Need some good headphones

[Apple]

I have £50 to buy some new headphones. The ones I got with my iPhone are ok but on the official Apple website they only get a rating of 2.5/5. Out of the few hundred reviews many complain about poor reliability and only just satisfactory quality. As I have never had any other headphones than iPod and Jellies I suppose I have nothing better to compare them to as I always thought they were ok. I looked at the proper Skullcandy headphones but them type are just too bulky and in my opinion make you stand out and possibly look a bit weird since they are full on headphones you'd have in a studio or something. So either in-ear style or just normal style like the ones that come with iPods/iPhones is what I want and my budget is £50. iPod headphones are around £30 with bad reviews so some Sony/Phillips/Panasonic headphones at £50 with good reviews must be miles better. Thanks!

[Recursion]

Skullcandy is just a brand name, their products are actually crap, my set of in-ears lasted 2 months before one of them died lol.

For ~£25 you can get some Sennheiser CX-300 II in-ear earphones, great quality and have lasted me ages so far :)

[hamheyelliot]

You can't go wrong with some Sennheisers (http://hmv.com/hmvweb/simpleMultiSearch.do?searchUID=&pGroupID=0&adultFlag=false&primaryID=0&simpleSearchString=Sennheiser&btnSubmitSearch.x=0&btnSubmitSearch.y=0), sturdy German quality (as much as I hate saying that) and most come with a warranty of 2 years or so.

You don't really need to spend in excess of £20-30 for a good pair of in-ears really.

[N!ck]

I picked up a set of Sennheiser CX500s a year ago and they've been awesome.

Be careful with Sennheiser though, as there's a lot of fakes around. Buy direct from places like Play and Amazon (avoid their "marketsplaces") and steer well clear of eBay.

http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/8116316/Sennheiser-CX-400-Mark-II-Precision-Headphones/Product.html
http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/10852732/Sennheiser-CX300-II-Precision-ECO-Headphones-Black/Product.html

[Jordy]

I always go for Sennheisers as they're good value and great sound quality but I think you're going a bit over the top with the build quality. I've gone through well over 5 pairs in the past few years, the jack at the end often falls to pieces and if you play them on full blast they won't last long at all.

[LouisCollins]

Go to ebay, BOSE QC3 There emmence.

[Apple]

Thanks for the replies, I saw some Seinnheiser in-ear headphones on the Apple website for £230!! They are obviously a top brand so I have no doubt that even their cheaper products are good. You all seem to say they are the best so I am going to get some of them. Only thing is on comet/currys/pcworld/argos there are so many different versions of them below £50 so I'm a bit stuck. I have no idea which to buy as all the versions mean nothing to me. I guess I will just have to stick to the old rules of you get what you pay for so go for the most expensive (within £50) unless someone can help. :P

Edit: I know I said I'd probably get Seinnheiser but I just found these in-ear headphones that in 3 reviews get 5 stars saying they are perfect sound quality and are really well built. Someone even mentioned them being better than Seinhesser. I'm in a dilemma I just wanna get the best I can with my budget. :/

http://store.apple.com/uk/product/H0412LL/A?mco=MTg1NTI3MTc

[RedStratocas]

i actually just got a pair of super quality sennheiser headphones like a month ago, they're real awesome, i got this pair. (http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD555-HD-555-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B0001FTVDQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1280865628&sr=8-3) i know you said you didnt want studio headphones, but id definitely recommend the brand

[Apple]

i actually just got a pair of super quality sennheiser headphones like a month ago, they're real awesome, i got this pair. (http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD555-HD-555-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B0001FTVDQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1280865628&sr=8-3) i know you said you didnt want studio headphones, but id definitely recommend the brand

Thanks. I completely understand that them type are what you want if you are looking for the best sound quality/noise cancelation and if I had the cash I'd probably buy some of them just for home or long car/plane journeys however I need some that I can use out and about. In my mind I'd look pretty hideous walking through town with them on, you can't just have 1 ear listening to music either with the design of them. I now know that what I need is a pair of Seinhessers, I see they offer a 2 year guarantee unless they are the deep in-ear type for hygienic reasons. Just gonna browse my local online stores and find the best pair of Seinhessers for under £50. I'm setting off to the airport in the middle of tomorrow night (thursday morning) so I will need to of bought them tomorrow.

[Apple]

Ok sorry for the double post, unable to edit the previous. I know for sure I want the Sennheiser CX-500's as they are the best of the range and I can get them for around £50. Only problem is I need to have them by tomorrow night!!! I live in the greater manchester area so does anyone know any stores that sell them? Argos/Currys/Comet/PCworld do not seem to!!

[itsMIKEYY]

Skullcandy is just a brand name, their products are actually crap

What he said.

[Apple]

24 HOURS LEFT!!!!!!!!!!

[MattFr]

http://www.head-direct.com/product_detail.php?p=38

Everything about these looks cheap, but they are the single most amazing things I have EVER spent £50. The build quality is AMAZING (metal bodied, low micro-phonic cable), and the sound quality is unbelievable. These used to sell for around £200 and they were very highly regarded at that price, at ~£50 they are an absolute steal. On head-fi (a forum for audiophiles), these have been reviewed as the BEST IEMs unless you want to spend around a £1000 for custom fit ones. These earphones are reviewed as some of the clearest top end with some decent kicky bass IEMs around.

I know everyone says, "oh go with Sennheiser, they are a good well known brand", but cheap Sennheiser earphones, i.e. below £100, are frankly pathetic. The base is muddy, the build quality is low, mainly plastic construction with cheap cable. I've had quite a lot of earphones in my times, and these RE0s blow any other pair out the water. I had some ~£90 Sennheiser ones before, they sounded muddy and were pretty bad built.

[Jordy]

http://www.head-direct.com/product_detail.php?p=38

Everything about these looks cheap, but they are the single most amazing things I have EVER spent £50. The build quality is AMAZING (metal bodied, low micro-phonic cable), and the sound quality is unbelievable. These used to sell for around £200 and they were very highly regarded at that price, at ~£50 they are an absolute steal. On head-fi (a forum for audiophiles), these have been reviewed as the BEST IEMs unless you want to spend around a £1000 for custom fit ones. These earphones are reviewed as some of the clearest top end with some decent kicky bass IEMs around.

I know everyone says, "oh go with Sennheiser, they are a good well known brand", but cheap Sennheiser earphones, i.e. below £100, are frankly pathetic. The base is muddy, the build quality is low, mainly plastic construction with cheap cable. I've had quite a lot of earphones in my times, and these RE0s blow any other pair out the water. I had some ~£90 Sennheiser ones before, they sounded muddy and were pretty bad built.You almost sold me a pair then but then I read a review which rates them 5/5 yet adds on at the end;
"One issue I have with the cabling of the RE0s is that they transmit a lot of cable noise. Wearing them straight down while walking or performing any kind of activity that causes the IEMs to rub against your clothing, will result in microphonic noise being transmitted into your ears. It's annoying and distracting to be sure and using the included shirt clip and wearing them over-the-ear is practically required if you plan on walking with these."

In my eyes they are a complete fail then.

[MattFr]

You almost sold me a pair then but then I read a review which rates them 5/5 yet adds on at the end;
"One issue I have with the cabling of the RE0s is that they transmit a lot of cable noise. Wearing them straight down while walking or performing any kind of activity that causes the IEMs to rub against your clothing, will result in microphonic noise being transmitted into your ears. It's annoying and distracting to be sure and using the included shirt clip and wearing them over-the-ear is practically required if you plan on walking with these."

In my eyes they are a complete fail then.
They used to have fabric cable. They have since been re cabled. I notice no noise at all, not sure what that review is about. But seriously, these things are the BEST thing I have heard.