Thought it may be nice to get some reviews going on ear buds used with the Fuze we love all in one place! EQ set to normal or flat please… Store Pricing and urls would be nice too… What do you guy’s & gal’s think? George
Message Edited by George-W on 09-14-2008 08:10 AM
I’ll start with Philips virtual surround sound… When I first got them i thought the sound was good. Very light bass but useful and tight… mids are warm almost to warm with nice highs! Got them at Walmart 14.97 in store.
I tried Koss they had not sure what model but it was the only koss they sold and didn’t like them. Even when planted deep n you ear and forming a good seal I still had no good useful bass… They went right back… Price was 24.97 …
My wife just picked up a set of Sony’s also from Walmart and they are the best so far Model MDR-XL55LP 39.97 Theses things are awesome IMO sound is smooth nice strong bass tight! Mids are also smooth and not overly warm! Highs are right on with out the added Sssssss and ringing of some… made my Philips sound really bad… Hope this helps… George
I always have the Equalizer set to Rock, seems to work fine for me.
Bought Sennheiser CX300 from Amazon, cost me £20, that’s about $36. I’m very happy with the results.
Sennheiser CX300
NewEgg.com - $29.99 ($14.99 after $15 MIR through 9/30/08)
I got these to have some nice, hi-fi earbuds to wear in public. My DJ cans don’t fly that well, plus they don’t fit under my bike helmet (no safety comments, please - I can still hear traffic better than you can with your radio on). I previously owned a pair of simple Sennheiser around-the-neck PMX60 headphones, and I really liked them, but they were appropriated by my sister, who used them for working out, and I don’t really want them back anymore. Yuck. But I know Senn’s are good, so it was an easy decision when I found these.
The CX300s look great, and they sound great. Many people say the bass is monotone with no real sonic variation at the low frequencies. I disagree. I listen to electronic music mainly, but with enough rock and even classical music to test the full range. I think these perform really well. They sound very good, especially for the price.
That said, I don’t like these buds very much beyond that. They’re quite difficult to wear. The cord is a “J-style,” meaning the right earbud basically branches off from the main line that goes straight to the left earbud - imagine the cord hanging straight down from your left ear, and then a J-shaped cord (hence the designation) running from about your left scapula under your head and up to your right ear. It makes it really easy to pull out the left earbud in many situations. Then there’s the issue of the silicone ear pieces. There are lots of people who complain that the sound is terrible unless you get that perfect fit, sealing off your ear canal with the right sized tips (three sizes included with the buds). Again, I disagree, but I still have issues with my fit. The sound is fine even in my left ear, where none of the tips fit quite right. The right side fits great with the medium tip, and the sound is a bit better and more isolated from outside noise. The left sounds fine, though - hardly off-balance. But that little bit of difference, along with the fact that I just can’t get a tight, secure fit, bugs me. I have no problem with rubber ear tips, because I use them on stage with my in-ear monitors, but those ones fit better somehow (and no, they don’t fit on these buds). But I’d rather have foam tips on these than the silicone tips that don’t seal in both ears correctly. Granted, my ear canals are a bit asymmetrical, but so are many other peoples’.
Final word: I’d rather have some Etymotics or Shure buds, but these are at least 1/4th the price, and they sound pretty dang good. Depending on the application, they might be great for you, or they might be terrible, just because of the fit.
And one last warning: If you buy these off Ebay, or anywhere else for that matter, watch out for fakes. They abound. Google is your friend on that one. Mine are authentic. 
Message Edited by SilverZero on 09-14-2008 10:39 AM
I can recommend the Sennheiser OMX 50 clip-on-earphones. They’re robust, have a good sound and have an inline volume control; which is good for those moments when you need to turn the sound down quickly.
Ooo, I like the OMX series. I wish I’d seen those before. I wonder how they sound. I wish I had an inline volume control as well, since I have to have my Fuze zipped up in a pouch on my commute rides. Actually, I REALLY wish there was an inline remote for the Fuze. But now I’m just thread-jacking.
I use the Creative EP 630’s that came with my XPS laptop. They seem to deliver very good sound and bass response, plus they block out a lot of ambient noise…which is good because I wear them while I’m at the factory…and it is noisy in there.
I use a set of Shure E2C’s which I’ve done the ‘Kramer’ modification to. They’ve served me well for a good few years now. I think Shure have changed the range to the ‘SE’ series of headphones now though.
I also have a pair of Grado SR60 headphones which blow my E2C’s out of the water, but make me look like a World War morse code operator.
If you want to empty your wallet and possibly start a dangerous headphone/earphone/in-ear monitor obsession, ‘head’ over to Head-fi and have a look around.
Message Edited by Jock_Scotland on 09-14-2008 03:44 PM
Try the Future Sonics Atrio M5. We sell earphones to musicians who use them for inner ear monitoring. We have tried many brands and models and these win out for cost vs performance. You will be amazed.
Message Edited by banddad on 09-17-2008 01:38 PM
Hmmmm :neutral_face: . . . haven’t heard of those. Do you have a link to a website with more info, or can you give us an idea of cost?
What I do since I love the inner ear buds and think they actualy can protect your hearing since there is so much ambient noise polution everywhere especially at places like my job where I wear tehm both for hearing protection and to listen to books and music- the instructional video - very simple indeed is on my youtube space called NHCollege you just put a fwd slash then that word after putting in the regular youtube.com ok thanks and stay thinking free
I use JVC gummi ear buds. they have a good sound, made with soft plastic that is very comfortable, and arent terriblely expencive ($9-11) they also come in a variety of colors so you can pick one to match you player. Usually, though most places (like walmart) only carry blue and pink ones. that’s my expirience at least.
I think that SKULL Candy Ear Phones are the best.
How can Skull Candy’s possibly be the best when they’re 10 dollars? Future Sonics Atrio user here… anything less is just, well… ■■■■…
I have several sets of earbuds, mostly Sennheiser. The ones that just sit in your ear (similar to the ones that come with the Fuze) just don’t sound good. They just can’t get the bass. My most expensive pair - Sennheiser MX-760 - cost $40, but still aren’t that much better than cheap ones.
The in-ear buds sound much better, hence all the expensive buds are like that. I have Sony MDR-EX51. It was about $28 at Amazon. The sound is pretty good, though I’m sure the more expensive buds will be better. I picked these after reading iPod forums, where the Sony MDR-EX buds were very popular. I use it for noisy environments like airplanes, so I’m not so worried about perfect sound. I have to take some other buds/phones to wear in the airport so I can hear what is going on. It has the J-cord as mentioned above (one side is longer). This enables you to just pop them out and let them dangle from your neck. J-cords do have the downside that one side will get tugged from time to time. There doesn’t seem to be a perfect solution with that. I think J-cords are good for in-ear buds, because I have to take them out any time I want to hear anything.
My preference is headphones - Sennheiser PX-100. About $40. They’re small and portable (they fold up into a case about the size of an eyeglass case). The look sort of like the old headphones that used to come with portable CD players. The sound is better than any earbuds I’ve tried (though I haven’t tried the very expensive earbuds), and certainly better than earbuds in that price range. Good sound all the way from bass to treble. Comfortable for hours of wear. Its an open design, so there’s not a lot of isolation from the outside world. There is another model (PX-100) that is essentially the same thing with a more closed ear cup, and should block some outside sound. The biggest downside is that the cable is about 5 feet, which is a bit much for carrying about.
I find having two pair is the best solution. In-ear buds do a great job of isolating outside noise, but make you deaf to the world. This is fine in situations like busses and airplanes where you won’t be interacting with people. In very noisy cities, it may be the only alternative, too. I don’t like wearing them, because I’ve had dirty looks from people who were trying to talk to me (and thought I was just ignoring them), and nearly missed a flight once because I didn’t hear the announcement. The only choice for an open design that sounds good is headphones, so I wear those the most.
The Sennheiser MX400 or MX500 are a great buy at around $10-15. They are basically the same except that the MX500 has a volume control on the cord. If you want isolationg earphones, the Sennheiser CX300 has gotten great reviews and is a great buy at under $30. The Sennheiser PX100 folding headphones are a great buy at around $30. For gym use and use while exercising the Koss Sportapro headphones for around $20 is a great deal. It is a bit too bassy for some though. The Koss KTX Pro 1 (around $16) headphone is brighter sounding and less bassy than the Sportapro, however the KTX Pro 1 doesn’t fold. The Sportapro rolls up into a small ball shape, so it can fit in a jacket pocket. The Sportapro is basically the same headphone as the Portapro, however it looks different and costs much less.
Altec Lansing Upgrader UHP336 Stereo Earphone
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=204968591&dcaid=17768
Features Precision armature driver for studio quality sound. Vented receiver provides optimum acoustical space for warm and exciting low frequencies. Moldable over-the-ear loops keep earphones securely in place. Comfort-fit earplug design blocks out external sounds…and captures detailed clarity of audio within the ear, including phenomenal bass. Detachable cable for easy replacement. Includes Universal Fit Kit, providing choice of five different eartips for personalized user comfort. Gold plated plug increases conductivity of audio signal, assuring the purest sound.
Tech Specs Precision Vented Armature Driver 26 dB 115 dB / mW 13 Ohms Cable: Long 46" (1.2m) Weight: 0.5 oz
Comments:
bdb: I agree that 2 sets are a good solution. I use the standard Sansa buds or similar cheap Sony’s around town and at home. They are fine…good bass…no complaints at the price point, that’s for sure. As an outer-ear bud, they are eay to get in and out, and allow me to hear some ambient sounds. It’s pretty weird to be at home and not hear someone come in the house, baby cry, the phone ring, etc. Ditto at work.
On a plane, I go for inner-ear type. Helps seal out some of the noise but too much aggravation for me to use as a daily solution.
I got the above buds (Altec-Lansing “Upgrader”) through Buy.com for $39 on sale last month with free shipping. Not bad, they are now going for $86 at buy.com- regular price.
I’d say they are adequate. Again, sucess depends on finding the right neoprene tips that fit your ears. Otherwise bass will be lacking.
I’d say that bass is somewhat lacking definition anyway. The buds require the Fuze volume to be cranked a lot higher than the stock Sansa buds. The wire near the bud is “stiffened” to allow a more-or-less rigid loop to go over the top of the ear. This helps to hold the bud in place and reduce transferring motion and tugging from the cord.
Overall, for me, these were worth $40 but not $86!
I don’t use ear-buds, because they don’t stay put(maybe I have weird ears). And the in-ear models bother my ears terribly. So ATM I have Koss KSC75 clip-on-ear phones, a wonderful bargain with great sound. I also have a pair of Sony MDR-V150 “studio-style” cans…these are comfortable if I maneuver my glasses slightly, but the sound is suspect. They’re very low and mid oriented with no highs to speak of. The closest approximation to the KSC75’s(w/“normal” eq) I can get with the Sony’s is -2,-3,0,+12,+12 with the custom EQ…looks extreme, eh? It’s really not. However, when my Sennheiser HD201’s get here, est. 12/30 delivery, I can relegate the Sony’s to podcast only use, if anything:smiley:
Edit: I forgot prices…The Ksc75’s were about $6 at Radio Shack(clearance) and my Sennheiser’s were $19.99+shipping from Amazon.com
Message Edited by Marvin_Martian on 12-22-2008 11:56 AM
Well, I’m using Philips SHE9700 with my Fuze. Sounding so good with clear sound and deep bass. It does nice job for performing Trance music either Easy Listening music
I have a set of Philips SHE5910’s surround sound that I though were nice " my first in ear set"till I got the Sony’s at Walmart… I forget the model number off hand but the Sony’s are the $39.99 ones in store… Great sound nice tight base with good solid kick drum! midrange is very good with good presence and a great airy top end that’s very translucent… All and all a well balanced set of buds for under $40 bucks… I also have a old set of small Sony over the ear phones that came with a Sony CD player some 15 years ago that still sounds fantastic… I went over them earlier in the thread but brought the Sony $39.99 ear buds from Walmart up again because they sound so good and would make a great stocking stuffer for the last minute shopper. Happy holidays to all! George
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