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Non-canal earbud, traditional. Recommendations?; for sensitive ears
Topic Started: 7 Feb 2007, 08:08 PM (1,559 Views)
fidodido
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Am a newbie journeying to audio nirvana. hahaa....ok enuff intro.

Recently have tried a series of canal earphones eg. CK5, CK6, EP630...
I realise that my ears start to feel very uncomfortable and sometimes itchy. Think i'd like to go back to traditional earbuds, those of yesteryears...

Been searching around forums but now it seems the furore is over IEMs/canalphones, quite little info on these traditional earphones.

Any good recommendations? Saw some in Best Denki from Philips, Sony, Panasonic....how about other brands ? anyone care to share their experience ?
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chaych
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"Batman"
Sennheiser MX400 hehe
Home:
- HD 590
- MS2i

Portable:
- UM1(for sale!)
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- MX500
- XTRA X-1
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liquidfireboy
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1 vote for the Sony MDR-E888LP. I have the MX500 too, but the bass seems artificial and flat.

If you're willing to spend more, the Audio-Technica CM7 or CM700 seem to be pretty good bets as well. But those are over 2x the cost of the E888.
[size=1]Apple iPod Shuffle 1GB + Yuin PK2[/size]
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aaron-xp
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Boy
Not forgetting Yuin's PK1 and PK2, which have received rave reviews on headfi. The cost of the PK1, however, is more than that of the UM1, while the PK2's is about the price of the CK7.

The Sennheiser MX series is still rather highly regarded.

EDIT:
A thread on the CM700ti. You may want to specify a budget if you are looking for a specific model that you may want to buy. Otherwise, the suggestions would range from the extra expensive, to the not-so expensive.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=189182
team Lover, You Should've Come Over
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Fongalv
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What member?
Hi fididodo,

If your ears are that sensitive even to earbuds, why not consider clip-on earphones, or even full supra-aural headphones? Those like the Sennheiser PX 100/200, certain Audio Technica EW/CM/ES series, AKG djs series, Koss KSC37/75/portapro, etc. These are mostly well regarded by those who are not into spending big bucks, or those who cannot get used to the ear intrusions.

Music, without life is lame...Life, without music is crippled...
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2200mAh H140(RB) → Grover S → SMacro3v6/Diablo → e500C → me
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aegisofrime
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Be warned that the Sony E-888s are very notorious for dying on you very quickly. Don't expect them to last for very long.

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fidodido
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Thanks for your suggestions so far...keep them coming! haha...

I did not consider headphones or clip-phones as i wear spectacles. It's gonna be rather uncomfortable.

As for budget, I wish to start low, say <$75, coz i want to have ample space to upgrade :)

The MX5/400 and the MDR888 are they in that range??
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yongchris
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mx500. definitely.
Recipes at Secret Garlic Butter. Click me
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Cloudiax
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OVC?
[ : . Deejay Cloudiax . : ]
Leaders do not seek out followers, they attract them.

Computer Specifications (Need Some Upgrades!)
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ahdui
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aux!
if you are going for Sony MDR-E888.. there are 2 versions.

SP: Tamed highs
LP: Exciting/"coloured" highs.

personally i like the LP version.
Transportable: iRiver h120(2300mAh)→Sysconcept Optical Cable→AOS Electornics Co. Piccolo DAC→ahdui's CryoFreeze™ TCu IC→ahdui's Enfo PA-1→Custom Shure SE530
Backup: AMB y-1 DAC (MisterX Mod)


Cycling: Sansa Clip 4GB→Philips SHS3200 Earhooks
Portable: Rio Karma→UltimateEars Super.Fi 5eb
Backup Rig: RedWineAudio 40GB iPod Photo→ahdui's CryoFreeze™ RBT IC→iBasso P3 Heron(ahdui Mod) →Custom Shure SE530
Home: "Upgrading In Progress"→Alessandro MS Pro/JVC HP-DX1000
Desktop: PC→Belden 1505F→CityPulse DAC 7.2x II→Belden 89207→KRK Rokit Powered 5



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acidz
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fidodido
Feb 7 2007, 11:18 PM
I did not consider headphones or clip-phones as i wear spectacles. It's gonna be rather uncomfortable.

I wear glasses too, and the KSC75 clip-ons are comfortable for me.
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Ryner
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Music Lover
Beyerdynamic DTX-10. It's one of the few ear buds that I like and I prefer it over the DTX-20, too bad most if not all ear buds will fall out of my left ear.
People call me things like nuts, crazy and insane, I just tell them I am very serious when it comes to my hobbies.

What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

The most important thing in this hobby, sit down with a nice drink and enjoy the music. =]
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HiddenHand
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That's one main problem I have with earbuds, they do not sit in my ears that well too. The isolation is also quite bad, especially in noisy environment.

But the mx400 and mx500 are pretty decent choices for earbuds.
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osocan
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Personal experience with the Sony MDR-888: they don't sit too well in my ears and therefore they were not too comfortable for me. SQ wise no complaints. Best to try a pair out to check for the fit and comfort before committing.

Posted Image
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norseman
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Dismember
Don't like earbuds as they make my ears sore after 2 hours or so. Also got no isolation.
MX500 sounds like a decent choice though.
Axim x51v | re-recabled K81DJ | UM1 | Super.fi 3 Studio | KSC75 | MylarOne | Mylar3 | Pk3
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fidodido
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bought a pair of Senn MX450 from Stereo Electronics....sound quality really quite bad .. bassy but the mids and treble is not there. guess i just blew some $$$ away.

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yongchris
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fidodido
Feb 9 2007, 10:07 PM
bought a pair of Senn MX450 from Stereo Electronics....sound quality really quite bad .. bassy but the mids and treble is not there. guess i just blew some $$$ away.

no no, mx400 or mx500. not mx450 or mx550.
big difference.
Recipes at Secret Garlic Butter. Click me
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Ryner
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Music Lover
Hi Fido,

It is always important to try out a earphone before committing to your purchase, do keep that in mind the next time round you do your headphone shopping to minimise buyer's remorse.

People call me things like nuts, crazy and insane, I just tell them I am very serious when it comes to my hobbies.

What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

The most important thing in this hobby, sit down with a nice drink and enjoy the music. =]
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yongchris
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actually, you could always try bringing it back to SE and exchanging it, tell them that you wanted the 400 and made a mistake... unless of course you were told that the 450 is the same as the 400.
Recipes at Secret Garlic Butter. Click me
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krado
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I personally used to own a MX500, however, I have 2 opinions about it.

1) Bass-less

Opinion #2 is from another HPH member.

2) "Too bass-less for my taste"
My desktop setup:
Musical Fidelity A1 - Sony X202ES - Polk Audio RS125
AMD Athlon64X2 - Maudio Revolution 7.1 - Altec Lansing ADA885MG
Interconnects: Axiom - Monitor Audio
Speaker cables: DIY CAT5 4-way braided

My portable setup:
Samsung YP-Z5F - Audio Technica CK32 (What's the next best step?)
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fidodido
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Ya perhaps i shd audition the phones next time....somehow the SE environment not very warm enuff for me to ask abt trying out earphones, esp when i am looking at the entry level types.

Think the next time i'd give Jaben a try.

Krado says the MX500 sounds bad also, which is roughly the same as MX400 sans the volume control.
sigh.....hindsight tells me i should have gotten the Sony e888 for abt twice the price.
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liquidfireboy
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aaron-xp
Feb 7 2007, 08:50 PM
Not forgetting Yuin's PK1 and PK2, which have received rave reviews on headfi. The cost of the PK1, however, is more than that of the UM1, while the PK2's is about the price of the CK7.

Where can I get the Yuins in Singapore?
[size=1]Apple iPod Shuffle 1GB + Yuin PK2[/size]
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jdimitri
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When i was there, uncle wilson had some for people to try
Not sure if he was selling them though..
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liquidfireboy
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jdimitri:

thanks :D

ahdui:

where can i find the E888SP in Singapore? The only E888s now are the gold LP version.
[size=1]Apple iPod Shuffle 1GB + Yuin PK2[/size]
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ahdui
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aux!
liquidfireboy: Not sure but do tell me when u found the SP version, i would like to get 1 for myself too.
Transportable: iRiver h120(2300mAh)→Sysconcept Optical Cable→AOS Electornics Co. Piccolo DAC→ahdui's CryoFreeze™ TCu IC→ahdui's Enfo PA-1→Custom Shure SE530
Backup: AMB y-1 DAC (MisterX Mod)


Cycling: Sansa Clip 4GB→Philips SHS3200 Earhooks
Portable: Rio Karma→UltimateEars Super.Fi 5eb
Backup Rig: RedWineAudio 40GB iPod Photo→ahdui's CryoFreeze™ RBT IC→iBasso P3 Heron(ahdui Mod) →Custom Shure SE530
Home: "Upgrading In Progress"→Alessandro MS Pro/JVC HP-DX1000
Desktop: PC→Belden 1505F→CityPulse DAC 7.2x II→Belden 89207→KRK Rokit Powered 5



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krado
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fidodido
Feb 10 2007, 09:45 AM
Krado says the MX500 sounds bad also, which is roughly the same as MX400 sans the volume control.
sigh.....hindsight tells me i should have gotten the Sony e888 for abt twice the price.

Heh heh, ok, so forgive my eariler remark about the MX500 being bass-less.

That's the only complaint that I have about those buds. However, for everything else, they're pretty good. The sliding volume control does have its pratical use.

And after spending about half a hundred on them, I wished I saved up for something better. The price/performance ratio is really skewed towards price.
My desktop setup:
Musical Fidelity A1 - Sony X202ES - Polk Audio RS125
AMD Athlon64X2 - Maudio Revolution 7.1 - Altec Lansing ADA885MG
Interconnects: Axiom - Monitor Audio
Speaker cables: DIY CAT5 4-way braided

My portable setup:
Samsung YP-Z5F - Audio Technica CK32 (What's the next best step?)
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