In-ear headphones

[leftybassman392]

My venerable and much-loved Shure Pro in-ear jobbies have started to play silly buggers, so it looks like it's time for a new set. I don't play or teach for a living any more (so I don't need the £800+ ones I saw on Amazon), but I do want quality and am looking at a price point up to £200 (which is roughly what the previous set cost) if need be. Shure make the SE215s at around £90 (which looks pretty good value to me), and the SE425s on a SpOff at £199. Is it worth me shelling out the extra? Is there anything else I've missed?

Normally I'd just ask a colleague what they're using, but I'm out of touch with recent developments in this type of kit and am hoping that there's folks around these parts who've bought new in-ears recently and can offer some up-to-date advice...

Anyone?

[Chrismanbass]

nothing wrong with shure 215's gigged them as in ear monitors and they were fine the cables are a tad brittle (I went through 3 pairs in a year my westones have been subject to the same abuse and are fine)

one thing I would say from experience is that if you can spare the cash then go for the 315's they're just that little bit nicer and clearer in the high mids without being harsh (a problem with the 215's IMO)

more drivers will obviously make a difference whether its £100 difference I can't say as I've not listened to them

I would also recommend westone as a company I currently run the 4R (quad driver) as my in ears, but they're probably a bit overkill and definitely over your stated budget (but very nice)

Westone do the UM pro series which are nice and reliable (able to be coiled round you hand and shoved into pockets) and IMO knock spots off the shures in terms of sound

the UM pro 10's are single driver at £104
[url="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Westone-UM-Pro-Clear-Earphones/dp/B00EXN4GK0"]https://www.amazon.co.uk/Westone-UM-Pro-Clear-Earphones/dp/B00EXN4GK0[/url]

or the UM pro 20's are dual driver at 209
[url="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Westone-20-Earphones-10-Screw-Detachable-Transparent/dp/B00FKXZE5I/ref=pd_lpo_23_tr_t_2/262-2277961-4718451?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=EP3WKHGM1H6XN5A9DGVR"]https://www.amazon.co.uk/Westone-20-Earphones-10-Screw-Detachable-Transparent/dp/B00FKXZE5I/ref=pd_lpo_23_tr_t_2/262-2277961-4718451?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=EP3WKHGM1H6XN5A9DGVR [/url]

[BobVbass]

Have a look at Fenders new ones as well - great reviews

[fretmeister]

I went cheap last time as I needed a beach pair.

I got some Soundmagic ones and was frankly astonished. Definitely worth trying.

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='BobVbass' timestamp='1492496122' post='3280621']
Have a look at Fenders new ones as well - great reviews
[/quote]
They aren't exactly new - they are rebadged Aurisonics, which Fender bought just over a year ago. Aurisonic were certainly a top manufacturer in the IEM world - and whilst no inears freak would buy something with Fender written on, I can fully understand why Fender wanted to get a presence in the music shops and appeal to the musician.

IMHO, if you were asking my opinion what you should be getting for under £200, you should be getting some UE900s. You can currently get them from here - https://www.eglobalcentral.co.uk/logitech-ultimate-ears-ue900s-headphone-en.html - (I know the site looks a bit err... but the goods are legit) for just over £150. That will give you a quad balanced armature setup with a dual bass, single mid and single top. The difference between a single driver (or even the 425 dual driver) and a quad driver is night and day.

[leftybassman392]

Thanks for the input guys. I'll mull it over. I'm currently looking at the UMPro20s but I'll report back once I've had something for a while.

[leftybassman392]

Update: Just to let folks know, I went with the Shure 425s. I was going to buy the Pro20s but by the time I was in a position to buy the special offer they'd been on had ended, taking them outside my budget.

Since I have no back-to-back comparison I can only go with what I have; and what I have sound pretty good. It's a noticeable improvement over the last set at their best; even, extended bass and much improved clarity with a nice crisp top end. They'll do nicely for what I need.

Thanks again to everybody who contributed. If I didn't go with your recommendation, please don't take it personally.

[leftybassman392]

[LewisK1975]

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1492505855' post='3280709']
IMHO, if you were asking my opinion what you should be getting for under £200, you should be getting some UE900s. You can currently get them from here - [url="https://www.eglobalcentral.co.uk/logitech-ultimate-ears-ue900s-headphone-en.html"]https://www.eglobalc...adphone-en.html[/url] - (I know the site looks a bit err... but the goods are legit) for just over £150. That will give you a quad balanced armature setup with a dual bass, single mid and single top. The difference between a single driver (or even the 425 dual driver) and a quad driver is night and day.
[/quote]

I got these (after some discussion with Russ) and confirm they are absolutely brilliant. I also got the SE215s as my first 'toe dip' into IEM's and they were fine, but the UE900s are a different league sound-wise. They were £30 more than that when I got mine too. Harrumph!

I will say that comfort-wise, I did prefer the shures, due to the overall shape of the units, it sat very nicely in my ear 'cavity'. The UE900s are not 'uncomfortable' by any means, but the shure's overall shape is more like a custom unit. With the UE900s, you are relying on the tips to hold them in, so getting the right size is very important.

Also a plus for the UE900s is that they can (Russ feel free to chip in here) be used as donors for putting into custom moulds quite easily.