Headphone/Earphone Reviews
Discussion
This is a problem with the straight jacks.
If you liked the a-Jays, then go for another set and get a right angled adapter for the jack, it adds a little bulk and doesn't look that nice, but it saves the jack from getting bent.
Or then look for a IEM with a 90 degree jack, Hippo Shroom EB would be a nice replacement, very comfortable as well, only slightly over budget at $57.
Meelectronics M6 would be another good choice. Soundmagic PL50, but it doesn't have the same bass impact as the a-Jays, other than that the PL50 is excellent for the price.
If you liked the a-Jays, then go for another set and get a right angled adapter for the jack, it adds a little bulk and doesn't look that nice, but it saves the jack from getting bent.
Or then look for a IEM with a 90 degree jack, Hippo Shroom EB would be a nice replacement, very comfortable as well, only slightly over budget at $57.
Meelectronics M6 would be another good choice. Soundmagic PL50, but it doesn't have the same bass impact as the a-Jays, other than that the PL50 is excellent for the price.
Headphones, as in over the ear? Haven't really heard many, but the v-Jays sound good and are fairly cheap.
If you mean in ears, then Fischer Audio, Hippo and Meelectronics are the ones to have a closer look at.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... audio gear reviews
If you mean in ears, then Fischer Audio, Hippo and Meelectronics are the ones to have a closer look at.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... audio gear reviews
Coming from the Sony, you like a warm bassy sound, I would presume?
The default answer would be Sennheiser cx300/cx400, they are quite good but do not really have a clear sound.
Meelectronics m6 and m11 are highly recommended, and have better clarity than the cx300.
Nuforce ne-700x are also very good, great bass and clarity.
Hippo VB have the best bass in the price range, with variable tuning as an added bonus.
Fisher Audio Eterna are also very, very good with great bass and class leading soundstage.
Jays a-Jays are also very good with great dynamics.
A left field contender would be the slightly less bassy, but very clearand excellent sounding Soundmagic pl50.
Or go the full hog and splash out £400 on the Phonak pfe232, probably the best universal IEMs out there for now
^^ All the suggested IEMs are reviewed in the sticky on the top of the page. ^^
The default answer would be Sennheiser cx300/cx400, they are quite good but do not really have a clear sound.
Meelectronics m6 and m11 are highly recommended, and have better clarity than the cx300.
Nuforce ne-700x are also very good, great bass and clarity.
Hippo VB have the best bass in the price range, with variable tuning as an added bonus.
Fisher Audio Eterna are also very, very good with great bass and class leading soundstage.
Jays a-Jays are also very good with great dynamics.
A left field contender would be the slightly less bassy, but very clearand excellent sounding Soundmagic pl50.
Or go the full hog and splash out £400 on the Phonak pfe232, probably the best universal IEMs out there for now
^^ All the suggested IEMs are reviewed in the sticky on the top of the page. ^^
HebdenHedgehog said:
Looking for some over the ear phones for hifi and tv listening
I have a pair of SoundMagic E10s for portable use, which I love.
I don't want to spend too much but I do want some good sonic qualities and I am becoming confused!
Of the ones Finlandia has reviewed the Zomo sound good, but are a bit over my budget of c.£50-60, less if I can get away with it!
Various website reviews vary widely!
For instance, What Hifi rate the Panasonic RP-HTX7 as being the best 'budget' cans, but other sites slate them!
Anyone been given / bought decent set of headphones over Christmas?!
If you like the SoundMagic E10s, have a look at their on/over ear headphones HP100 and the wired/wireless WP10, they are a bit over budget though. I have a pair of SoundMagic E10s for portable use, which I love.
I don't want to spend too much but I do want some good sonic qualities and I am becoming confused!
Of the ones Finlandia has reviewed the Zomo sound good, but are a bit over my budget of c.£50-60, less if I can get away with it!
Various website reviews vary widely!
For instance, What Hifi rate the Panasonic RP-HTX7 as being the best 'budget' cans, but other sites slate them!
Anyone been given / bought decent set of headphones over Christmas?!
The Zomo HD1200 can be had for £61 or so, and sound really good for the price, or then there's the California Headphones and Colour Your World, especially the latter would be great for movies with the dual dynamic drivers.
Not heard the Panasonics, but Sennheiser PX100-II and PX200-II have generally had much praise, then of course there is the old classic Koss PortaPro. These are more on the ear than over the ear though.
Koofler said:
Have you had chance to try the Parrot Ziks at all?
I tried a pair the other day and was impressed by the sound but put of by the look and bulkiness. My main criteria is the Bluetooth connectivity though so it's a very narrow field. I know that Sennheiser do an over ear pair too which look nicer and lighter but they look like they would leak sound at volume, which is another area that the Parrot did well in.
Or are there any others that I have missed that you'd recommend?
Not heard the Ziks yet, I hope to get a sample sometime soon. Denon do a Bluetooth headphone as well, quite like the Ziks, but not heard them either. Meelectronics is bringing out some more high end Bluetooth headphones soon, will probably get to review them.I tried a pair the other day and was impressed by the sound but put of by the look and bulkiness. My main criteria is the Bluetooth connectivity though so it's a very narrow field. I know that Sennheiser do an over ear pair too which look nicer and lighter but they look like they would leak sound at volume, which is another area that the Parrot did well in.
Or are there any others that I have missed that you'd recommend?
Of the ones I have heard, the Meelectronics AF32 would be best suited, light and quite small with good sound and they don't leak too much sound either, and as an added bonus they can be used as wired headphones as well.
Matt, since you like the Shure sound, maybe the SE215 or SE315 would be a good upgrade. Bass heavy music will sound better with a dynamic earphone (SE215), while a balanced armature (SE315) will give much better fine detail.
Out of the ones I have heard Sennheiser IE6 or Hippo VB would suit, but then neither of them have the isolation of the Shure. A couple of left field contenders, the SoundMagic PL50 is a great earphone, but maybe a little bass light for your music, Brainwavz B2, slightly over budget, but very good performance all around, great detail and low end.
Vanya, in-ear phones or in-ear monitors, as they are called, are shortened to IEM.
The best isolating IEMs you will find, isolation meaning sound leaking in (trains, planes and you get the idea) or out (when you turn the volume up to 12), are the Etymotic.
I was impressed by the Ety hf3 headset, and while not Bluetooth, they are a headset with a built in mic, and as said, the best isolation you will find.
Other very well isolating earphones are Shure and Westone, but they don't really get up to the Ety isolation. If Bluetooth is a must, then Meelectronics do two different models of wireless IEMs, but isolation is nowhere near the Ety and neither is sound quality, and this goes for all other Bluetooth IEMs as well.
Then there are the Bluetooth modules with 3.5mm audio out like the Jabra Street 2, that allows you to connect any IEM to it and make them wireless, not tried any of them though.
If I was to get what you're looking for, I'd be likely to go for a well isolating Ety and get the Jabra for wireless use.
The reviews of the different IEMs can be found in the sticky up top of the forum page.
Out of the ones I have heard Sennheiser IE6 or Hippo VB would suit, but then neither of them have the isolation of the Shure. A couple of left field contenders, the SoundMagic PL50 is a great earphone, but maybe a little bass light for your music, Brainwavz B2, slightly over budget, but very good performance all around, great detail and low end.
Vanya, in-ear phones or in-ear monitors, as they are called, are shortened to IEM.
The best isolating IEMs you will find, isolation meaning sound leaking in (trains, planes and you get the idea) or out (when you turn the volume up to 12), are the Etymotic.
I was impressed by the Ety hf3 headset, and while not Bluetooth, they are a headset with a built in mic, and as said, the best isolation you will find.
Other very well isolating earphones are Shure and Westone, but they don't really get up to the Ety isolation. If Bluetooth is a must, then Meelectronics do two different models of wireless IEMs, but isolation is nowhere near the Ety and neither is sound quality, and this goes for all other Bluetooth IEMs as well.
Then there are the Bluetooth modules with 3.5mm audio out like the Jabra Street 2, that allows you to connect any IEM to it and make them wireless, not tried any of them though.
If I was to get what you're looking for, I'd be likely to go for a well isolating Ety and get the Jabra for wireless use.
The reviews of the different IEMs can be found in the sticky up top of the forum page.
Unfortunately the more premium Chinese brands like Soundmagic and Brainwavz are very hard to find in shops, it's almost always a internet shop job if one wants to have a listen to them. I say unfortunately, because they are really great sounding at a really affordable price, compared to many of the more known brands that are easily available (not necessarily Sennheiser).
For inflight use, I would be looking at IEMs instead of full sized headphones, if not for anything else then at least for hearing protection.
The Zomos are very nice, but I don't think they would go loud enough for your use, so either look into amplifying the out signal or try IEMs. Preferably balanced armature earphones since they offer better isolation than dynamic ones. Dunu I3C-S, Soundmagic PL50 or any Etymotic , Shure or Westone would be very good.
Then of course there are the noise cancelling headphones to consider as well, but they tend to be quite expensive.
The Zomos are very nice, but I don't think they would go loud enough for your use, so either look into amplifying the out signal or try IEMs. Preferably balanced armature earphones since they offer better isolation than dynamic ones. Dunu I3C-S, Soundmagic PL50 or any Etymotic , Shure or Westone would be very good.
Then of course there are the noise cancelling headphones to consider as well, but they tend to be quite expensive.
tim-b said:
Thanks, I will look into IEMs. Bit less bulky to carry in hand luggage too i suppose!
Just to clarify the "hearing protection" bit. Headphones will have to be cranked up very high to drown out the surrounding noise, and that is of course less than ideal for your hearing.IEMs are the best option for portability and use in noisy environments.
Meelectronics are pushing into the European market and have real good deals going on over at amazon, the A151 at £31.99 and the M6 in white for £14.99 are exceptional value for the money.
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