I haven't tried the E4cs but I have tried a number of headphones. So far my favorites are the B&O A8s. They sound great and I find them way more comfortable than in-ear type headhpones.
I haven't tried the E4cs but I have tried a number of headphones. So far my favorites are the B&O A8s. They sound great and I find them way more comfortable than in-ear type headhpones.
I used a pair of A8s for a couple of years. While I found the sound quality to be superb, they now sit on the shelf unused due to one issue that drove me crazy: it was impossible to wear a pair of sunglasses with them!
Ok, 'impossible' might be a strong word.
Due to the piece of the headphone that goes over the top of your ear, glasses will not sit on your ears. They sit tilted forward beacuse they're now hovering somewhere above your ears sitting on top of the headphones. Annoying!
Maybe it's just me. I suppose I could use them on cloudy days.
The best? Hardly. I have the Shure e4c's and they are definitely the best under $300, but they aren't the best. If you want the best, you're looking at the $500 Shure e500's or the $1000 Ultimate Ears UE-10s.
The best? Hardly. I have the Shure e4c's and they are definitely the best under $300, but they aren't the best. If you want the best, you're looking at the $500 Shure e500's or the $1000 Ultimate Ears UE-10s.
$1000 for earphones?! i call that daylight robbery...
The Koss "Plugs" are like $25 and almost as good as the really high end ones. Considering that the iPod will not only be playing lossy files, but also that the iPod doesn't have a beefy FIR filter on the back end of it's DAC, getting high end ear buds for your iPod is a waste of money.
It might be worse than a waste of money: indeed, you get to pay $500 to hear the noise that you couldn't hear previously.
Actually the Koss Plugs have too much bass which really makes the mid and high range tones sound muddy. Most people will tell you to avoid them and I am also. They are in-ear isolating earplugs and there are many better earplugs that will sound much better for around the same price.
In-ears:
Sony EX-81s - These in-ears have a decent sound for low-end headphones and they have a nice rich bass. Much better than the previous EX-71s that many people bought. The problem with Sonys have always been thier cords which will fall apart where they connect to the actual earphone.
Sennheiser CX300s - For the money, these in-ears can't be beat. Very good sound and good cables. My choice for decently-priced in-ears.
Not in-ear:
Koss Porta Pros: The majority of people will swear by them and you really can't go wrong with them. They are comfortable and sound very good.
AKG K26P, K27i: Either of these headphones will give you very nice sound for the price. They are well-made and by a company known for thier quality products. The K26Ps sit on your ears and provide no isolation while the K27is will cover your ears and provide better isolation.
High end: Not many will argue about the quality of Grado headphones. If you have the money and want good sound from true headphones, look into them.
I'm skipping over many of the models people have already mentioned. There are many forums dedicated to headphones and there you will find the best advice.
The forthcoming Ultimate Ears triple.fi 10 Pro earphones are the universal-fit version of the UE-10 Pro customs, and the RRP is like $400, indeed I just ordered a pair from Amazon UK for £180, which is like $340 (it's VERY unusual to get something cheaper in the UK than in the USA, especially an american product). If you want great sound quality but don't want to go to the cost/trouble of getting an audologist fitting, you might want to consider them (they're comparable to the Shure E500s but $100 cheaper):
EDIT!!11
Apple have reduced the whole range of Shure 'phones for black friday, i.e. TODAY ONLY. The E500 come highly recommended - iLounge rate them as their best non-custom earphone - and at $400, they're a great deal. Other than that, with those savings, you're probably best just picking the one you can afford and going for it, they're all good.
Additionally, earphonesolutions.com (with which I am in no way affiliated) does great prices on most top-end in-ear monitors (IEMs) and head-fi.org is a good place to go for advice if you have more specific requirements, but be careful, you'll get lost for hours in all the information and opinions.
Comments
I haven't tried the E4cs but I have tried a number of headphones. So far my favorites are the B&O A8s. They sound great and I find them way more comfortable than in-ear type headhpones.
I used a pair of A8s for a couple of years. While I found the sound quality to be superb, they now sit on the shelf unused due to one issue that drove me crazy: it was impossible to wear a pair of sunglasses with them!
Ok, 'impossible' might be a strong word.
Due to the piece of the headphone that goes over the top of your ear, glasses will not sit on your ears. They sit tilted forward beacuse they're now hovering somewhere above your ears sitting on top of the headphones. Annoying!
Maybe it's just me. I suppose I could use them on cloudy days.
i prefer to have a bit of ambience sound.
The best? Hardly. I have the Shure e4c's and they are definitely the best under $300, but they aren't the best. If you want the best, you're looking at the $500 Shure e500's or the $1000 Ultimate Ears UE-10s.
$1000 for earphones?! i call that daylight robbery...
It might be worse than a waste of money: indeed, you get to pay $500 to hear the noise that you couldn't hear previously.
In-ears:
Sony EX-81s - These in-ears have a decent sound for low-end headphones and they have a nice rich bass. Much better than the previous EX-71s that many people bought. The problem with Sonys have always been thier cords which will fall apart where they connect to the actual earphone.
Sennheiser CX300s - For the money, these in-ears can't be beat. Very good sound and good cables. My choice for decently-priced in-ears.
Not in-ear:
Koss Porta Pros: The majority of people will swear by them and you really can't go wrong with them. They are comfortable and sound very good.
AKG K26P, K27i: Either of these headphones will give you very nice sound for the price. They are well-made and by a company known for thier quality products. The K26Ps sit on your ears and provide no isolation while the K27is will cover your ears and provide better isolation.
High end: Not many will argue about the quality of Grado headphones. If you have the money and want good sound from true headphones, look into them.
I'm skipping over many of the models people have already mentioned. There are many forums dedicated to headphones and there you will find the best advice.
EDIT!!11
Apple have reduced the whole range of Shure 'phones for black friday, i.e. TODAY ONLY. The E500 come highly recommended - iLounge rate them as their best non-custom earphone - and at $400, they're a great deal. Other than that, with those savings, you're probably best just picking the one you can afford and going for it, they're all good.
Additionally, earphonesolutions.com (with which I am in no way affiliated) does great prices on most top-end in-ear monitors (IEMs) and head-fi.org is a good place to go for advice if you have more specific requirements, but be careful, you'll get lost for hours in all the information and opinions.