Earphones with £150 budget

Andybtsn · 11 Jun 2011 at 12:00

Hi guys,

I have searched the forums but it seems such a varied amount of replies of what earphones to go for with this budget, I certainly don't want to spend more than that.

I listen to Rock music mostly so I enjoy bassy earphones ideally. Is there a certain type I should go for?

I hear Shure are one of the best? My friends say Beats but I guess I'm paying for the name and not the sound quality?

Cheers

Andy

J86 · 11 Jun 2011 at 12:28

Are we talking in-ear orrr?

AbsenceJam · 11 Jun 2011 at 12:52

I'd get some customs if I was spending that much. Have a read over at headfi and you'll find a lot of places that do this for good prices, I don't recall any names of the top of my head.

titaniumx3 · 11 Jun 2011 at 13:06

I'd recommend the Sennheiser IE8, as they sound absolutely amazing to my ears, but be warned that they are oddly shaped (may have fitting issues) and take quite a long time to burn in properly.

I listen to mostly metal and they do justice to even the heaviest of tracks.

Andybtsn · 11 Jun 2011 at 13:18

Oh I meant in earphones, thanks

Andybtsn · 11 Jun 2011 at 13:34

titaniumx3 said:
I'd recommend the Sennheiser IE8, as they sound absolutely amazing to my ears, but be warned that they are oddly shaped (may have fitting issues) and take quite a long time to burn in properly.

I listen to mostly metal and they do justice to even the heaviest of tracks.

Thanks do they have a remote control too? I'd like one included if possible.

titaniumx3 · 11 Jun 2011 at 13:46

I believe there is there the IE8i which has mic and remote for the iphone, but it costs a fair bit more.

Andybtsn · 11 Jun 2011 at 14:01

Hmm, stretching beyond my budget at £200.

Any other suggestions?

Icm76 · 11 Jun 2011 at 14:43

It's difficult to recommend anything as personal preference and fit can make a huge difference. There are dozens of brands now, many of them have a great reputation and the obvious choices like Shure and Sennheiser aren't anything particularly special (though they are still good) Monster do make a few good earphones, but only the higher end Turbines, specifically: Gold, Copper and Miles Davis Tribute.

Phonak have been doing extremely well in reviews and user feedback comments on forums, and they have versions with mic. N.B. the cheaper PFE version is supposed to be extremely well balanced, the only thing different with the more expensive one is the extra choice of filters to fine tune the sound to your taste. Others swear by Westone, Etymotic, and Jays. N.B. there are others that I have left off the list due to the £150 budget restriction.

If you prefer the traditional electronics brands Sony and Panasonic do have some good products. Sony MDR-EX600 is a recent product that gets very good feedback, and Panasonic's RP-HJE900E is a long standing favourite around the ~£100 price point.

If you're not averse to importing you can consider brands like HiFiMan (from Head-Direct) and Fischer Audio. See HiFiMan RE262, RE-ZERO and Fischer Audio DBA-02. I have the RE262 myself and like them a lot.

AbsenceJam said:
I'd get some customs if I was spending that much.

Not easy for £150, custom tips are about £90 on top of the price of whichever universal in ear phones you choose. High end universals are roughly in the £200-£400 range, customs in that price range are at the lower end of the scale, and the high end for customs goes well over £1000

Andybtsn · 11 Jun 2011 at 15:20

Thanks for the help.

Are there any big shops that sell quality headphones that you can try? I imagine the big shops will just sell Sony etc?

Icm76 · 11 Jun 2011 at 15:42

Not sure you'll have much luck, in ear phones are like earrings - there is a hygiene issue, maybe if you have your own set of tips you may find friends or colleagues may let you try their earphones?

Andybtsn · 11 Jun 2011 at 16:45

Found some Sennheiser CX890i, a few reviews I've read have been promising. Very good sound quality and design, plus they have a remote.

Always interested to hear people's views on here though

Maccy · 12 Jun 2011 at 17:09

Westone 2, Klipsch Image X10i or Shure Se310 are all top players in this price range. The Sennheisers are also pretty good that you mentioned.

I only sampled Beats for the first time yesterday, the quality of the product wasn't anything to shout about, however I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality and am definitely considering some Solo HDs.

Shamrock · 13 Jun 2011 at 13:28

Panasonic HJE900's are said to be good for rock.

Boss_man · 13 Jun 2011 at 18:45

Sennheiser 555 are good

Icm76 · 13 Jun 2011 at 18:57

Boss_man said:
Sennheiser 555 are good

...I misheard the rules and tried to push a whole aubergine up my earhole

Kurisu Makise · 13 Jun 2011 at 19:30

UE700, Sennheiser Ie7, Atrio M5 (new MG7 driver ones)

samuelc · 13 Jun 2011 at 20:30

Despite what people say about them I'd like to vouch for Dre's Beats. Very Very good headphones imo.

Shamrock · 13 Jun 2011 at 20:32

Beats and HD555s are clearly not IEMs.

Praetorian · 13 Jun 2011 at 21:06

Atrios M5/M8's should do the trick if you're after IEMs with bass and clarity. I've got a pair which I then also bought the custom inserts for which are available after you purchase them and they're absolutely gorgeous in sound and comfort.

Only issue I find is that I cannot hear ANYTHING once they're in ... colleagues

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