please recommend earbuds with good bass response

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by bruking, May 1, 2013.

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  1. bruking

    bruking Active Member Thread Starter

    any recommendations? for use with my iPod.im a long term audiophile kinda new to the mp3 thing . thanks
     
  2. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    Motorheadphones in-ears are very good. Swapped out my Sennheiser CX-300II for a pair and was impressed by the performance. Excellent VFM for around £40 or whatever the US price is.
     
  3. RoyalScam

    RoyalScam Luckless Pedestrian

    Creative EP-630's.
     
  4. utahusker

    utahusker Senior Member

    I own a pair of V-Sonic gr02 bass editions. They're very good!
     
  5. mantis4tons

    mantis4tons Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO, USA
    I like my Etymotic hf5 earbuds. They have good, accurate sounding bass (at least to my ears).
     
  6. Stone Turntable

    Stone Turntable Independent Head

    Location:
    New Mexico USA
    Love the Shure SE-215.

    InnerFidelity does too:

    "SE215 – Shocked! Shocked, I tell ya! Wow, what a great little headphone. I’m thinking this may be the best sounding sub-$100 in-ear headphone I’ve heard. This is a somewhat bass-heavy headphone with nice tight lows and a tasteful emphasis... The impedance curve also indicates it will be driven well by portable players with little coloration. I’d say this is a great headphone for rockers and urban music thumpists where a solid bass and freedom from harshness will greatly please. Highly recommended!"​
     
  7. MilMascaras

    MilMascaras Musicologist

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    mp3's + audiophile is an oxymoron.... OK, that's a different thread.
    I'm Just a big believer on lossless music only for portable players (ALAC, FLAC, WAV, AIFF).

    You'll find good recommendations on in-ear buds all over the place, quite a few options depending on price.
    BUT, most people who purchased and were disappointed, they DID NOT burn them in properly.

    In ear buds are especially sensitive to needing to be burned in.
    Normally, with over-the-ear phones, 40 hours hooked up to your CD player changer in loop at medium volume works quite well. With in-ear buds, I have found that loops of 10-20000+ Hz sounds and white noise sweeps are especially effective for those brand new tight drivers, etc. Because these sweeps are usually 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, I do them for 80 hours + . Might be overkill, but if you fail to burn them in beforehand, complaints of brightness, lack of bottom, and head-achey sounds abound.

    Here is a site with a good sweep + loop for in-ear buds:
    http://www.jlabaudio.com/burn.php (not really the best for over the ear headphones, though)

    And in ear buds are especially sensitive to fit issues, especially for good mid-to-bottom response.
    The better the fit, the less outside noise that creeps in, so watch out crossing the street!
     
  8. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Are you really listening to MP3 on an iPod?
     
  9. bruking

    bruking Active Member Thread Starter

    yes joined the zombie brigade. actually on a walking regime .gets kinda boring
     
  10. Spek

    Spek Well-Known Member

    Location:
    DFW, TX
    I love my Westone UM2s (had them for 8 years now). The Shure IEMs are very good also.

    I use the UM2s when I want isolation, and the earbuds I got with my iPhone 5 when isolation isn't a good idea (walking where there is traffic, biking, etc.). They don't sound as good as the UM2s but they are surprisingly good! If you got a new iPod you may have them already.
     
  11. Spek

    Spek Well-Known Member

    Location:
    DFW, TX
    What should he use...a HiFiMan?
     
    bruking likes this.
  12. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    The bass response on in-ear phones depends very heavily on the acoustic seal between the earbud and your ear. The moment that isn't just perfect, the bass goes all to hell.

    This is particularly true with the high-end models like the Etymotics. When I first got a pair of ER-4's, I thought, "well, this sounds like crap." I corresponded with the manufacturer's support department, and eventually realized, "oh... you have to jam these suckers in halfway to your brain before they sound good." It's very uncomfortable to get them set just right, but once you do, those suckers are flat as can be... lots and lots of bass, and not hyped-up, phony bass.

    Give us a price range and we can make some suggestions. You can literally spend $9.95 or $999.95 or $5000 on these things. The guys over on the Head-Fi forums argue about this stuff morning, noon, and night. I own a set of Shure IEMs, the Etymotics, and several others, but the ones I think I liked the most were the Sony MDR-90's; the current model is the XBA-3, which is not too different (and cost a little more than $100). A lot depends on your expectations, but bear in mind that headphone and earphone performance is highly subjective, because everybody's ears are physically different.
     
    Bender Rodriguez and bruking like this.
  13. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Just asking. I was not aware that you could listen to MP3s - I thought only AAC, AIFF and Apple Lossless were supported.
     
  14. Danglerb

    Danglerb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Orange, CA, USA
    Walking give some thought to cable noise, varies and may not come out in all reviews. I prefer neutral headphones, and leave the eq if any to the player.

    Also walking, give some thought to not being run over by a bus you can't hear with high isolation phones. I actually used to walk wearing Sennheiser HD414's.
     
    Spek likes this.
  15. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    Shure SE115s are my pick for good bass under $100. And yes, fit is important for the bass to hit you. Fortunately the Shures come with inserts of various sizes and materials to make the fit right.
     
  16. Machiventa

    Machiventa Forum Resident

    Location:
    Salida, Colorado
    What's your price range?
     
  17. Spek

    Spek Well-Known Member

    Location:
    DFW, TX
    Oh yes, you can use any MP3 on the iPod/iPhone. I choose to use AAC primarily because it has been shown in controlled listening tests to be even more transparent than MP3 at the same bitrate.
     
  18. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Thanks - I appreciate your response.
     
  19. dconsmack

    dconsmack Senior Member

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV USA
    I've never heard better than JH Audio JH16Pro. 8 drivers per ear. Custom molded. Very rich sound. I've used many different models of Ultimate Ears, Westone, and Shure. JH has real bass. $1,200.
     
  20. black sheriff

    black sheriff Magic City

    This is so true. I've found that Comply foam tips really helped me get a good seal with a couple pairs of earbuds that I have (JBL Reference 220, Thinksound Rain).
     
    Bender Rodriguez likes this.
  21. Galley

    Galley Forum Resident

    I recently upgraded to the Klipsch Image S4i II.
     
  22. HiFiGuy528

    HiFiGuy528 Formerly Dj_AmTraX

    Location:
    Bay Area
    earbuds or in-ear (IEM)? There's a huge difference in comfort.
     
  23. black sheriff

    black sheriff Magic City

    Yes, you're correct Mike. Thank you for clarifying. I was referring to in-ear in my previous post.
     
  24. HiFiGuy528

    HiFiGuy528 Formerly Dj_AmTraX

    Location:
    Bay Area
    these are hard to beat for the street price of $30.

     
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