Andrew Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 Ok then, I've built up a fair few points on my HSBC credit card which I can use for Amazon vouchers. This has coincided with my old Shure E2C earphones breaking so I need some new ones from Amazon. Tidy. However, I did think of going quite "high end" for a set of Shures but I wonder about my music quality. I have lots of stuff that is recorded at 192kbps but also plenty at 128kbps and some other stuff which is probably lower. A few reviews I have read have suggested that really really good earphones might actually pick out the problems with low-res (or whatever the term is) recordings and that things might sound a bit sh1te. Do the masses here have any experience of this? Might I be better off not going so high end? I loved the E2Cs which were about £60 but the pair I'm considering are a fair bit more than that. Trouble is you can't really test them out since the in-ear thing means you need to ponce about with new ear buds or whatever. There were threads on this years ago but things have moved on since! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 I've got some (not that expensive at £35) Sony in-ear headphones I use and I can definitely tell the difference between full fat and skimmed (192) recordings if there's no other noise - it just sounds tinnier. I'd imagine it would drive you nuts with some really decent headphones! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuits Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 My music library varies from 128k mp3 to FLAC/AppleLossLess and you really can tell the difference, either playing on headphones or through the car's stereo. I've tried loads of headphones including mid-level Shures and the best by far are the two I now own: In-ear - B&W C5's - best sound and fit for tube/train/gym C5 headphones - Bowers & Wilkins | B&W Over-ear - Bose QuietComfort 3's - most comfortable for long haul flights QuietComfort 3 | Bose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 I wouldn't go near BOSE anymore. 3+ years ago I thought they were ace, now they're just cheap crap trading off a brand. All my recent sets haven't lasted, and have been mediocre at best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuits Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 I wouldn't go near BOSE anymore. 3+ years ago I thought they were ace, now they're just cheap crap trading off a brand. All my recent sets haven't lasted, and have been mediocre at best. I've been impressed with the QuietComforts... wouldn't touch their AV equipment, speakers or in-ears though. Had a CiniMate 2.1 system.... utter garbage sound out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 Bloody hell - THAT much money for some gym/train headphones Google Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuits Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 Bloody hell - THAT much money for some gym/train headphones Don't think I've ever heard such awesome bass from a pair of in-ears though :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 Try the Shure 535s then Mook. Oh, and sit down first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 Try the Shure 535s then Mook. Oh, and sit down first. £300 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuits Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 £300 See... I saved over £150 getting the B&W's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 Bollox to that - I saved £265 buying the Sony ones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 Given I have quite a few vouchers to use I did consider the 535s ... is that a terrible thing to admit? I have this problem you see, if something is better then I immediately want it over the thing that isn't as "good". I suspect things like that will change should children ever appear on the scene! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuits Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 I suspect things like that will change should children ever appear on the scene! No... it just get a little more difficult Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tipex Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 I'm not an Audiophile, so I make do with the earphones that came with my iPhone, if they were to get lost/broken I would simply buy the cheapest set I can find. Not because I'm a tightwad, but simply because I don't personally value the better sound quality over a cheap set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuits Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 i hate the iPhone OEM earphones, they hurt my delicate ears after 5 minutes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4ttm4son Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 I hate Apple earphones and wish they would be beaten with a stick for giving them out for free :smashfreak: The sound leakage is horrific so you need to turn it up louder = everyone else hears what you're listening to = hell for other commuters, ie: me :sauer: /rant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stooH Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 They'll be well below your price range but I can recommend the SkullCandy Titan's, compared to the sony in ear ones I had the bass was amazing. Very solid construction and very comfortable when in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 The standard iPhone and iPod earphones aren't great quality. I've got a couple of old baked bean tins and some string you could have for a tenner, Tipex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burble Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 I've been impressed with the QuietComforts.. Ditto. I've got a set of QC15's which do a great job of blocking out a lot of the noise on planes. A godsend for a frequent traveller like me. As for most of their other stuff, BOSE = Buy Other Sound Equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanG Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 I haven't tried in ear headphones but recently bought some Dr Dre Beats Studio headphones in 'duty free'. They, are, superb*. They also had in ear versions, which could be pretty good. What Hifi review here: http://www.whathifi.com/search/apachesolr_search/?filters=tid%3A350%20type%3Ahcmproduct%20tid%3A767&solrsort=created%20desc *TBH, my ears are a bit screwed from shooting stuff and blowing stuff up for a few years, so I may not be the best judge here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tipex Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 The standard iPhone and iPod earphones aren't great quality. I've got a couple of old baked bean tins and some string you could have for a tenner, Tipex. A tenner? Who do you think I am, Alan Sugar? They sell perfectly adequate earphones in pound land, for, unsurprisingly, a pound! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuprabob Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 I know the guys at RHA personally and can vouch for the quality of their product. http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_3?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=rha+headphones&sprefix=rha%2Caps%2C420 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 I've got a couple of pairs of Sennheiser in ear headphones. I often fall asleep listening to music and they've lasted years without cables breaks despite being rolled on, twisted, stretched etc. They cut out external noise (I used to use them on the train for commuting) and are really comfy. Nice sound etc. I've never found them lacking in any way and hence can't see the point in spending 5 or 10 times as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arch Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 I haven't tried in ear headphones but recently bought some Dr Dre Beats Studio headphones in 'duty free'.They, are, superb*. They also had in ear versions, which could be pretty good. What Hifi review here: Search | whathifi.com *TBH, my ears are a bit screwed from shooting stuff and blowing stuff up for a few years, so I may not be the best judge here. Sorry, couldn't resist the condescending Wonka image. ;) I have some in ear Shures for out and about and I love them. Had them a while now and they great for blocking out unwanted noise and hearing the music. I have an old pair of Sennheiser PX100 for the PC and a pair of over ears 535s for when I really want to sit and listen to stuff. I was very close to buying some Beats after a friends recommendation but read so much bad press about the build quality, I bought the Sennheisers instead. When you're a clumsy ****er, you need something solid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woppum Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 I have had everything . Sure 535 in ear are the daddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now