[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.