[miroozy]

Does any one have any idea about the best earphones set to the playbook ?

i tried a few ..and it's not givin me the full experience ..or it's not workin at all

i need (in-ear) earphones ..not slippy ..and costs about 40$ ..

[Marty_LK]

Does any one have any idea about the best earphones set to the playbook ?

i tried a few ..and it's not givin me the full experience ..or it's not workin at all

i need (in-ear) earphones ..not slippy ..and costs about 40$ ..

You'll want a high-end set to take advantage of the PB's high-end sound quality. I use Shure SE530, Klipsch Image X10, X5, Sleek Audio SA6. But there are others like Westones, Ultimate Ears and so forth. You'll need to spend plenty of money on a set of high-end IEMs to get the most out of your PB. And be careful finding bargains on eBay. There are knock-offs for most high-end brands except Klipsch Image X series. Those are too small for a knock-off'er to copy well enough to fool anyone in the know.

You won't find anything good for $40, though.

[ffosse]

Here's a ranking chart - up to Apr 2011 - the iems get better as you near the top of the chart..prices are just MRP - you can find most iems cheaper online. The guy is an audio engineer, based in Vienna, and knows his stuff. For $40 there should be something near the bottom. I've tried out many of these iems myself, but not the UE11s.

Quick Comparison of 63 IEMs (Spreadsheet) - Headphones - abi>>forums

[BigAl_BB9900]

Does any one have any idea about the best earphones set to the playbook ?

i tried a few ..and it's not givin me the full experience ..or it's not workin at all

i need (in-ear) earphones ..not slippy ..and costs about 40$ ..

Can't help you re: "in-ear" headphones, as I can't use them

But I use these 2 non-slippy headphones, and the sound quality is fairly good (I mainly listen to classical & jazz - so no idea re: a heavy bass beat), and the volume is pretty decent too (I can use them on a crowded tube train, and they block out the noise around me):

• Philips SHS390/10 Neckband Headphones < £10 (eg$15)
• Sony MDR-AS30G Active Series Headphones < £20 (eg$30)

They really do stay on your ears/head - I think they were originally designed for joggers

Hope this gives you another pertinent angle of research

[JasW]

You can have the priciest pair of in-ear headphones and they will sound like crap unless you have a proper fit and seal with the ear buds. Conversely, you can have inexpensive earphones and they will sound terrific if you have the proper fit and seal with the ear buds.

Ear bud fit and seal is the key. Everything else anyone tells you is garbage.

[Marty_LK]

You can have the priciest pair of in-ear headphones and they will sound like crap unless you have a proper fit and seal with the ear buds. Conversely, you can have inexpensive earphones and they will sound terrific if you have the proper fit and seal with the ear buds.

Ear bud fit and seal is the key. Everything else anyone tells you is garbage.

Exactly. Not only that but also the audio file format used. A lot of people say FLAC is the best. I find the smoothest and most enjoyable sound from OGG/Vorbis converted files. However, I use LAME encoded audio files at v0 (VBR-240) for my Playbook.

[rotorwrench]

You can have the priciest pair of in-ear headphones and they will sound like crap unless you have a proper fit and seal with the ear buds. Conversely, you can have inexpensive earphones and they will sound terrific if you have the proper fit and seal with the ear buds.

Ear bud fit and seal is the key. Everything else anyone tells you is garbage.

Sorry but I have to disagree. Fit and seal is critical, but I've had excellent fit and seal with many cheap IEMs, as I'm not into spending any more than I have to for the best sound reproduction I can get, and I've found, as many have in the search for accurate sound, that the sound was terrible. Some are ok. Before I tried my first pair of Etymotics, I was satisfied with what I could find at BestBuy or WalMart, but after one session with higher end IEMs like ER6s, I was blown away and upset by what I had been missing. And now that I've moved to multiple drivers, I will never go back to single driver IEMs.

The exception to this is if you listen to low bitrate compressed, like mp3 at 128kbps, better cans, speakers or IEMs aren't going to improve things much. Actually the tracks might sound worse due to the higher quality listening devices exposing errors and bad recordings that aren't evident with cheaper listening devices.

I have yet to let anyone sample my ER6s, which are very flat and transparent, or my Westone2s, which weren't amazed by the difference from run-of-the-mill ear buds or cheap IEMs. And those two are at the lower end of higher definition IEMs.

It's all opinion. OP, try different ones, borrow from friends etc... and decide for yourself. Many people are very satisfied with lower quality sound and that definitely makes things cheaper

[CrackBook77]

It comes down to preference and your ears. Everyone's tonal range is different so to some the cheap kind sound great, some bass heavy sounds good. Try them out until what you find what is good for you. Me personally as a musician with perfect hearing I prefer my AKG studio quality semi-open (blocks a lot of outside noise) headphones. They are amazing for audio and movies. They cost a pretty penny too but my BB brand headphones are pretty decent as well but they are ugly too lol.

Bottom line try things out.

[anthogag]

Definitely Bose earbuds. It sounds really good.

It's amazing how crappy $30-$50 earbuds sound compared to my Bose earbuds.

I've had experiences where sales people in stores would say these $30 earbuds are great. There's not that much difference between that and a $100-$200 product...WRONG

Try to spend a little bit more to get quality earbuds. It really is worth it

[dennie82]

Definitely Bose earbuds. It sounds really good.

It's amazing how crappy $30-$50 earbuds sound compared to my Bose earbuds.

I've had experiences where sales people in stores would say these $30 earbuds are great. There's not that much difference between that and a $100-$200 product...WRONG

Try to spend a little bit more to get quality earbuds. It really is worth it

Definitely not Bose, go and try Shure, AudioTechnica and you'll know the difference...

[anthogag]

Definitely not Bose, go and try Shure, AudioTechnica and you'll know the difference...

Are you Shure, you compared Bose with Shure

Shure-ly you can't be serious

[dennie82]

Are you Shure, you compared Bose with Shure

Shure-ly you can't be serious

Oh I'm 100% Shure about it.

[Khameleon05]

Exactly. Not only that but also the audio file format used. A lot of people say FLAC is the best. I find the smoothest and most enjoyable sound from OGG/Vorbis converted files. However, I use LAME encoded audio files at v0 (VBR-240) for my Playbook.

Wav/FLAC is vastly superior to Vorbis or anything else. Ogg Vorbis produces a lossy file whereas wav/FLAC is exactly the same as the original source.

[Marty_LK]

Wav/FLAC is vastly superior to Vorbis or anything else. Ogg Vorbis produces a lossy file whereas wav/FLAC is exactly the same as the original source.

I know all about it. I'm an old veteran of all things audiophile related. But who says it's "vastly superior" and what makes it "vastly superior"? Isn't it about what the listener prefers; what sounds best? I understand that professionals measure audio streams with equipment, but what good does that do? All that tells a person is technical information. It doesn't effect what a listeners actually hears or prefers.

The compact disc is an example. It's generally regarded as providing a perfect digital copy of the input signal. Then why do many trained-eared audiophile professionals insist vinyl records sound better?

[Angus_CB]

I have two pair that I like very much and use all of the time.

Klipsch Image S4, I paid <$80.00.
V-Moda Remix Remote, MSRP $79.00, I paid <$30.00 from Newegg.

[captkipper]

Sennheiser px100

[ffosse]

I use lame encoded vbr mp3 with my SM3s and ie8s.

If you can, best to get iems with replaceable cables like the ie8s or se535s.

[miroozy]

You'll want a high-end set to take advantage of the PB's high-end sound quality. I use Shure SE530, Klipsch Image X10, X5, Sleek Audio SA6. But there are others like Westones, Ultimate Ears and so forth. You'll need to spend plenty of money on a set of high-end IEMs to get the most out of your PB. And be careful finding bargains on eBay. There are knock-offs for most high-end brands except Klipsch Image X series. Those are too small for a knock-off'er to copy well enough to fool anyone in the know.

You won't find anything good for $40, though.

ok i can spend more..but ppl keep tellin me i should spend about 300$ ! i bought the pb for 200$ and spend 300$ for the earphones..it's not logical

i will try what u described

[miroozy]

Here's a ranking chart - up to Apr 2011 - the iems get better as you near the top of the chart..prices are just MRP - you can find most iems cheaper online. The guy is an audio engineer, based in Vienna, and knows his stuff. For $40 there should be something near the bottom. I've tried out many of these iems myself, but not the UE11s.

Quick Comparison of 63 IEMs (Spreadsheet) - Headphones - abi>>forums

ok thanks so much ..i think i should spend more ...every one here is tellin me so

[CrackBook77]

As the arguments for each brand continue you should now be convinced that it is a very personal matter of what you hear not what anyone else does lol

[miroozy]

yeah ..every one's fightin now

i think i will go and try some ...and see how it works..

i just don think i can buy a 300$ earphones..ok i can spend 600% for a home theater ..but not for a small earphones

[JasW]

The difference between high-end earbuds and low- to mid-end earbuds is generally negligible to most people if there is good fit and seal with the buds. Sure there are crap low-end earbuds. Stay away from the Hello Kitty models. (And those old style "pad" in-ear headphones.) $30 is plenty.

Multiple drivers in a high-end set of in-ear cans may be nice, but it's a total waste of money IMHO unless you are obsessive about sound. If that's the case, then as far as listening experience goes, you're better off in a good room with high-end speakers, or at least high-end over-ear cans, rather than being out and about with in-ear buds.

As far as FLAC and the like go, if I get something in FLAC, I immediately convert it to a 320kb mp3 and then delete the FLAC to save storage space. Can't tell the difference. I daresay most people can't tell the difference with any mp3 192kb and above.

[miroozy]

u know um not asking about a marvelous earphones..like dr beats or somethin ..

i just need a decent earphones set that won't slip off my ear ..and gives me the full experience..

every set i tried is a failure ..u have to hold it with ur hand so u can have it all..or else ... u know..

[Marty_LK]

ok i can spend more..but ppl keep tellin me i should spend about 300$ ! i bought the pb for 200$ and spend 300$ for the earphones..it's not logical

i will try what u described

Well the PB is actually worth $500...it has the hardware worth it in it. But you don't have to spend $300 on a set of excellent IEMs. I bought my Klipsch Image X5 on eBay for $150. The SA6 should be much lower now that they are several years old. And you can find great bargains everywhere. I recommend Sound Earphones for a safe online retailer if eBay isn't your thing. But this is something you will want to take your time on and be patient in acquiring. At this cost of high-quality IEMs, you want to be very cautious and patient about finding just the right thing. Note all of your choices and research them. Try to find local shops where you can look at them...most places won't allow you to insert them and listen with them, a health thing. Take your time, don't rush into this.

[miroozy]

thanks so much for ur help...
i think um going to RadioShack they have a ton of IEMs

But what scares me the most ..that i can't try any !..

it might be crappy or just as bad as the ones i have