Earphones, Earbuds and Headphones

[fWord]

I just went to Best Denki at IMM...not much variety really...

Heheh...I almost went there last night but got waylayed when my friend wanted to go to a shop that could be found only at Westmall. So I didn't get the earphones in the end. The Harvey Norman there was even more shocking...only Panasonic and Phillips. Then there was another brand called Elecom or something.

 

[fWord]

Best/HN/SAFE, etc have stocks for normal earphones only..if u're looking for higher quality types, check out Jaben Networks, or other shops that specialise in such stuff..

Assuming Jaben at the Adelphi is open today, I'll actually be going there to get the UM1. Last night my friend and I made a last minute turn away from IMM because he wanted to find something himself. I saw the review of the UM1 at Cnet (?) and it got a really good rating. Some people at the forums complained of the bass being muddy, but liked the sound for being so warm.

 

[fWord]

Stereo Electronics @ Causeway Point stocks some really high end earphones from Audio Technica, and many other brands. Those from Best Denki are the more basic models.

Thanks. I guess that would be expected too. Consumer stores will stock consumer goods, just the way cameras work I suppose.

 

[+evenstar]

Assuming Jaben at the Adelphi is open today, I'll actually be going there to get the UM1. Last night my friend and I made a last minute turn away from IMM because he wanted to find something himself. I saw the review of the UM1 at Cnet (?) and it got a really good rating. Some people at the forums complained of the bass being muddy, but liked the sound for being so warm.

it'll be open...compared to the UM2, you can hear a huge difference in bass as the UM2 uses different drivers for the bass and treble...

but as i usually listen to classical/pop songs, i don't like rock/metal music so the lack of bass doesn't really matter to me..

 

[frostyIntrepid]

Assuming Jaben at the Adelphi is open today, I'll actually be going there to get the UM1. Last night my friend and I made a last minute turn away from IMM because he wanted to find something himself. I saw the review of the UM1 at Cnet (?) and it got a really good rating. Some people at the forums complained of the bass being muddy, but liked the sound for being so warm.

gogo, get the westone! :bsmilie:

good stuff, just that I find the cable a little short at times.

 

[+evenstar]

gogo, get the westone! :bsmilie:

good stuff, just that I find the cable a little short at times.

i find it just nice....i can go thru the back of my shirt, and into my front pants pocket with lots of slack..

 

[Ballack]

Haha. +evenstar, glad to know you are enjoying the UM1 and promoting the shop.

For those who feel that sound quality is important to them, yes, a proper headphones/earphones/canalphones is important and these don't come cheap.

In Ear Modules / Canalphones:
These are the ones with rubberised tips which you can insert into your ear canal, either just the shallow layer or even deep inside. They provide proper sound isolation, allowing you to listen clearly to your music even in a noisy environment.
Audio Technicas are good under the $100 price range but should you decide to take the plunge and get a better one, you might want to try Westone UM1 as recommended by +evenstar. Altec Lansing's IM716 are also quite impressive. Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 3 too.

For budget wise, the Koss KSC75 can be bought under $30 and the sound quality is impressive for that price. Because it is cheap, it is easily replaceable and people use them during sports and activities which have high risks of damaging the earphones.

For headphones, the best buy would be Grado SR-60 which is about $120 at Music By Design. The sound is impressive for those who are too used to iPod's stock earphones. It may seem uncomfortable for many with its bowl pads pressing on your ears but if you replace them with Senheisser HD414 pads, it feels better.

 

[koolz]

The altec lansing iM716s are pretty good, but it's not available locally. You can get it from amazon, though the price has recently went up to USD$110.
Going at $49, Koss KSC75s are overpriced here, the best is to join a MO from sgheadphones. Price after shipping should be around $25.
As for grados, you can check out alessandro too, which is made by grado. It can be found at Jaben network.

 

[fWord]

it'll be open...compared to the UM2, you can hear a huge difference in bass as the UM2 uses different drivers for the bass and treble...

but as i usually listen to classical/pop songs, i don't like rock/metal music so the lack of bass doesn't really matter to me..

Thanks. I went over there today and spent over two hours listening to a few pairs of headphones. I found the UM2 to produce smoother and warmer sound than the UM1.

I agree about the bass...depends on the purpose and the user. Personally I like some, but not too strong. In the end I wound up buying the Audio Technica CK7. Cheaper than the UM1 by $60 and as I found, was very crisp with the way it rendered the highs, and lows sounded nicer too. Sound is just not as warm/ full I guess.

 

[fWord]

gogo, get the westone! :bsmilie:

good stuff, just that I find the cable a little short at times.

Heheh...that was what I wanted when I first walked in there. But Wilson encouraged me to listen to a few different headphones and then ask for price and brand before deciding from there. Ended up with the AT CK7 in the end.

 

[fWord]

Haha. +evenstar, glad to know you are enjoying the UM1 and promoting the shop.

For those who feel that sound quality is important to them, yes, a proper headphones/earphones/canalphones is important and these don't come cheap.

In Ear Modules / Canalphones:
These are the ones with rubberised tips which you can insert into your ear canal, either just the shallow layer or even deep inside. They provide proper sound isolation, allowing you to listen clearly to your music even in a noisy environment.
Audio Technicas are good under the $100 price range but should you decide to take the plunge and get a better one, you might want to try Westone UM1 as recommended by +evenstar. Altec Lansing's IM716 are also quite impressive. Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 3 too.

For budget wise, the Koss KSC75 can be bought under $30 and the sound quality is impressive for that price. Because it is cheap, it is easily replaceable and people use them during sports and activities which have high risks of damaging the earphones.

For headphones, the best buy would be Grado SR-60 which is about $120 at Music By Design. The sound is impressive for those who are too used to iPod's stock earphones. It may seem uncomfortable for many with its bowl pads pressing on your ears but if you replace them with Senheisser HD414 pads, it feels better.

Yes, I had a thought over the UE ones, and my friend who was there with me liked those very much. It was his favorite amongst the few we listened to. I found it hard deciding between that and the Audio Technica CK7. They each had their strengths. In the end it was a matter of deciding which one was more comfortable, less likely to tangle etc, and the AT was better in that respect.

 

[fWord]

The altec lansing iM716s are pretty good, but it's not available locally. You can get it from amazon, though the price has recently went up to USD$110.
Going at $49, Koss KSC75s are overpriced here, the best is to join a MO from sgheadphones. Price after shipping should be around $25.
As for grados, you can check out alessandro too, which is made by grado. It can be found at Jaben network.

The KSC 75 would be the thing I'm recommending my friends to get. They can't justify spending upwards of $50 on headphones, so this would be the thing for them. Pity they aren't available readily, for a fair price that is.

 

[+evenstar]

Heheh...that was what I wanted when I first walked in there. But Wilson encouraged me to listen to a few different headphones and then ask for price and brand before deciding from there. Ended up with the AT CK7 in the end.

enjoy your new earphones! uncle wilson is nice and friendly right? i usually go down his shop once in a while to try out the different earphones and amps to "spoil" my ears...:bsmilie:

 

[fWord]

enjoy your new earphones! uncle wilson is nice and friendly right? i usually go down his shop once in a while to try out the different earphones and amps to "spoil" my ears...:bsmilie:

Thanks. He was amazing and made me feel welcome at his store...sat there for an obscenely long time. Couldn't really make up my mind. At first he didn't even want to tell me the brands nor the price, but just told me to try the various earbuds on his table.

Funniest thing here is that I started off liking the AT the least. The UE Super.fi 3 was instantly comfortable, so was the UM2. But as I listened to the AT I liked it more and more and eventually found that in my hands as I left the store.

 

[+evenstar]

did u manage to try the shure e500?

 

[Ballack]

personally i don't like shures. etymotics would be preferred. i love going to jaben to test out the stuffs. uncle wilson is a nice guy. patient and friendly. i went there thrice before i finally bought the UM1. i didn't get the Alessandro MS-1 from him though. instead, i purchased the SR-80 because i found the sound to be better.

most important. you love the sound you're listening to. you find it comfortable. you think the price is reasonable. and you make sure you use it all the time.

 

[Minimalis]

If anyone's interested, Sony Square at Funan (Juzz1) has brought in some old stock of Sony E888s again. A bit of premium at $78, but they're really hard to find these days. All LP version unfortunately.

 

[fWord]

did u manage to try the shure e500?

Hmm...I didn't try anything by Shure actually. I remember testing out only the CK7, two Ultimate Ears phones (one being the Super.fi 3 and the other being the very bass heavy one), the UM1 and UM2, and an Etymotic. The Etymotic was a nice one too...so clear, but just not enough bass for the kind of stuff I listen to.

 

[fWord]

personally i don't like shures. etymotics would be preferred. i love going to jaben to test out the stuffs. uncle wilson is a nice guy. patient and friendly. i went there thrice before i finally bought the UM1. i didn't get the Alessandro MS-1 from him though. instead, i purchased the SR-80 because i found the sound to be better.

most important. you love the sound you're listening to. you find it comfortable. you think the price is reasonable. and you make sure you use it all the time.

Yes, the Etymotic I tried at the shop was lovely. Instantly distinguishable from the rest, and at that time seemed to be in a class of its own. Wilson is definitely patient...during the time I was there, at least 3 or 4 other customers had already come and left. They knew what they wanted, came in to have a short listen and paid quickly.

Mine was a bit more tricky because my ear needed some 'breaking in', and I needed to learn how to really hear the differences between the earphones.

As mentioned, I took the AT CK7 in the end. It was the one I liked least at the beginning of testing, but wow, what a turnabout as the testing went along. I kept going back to it, liked it more and more, and eventually bought that.

 

[fWord]

If anyone's interested, Sony Square at Funan (Juzz1) has brought in some old stock of Sony E888s again. A bit of premium at $78, but they're really hard to find these days. All LP version unfortunately.

Thanks for the headsup on this. Sounds like this is an old favourite.