Best Earbud (not earplug) headphones to buy?

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hmm earbud is not a very descriptive term. in ear monitors give excellent bass performance, but it seems like you are wanting something of the type that doesnt seal and sits in the entrance to the ear, not actually in the ear, similar in format (but not quality) to the standard iBuds that come with ipods etc. ??

if that is your request, you are very limited for choice. the format as a whole isolates terribly, so if you want big bass, then you will be at the point of damaging your hearing to achieve it. when you can have a seal achieving the bass is easy.

there are a few that do pretty well, but they are not cheap and they really prefer to be used with a portable amp, due to higher than normal impedance (~150ohms) I speak of the PK1, PK2 and OK1, OK2

bass extension still doesnt approach good in ears though and isolation is terrible, thats unavoidable for this style of headphone

PKI

these are pretty much best in class and the design and price is exactly the same as when released like 5 years ago, consistently well reviewed and if driven well, I agree they can match some pretty serious fullsize headphones, decent soundstage too for a bud, but yeah not without caveats
 
During the dawn of MP3 players, a little earbud appeared. That looked exactly like hisound Paa1, but had a LOT more bass and a big right angle plug. Modern editions from hisound, pyle and others have a small straight plug and apparently no bass or perhaps the market has more fakes than real. Now, with a price-hike, the hisoundaudio paa1-PRO appears to be a re-decorated edition of the old one and the bass is back. And for avoiding fakes, there's a direct purchase link: PAA-1 PRO earbuds - Group1 - Product Catalog - hisoundservice.,Co.Ltd - DIYTrade.com Free Website
Am I on the right track?
Or, barking up the wrong tree?
 
$49 for a set of cheap plastic looking buds? I can't imagine bass being any good with this type of foam covered bud that just "hangs" off the ear and never makes a good seal with the canal.
For example Koss Sporta Pro ~$20 doesn't make a seal and thunders like Grado SR80, which also doesn't make a seal. Doing that with a smaller driver is merely harder but certainly not impossible.

When first introduced, PAA1 were about $2 OEM and really thundered. Next, the switched the plug to an ipod compatible and ruined the bass (aka the "pyle" earbud version). After that they redecorated and re-issued the old ones for $49 and made 2 more upmarket versions, one with good bass for $99 and one without for $150. Well, this is a bit hard to keep track of. I might spend the $49 or $99 for what I want, but may or may not get what I want. The only sure data is that the company IS able to make what I want and that they have done so in the past. But there is some question whether they currently produce it or ship it. . . or something else. Has anyone purchased the PAA1-Pro or Live recently? And, if so, does it have the mighty bass or is it limp?
 
grado SR80...bass? hmm I think we have a difference of definitions here

I havent heard anything of this type in this bracket fro a long time. I work in the industry, have about 4k in headphones spread across 5 pairs; so i'm not going to be much good, but what I can say is for this type of ugly, non-sealing not quite headphone, the yuins sound pretty close to a 300-350 dollar fullsize, bass will disappear in public with anything that doesnt seal, fact of life, but if you must have buds and dont realy feel like carrying a portable headphone amp, then the pk2 is a pretty safe bet.

still havent got an answer why no in ears? have you tried decent in ears? is it possible near you to try this stuff out? can you get to a local headfi meet?
 
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grado SR80...bass? hmm I think we have a difference of definitions here
So very true. Those do vary depending on how they're driven. Perhaps the SportaPro, PortaPro example was more meaningful. I have a modified pair of PortaPro, which are quite involving but not comfortable for long term wearing.
I havent heard anything of this type in this bracket fro a long time. I work in the industry, have about 4k in headphones spread across 5 pairs; so i'm not going to be much good, but what I can say is for this type of ugly, non-sealing not quite headphone, the yuins sound pretty close to a 300-350 dollar fullsize, bass will disappear in public with anything that doesnt seal, fact of life, but if you must have buds and dont realy feel like carrying a portable headphone amp, then the pk2 is a pretty safe bet.
Thanks for the info. Some of that still sounds like spend so much you give up the hunt. But, for earbuds, price and performance don't have to match.
still havent got an answer why no in ears? have you tried decent in ears? is it possible near you to try this stuff out? can you get to a local headfi meet?
Earbuds fit in my pocket and I don't get run over in traffic.
Earplug/IEM/In-Ear types seal off the sound so that I feel like I have the flu and can't hear approaching cars.
. . . and Earplug/IEM/In-Ear are off topic (see post #1)
 
Hi,

Be very careful of fakes if bargain hunting.

Discussing the bass of earbuds types seems fair enough given
its their major weakness, but if bass is the major concern then
other types should really be considered for better bass quality.

rgds, sreten.

Interest piqued, I've ordered some Yuin PK3's to see what
they are like. No doubt the the PK2's are better and the
PK1's don't suit straight drive from a Sansa Clip, but really
I just want to see if the PK3 bass is acceptable, the more
expensive PK2's have better mid/treble as I understand.
 
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Hi,

Well I'm listening to the PK3's at the moment. Took a EB chance on some
rewired with silver cable and a nice plug for $30 vs $40. The same place
does modded PK2's for $50, which is not bad at all compared to $80.

140.jpg


The bad news is they don't really hold a candle to my Sennheiser HD407's

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


You can walk around without getting run over, but they are hardly small.

The good news is they are surprisingly good with some tweaking of my
Sansa Clip custom graphic EQ. They get very near some good Sony
overear open backed phones I have in a relatively tiny form factor.

Sony MDR-G64SL Street Style Neckband Headphones *NEW* 4901780827053 | eBay (see item description)

BnDu73WkKGrHqUH-DcEtvJ5qQ20BLhRNZhn.jpg


(They look a lot better with the round covers, 30mm drivers)

They can take the full power output of my Sansa Clip without distorting,
it distorts first, and generally speaking the sound is remarkably good,
very clean and even for earbuds, especially the bass. The only caveat
is I never use my Clips EQ for my in-ear buds and larger supra aural
headphones so I can reserve the custom settings for the PK3's.

Bottom line is they easily take on and sound like good smaller
supra aural headphones in a tiny package with a little bit of EQ,
something I could never say about any other earbuds I've tried.

One thing to note is they can't approach the sensitivity and SPL
of bigger over ear supra aural phones so you will run them at
higher battery draining levels, and you can't run them at levels
that will drown out any significant background noise, full stop.

Colour me impressed, they certainly are a hifi nuts type of
earbud, the type that understands the compromises made.

I suspect that even for the PK3's a booster amplifier would help.

rgds, sreten.

Note that the references to EQ are because I like a rich
laidback balance, not all do, and I don't pretend to be
the average, with the right EQ, quality is remarkable.

References to EQ are also in a totally quiet background
for best sound quality, it doesn't work like that in the
real world, e.g. exaggerated vocals work well with
a background of chatter, but are too much quiet.
 
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@sreten
The PAA1 original (discontinued) and new Pro (same thing for $30 more): They still need a little bit of eq if one wants a laid back involving sound. And they don't match the performance or eq setting of full size headphones. The bass is not as much as full size headphones, but it is clearer and even lowest pitches are fairly loud. The earbuds are plentifully loud without a booster amp. And the earbuds are doing their job to provide a touch of hi-fi without blocking off the outside world.

Less highbrow, more bass: They give a rendering suited to people who enjoy loud playback. This is not the same thing as the hyper-clear highbrow rendering that is less enjoyable at full blast. No sir. These earbuds have one purpose and that's for jammin out to popular music. They do it well; but, perhaps a different selection could be more versatile.

Bass? Kudos! Very effective.
Transparency? Quite good, but I'd like better.
 
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Recently I tried the EarPods from Apple, the best I have heard so far. With some mods, it really shines. They have implemented some design work that is technically correct, namely, the little slots and openings. I plan to get another pair for implementing mods.
 
Linkwitz "Sound Pictures" CD is a really good reference for spacial presentation when using earphones. The more correct earphones get, the more 3D the sound field gets. If the recording were done with the mics just outside the ears, then ultimately you will feel like you are right there live.
 
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