While I too dislike the in-ear feel, wireless IEMs are the lesser evil for many travel, commuting, and gym uses. Regular headphones are bulky, get in the way of many activities, get bumped off, will be hot as blazes during the summer, can’t be worn with hats and winter clothes, and get drenched in sweat with any serious physical activity.
The AirPods and AirPods Pro do not feel great in the ears, yes. A less costly comfort option than custom gel is simple memory foam. Memory foam tips don’t last more than a few months with heavy use, but are cheap to replace and customize themselves on the fly.
I highly suggest looking into one of those around-the-neck type bluetooth earphones.
something like Sennheiser’s IE100 Pro wireless or Shure’s RMCE-BT2 with any mmcx connector IEMs. Since the RMCE-BT2 is discontinued and will be a little harder to find, you can also check out their AONIC 215 TW2. It’s a little over budget, but still something to consider.
These will allow you to detach your IEMs for a wired cable for home use or whenever the bluetooth receivers run out of juice.
If it needs to be truly wireless, SHOKZ OpenFit is an option I suggest. It’s not bone conduction, but it also circumvents having to shove something in your ear canal.
In essence, if there are no earphones that fit your ears and want a quick solution rather than spending a lifetime searching for eartips and accessories that work, there are products out there that don’t require you to shove anything in your ear canal.
Funny how we wouldn’t be having this conversation if there were more brick n’ mortar stores for people to try stuff.
The Final ZE3000 are good and have a few different tips to choose from. They don’t have ANC, but have good seal for passive noise cancelling. At least, they do in my ears.
I’m looking for my next headphone. Currently I have a focal elex I’m like it but I want something with a bigger sound stage and I’m open to trying new sound signatures. Thank for any advice you can give me!
Hello everyone this is my first post .
I have been no stranger to the world of music and the wonderful equipment that reproduces it, for us, not lucky enough to go to concerts every day(like I did in Portugal when I was 20 ).
anyway I am after a really nice set of headphones for Classical music and I think the Shure SRH 1540 would probably do the trick , Or would consider other interesting suggestions of headphones . These used,.( Shure’s) … are pretty much what I want to spend ,$250’ish . I only learned about them from combing this website.I do not know that much about ,on ear ,or in ear audio . but have a very old pair , buy the way, of Stax with amp not set up. I need something I can use with almost anything from a Walkman ( I own some tapes )and need to buy that too…, to a phone on the train . I want to separate myself from the disgraceful subways in NYC .
Also I mainly like old recordings and would love to find a source to get some live streaming ( on a machine I could carry ) version of my favorite , maybe 1960’s recordings .
Thanks
Alex
My solution would be a phone+a qudelix dongle+ iem of choice. Sound can be very high quality+ noise can be kept out (iems isolate much better)+ and almost all music is available.
Hi Alex: I listen every day to classical music, and my usual choice has been Sennheiser HD600 headphones, but they need an amplifier.
For listening on a train, won’t you need noise-cancelling (ANC) headphones? Consider Bose QuietComfort 45, an older model with decent sound and excellent noise cancelling ability.
You present several different challenges. Use with a phone, use with a walkman - you say “tapes” so that would be an early Walkman. On a train - separate from the subway.
I’d suggest the Sennheiser Momentum 4. You can use it wired with your Walkman. Wirelessly with phone. It has ANC. It has an app that lets you EQ.
The sound is adequate, not spectacular, but you’re in a noisy environment. It does not give the closed cup feel that a less electronic headphone would - I hated the Audeze LCD2 closed back, and would never want it for classical.
I find the EQ choices on the Momentum 4 headphone (not the IEM) are flexible enough that you can dial it in to what you want.
yes an early walkman a fisher .The Sennheiser Momentum 4 sounds like a good possibility to me I would like to know though, is it better then the 3 ?. . I know the Shure SRH 1540-a , wasn’t as nice as the 1540 . and you don’t recommend the Shure because it isn’t versatile enough for portable travel circumstances ?
This is an exiting option too . I have found the qudelix very interesting would it significently improve a Sennheiser Momentum head phone too . and could you also use it with an old walkman and a wired IEM ?
I bought a Momentum 4 when I was temporarily without headphones and was pleasantly surprised with the versatility. It’s better than the 3, yes, but it is not in the HD 600 category.
I don’t know the Shure well so can’t compare but it does not have ANC. In a noisy environment listening to classical I’d trade overall quality for noise reduction and flexible EQ any day. Not that the Senn is a slouch. Further I actually use it both wired and wireless. It’s great for movies too.
I have many higher end choices but my 4 gets its share of use and I’ve never regretted buying it. I do listen to classical also. Sometimes it tries to do too much electronically but that can be turned off.
Thanks for your help. If I buy Headphones, I will buy these .
But I am also considering IEM ‘ s now .
Very versatile, and cool in the summer months .
Good value for performance.
Second hand I would spend about $100 .
And add maybe a Dac ?
What would you suggest??
If you’re now considering IEM’s, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 should be considered, or the equivalent Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro if you have an Android phone. Both are TWS, have good noise cancellation and offer good sound quality.
For your travels, noise cancellation and being wireless will really come in handy. Also, for IEMs, I don’t find a DAP is necessary; just use an Apple dongle with your phone - it has a built-in DAC.
I recently got three IEMs to try and haven’t had the best luck.
I got the
Moondrop Kato
Meze Alba
Crinacle Red
The Crinacle red is pretty good. For the money I don’t think I’ll return it. Pretty balanced. But not refined as the other two.
I’m looking to return the Kato and Alba and maybe get something else.
BTW I EQ all my headphones and IEMs through Roon.
The Kato has great details, but the treble is odd sounding and grainy and harsh and can’t really be dialed out. It’s thin as well.
I do love the soundstage on the Kato and the bass detail.
But the dynamics kinda suck and there isn’t punch and attack.
The Alba has better treble and better timbre than the Kato but doesn’t have bass detail and the soundstage is better on the Kato. the Alba also has better punch and attack.
Any recommendation on a good IEM to get which has great timbre , not harsh up top, good fast transient attack and punch and a good soundstage for the price of Kato or if I return both the Kato and Alba and just get one in their place?
I use L and XL large tips btw. I’m 6 foot 2 inches. Don’t know if that correlates to ear canal size. I’m 55 and can hear up to 16khz. The Katos highs though are hard to dial out.
Much appreciated !
@Precogvision im paging you because I read your review of the Kato and it mirrors my impression of it as well. Could you recommend something based on my needs above? Would really appreciate it.
You might look for a used Audeze iSine 20, which can be EQ’d with ROON. I think they and the cypher cables are getting grabbed up. I like foam tips with them. Without EQ they will be wonky. They are designed for EQ.
Definitely something different. I liked mine so much I bought the LCDi3. And finally the LCDi4.
I like the Zero Red, and thought your comments were spot on. I haven’t heard anything in the $200 and under that I like more. Many compromises. That’s why I suggested used. Also I’m not that much of an IEM guy. Apple AirPods, the Audeze line = not much like other planar IEMs. Older tech, but huge diaphragm 30 mm