Is it just me or are in ear earphones shockingly bad?

thecolourbox

I'm joining a gym this weekend to train fire a triathlon and as my normal headphones are big over ear Marshall efforts I thought I'd better get some in ears instead for that purpose. I'm not an audio expert with much knowledge in this area, but the Marshall over ears sound good for me and suit the music I'm listening to. So I went to Curry's, remembered there the problem with in ears is that you can't ever try the things, but found some AKG branded ones (and it said Harman on the back, which my HiFi is at home) for £30 which when I Googled them What HiFi gave then a decent review.

Tried them this morning with a familiar album to see how they got on. They sound exactly the same as every other pair of in ears I've ever used, ranging from £8 ones up to £60 ones - the only way I can think to describe them is they sound like the radio playing in a warehouse without the reverb. The little iPod nano I use for exercise

How much do I have to pay for a decent pair that don't sound absolute shit?

paulnb57

I'd like some that don't fall out! Grrrr!

Sporky

The main problem is that you have teeny tiny little drivers in there. The second problem, in my view, is that AKG have never made headphones that sound good.

That said I've always found the Sennheiser CX300s good enough for the application. A little fragile perhaps, but they sound acceptable.

stickyfiddle

Cheap ones are all very similar and all a bit meh. Make sure there's a good seal around them though - you'll lose all the bass otherwise.

Shure SE215 are genuinely excellent if you want to spend a bit more..

Sporky

Shure, to me, are the anti-AKG. Most of what Shure makes sounds good to me. My SRH1540s are lovely.

Snap

funnily enough, I have just bought another pair of in ears. Get good ones, that fit right into your ears, and they sound great, and should stay in. I use mine in the gym too. In the gym I am moving around a lot (boxing, circuits) and they stay in no problem.

you need to spend more than £30 though.

THe cheapest pair I would consider are the Soundmagic E10s, £40. very good, well balanced. We have a couple of pairs in the house.

After that I would go for the Sennheiser Momentum M2, at £74.

Others to consider are ones by Klipsch - I've had a couple of pairs of S4s and they sound good.

Another pair I've had that were good were the Final Audio Adagio III, hand made, and sound very good. Good price too. They've just bust this week. I'm back using an old pair of Sennheiser (CX300 I think), and they are OK, but tbh very woolly ion comparison to the Final Audios.

Thing is, I find all in ears break eventually if you use them in the gym - I go through a pair every year or so. They go on the cable ends either at the jack or on the earbud. For that reason I'd be loathe to spend more than 100 quid.

Don't get sucked into brand names - all the brands have crap and good ones. You need to read reviews. Final thing is, one man's good earbuds will sound duff to another. Its a very personal thing, and you need to make sure you get a good fit, so get ones with plenty of different buds. I prefer the ones that go right down your ear canal, but then I've got big gaping earholes, I think!

fretmeister

I love my Soundmagic in ears. Good sound and they stay in (over ear cable).

I like my little AKG K451 though. They are my train commuting 'phones. I have some bigger and more expensive AKG's that aren't as good (551 I think), but the little 451 are great.

I also have some Grado open back things (SR60 or maybe 80 - can't remember) - very good but not for use on the train.

And my kids killed my big Senns before Christmas. Most annoying.

quarky

I use Sony MDR-EX50 or something.

There is a definite difference between good in-ear headphones and bad ones. Good enough? Down to personal preference I guess.

RobDavies

Sound Magic E10's are decent enough for the gym. 

I have bought some after market foam tips though as the rubber ones just fall out....

axisus

The thing that I hate most about the in ear ones (as in the ones that you wedge right in to your lug hole) is that when you are jogging, they give a massive great 'thump' up the wire every time it bounces off your chest. I much prefer the ones that just rest in your ear.

Best I ever had were the ones that came with an apple iPod. Very nice. I usually make do with £3 bargain bin ones though.

Sporky

Snap said:

Don't get sucked into brand names - all the brands have crap and good ones. 

That is fair.

Though I've encountered an awful lot of crap AKG headphones, and no good ones!

scrumhalf

I've never liked the rubbery ones that feel like a finger being rammed into your earhole. however, it seems like they are almost the only ones being made these days. I also like an inline volume control, whcih again reduces my choice. I've always used those little pads to cover the earpieces, they make for a more snug fit and they also eliminate some of the harsher nasties.

Hertz32

SoundMagic E10s with Comply tips are what i use when i go out running and are fairly similar sounding to my Marshall Majors. They NEED foam tips though, as i found them to lack much bass without them

Heartfeltdawn

I want Sony to make good in-ear headphones again like the MDR-E828/818 range. They stayed in my ears and they didn't sound shit unlike every single pair of in ear headphones I've tried over the last two years (including the vaunted Soundmagics). 

scrumhalf said:

I've never liked the rubbery ones that feel like a finger being rammed into your earhole. however, it seems like they are almost the only ones being made these days.

Yes and they are bloody horrible. They don't stay in my ear and they sound shit. I want these back. 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-MDR-E-818-LP-Headphones-Black/dp/B00005QBUU

Danny1969

Paying a lot of money certainly doesn't mean a good product. I had a set of those Beats headphones in for repair the other week, one side wasn't working due to shit design leading to cable failing inside the padded headpiece. When I fixed em I couldn't believe how bad they sounded and I honestly don't know why someone would pay £150 for em!

I use Shure SE215's, mainly as IEM's onstage but also for listening. They sound great, are very robust, the cables detachable so replaceable if you break it and they stay in your ears. I brought mine for £59 on Ebay

Gallagherone

Another mention for Shure Se215's!

Me and a lot of people I know use them for in ear monitors when playing. They also come with foam buds which can mould to your ear canal which means that it will block out lots of external sound and you don't lose any bass. And they can hook round your ears which makes them less likely to fall out.

They are roughly £80, but definitely worth it. I have had mine for around 2 years now and not had any problems.

4114Effects

Shure SE530 (or 535 as they are now) ... yep, they cost £300 a pair, but I've had mine for just over 10 years, including taking them on holidays and regular use commuting and they're still going strong.   £30 a year for headphones of that quality seems pretty good value to me.

Problem is, I'm spoilt now, so when they finally do wear out I won't be able to go back to cheaper earphones ...

thermionic

I also have a pair of Shure ones and they're excellent. Dunno the model but they were £60-70 and not £300!

They came with about shapes/sizes/materials of foam/silicone pieces. I only use one, the foam that you compress with your fingers that then expands back over a few seconds after you insert them.

Sassafras

I can't stand the ear-bud type things but I remember @Gassage bought some that he thought very highly of. That was quite a few months ago. As far as I remember they weren't Cornish ear phones.

Rocker

Your player might be the culprit. Check out www.headfi and you may find that you need a separate little headphone amp

thecolourbox

Thanks guys for the recommendations, I should have opened this discussion before buying lol as I'm now stuck with these, I can't take then back as I've worn them and ripped the box, and to buy another pair even at £40 makes them effectively £80 buds, and just not really worth it for me. I only need them for four months while I go to the gym for this tried, I'm never going to prefer buds, they are literally only required to reassure me that wasting a few hours a week in a gym are not quite so bad.

I think I'm just a bit grouchy as I'm dieting, weighed in on Monday to find I'm an all time high of 12 stone 4 with a BMI of 25, which is on the cusp of overweight hence the motivation to gym it. I'm used to eating lots of nice junk so the switch to porridge, soup and fruit at work is not putting me in the best of moods yet (it will once I'm in the habit).