Earbuds

Sixstring

Sixstring

Legend!
Ok I just got the call to play a gig on Thursday night and they have a silent stage, so I need a recomendation on some decent Earbuds that won't break the bank!

I'm good to $150 and they need to be carried in a GC or a Sam Ash store so I can run down and pick them up, I don't like in ears so that's why I the relatively small budget.

What say you earbud users!
 
Westone UM Pro 10. Sweetwater sells the Pro 10 for $99 or $149, depending on the flavor, so I figure GC would be able to match that. What I like about the Pro line is that you get foam tips in addition to the ubiquitous silicone mushroom tips, so if it's your first venture into IEMs, you get more choices right off the bat. You can also upgrade later to aftermarket Comply tips if you want. The one thing I'm wary about with the Westone is that some reviewers say that it breaks pretty easily. They do feel fragile, so I'm like OCD careful with mine (I have the UM Pro 50).

Something a little more rugged would be Audio Technica ATH-E40 ($99), which was my first IEM. Not the best sound quality, and you only get the mushroom tips. I like the "memory wire" that hooks over your ears. But they are rugged. They aren't my primary stage IEMs anymore, so I use them in the gym, and they get abused pretty bad, but they've held up for a year so far.

Who knows, you might discover you really like IEMs. :D
 
Desmo808 said:
Westone UM Pro 10. Sweetwater sells the Pro 10 for $99 or $149, depending on the flavor, so I figure GC would be able to match that. What I like about the Pro line is that you get foam tips in addition to the ubiquitous silicone mushroom tips, so if it's your first venture into IEMs, you get more choices right off the bat. You can also upgrade later to aftermarket Comply tips if you want. The one thing I'm wary about with the Westone is that some reviewers say that it breaks pretty easily. They do feel fragile, so I'm like OCD careful with mine (I have the UM Pro 50).

Something a little more rugged would be Audio Technica ATH-E40 ($99), which was my first IEM. Not the best sound quality, and you only get the mushroom tips. I like the "memory wire" that hooks over your ears. But they are rugged. They aren't my primary stage IEMs anymore, so I use them in the gym, and they get abused pretty bad, but they've held up for a year so far.

Who knows, you might discover you really like IEMs. :D
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Thanks for the tip on UM Pro! I have tried IEM before and didn't care for them specifically the way they sounded and felt in my ears... made my ear canals itch. I'm willing to give them another go but I really do like the speaker / string interaction of a monitor and the non direct sound it offers as well.
 
Sixstring said:
I was looking at these pretty hard but I wanted to ping the board just to make sure their wasn't anything else out there that's a must have in the price range I have set.
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SE215s are my daily drivers. I like them with the medium foam tips but most people who use SEs around me swear by the white, triple flange tips. I have smaller earholes I guess and find the triple flange tips don't fit in my ears well, they hurt after a while. They're not flat by any means, but they're passable and do a good job isolating ambient noise (something I think is important for the IEM experience to work well). And they're modular. I've gone through a few cables, including third party ones, and now I'm on a BT wireless cable from Shure and the core drivers are going strong. That's nice, for sure.
 
if you'll spend up to $150 the Shure SE315's are a good choice

you could also save some money and just buy the 112's for $50 and use them this once

But I think the SE112's and SE215's may leave you wanting more so just spend the money on the 315's now
 
I do have some buds from an iphone and my Galaxie that I haven't even used. I thought of just using those but I don't know if I could stand it for the 45 minute set having to push them back in my ears every 15 or 20 seconds.
 
I had problems with the Shure SE215's staying in my ears, even with the foam ear pieces. Believe it or not, Skullcandy Ink'd II, without the mic, sound just as good as the Shures and I had little problem with them staying put. I still use them in a pinch and have never been disappointed. My personal recommendation though would be the Fender in ear monitors (formerly Aurisonic Eva). They are $200 but definitely worth the extra cost, they are incredibly comfortable (fit a little deeper in the ear canal) and sound great. Much wider sound stage, clarity and response compared to the SE215.

http://www.samash.com/earphones/fxa2-pro-in-ear-monitors--ffxa2inear-p
 
Either the Westones or the Shure's would be great for your budget. I think any preferences between them are gonna be personal.
 
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