Earphones

[RDL]

Hi folks, on the market for a pair of earphones, not got a budget but wondering, for the same price, can you get anything better than these? Does anyone have them? What are they like?

Also, with Christmas coming up I thought I'd buy my bro a pair of new earphones since I stole his old ones for a long term loan. Are these up to scratch? Anything better for the money?

Cheers.

[TooNice]

It is very dangerous to say "no budget" even for earphones

I don't personally own the E2, but I own a IEM (what you call those things) which uses the same driver than the Shure's E5 (their flagship model), and I've done a whole loads of reading.

The Westone UM1 is in that price range, but you need to Ebay them, which probably won't make it for Christmas time.

If you look at Etys entry range, the ER-6(i), they are about £20 more than the E2. The sound is supposed to be much different. Generally speaking, the Shure are considered to have more bass, and the Etys more details.

Once you take away the isolation factor of IEM, a fair number of people (check out Head-Fi) would probably find "open headphones", such as the Koss KSC 35/75 to provide better sound at lower price. But you do lose the isolations, and they are clip-ons rather than earphones. They are worth considering for your bro though.
The other earphones I would pick over the Sony are the Sennheiser MX500 (can't seem to find the MX550 in the UK, but have a look around). I've tried them, and they sound very nice for earbuds. Less bass than the Sony, but I'd say better details.

[RDL]

Thanks for that TooNice. I appreciate your comment about the no budget thing - I could be provided to go higher if I was inormed it was worthwhile. The E4's are £350 ish IIRC though, not going that high, but have you tried the E3's? They are £150 and just wondered if it was worth the upgrade. I'l check out the others for my bro too, it doesn't really matter if I don't get it for Christmas (and it doesn't at all matter if I don't have mine by then).

[TooNice]

Woah, you can definitely find the E4 for cheaper I think! I think even the E5 is cheaper than that. I have not tried the E3, but from the impression I've read, it is pretty bassy. The E4 is supposed to be weaker in the bass area.

Still, if you don't mind buying from outside the UK, keep the UM2 in mind. They use same drivers as the E5, are designed to be more confortable, and there is much debate between which sounds better (in order words, it is most likely better than the E3). And you can probably find it for around £150 (a quick look on Ebay shows one for £168 inc. shipping, but I am sure it gets cheaper).

Also worth considering are the Ultimate Ears. If you look at their custom products, you'll know what I really mean about the budget thing
But their Superfi.fi 5 pro line of product is probably within your budget. I've briefly tried them, and to me, they are worth considering too.