Does anyone have any recommendations about good enough in-ear headphones
for a portable MP3 player (no extra amplifier) for use when travelling?
Specific models or general advice about what to look out for and what
to avoid?

Like 'speakers I guess only my ears will provide the right answer
(including issues of comfort as well as sound) but it seems to be more
of a challenge to get a listen.

Also there used to be few models when I last looked but nowadays there
are just so many, so I am looking for some way to whittle down the list
of candidates. Is Etymotic (ER4P for example) still a quality place
to start?

Primarily classical material. Budget not a big issue as long as the
kit is in some way "worth it" (I do object to unnecessary extravagance).

--
John Phillips

John Phillips wrote:
Does anyone have any recommendations about good enough in-ear headphones
for a portable MP3 player (no extra amplifier) for use when travelling?
Specific models or general advice about what to look out for and what
to avoid?

For in-ear 'phones the Creative EP-630 / Sennheiser CX300 is good value
(search Amazon for reviews, both are similar), but has a bit of a
'rappers delight' bass hump which may not do too well with classical
music of a certain sort. This design is very good on outside sound
isolation and sensitivity (so good battery life) but the rubberised
leads tend to catch clothing which you can hear as a thump-thump noise.

However, for all that - I like 'em.

--
Adrian C

On 2008-07-09, Adrian C wrote:
John Phillips wrote:
Does anyone have any recommendations about good enough in-ear headphones
for a portable MP3 player (no extra amplifier) for use when travelling?
Specific models or general advice about what to look out for and what
to avoid?

For in-ear 'phones the Creative EP-630 / Sennheiser CX300 is good value
(search Amazon for reviews, both are similar), but has a bit of a
'rappers delight' bass hump which may not do too well with classical
music of a certain sort. This design is very good on outside sound
isolation and sensitivity (so good battery life) but the rubberised
leads tend to catch clothing which you can hear as a thump-thump noise.

Thanks. They do seem to be bought in large quantities and well received.

I see replacement buds in 10-packs are widely available in the
three sizes. Is it necessary/wise to change these often? That is,
in selecting a set of in-ear 'phones is it wise to check on the ready
availability of replacement earbuds? I assume so because of the need
to clean off the earwax contamination.

I note also the issue of the leads transmitting sound to the ear.
Is this a common issue with in-ear 'phones?

--
John Phillips

John Phillips wrote:
On 2008-07-09, Adrian C wrote:
John Phillips wrote:
Does anyone have any recommendations about good enough in-ear headphones
for a portable MP3 player (no extra amplifier) for use when travelling?
Specific models or general advice about what to look out for and what
to avoid?
For in-ear 'phones the Creative EP-630 / Sennheiser CX300 is good value
(search Amazon for reviews, both are similar), but has a bit of a
'rappers delight' bass hump which may not do too well with classical
music of a certain sort. This design is very good on outside sound
isolation and sensitivity (so good battery life) but the rubberised
leads tend to catch clothing which you can hear as a thump-thump noise.

Thanks. They do seem to be bought in large quantities and well received.

I see replacement buds in 10-packs are widely available in the
three sizes. Is it necessary/wise to change these often? That is,
in selecting a set of in-ear 'phones is it wise to check on the ready
availability of replacement earbuds? I assume so because of the need
to clean off the earwax contamination.

I note also the issue of the leads transmitting sound to the ear.
Is this a common issue with in-ear 'phones?

The CX300 rubber bits can easily be removed and washed. The problem is
that the wire mesh over the diaphragm gets clogged too and is impossible
to clean. At £12 including postage though, they are disposable.
The noisy wires are a problem but apart from that they are pretty good.

--
Eiron.

On 2008-07-10, Eiron wrote:
The CX300 rubber bits can easily be removed and washed. The problem is
that the wire mesh over the diaphragm gets clogged too and is impossible
to clean. At £12 including postage though, they are disposable.

Yes - I noticed some good prices. I assume the lesson is that inexpensive
IEMs are probably best regarded as disposable. The more expensive ones
(if they are to be cost-effective) need to be *fully* cleanable.

--
John Phillips

On 2008-07-09, Adrian C wrote:
John Phillips wrote:
Does anyone have any recommendations about good enough in-ear headphones
for a portable MP3 player (no extra amplifier) for use when travelling?
Specific models or general advice about what to look out for and what
to avoid?

For in-ear 'phones the Creative EP-630 / Sennheiser CX300 is good value
(search Amazon for reviews, both are similar), but has a bit of a
'rappers delight' bass hump which may not do too well with classical
music of a certain sort. ...

WRT the CX300 in-ear monitor (IEM) I found this:

http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCom...Type=0&graphID[]=603

Which seems to confirm about 15 dB of bass 'enhancement'.

It's interesting to browse through the site's measurements and display
comparisons of, for example,

- the Shure families (old models and new models)
- the Ultimate Ears models
- the Etymotic models

I think I see (depending on whether I can trust the measurements and
interpret them properly):

- Bass in IEMs is often enhanced either a bit (3-5 dB) or a lot.

- Getting any treble above 8 kHz can be problematic (let alone a flat
response). Actually I suspect ear canal resonances may play a role.

- The Etymotic ER-4s with a single transducer get 'better' treble
than almost all IEMs - even three-transducer types. They seem to
have their IEMs better sorted than the rest.

--
John Phillips

On 17 Jul 2008 17:08:50 GMT, John Phillips
wrote:

WRT the CX300 in-ear monitor (IEM) I found this:

http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCom...Type=0&graphID[]=603

Which seems to confirm about 15 dB of bass 'enhancement'.
....
- Getting any treble above 8 kHz can be problematic (let alone a flat
response). Actually I suspect ear canal resonances may play a role.

I'm late to this thread, but wondered if anyone knows of phones with
-attenuated- treble. I'd ideally like to find phones with very rich,
solid mids and sharp rolloff above. Kind of like the stock iPod
phones, but even more in that direction.

"_DG" wrote in message

On 17 Jul 2008 17:08:50 GMT, John Phillips
wrote:

WRT the CX300 in-ear monitor (IEM) I found this:

http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCom...Type=0&graphID[]=603

Which seems to confirm about 15 dB of bass 'enhancement'.
....
- Getting any treble above 8 kHz can be problematic (let
alone a flat response). Actually I suspect ear canal
resonances may play a role.

I'm late to this thread, but wondered if anyone knows of
phones with -attenuated- treble. I'd ideally like to find
phones with very rich, solid mids and sharp rolloff
above. Kind of like the stock iPod phones, but even more
in that direction.

Koss "The Plug" are IME very bassy.

John Phillips wrote:

Does anyone have any recommendations about good enough in-ear headphones

Personally, I find the whole concept of in-ear phones utterly disgusting ( I
have quite waxy ears). The only thing that goes inside them (very carefully)
are Q-tips to clean the wax out.

Do you *need* anything that small ?

Graham

On 2008-07-10, Eeyore wrote:


John Phillips wrote:

Does anyone have any recommendations about good enough in-ear headphones

Personally, I find the whole concept of in-ear phones utterly disgusting ( I
have quite waxy ears). The only thing that goes inside them (very carefully)
are Q-tips to clean the wax out.

Do you *need* anything that small ?

Do you have an alternative to suggest?

--
John Phillips