h4rdcor3

So i'm looking to spend some of my tax refund on headphones, currently i'm looking at the Sannheiser HD555 or the etymotic 6isolators. I had a chance to listen to the er-4's over the weekend and they were amazing and felt good in my ears as well. Also heard a pair of HD600's today at work, they also sounded amazing

Right now for my listening pleasure I have a pair of MDR-NC22's, Koss UR-20's and several random pairs of crappy mp3 earbuds. While the NC22's sound pretty good, they don't fit me very well and the box gets in the way when i'm running so i'm selling them to a friend before he goes to Japan. The UR-20's are currently broken and i need to send them in for warranty repair.

I need something with lowish impedance because i don't have an amp (hoping to build one this summer) and they will mostly be used on an mp3 player. I'm leaning towards the isolators because i do a lot of running and like to listen to music while running. Good choices for the price range or are there any other suggestions?

triggerc

The ER6i are probably the best canalphones under $100. What kind of music do you listen to? Sound signature wise, The Ultimate Ears have more bass, the Shures are more neutral, the ER6i are also pretty neutral, but with a little more tremble than the Shures. Depending on your preferences, there may be something better suited for you.

h4rdcor3

I go for the rock/alternative *(#$%$ fire alarm. be back in like 45 min.

Aura

Perhaps iGrado's? They are meant to portable and feature both the low impedance and competency with rock music that Grado is well-known for.

Otherwise you'll be better off with IEM's. Do be careful when running though, as they will completely isolate the sound of cars and such.

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triggerc

I would probably get the ER6i for rock, though nothing compares to Grados for rock, too bad they aren't too portable except for the iGrado. I would also suggest for you to see if you can listen to some UEs or Shures in comparison.

Edit:
Agreed, the iGrados are good, same drivers as the SR60.

I used to run with my E4c, and I run into cars about twice a week...

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Brawl FC: 3351-3710-1963

Sound path: X-Meridian or MBP digital out --> Zhaolu D2.5c --> CIaudio VHP-2 --> SR225/HD600/D2000 (The Sonic Impact T-amp and the Insignia bookshelves are gonna need more love)

Portable: 16GB iPod Touch --> ALO Cryo Dock --> Minibox-e+ --> D2000 or Livewires (coming soon)

h4rdcor3

I'm not a big fan of the "street style" that the iGrado's are.

I've got a friend who has a pair of Sures so i'll see if i can barrow those.

I know what you mean about cars, but i try to stick to trails and only hit up the streets if i'm going on a long run 7+. When i bike i only use one ear so i can hear cars coming up on me.

ohh you got a pair of e4c's for sale, that is very tempting


edit: they need to make a site where you can rent headphones for like $10 a week so we can try out the different styles and sounds. there are too many choices!

triggerc

Yeah I really wish they did, that way YOU can actually decide what you want instead of having Head-Fi telling you what to get and a lot of the times getting exactly what you don't want.

__________________
Brawl FC: 3351-3710-1963

Sound path: X-Meridian or MBP digital out --> Zhaolu D2.5c --> CIaudio VHP-2 --> SR225/HD600/D2000 (The Sonic Impact T-amp and the Insignia bookshelves are gonna need more love)

Portable: 16GB iPod Touch --> ALO Cryo Dock --> Minibox-e+ --> D2000 or Livewires (coming soon)