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R - 188 G - 190 B - 192 R - 132 G - 89 B - 20 R - 0 G - 0 B - 0 Playback because music matters GUIDE TO Earphones & Custom-fit in-ear monitors Sponsored by Earphones & Custom-Fit In-Ear Monitors contents Introduction Headphone Buying Tips from Playback: What Buyers Need to Know About Universal-Fit Earphones What Buyers Need to Know About Custom-Fit In-Ear Monitors On the Horizon: New Earphones Headed Our Way Universal-fit earphones under $100 Apple In-Ear Headphones Audio-Technica ATH-ANC23 Denon AH-C551 NuForce NE-700X & NE-700M Jays a-JAYS Three Klipsch Image S4i Koss KDX200 Silver Koss KDX300 Gold Sennheiser CX300-II Skullcandy Smokin’ Buds Skullcandy Titan Skullcandy FMJ Ultimate Ears UE600 Yurtopia Yurbuds Universal-fit earphones $100–$300 Beats By Dr. Dre Tour Etymotic Research hf2 Etymotic Research ER-4P Future Sonics Atrio HiFiMAN RE-262 Monster Cable Turbine Monster Cable Turbine Pro Gold Phiaton PS200 Phiaton PS210i Phiaton PS20 NC Phonak Audeo PFE 122 Universal-fit earphones $300 and Up Klipsch Image X10i Monster Cable Turbine Pro Copper Monster Cable Miles Davis Tribute Sennheiser IE 7 Sennheiser IE 8 Shure SE535 Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 Westone TrueFit 4 Custom-Fit In-Ear Monitors JH Audio JH16 PRO Sensaphonics 2MAX Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitors Westone ES5 Sponsored by Sponsored by 2 Playback Guide to earphones & custom-fit in-ear monitors www.avguide.com previous page TABLE OF CONTENTS NEXT page EDITORIAL PUBLISHER Jim Hannon EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Chris Martens SENIOR Editor Tom Martin GUIDE TO earphones & custom-fit in-ear monitors R - 188 G - 190 B - 192 R - 132 G - 89 B - 20 R - 0 G - 0 B - 0 Playback because music matters creative CREATIVE director Shelley Lai production manager Aaron Chamberlain designer Mikki Bullock corporate office NEXTSCREEN, LLC, Inc. CHAIRMAN & CEO  Tom Martin VP/GROUP PUBLISHER  Jim Hannon advertising ADVERTISING REPS  Cheryl Smith (512)-891-7775 Marvin Lewis MTM Sales (718)-225-8803 Scott Constantine (609)-275-9594 To sign up for Buyer’s Guides alerts, click here Address letters to the Editor: Playback Guide, 8868 Research Blvd., Suite 108, Austin, TX 78758 or cmartens@nextscreen.com ©2011 NextScreen, LLC 4 Playback Guide to earphones & custom-fit in-ear monitors www.avguide.com previous page TABLE OF CONTENTS NEXT page While some might regard earphones as interchangeable, garden-variety appliances, Playback begs to differ. Our position is that earphones, though admittedly small, are very significant pieces of audio equipment that can make a huge difference in terms of sound quality and comfort. If you’re interested in earphones at all, we believe it’s worth taking some extra time to make discerning, well-informed choices, which is what this Guide aims to help you do. Few other investments can bring music lovers more enjoyment per dollar than a well-chosen set of earphones. This Guide focuses primarily on Universal-Fit Earphones (or “in-ear headphones”), but also touches on more exotic and specialized Custom-Fit In-Ear Monitors. To help you get started, we provide two important background articles: • “What Buyers Need To Know About Universal-Fit Earphones” • “ What Buyers Need To Know About Custom-Fit In-Ear Monitors” Next, we provide a wide-ranging survey article, “On the Horizon: New Earphones Headed Our Way”, to help you keep abreast of new developments in our industry. Universal-Fit Earphones are available at many different price points and typically are sized and shaped to fit a wide range of listeners. As a rule they also come with multiple sizes or types of eartips in order to help you achieve a good, comfortable fit. This Guide covers three classes of universal-fit earphones: • Models Priced Under $100 (15 models reviewed) • Models Priced From $100 to $300 (11 models reviewed) • Models Priced Above $300 (8 models reviewed) Custom-Fit In-Ear Monitors feature, as their name suggests, earpieces that are custom molded to fit the exact contours of the owner’s ears. They also typically provide exotic, high- performance driver arrays and pay close attention to the fine points of sound reproduction. In short, these are the Ferraris, and Lamborginis of the earphone world. Our Guide takes a close look at four representative models. We hope you have as much fun reading this Guide as we did preparing it, and that it takes you forward in your quest for better sound. Enjoy. Chris Martens, Editor, Playback W elcome to the Playback Guide to Earphones & Custom-Fit In-Ear Monitors. Let us tell you right up front that this Guide has been created by and for people who are passionate about music and who want to make the most of their listening experiences. INTRODUCTION 6 Playback Guide to earphones & custom-fit in-ear monitors www.avguide.com previous page TABLE OF CONTENTS NEXT page Headphone Buying Tips from Playback What Buyer’s Need to Know About Universal-Fit Earphones M ost of us are familiar with the ubiquitous “earbuds” that come with most personal digital music players and some cell phones. You know the ones I’m referring to: they’re small, button-shaped devices that fit loosely in your outer ear and that let you listen to music with, to be generous, some fidelity, but not nearly as much as you might want. In simple terms, this Guide is all about exploring sonically superior alternatives to box-stock, el cheapo earbuds— alternatives that take the form of universal-fit in-ear headphones (or earphones, for short). So, let’s begin with the first and most important question. What Makes Universal-Fit Earphones Better Than Garden-Variety Earbuds? Answer: Better Drivers = Better Sound Almost all universal-fit earphones use drive units that are superior to those found in stock earbuds. Better in what ways? Better in terms of frequency response, transient speed, resolution, detail, and dynamics. As you get more involved in the hobby, you’ll discover that some earphones use dynamic “moving coil”-type drivers that can be thought of as miniaturized versions of the dynamic drivers found in most high-performance loudspeakers. Other earphones, typically higher-end models, use “balanced- armature”-type drivers that are thought to be capable of even higher levels of sonic purity, detail, and resolution. Finally, some of the more expensive high-end models use multiple driver arrays, with dedicated bass drivers (“woofers”), midrange drivers, and high-frequency drivers (“tweeters”)— again, driver arrays that are much like the ones you might find in high-performance loudspeakers. Answer: Better Sound Isolation = Less Noise, More Music One huge (and we do mean HUGE) difference between high performance earphones and garden-variety earbuds is that earphones are invariably equipped with specialized eartips that are designed to form a comfortable but airtight seal in the Chris Martens Westone’s TrueFit 4 is a three-way, four-driver universal fit earphone 7 Playback Guide to earphones & custom-fit in-ear monitors www.avguide.com previous page TABLE OF CONTENTS NEXT page wearer’s ear canals. A good airtight seal gives three essential benefits whose significance cannot be overstated. Noise Isolation: A good airtight seal helps block out a tremendous amount of environmental noise, so that you can really hear what the music sound likes—without background noise polluting the experience. (Hint: Even seemingly quiet environments are noisier than you might think.). Better Driver Performance: The airtight seal enables the earphone’s drivers to couple with your eardrums in a precise way, foster dramatic improvements in perceived frequency response—especially at the bass end of the audio spectrum. A Personalized Fit: Eartips can be made of a variety of materials (soft rubber, silicone, hybrid silicone-gel materials, or compressible foam), each of which has different properties in terms of noise isolation and wearer comfort. The objective, always, is to get an airtight seal, but without putting too much (or too little) pressure on your ear canals. Makers of universal-fit earphones recognize that one size doesn’t fit all. For this reason, universal fit earphones often come with eartips that are offered in a wide range of shapes and sizes, allowing users to seek out a customized, personalized fit (which is where the term “universal-fit” really comes into play). The point is that universal-fit models give users options, where the goal is to achieve an airtight seal (necessary for optimal sound) and a fit that remains comfortable even for longer listening sessions. What New Developments Should I Know About? Answer: Combo Earphone/Headsets Are Becoming Increasingly Popular As more and more listeners choose high-performance, music- capable cellphones as their personal music players of choice, earphone makers have responded by offer combination earphone/headsets. At a bare minimum, these provide small, inline microphone/remote modules with simple, basic “call send/end” switches. More elaborate models provide additional remote control functions, with some in particular including the Apple-standard 3-button remote control functions. Answer: Models with High-End Multi-Driver Arrays Are Increasingly Common Once the almost exclusive province of costly custom-fit in-ear monitors, exotic multi-driver arrays are now more commonly seen in today’s best universal-fit earphones. The upshot: increasingly sophisticated sound and muscular dynamic capabilities. Answer: Some “Universal-Fit” Earphones Now Offer Options for Slip-On Custom-Molded Eartips In an effort to match some of the benefits of custom-fit in-ear monitors, some makers of universal-fit earphones now offer programs where owners can order custom-molded, custom-fit, slip-on eartips to use in place of standard universal-fit eartips. Naturally, this process uploads/Litterature/ earphones-buyers-guide.pdf

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