What in ear phones for £80?

[peter8171]

Currently I've got a pair of Sennheiser CX300 - II and enjoy the sound they produce. However, I feel like upgrading them and am trying to decide what to replace them with. I've got a maximum budget of £80 and want in ears as I use them when I'm out and like the noise isolation they give. Ideally, I'd like a similar sound to the Senns, but with more detail. Any suggestions as I can't find the Beyerdynamic DTX80s which are recommended by What Hi FI?

 

[steve_1979]

The Westone UM1 are very good for that price. Loads more detail and control than the CX300. They also come with Comply foam tips which gives them much better sound isolation and stops them from ever falling out. They're so comfy that you really can't feel your wearing them when they're in your in your ears . They also have anti-microphonic cables so you won't hear any annoying rustling noise when they rub on your clothes while wearing them.

However, if your a bass junky or listen to alot of hiphop you'll probably want earphones that go deeper but for everyone else they sound fantastic and have good sounding tight punchy bass.

 

[steve_1979]

Ooops. Duplicate post.

 

[peter8171]

Cheers for the response. I've had a look around and can't find them for under £80. Will keep looking. Meanwhile, I've found various Shure models at good prices: SE102's for £55, SE115's for £67 and SE215's for £80. How would these compare to the Westone's? Which should I go for?

Any help from What Hi Fi reviewers would be welcome too.

 

[Wightknight]

Don't forget the Beyerdynamic DTX 101 ie headphones. They are the replacements for the DTX 80s.

Read the reviews. They are every bit as everyone is saying.

 

[neilmistry]

Don't forget the Beyerdynamic DTX 101 ie headphones. They are the replacements for the DTX 80s.

Read the reviews. They are every bit as everyone is saying.

I have a pair replacing my DTX 80's under warranty. I'm very impressed. I love the Beyerdynamic sound, so much so that I bought a pair of 880's for home use. Again, these are fab!

 

[Anonymous]

I bought the shure se215 from amazon and they are a very decent iem imo! the warm sound does seem to go a little as they burn in, but just a little! The warm sound is actually very good for extended periods of listening, as it is a non-fatiguing sound. ie ideal for travelling on a bus all day etc. The isolation is really really good as well, and the unique way it is put on is really secure and minimises cable microphonics to virtually inaudible levels.

It comes with a case too!

oh and the build quality is second to none at this price level. The cable is kevlar reinforced, which incidentally can be replaced, feels very strong and i have yet to get mine tangled up in a knot, but im a bit anal at putting it safely away too.

If you want some proper advice head over to headfi.org it has a crazily big community, just for headphones, grado even made some esp. for headfi the hf1 and 2. Theyll be people there who know the sennheiser sound you like and advise accordingly!

Regards
ed

 

[peter8171]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Wasn't sure about the Beyerdynamic DTX101iE's as I don't want or need a microphone as I feel adding this feature in will take away from the sound quality.

Will also have a look at the awards issue out at the end of the week before I make any decisions.