premium/shure ear buds vs over the ear headphones

[masraum]

I've seen here on the board a few folks mention the Shure ear buds, specifically, Spuggy used to talk about how he had worked his way up from some of the inexpensive models to where he had some of the very expensive models. I haven't heard them myself, but I'm wondering...

How does a premium (like the several hundred dollar Shures) ear bud compare to an over the ear headphone?

Shure even makes over the ear headphones, and the most expensive they make are only ~$300, I think, but they make ear buds that are nearly $1k.

I would think that you could get better sound out of an over the ear headphone, but maybe not?

[Cajundaddy]

I am a certified music fanatic and spend a significant amount of time in both live performance and the studio. I don't think you have to spend "hundreds" to get very good quality sound with either headphones or in ear monitors.

The Shure 215 is around $100 and is a staple of the industry offering both isolation and good flat, musical response. The Sony MDR-7506 headphones are similarly priced and can be found on the mixing desk of many 1st tier producers and engineers. When I want long term comfort I prefer the Sony headphones. When I am performing or want isolation on a long flight I choose Shure IEM.

Are there better choices for more $$$? It gets really subjective above this price point so try them and trust your ears.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Cajundaddy

I am a certified music fanatic and spend a significant amount of time in both live performance and the studio. I don't think you have to spend "hundreds" to get very good quality sound with either headphones or in ear monitors.

The Shure 215 is around $100 and is a staple of the industry offering both isolation and good flat, musical response. The Sony MDR-7506 headphones are similarly priced and can be found on the mixing desk of many 1st tier producers and engineers. When I want long term comfort I prefer the Sony headphones. When I am performing or want isolation on a long flight I choose Shure IEM.

Are there better choices for more $$$? It gets really subjective above this price point so try them and trust your ears.

When I was a youngster, I was purchasing my first stereo. My dad took me to the local stereo shop which was right out the back gate of the military base where we lived in Japan. I was in a room full of speakers on a large switchbox looking at various speakers. I was (being a kid, maybe 13) basing it on size, price, etc.... My dad said "don't look at the speakers or what they cost, listen to them and pick the speakers that sound the best." I ended up with a very inexpensive set (we were in Japan, so most of that stuff was pretty cheap since that was the origin for a lot of it.) I ended up with a pair of Kenwoods that had a 10" woofer, a mid range, a tweeter and a "super tweeter". They sounded great and lasted many, many years. I wish I still had them. Kenwood KL-A500, I think was the model number. I think I paid $165 for the pair.

I've got a pair of Plantronics over the ear headphones w/ANC that I use for work and conference calls. To me they sound great, but I haven't been able to compare them to anything else. I see that Shure has started making something comparable. I'm not ready to replace the Plantronics yet, but when I do, the Shures will get a look.

Thanks.

My question was more about quality of sound. Can you get comparable sound quality out of a small in-ear bud that you can get out of an over the ear phone. I'm guessing maybe you can, but it's more difficult which is probably why there are Shure ear buds that cost nearly a grand compared to they most expensive headphones that are less than half of that.

[Cajundaddy]

Originally Posted by masraum

My question was more about quality of sound. Can you get comparable sound quality out of a small in-ear bud that you can get out of an over the ear phone. I'm guessing maybe you can, but it's more difficult which is probably why there are Shure ear buds that cost nearly a grand compared to they most expensive headphones that are less than half of that.

I would say yes and there is a huge selection of IEMs available including some with 3 drivers that can reproduce amazing things. Sound effects engineers often use them to tune soundtracks for major motion pictures. One company does a personal listening appointment where they form the IEM to the shape of your ear and allow you to test several different models extensively with your own music sources. These are often the $800-$1200 variety. Several musician friends chose these and like em:
https://pro.ultimateears.com/

My needs are simpler. I just want a reasonably smooth flat response from 50hz-15khz and no big bumps in the bass, mids or highs. No "boom and sizzle" for me as sometimes I wear them for 8 hours or longer and I find really hot phones with a lot of *character* to be tiring after a while.

[dan79brooklyn]

Westone makes some very good in ear monitors

https://www.westone.com/store/music/universal-series

I ordered a pair of $40 Klipsch online and these $400 ones from westone arrived.
I decided to keep them

[Mike Andrew]

I have a set of Shure E3 buds and lreally enjoy them. Really only use them for skiing with mi I pod(yeah, old school) Neighbor worked for Shure and got them at cost which is even sweeter.
Never been a big fan of external headphones but did have a pair of Sennheiser phones years ago that were pretty unobtrusive and very lightweight,