Bollocks. Typed everything out and went to another page only for the iPhone to reload this page causing me to lose everything I'd typed. Second time.


Anyways, I after some IEMs for use with my iPhone 3GS and my laptop. Mainly bedroom use rather than out on the street. Am after SQ more than anything else. Have had a look at a few audiophile forums posted in this section but there are issues with the IEMs recommended:

- available only in america/difficult to obtain here
- out of date/no longer available
- stupidly expensive here cf. America (around 2.5x as much as US prices)
- build quality issues/poor feedback on the likes of amazon

I listen to rap/hiphop/r'n'b music but have stared to appreciate that not every song needs the based pumped to the max. I had a loom at these ones:
clicky but they seem to be the older model.

Budget can stretch to £70 max but I don't really want to pay for expensive IEMs only to have to replace them in a year's time.

Any recommendations

I already have a pair of Sennheiser CX-300 IIs, which cost me £30 back in the day. But....... they've never stayed in my ears so I've never used them. Then read about these things:

http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/shop/Headphones.6/Accessories.278/?manufacturers_id=313#guide_result

I reckon you're probably better off spending 60-70% of your budget on the IEMs and then saving £15-20 for some tips.

I have those too, I think they're excellent. Comfortable to wear for longer periods, and the sound is very good IMO. I've not had a problems with them falling out of my ears - just using the middle sized set of buds.

I think my ears might be "non-standard"! The Comply tips should be here by the weekend, so I'll report back.

Well I ended up buying Denon AH-C560R earphones from Amazon. They're £90!

Here's a list of iPhone-compatible recommended phones from head-fi.org (not exhaustive):

Sennheiser mm70i
Sennheiser CX880i
Denon AH-C560R
Ultimate Ears Superfi 5 vi
Shure SE115m
Etymotic hf2
Etymotic mc5
Ortofon EQ-5
Denon 710

They range from £50 to £120+. Have a look at amazon, play, advancedmp3players.co.uk and the apple store for availability and prices. Apparently Skull Candy earphones are crap, and the Apple ones (the in-ear ones) are very good. Klipsch Image S4 are highly regarded but have poor build quality.


Hope that helps others in my situation.

I have some Klipsch S4i's. Interestingly, they have the best sound quality of any ipod headphones I have used - but are falling apart!
The bit by the microphone and volume control has detached from the rubber above and has left a fair amount of wiring exposed. So I need to get some insulating tape or something to sort that out. Though i hasten to add I have used them for over a year. During that time from 1-10 hours a day (sleeping on them on numerous occasions) and have generally given them a good wacking. Though I was still suprised that the wire is so flimsy.. ah well.

That poor build quality is the only thing that stopped me buying them. There were rave reviews on head-fi in terms of SQ but most had theirs fall apart within six months. The amazon reviews shared the same sentiments about them falling apart, some within days.

What am I missing here?

My Comply tips arrived and are a relevation. More weight, better clarity and a much nicer fit. Still having some trouble with them staying in my ears though. I guess I must be weird...

The iPhone compatible bit basically means it has in-line controls to change tracks etc, and usually come with a mic too so you don't have to take your phone out of your pocket.

Can't remember where but I remember seeing a box of something like twelve pairs of tips, all of varying sizes to fit your ears.

Re the rant about losing your post.

Get the tapatalk app for your iPhone and browse the forum that way.

Gives it a very nice app look and feel.

Yeah, these are available in different sizes, I think I might need a large instead of a medium. Or maybe IEMs just don't agree with me. Need to decide soon. Want something comfy for running around the island!

So almost five years on and I'm in need of replacement earphones. The Denons were great but as usual, I didn't look after them properly and the surrounding sheath for one of the earphones popped out and it's revealing the wires underneath. I now also can't find them. No idea where they've gone. The iphone in-ear ones are uncomfortable in comparison to the denon ones.

Researching newer models and it seems that noise-cancelling is a more common feature, which appeals.

Budget - I'd love to go higher but given how I've looked after my last set, I'm sticking around the £50-60 mark.

Any new suggestions please.

These are brilliant but £10 out of your max price range (they weren't 70 when I bought 'em IIRC!')

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shure-SE215-Dyn ... headphones

The sound is lower but totally distinct, and the multiple covers work great. They cut out most of the noise on a Belfast motorway's footpath, so...