Decent but affordable in-ear headphones?

[_tom_]

Do such things exist? I just want something cheap (around £20) that sound good enough and will be reasonably durable. They'll be used with either an old iPod or a laptop just for listening to music at home, on planes/trains and maybe on my bike. I use Grado SR80 headphones and I'm not expecting that level of clarity, but it would be nice to get a similar kind of sound ie not too bass heavy and dull.

These Sennheisers seem to get good enough reviews though there's one saying the durability wasn't too good for them - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-CX-400-II-Precision/dp/B001EZWO5O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310684733&sr=8-1

Anything else worth considering for that price?

[Transcend]

ive had a set of sennheisers for just over a year now.,

Great sound quality and i haven't had a single issue with them at all

[ToneMonkey]

I've got a set of the CX300 II's.  They sound a lot better after a night on pink noise (as suggested to me on here).

The only issue that I have is that when the wire rubs against your clothes, you can really hear it through the headphones.  I know you're keen on cycling, so it could be a bit of an issue.

Overall though, I quite like them.

[Twinfan]

Like TM, I've got some CX300 IIs.  They're fine for me!

[_tom_]

Sounds good to me, cheers :) The wire rubbing might not be a huge concern anyway - I'm trying out listening to music for downhilling as someone I ride with finds it helps her to relax and thus go faster and smoother! So a bit of cable rubbing sound will at least remind me I'm still on a bike :P

.. and that entire paragraph has set Afghan Dave up nicely for some double entendre jokes :lol:

[ToneMonkey]

I found (thanks to the combined knowledge on here) that the pink noise really helped the sound quality.  I played pink noise through them overnight and then white noise the night after.  It really did help things along as I wasn't very impressed when I first got them.

[Madsakre]

I've had 2 pairs of those sennheisers. i always go back to them, since they have the best sound imho. There is just a minor problem, and that is that i get ear eczema if i have them in for more than 2 hours. Its because i have narrow ear tracts.. Poor me :(

But get those sennheisers, theyre awesome and they have 2 years of insurance along with them

[Dmoney]

I've had 2 pairs of those sennheisers. i always go back to them, since they have the best sound imho. There is just a minor problem, and that is that i get ear eczema if i have them in for more than 2 hours. Its because i have narrow ear tracts.. Poor me :(

But get those sennheisers, theyre awesome and they have 2 years of insurance along with them

sennheisers for me too. last pair i got where on sale in HMV. I always brake mine within a year but i use them ALL the time. I listen to much more music on the move than at home. I always go back to sennheisers

[Afghan Dave]

I'll feel brown really loosens things up as long as it is enjoyed after pink...

NEVER go from brown to pink!

After a night of "Brown" I find that their diaphragm is well broken in and my enjoyment improves considerably....

[Madsakre]

you should try to put brown into pink. damn that stuff is hilarious xD

[Elliot]

I had two sets of 400s that both went at the jack end.  I got some CX550s that have lasted much longer.  £30 more but worth because they dont break

[Afghan Dave]

I had two sets of 400s that both went at the jack end....

You shouldn't force it in... I like to slide them in gently...  :?

[MDV]

I detest CX300s. Harsh, brash, tinny, boomy nastiness.

Get some Audio Technica CKM55s. They were about £50, last I checked, and they're better than my Sennhieser IE8s.

[_tom_]

Well in the end I went for some Soundmagic PL21s after reading some great reviews for them, and they're the same price as the Senns.. so far I'm much less than impressed and have no idea what the "audiophile" reviews are on about! Pretty weak and hollow sounding, quite "cardboardy". I suppose you get what you pay for, but I'm gonna give them a good seeing to with some white and pink noise before I make a proper decision. I guess they're good enough for my intended uses, just would've been nice if they sounded a bit more natural.

They are really comfy though, it's nice to get a range of different sized plugs as usually they're too big for my ears.

edit - actually they seem to be really picky about the positioning - get it just right and they sound fairly full, but quite dull at the minute. Gonna have to use the dreaded non-customisable ipod eq settings! Or maybe I'll just return them..

[ToneMonkey]

I found that going down an earbud size helped with the placement issues (I had the same issue with my CX300's)