they are for more accurate reproduction.

Either way, I saw that you mentioned comfort; have you tried any of the Shure SE series IEMs? The SE425-Vs were amazingly comfortable and very well worth the money. I had them for a good 3 months, until a kitten bit through the cable... Now my IEMs stay in a drawer. =(

(Edit: And yes, I know I can replace the cable. They're not tossed, just on the backburner for now.)

 

I do that myself; i.e. set something on the backburner.

re headphones on the backburner, I keep coming back to either my Sennheiser 600 headphones or my Sennheiser 650 headphones.

re the whole iem thing, I've not yet gotten there just yet.

re the rest of your post, kindly give me a day or two.

 

I'll be finding myself in the market for a set of IEMs in the near future. What is the consensus on Shure as a brand? I have a set of everyday beaters from them that I picked up on clearance about 2 years ago. They're fine but I want something a bit nicer with more isolation, particularly from airplane noise. Shure seems to make good stuff and as a bonus, their corporate HQ is in the next town over from where I work, so getting service should be very easy. However, if I can do better than the SE425-V for the $300 I have budgeted, I'm all ears, if you'll pardon the pun.

 

It's a safe bet. I still find Shure phones provide the best fit for a generic (if the Westone 4 wasn't better than anything up to and including the 535, I wouldn't be using it), and they're the most rebuildable in case of 'oops' - you can even buy single side replacement earphone modules if you know where to look.

What I like about Shure is that they don't seem to make an overt practice of overcooking their drivers to provide a false sense of detail, like some other companies do (Etymotic for example). The resulting sound is 'duller' and less aggressive, but actually more accurate. It's changed a bit with the latest phones where I think they've tried to make up the 'perception gap' to be more agreeable at the expense of some additional artifacts in the sound but still a very solid choice IMO.

 

The thing I like about the Westones is the crazy number of fittings they include whereas Shure only has the standard three. Are any of the "lesser" Westone models (2 or 3) comparable to the Shures in terms of quality for the money?

 

No, you can get the same aftermarket tips for Shures - in fact, they fit better on Shures than the Westones because of the way the stalks are designed. I personally think the only generic Westone worth getting is the 4R because it's better than the 535 sound-wise. Any other requirement, you might as well go with a Shure.

A niche caveat would be that some people - and I find them quite rare - find the Westones fit better than the Shures. I've often found though that it's likely because these people are scared of putting in the tips properly.

 

The OP stated this at the start of this thread:
>"Seems westone 4r and um3x are the only ones I could find with all good reviews."<

I didn't want to spend $500 for the Westone 4r, so I bought the Westone um3x.

The OP hasn't said much since buying the 4r's.

re my own buy of the um3x, I gave some serious thought to returning them and suffering the 10% restock fee. I'm now glad that I didn't do that.

I also agree with your comment (above) of: "the crazy number of fittings they include" as some of those ear fittings seem to be unique to Westone.

One thing that I recommend to everyone that is remotely interested in audio is the just released "Audiophile Essentials Editor’s Choice" (their on-line title) by Stereophile. They've only done a 500 Recommended Component monthly issue twice a year, and they take items off the list with some frequency even when they're still available for sale.

The hard copy I got in the mail a few days ago has the title: Stereophile Collector's Edition Recommended Components

And it includes 1,500+ picks from the last 10 years. At $15, I consider it a must buy. See: Stereophile Magazines Store

Be aware that if you order any CD discs, you'll be charged for 1st class shipping.

re your starting questions about Shure, they're good iem's. Vogelbung seems to have actual experience with some of their iem models, whereas I have none.

In the 1,500 list that I just got, iem's are under "Personal Listening: Headphones & Headphone Accessories" pp 147-151

I personally take the class A/B/C/D stuff with a big grain of salt. www means the review is openly on their web site.

The $349 Westone 3 is classC (Oct'09 www). I've not read the review on www, so have no clue if the um3x is mentioned.

The $500 Shure SE530 is classA list (Apr'07 and Oct'10, openly on their web site but finding/searching is a challange), and $500 Shure E5C is classA (Apr'05 and Oct'07, www (no longer offered(?)), $299 Shure E4 is classB (Apr'07 and Oct'07 www (no longer offered(?)), $310 Shure SE310 is classC (Oct'09 and Oct'10 www (no longer offered(?)), $179 Shure E3c is classC (no longer offered(?)

FWIW I see classA Ultimate Ears Pro 10/11/18 at $900-$1,350! 10 Pro no longer offered(?)

 

Where does one buy these extra tips for the Shures?

 

Shure, surprisingly enough

And Comply (for the soft foams).