You guys seem to be the biggest experts on audio that I know, so I'm asking for your help. I bought a pair of Sony in-ear headphones a while ago, which were great (at least, they were to my ears). The problem with those, which I discovered about a month ago, is that they weren't particularly durable. The rubber around the wires is stripping away at a fairly alarming rate, and it's leaving a lot of wire exposed. They're also starting to develop a noticeable crackle. I'd like to point out that these weren't treated recklessly, either, so I'm not sure what the cause is/was, and I have also discovered that this happened to a friend of my brothers who owned the same model.

So here's my problem. I need to get a new pair, of decent quality, which won't wear as quickly as these did. It's actually the first time I've ever experienced the cover peel away like that. They also need to be in-ear, as I can't stand wearing the other variety since I've been using this pair. I hear a lot of good things about Sennheiser, but I don't know if that quality is present in everything or only their expensive products. I'm looking at around a £40 limit, as I'm on a budget at the moment. I was looking at something like the CX 300 pair. Any suggestions for the uninformed purchaser? Particularly any models that stand out from Play.com, as I've had a good experience shopping with them generally.

I've got the exact same pair of Sony headphones and I'd agree that they're great, I'd also agree that they aren't very durable.

Although I've never had a pair wear like you're describing I have however gone through 3 different pairs with the right earpiece failing each time, all in the space of 2 years. Although I've got free replacements on two occassions the fact that it has happened so often gets me concerned. Again I'm quite careful looking after my stuff and its not even as if they get used all that much.

So I'd also be quite interested if anyone has any ideas on a similar product from a different company.

Sony headphones break easily. I've gone through two pairs, and they've both had the same problem.

The Sony earbuds I have are pretty good for what they are. I've had them a while and they're still in tip-top condition. Good for listening while on the move.

They don't compare to my Sennheiser HD 485s, however.

I think those CX 300s are rebranded Sharp MD-33s or similar, in which case they are a good choice.

If you want to stretch your budget a few more pounds, get the Etymotic ER-6i (they now come in black!). They will absolutely destroy anything below their price level in durability, sound quality and isolation. All Etymotic phones block a good 25-30 dB of ambient noise, other wannabe canalphones (like Sony, Sennheiser, Sharp, etc) block only 15-20 dB. They are true canalphones that insert deep into your ear canal. That said, it takes some time to learn how to insert them properly. The ER-6is are also a little week on bass, but if your player has a bass boost or EQ, it's not a problem.

The Shure E2C are of similar price to the ER-6i, and overall provide inferior sound, but have more bass. Because its cable is designed to loop around your ear, there are less microphonic effects (the noise you hear in your ears as a result of the cable moving around). The ER-6i have a very detailed sound...they have a non-linear volume curve, you can hear things in them that even the best full sized headphones won't reproduce at the same volumes. The voices in Pink Floyd songs are a great example. They are perfectly audible at moderate volume levels on any Etymotic phone, but even on my $225 Beyerdynamic DT 880s, I have to turn up the volume to hear them clearly. The downside to that is that they reveal artifacts in recordings and encodings. 128 Kbps MP3s will sound worse than ever, and modern recordings which are mastered poorly will sound even worse. But you probably won't care about that unless you're an audiophile.

Bottom line: Etymotic ER-6i or Shure E2C. Anything below that is a waste of money.

everybody seems to buy sennheisers these days

That's because they're usually pretty good. The thing about Sennheiser is, they usually have several good products at each price point, but also many BAD products at the same price points. They have the manufacturing resources to make all the good and bad products, and have the marketing to sell all of them.

Thanks, Emon. Somehow I knew I could count on a helpful reply from you Er...those Etymotic headphones...they don't pose any kind of risk to your hearing, do they? Just how you were saying they go deep into your ear canal, and I tend to use headphones a lot =/

I use Bose Tri-Ports. Not bad for $150.

They're basically the same as earplugs. Just don't push them in so far that they hurt...they should be in deep enough to get a good seal, but easy enough to pull out without yanking on the cable. They come with two kinds of tips, disposable foam ones and soft silicone tips. The silicone tips should suit you fine, but some people must resort to the foamies for comfort. The problem with foamies is that they wear out and you have to buy more. The silicone tips don't wear out very easily and are very easily cleaned.

I've used them all day for weeks at a time, they are never a problem. Unless you have some freakishly shaped ear canal or get a zit in your ear canal (it can happen, and is very painful when it does), you'll forget you have them in after a while. Just be sure to give them a week or two at least, and read the insertion instructions! It seems obvious but a lot of people return them because they didn't put them in correctly (it's not hard, people are just dumb I guess).


More like a ripoff for $150. The Triports are worth $50 at best, less if you consider their totally shoddy construction.

I really can't imagine spending £100+ on headphones. Just seems to excessive to me =/

That said, I've decided on stretching to the Etymotic ER-6i's. Thanks for all the help