what is the best earbuds for your nano?

Just so we can wrangle this back to some useful info...

SkullCandy...

INK'D or SMOKIN'

Rick Meyer says INK'D... is that the same model you other SkullCandy guys like? I'm going to grab some on Amazon tonight.

*After reading many reviews on these, I have to point out what I did NOT like about the Sennheiser CX300 buds... they SOUND great, but the cable noise is MADDENING... so my CX300's sit in a drawer, right next to the Etymotic ER6i's that I don't wear due to comfort. The reason I joined this thread is because I left my VMODA's in the pocket after a 14 hour flight (and forgot them)... so I was in the market for another set of buds. Anyway... cable handling noise? That SUCKS... I know from experience... the V-Moda's have very low cable handling noise... so... rather then get a pair of SkullCandy and another pair of the V-Moda's... which are on sale for $19.95 right now... I'd rather have a back-up to my back-up... if somebody else boasting up the SkullCandy chimed in I may try them out... but both buds are equally rated in stars... the SkullCandy INK'D based on an MSRP of $19.95 (selling at $14.95)... and the V-Moda Bass Freq based on an MSRP of $50 (selling from $19.95 current sale, to $32)... so... gotta' go with the proven thing man. I suspect some of you guys may be surprised... especially if you're accepting cable noise coming through the buds.
 
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Hey Mattin

If you still have those ER6I's for sale I will take them.
I tried Pming you but I got no confirmation and it shows 0 messages sent in my USER CP
 
I bought the v-moda, thanks everyone who chimed in, I'm going with Matt the audio guy's advice, he knows sound, and these puppies are on sale at Amazon. Thanks a lot Matt and everyone!!
 
Charli...

I've now bought SIX pairs of the v-moda bass freq buds... I keep giving them away as gifts and so far everybody's loved them. (I just bought 2 more pairs of the black ones today... that should tell you my faith in these... the only thing that pushed me away from the skullcandy option is too many people complained of cable noise.)

The namesake of the bass freq is just that... they are heavy on bass, but if you set your nano to flat (or some other mild EQ setting) then I think you'll find the balance to be nearly perfect, with satisfying bass, that's not overwhelming. If you pumped your bass setting to compensate for stock ipod buds, then don't forget to change that setting or you'll have too much bass.
 
well, after reading all of your posts i recommended to girlfriend to purchase a pair of the Skullcandy Ink'd earbuds. WOW!!!! these little speakers are great. i tested them out with my Sony MDR-V700DJ headphones(which sell for over $100 US) and i couldn't really tell a difference between the two. the bass was deep, the treble crisp, and the sound level was just as loud as my Sony's. they fit amazingly well in my ears. i'm very happy she purchased them. score 1 for the Skullcandy Ink'd.
 
Hi Matt:

I was at Costco yesterday and they have the VModa kit (the cool little pouch and all of the accessories) for I think $38.00? But others like Michael are loving the Skullcandy Ink'd at half the price. So which would you buy today? Which seem to be the more comfortable? The Apple ones are very uncomfotable to me.

Dan
 
Pure - I bought my son the v-mod for $20 on Amazon, they are now $25. My son loves 'em. Amazon has free shipping.
 
I have done a few hours of research and it seems that I am more undecided about earbuds than ever. I managed a boutique audio store in the late 80s, I own KEF and B&W SW801s at home and I have Genelec !031s and 1029As in my edit bay. I listen to ALL types of music so I am afraid of ending up with earbuds that only excel with limited dynamic range music. Just like stereo speakers and studio monitors, most earbuds sound fine with limited range pop, rock and electronic music. The stuff that is going to separate the top of the line performers from the pack are musical forms that feature huge dynamic range swings, delicacy and nuance.

Based upon design and marketing analysis and user feedback, I suspect the VModas may be a bit too "boom/sizzle" for my taste. Everyone in numerous reviews keeps using the terms, "bass freak, bass heavy, great for dance/house/techno/electronica, etc."

The Skullcandys seem like a great value but don't seem as if they will last really long.

The Etymotics seem to probably be good but based upon reviews, I am a bit paranoid about the long term comfort factor and several report a "lack of bass" which seems to be the opposite of the VModas. Matt has both, he would know.

What about the Shure E2Cs? Has anyone used them? It seems as if these are one of the few sub-$100.00 earbuds that audiophiles and people who like acoustic music like jazz, blues and bluegrass gravitate toward.

The Yuin PK2 also receives raves on several audiophile sites but the shape seems to be the same as the dreaded stock iPod earbuds. Any thoughts?

My priorities are:

1. Comfort
2. Sound accuracy
3. Sound deadening when flying

Dan
 
Well, the good thing is, for $16 bucks (for the skullcandy) or $25 (v-mod) you are only making a very small financial commitment for some peace of mind. You will know first hand. If you find their performance to be underwhelming you can bite the bullet and pick up a more expensive pair.
 
But the wife and daughter will yell at me if I buy them and then don't like them ;-) I am always buying stuff and then selling it or giving it to friends because I am too busy to do the Ebay shuffle.

I was going to go pick both up but I think I will be a brave boy and go for the Shures and see if I like them. They are only $69.00. I'll let you all know how good they are.

Dan
 
i used shure ec3's while playing drums for monitoring in larger venues. sounded great, true stereo, cut out most other noise...couple hundred bucks.
 
puredrifting said:
My priorities are:

1. Comfort
2. Sound accuracy
3. Sound deadening when flying

Dan
Click to expand...


These were my same priorities as well. If you already bought the Shure's then don't worry about it... but I would love to hear somebody say they regretted the "bass freq" Vmoda's... (don't let the name fool you... the bass isn't annoying, it is pleasingly full and deep, but still pretty tight... just do as I said and set your ipod to flat... I guarantee everybody in here has a bass eq curve or bass increased on their ipod right now)... I felt the Vmoda's isolated sound was nearly as good as the Etymotics, but dramatically more comfortable, and I actually preferred the sound of the cheap little Vmoda's.

If you switch #2 and #3 above, that would be my list of attributes, and not that the sound is un-accurate, but the first 2 are head and shoulders above the other buds I've tried.
 
Skullcandy Ink'd update. Just got back from TJ Maxx and as i was checking out at the register my girlfriend noticed on an end-cap a pair of Skullcandy Ink'd buds for $9.99 US. we now each have a pair. i am very interested in trying out the V-moda Bass ones as well. thanks to whoever started this thread.
 
$10? I'm going to buy a set and do my own little showdown... gimme' a couple days to get through my 12s and then by Friday... "answers"... or "opinions" anyway.
 
Black Friday Special: Skull Candy Ink'd buds for $9.99

Black Friday Special: Skull Candy Ink'd buds for $9.99

Friday and Saturday only at Staples.
 
I did finally buy the Shures. They have been pretty good. The only thing I really dislike about them is that they are bass shy unless they are sealed into your ear. Which is fine except when I am at the gym moving around, I can rarley keep them sealed. They stay in, but that seal becomes broken and then the bass goes away pretty quick. I also think that the cable is too thick and tough to bend. I kind of like a more relaxed cable but what are you going to do?

Overall sound quality is very good and quite accurate. Definitely not "boom sizzle" like a lot of others.

Dan
 
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