4 ms·

I dunno. I've always been a big headphone evangelist, have owned a few pairs of not-bad cans like the ATH-M50s and HD280Pros, but I've been using a $10 pair of

I dunno. I've always been a big headphone evangelist, have owned a few pairs of not-bad cans like the ATH-M50s and HD280Pros, but I've been using a $10 pair of IEMs lately (I think the first pair was Phillips and then I bought a Sony pair). To my ears (and I'm fairly sensitive to this) they sound about 80% as good as my ATH-M50s and they actually isolate a little better. I'd assumed most earbuds would be awful tinny pieces of plastic like the Apple earbuds but I was blown away. I suggest giving it a shot if you have $10 to experiment with potentially large convenience gains for only a mild loss in fidelity.

coldtea 11y ago
I have a $180 pair of in-ears, an ATH-M50s and a AKG pair and I don't think the in-ears go anywhere near these (which while monitor-grade, they're not really high end monitor headphones). As for cheap in-ears, I never had much luck with any model.
- dharma1 11y ago
  soundmagic e10 are pretty good as far as cheapie IEM's go. I use mainly Sennheiser HD650 for audio work but for listening the soundmagic's are pretty nice. I use them with Comply foams to block out some noise and get a tighter fit/better bass
danbolt 11y ago
I like the eagerness to experiment for such little cost. Such an idea strikes me as a way to get a little extra colour out of a common activity like listening to music.
- Nav_Panel 11y ago
  I see it more as a functionality thing. I bought them initially for exercise -- I got tired of running with headphones on. These days I mostly use headphones in three situations: exercise, commuting (on the subway) and while working. The train's heavy environmental noise makes sound quality matter less than isolation, and earbuds can fit in my pocket. Plus, as I mentioned above, they sound better than I expected and I don't mind using them on the train even for an hour or two if I'm taking a long trip. Music while working is mostly about comfort and isolation, as I'm hopefully working instead of actively paying attention to the music. If I'm planning on actively listening to music or doing production work, I use my nice speakers or a pair of monitoring headphones. But that's a much less common scenario for me.

coldtea 11y ago

I have a $180 pair of in-ears, an ATH-M50s and a AKG pair and I don't think the in-ears go anywhere near these (which while monitor-grade, they're not really high end monitor headphones). As for cheap in-ears, I never had much luck with any model.

dharma1 11y ago
soundmagic e10 are pretty good as far as cheapie IEM's go. I use mainly Sennheiser HD650 for audio work but for listening the soundmagic's are pretty nice. I use them with Comply foams to block out some noise and get a tighter fit/better bass

danbolt 11y ago

I like the eagerness to experiment for such little cost. Such an idea strikes me as a way to get a little extra colour out of a common activity like listening to music.

Nav_Panel 11y ago
I see it more as a functionality thing. I bought them initially for exercise -- I got tired of running with headphones on. These days I mostly use headphones in three situations: exercise, commuting (on the subway) and while working. The train's heavy environmental noise makes sound quality matter less than isolation, and earbuds can fit in my pocket. Plus, as I mentioned above, they sound better than I expected and I don't mind using them on the train even for an hour or two if I'm taking a long trip. Music while working is mostly about comfort and isolation, as I'm hopefully working instead of actively paying attention to the music. If I'm planning on actively listening to music or doing production work, I use my nice speakers or a pair of monitoring headphones. But that's a much less common scenario for me.