Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Headphones

The FS1 are definitely made by Futuresonics for Xtrememac. I had those for a little bit. I tried them at Macworld last year and actually liked them. Then I compared them to Ultimate Ears and it wasn't even close.

I almost opted for the Futuresonics brand, it was only about $100 but I can't see them on the site anymore. It was the EM3. The only disadvantage is that the ear piece is actually like earplug foam. That has a finite life so you'd replace them often. However, the foam is way more comfortable since it's form fitting.

I own a pair of Shure E3C's, and my wife has a pair of E2C's. We love them. I wouldn't hesitate to buy them again. Excellent headphones if you can deal with in-ear phones. I would actually go so far as to compare the sound of E3C's with Axiom speakers. They share the characteristics of smooth and balanced output throughout the range. The E2C's are great too, but are a bit heavy with the bass.

I can also tell you that Shure absolutely stands behind their product. After about 18 months of heavy use one of the cords started to fray on my wife's E2C's. One call to Shure and she had a brand new pair replaced under warranty within a few days. Very satisfied wth their customer service.

Etymotic also makes lovely in-ear headphones. Many, many happy owners to be found in that camp.

I've looked and listened to the B&O ones. They look pretty and sound ok - about on par with your standard $30-$60 Sony earbuds. IMHO, they are not worth $120+. They do not compare to the Shures.

Every Apple store I've ever been in carries both Shure and Ety cans, and also have a generous return policy should you not like them.

Headphone crazies live here.

Oh, and the thing about canal phones being damaging to hearing, I don't buy it. Well-fitting canal phones will block out all of the ambient noise. Consequently, you can listen at much lower volumes than regular open-ear headphones. I've spent many afternoons listening to music at work to find that the ambient noise of my office seems quite a bit *louder* when I take them off. Kind of like when you pop your ears after having a head cold.

It is true that at a given volume level canal phones will be louder than open headphones - and that's *really* important to remember if you ever 'plug in' to someone else's MP3 player.

actually peter brings up a great feature that I like about ultimate ears.

The cords are removeable, so they can replaced easily. That is a good feature when you realize that frayed cords is one of the biggest reasons for replacing headphones.

Peter,

Good comments. Shure does make some quality cans. And head-fi.org is the place to go. Although it will cost you $$$ if you're not careful. I really do like my "canal phones" quite a bit. Most come with a few different "tips" so you can find a set that are most comfortable for you. I've been pondering picking up a set of Ultimate Ears UE-10s. Before you order these, you to an audiologist and get molds made of your ear canals. The 10s are then custom molded to fit your ear. Pros: They are 3-driver IEMs that have reportedly unparalleled comfort and sound. Cons: $1000 bucks, give or take. And you can't return them.

Thanx for all suggestions. It might be that I have a "strange" pair of ears, but B&O sound really good to me, much better than sony, sennys or AKG within the same price range. I still hold my ground that ear-canal phones are damaging to hearing. I talked to some professional musicians, who use them vastly, from thier point of view ear-canals phones are no good for those who wish to preserve thier hearing. So, I'd say it's matter of personal choice.

Speaking of headphones....It's the end of an era!! Arrrrgh!!

My beloved Alessandro MS-1s are being phased out of their long standing position as computer and background music headphones!

As good as the MS-1s are, they are being overshadowed by the better sounding and more capable Sennheiser HD600s which are just as stable as the MS-1s when looking down at the keyboard.

....the heavier MS2i with bowls fall off if I look down; these things ARE heavy!! But the HD600s stay in place just as well as the MS-1. Besides the MS2i are of absolutely no use as computer headphones as it's virtually impossible to concentrate on anything but the music while wearing them, so they are used only for serious listening for rock, as the HD600 are used for serious listening in classical. The HD600s are every bit as capable as the MS2i, and perhaps arguably better in their field, but by virtue of their relaxed sonic character they don't grab a hold and drag the listener into the music quite as strongly as MS2i. So the HD600s are happy being the computer and background music cans for everything but the most exciting forms of rock.

But sadly, the MS-1s are getting less and less listening time and the HD600s are getting more and more.

And more.
Rich.

It's good to know the HD600s are worthwhile. I've been interested in them for a while, and I imagine that one of these days I will get around to purchasing them. I just have too many other priorities. Subwoofer, amp, preamp-processor, new computer, Rives Audio consultation and design, implementation of said design. My money's spent for years, it seems.

When it comes right down to it, the best choice is what sounds best to you. I can't tell you what sounds good to you.

Hey Rick! They need your SR-325i S/N, just for fun, over on the other site!

New Grado SR-325i owners club!

....naw; MS2i don't have S/Ns....
Rich.

Ok, I'll head over there in a bit.