Posted by deluded
I was at my favourite shop this afternoon and tried out several pairs of in-ear earphones. I had great service from knowledgeable staff, which made it a very pleasant experience. I was actually there trying to decide which pair of in-ears to get and was asking some questions. The product consultant I spoke to promptly offered to let me test the earphones I had enquired about. The earphones I tried were the Sony MDR-EX85 (US$54), Creative EP630 (US$28) and the Sennheiser CX300 (US$79).
I started off with the Sony MDR-EX85.
Sounded not bad, bass was a tad heavy (not to the point of discomfort though, so people who like bass can give these a try), but overall quite warm sounding. I found the highs a bit lacking, and the seal wasn't that good, so I think the sound quality was compromised (I have to add that the earbuds were the same size for all 3 pairs of earphones, so I'm not sure why they don't all fit the same way).
Next up was the Creative EP630.
Good bass, great clarity, and pretty much balanced sound throughout. But I feel that not everyone will like the highs, so that's one minus point. These are very comfortable to wear, the seal is great, noise-isolation is great.
Last but not least, the Sennheiser CX300.
What can I say? It felt like aural bliss. It's such a well-balanced pair of in-ears, not taxing on the ears at all. The CX300 and the EP630 are identical in terms of design, very comfortable to wear and very light. The seal for the CX300 therefore, was as good as the EP630. Both were able to shut out the ambient noise effectively. Only minus point is the price.
I would have gotten the Sennheisers if they had been a bit more affordable. I'm not saying they're not worth the price though. In fact, I think they're worth every cent, but if they'd cost not too much more than the EX85, I'd have bought them. So, eventually I bought the EP630, which I felt was value-for-money. Finally, I can say good-bye to noisy kids and teens determined to share their music through their mobile phone speakers on public transport. In addition, I would also like to add that I own a pair of Philips SHE9500, which like the EX85, refuse to fit nicely in my ear, regardless of whatever size earbuds I put on. The sound quality is average, so I don't really recommend them.
Philips SHE9500
Disclaimer:
I don't think of myself as an audiophile, nor am I an expert on earphones. I just happen to like good music. Sound quality is quite personal, so the above are purely my own opinions. Please use this as a guide and try the earphones for yourself before you buy them.
Posted by mariozlp
try the earphones for yourself before you buy them.
i don't think any store will allow it, here in Greece.
Posted by deluded
Over here the general practice in most stores is that earphones cannot be tested due to hygiene reasons. Fortunately, there are a couple of stores I've found that actually are willing to go the extra mile and allow customers to test the earphones. Since sound quality is quite subjective as I've mentioned, it's very difficult for one to buy a pair of earphones purely based on the reviews they've read. In any case, the best bet would be the Sennheiser CX300 as I'm pretty sure most people would find that it sounds good. Or a safe choice that doesn't cost too much would be the Creative EP630 that I bought. Just tried it with my K750i, sound quality is great!
Posted by dudesweet
thanks for this - was looking for stuff on the creatives
Posted by ljcii
well i tested with quite alot however i felt hpm-70 sounded best as its quite balanced and therefore not worth buying a cx-300 which then is better.( i tried the mylarone crossroads x3 and a lot more) were goot but not very balanced.
well this is my own preference
Posted by QVGA
i have the creative EP635 which is the white version of the 630. They are OK, nothing special.
Posted by A L 3 X
did you find the sony to be bassier than the cx300 as i have the latter at the moment and would have given you a trade he you bought the sony as i need something with more bass
Posted by ayejatt
On 2007-08-02 13:09:25, dudesweet wrote:
thanks for this - was looking for stuff on the creatives
you might also want to consider Creative Zen Aurvana In-ear ones as creative is currently doing a £10 mail-in cashback for them. Cost me £26.98 or $55. Bargain i say
Posted by deluded
@A L 3 X, the Sony was bassier than the CX300, I think you might like them since you're looking for something with more bass. But personally I prefer the CX300, it's a pity I didn't start this thread earlier, or we could have swapped eh? In any case, I think you're probably better off sticking to the CX300 as I felt they gave me more balanced sound across the range and also had decent bass.
@ayejatt, I haven't tried the Creative Zen Aurvana, but they sound like a good buy at that price.
Posted by A L 3 X
On 2007-08-04 11:58:23, deluded wrote:
@A L 3 X, the Sony was bassier than the CX300, I think you might like them since you're looking for something with more bass. But personally I prefer the CX300, it's a pity I didn't start this thread earlier, or we could have swapped eh? In any case, I think you're probably better off sticking to the CX300 as I felt they gave me more balanced sound across the range and also had decent bass.
@ayejatt, I haven't tried the Creative Zen Aurvana, but they sound like a good buy at that price.
i think maybe i should stick with em actually..as was using the HPM-70 with my n95 cos i thought they had more bass than the CX300...but when i got them out of my draw and used them, i realised the quality is a lost better as well as the bass responce and the HPM-70 sound a bit hmmm..'muffled', although not sure if i chose the right colour...took back my broken black ones and replaced them with white :S
Posted by deluded
Yup, I think you should stick to them, I honestly haven't had such a good first impression of any in-ears till I tried the CX300s.
Posted by razec
The sony one has rather poor design, failing to deal with the noise isolation feature. though the bass is still pretty good as you have said
Posted by abbafan1972
Good if they can let you try headphones before buying, but don't think they will allow it here due to hygiene.
Posted by deluded
Yup, the shop I went to has several sets specially for testing and they have alcohol wipes to clean the earbuds after each demo.
Posted by belialwafu
On 2007-08-01 19:17:59, mariozlp wrote:
try the earphones for yourself before you buy them.
i don't think any store will allow it, here in Greece.
I think all stores..unless in expo's
Posted by sigea
I had a doubt regarding pairing of headphones
Does the quality of sound given by the ep630 change when a different handsfree is used i.e; Does EP630 sound different with an HPM 82 than a HPM 70?
Also, does anyone use the EP630 with the P1i?
And which handsfree do you pair it up with?
Posted by QVGA
I have a EP630 and a HBH-DS970. I must say the later totally blows the EP630 out the water. Creatives just dont have the bass, its very very less compared to the SE ones. The DS970 are based off of HPM-70 I think.
Posted by deluded
If it's bass you're after, then I have to agree that perhaps the Creative EP630s are not the best choice. But having used it with my W810 as my MP3 player for quite some time now, I think the EP630 offers very good sound quality, it's very balanced and I hear details that weren't audible before. Sound quality is a very personal thing and not everyone likes the same kinda sound. I'm also about to purchase a pair of Sony MDR-EX85 which offers stronger bass.
Posted by Raja
I currently have the Creative EP-635. These I bought recently after reading favourable reviews. (Don't get to test headphones in India, you buy them blindly). I have also found that the bass is severely lacking with my first gen iPod Nano.
What other 'reasonably' priced headphones should I look at that have much more bass?
I am also looking at upgrading the iPod to a Sony A820 series Walkman mp3.
Looking for much fuller bass.
Posted by Dups!
You can never go wrong with Sennheisers, they are a cut above the rest.
Posted by QVGA
I bought these http://www.a4tech.com/ennew/product.asp?cid=66&scid=125&id=445
They cost 4 UK pounds (converted). They beat the crap out of my creative headphones in all frequency ranges.
Posted by >500
i loved my jays q-jays, apart from lacking a tad more bass which i would have loved even more, but now...... i enjoy the sounds from my Klipsch image x5
(had sennheiser cx500 in between, had ultimate ears super fi 4 before qjays and also had jays d-jays before that, got sony ex85 too which came with my mp3 player)
_________________
May the
be with you![ This Message was edited by: >500 on 2008-09-24 11:32 ]
Posted by deluded
The Sennheisers undoubtedly offer the sound quality I liked the most. Having just purchased the EX85, my initial impression isn't all that good. Perhaps I've become too accustomed to my EP630. I feel that the EX85 causes fatigue after listening to them for just a short while. Also, the seal isn't as good as my EP630, even after I swapped the silicon tips, thinking perhaps it was due to that. Noise isolation still isn't as good as my EP630. I'll use the EX85 a few more times and see if I've been too quick to judge. Maybe they'll sound better after burning in, though I've never really believed in that.
Posted by redragon95
also the zune premium headphones(by microsoft, for who is in us or canada) is a good selection, i have it and it has good sound quality and good price($40 if you buy separately from zune, if you buy zune 80, free[maybe with 120 its free])
Posted by Lightspeed_x
So, the CX300 are a good buy at, lets say, US$25 ?... what i'm looking for is a balanced sound, but with distinctive bass, i mean, i want to hear the bass in a good proportion when it is meant to be heard, any comments about using them with the megabass EQ preset on SE Phones?
Many thanks!
Posted by lukechris
I like phillips headphones, they are inexpensive and all have gold plating (£10 +) and all have great sound quality