It's time we talked about... Earphones

edited June 2018 in General

One of the main reasons I got into iPad music production was so that I could compose while commuting and on-the-move. For this to be practical I need to travel as light as possible, so this usually means leaving all midi gear and my various full-size (semi-open) headphones at home, so I usually just grab my best pair of isolating in-ears for jamming on the train and in the city.

I've tried many in-ears over the years, and still on the hunt for the most balanced (studio friendly) frequency response I can find. Unfortunately most review sites (Head-fi etc) focus mainly on v-shaped consumer 'musicality' rather than precision or 'flat response', and I get the feeling there probably aren't many in-ears, if any, that were built for my needs.

I'm currently using a pair of Brainwavz B200 dual-BA earphones, which I am quite pleased with, but I just know there is probably something out there that's much better for mixing and EQ'ing, so wanted to put this thread out for discussion.

So my question is, what does everyone else use on their ears when making music on iPad... and what's the best solution they've found that's in-ear?

(Feel free to mention full size headphones if that's what you use, they just aren't portable and convenient —or isolating enough— for my needs. I also get a bit self-conscious wearing huge cans in public!)

Comments

  • edited June 2018

    Huh, I never got self conscious wearing my cans... maybe now I will be! 'Thanks'... ;) anyway...

    As for headphones i like my Seinhesser 380 HDs. Been wearing them for what must be around six or seven years now. Good price and they have a hard shell case for travel which I rarely use though as I wear them pretty much all day. They cup my ear great, no pressure at all. I hate anything in the ear (as I sleep with earplugs and need to rest them during the day). I replaced the coil cable with a nice simple straight nylon one a couple years ago which was a huge improvement for commuting. I have replaced the foam ear pads three times now, they are relatively inexpensive and last a couple years for me. I am sure the biggest problem are my glasses digging into them and also sometimes laying down on a neck pillow while wearing them etc, yadda etc.

    There may very well be better ones but the case was important at the time and now my ears have just got to know these so if they crapped out odds are I would get the same rather than ramp up again.

  • edited June 2018

    I use the V-moda Crossfade head. I've had them for the past couple years and they work great for me. I don't do too much serious mixing on them though but I like using them during my work break. Solid build quality too.

    https://www.amazon.ca/V-MODA-Crossfade-Wireless-Isolating-Headphones/dp/B015R7AGHC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1528140115&sr=8-3&keywords=v-moda+crossfade&dpID=51HUpgIuagL&preST

  • I find these do the job for me on my daily tube commute.
    Great frequency response in the lower 200s

  • edited June 2018

    I also prefer in-ears for convenience and portability... space in my backpack for commuting is already at a premium. Been rotating some sennheisers and Samsung’s, cheapies tbh while I just get into using BM3. Was looking at the Shure se215, which you can get moulds made for... haven’t come across brainwav before but they look quite decent!

  • @danlethal that sounds interesting where do you get the moulds made for the sures ?

  • I’ve been using apples in ears. They fit well and I find they have the best sound to me.

  • Apple earpods on the bike, Beyerdynamic dt770 in noisy places...

  • @denx said:
    Apple earpods on the bike, Beyerdynamic dt770 in noisy places...

    Which version of the DT770 do you use on iPad? They come in 32, 80 and 250ohm models, but I assumed only the 32 would ever play loud enough from the iPad's little headphone output (ie without amping)

  • @tk32 80, loud enough for me, but that’s subjective 😉 I even managed to partially blow one side🙄 but nevertheless, already 13 years of service, I can’t complain 😊

    The cable is a bit of a nuissance though when you’re on the move...

  • edited June 2018

    @groovey said:
    @danlethal that sounds interesting where do you get the moulds made for the sures ?

    There’s different places that do ear impressions if you search online for molded IEMs ... depends where you live on what type of service.

    This company offer it for any earphones https://snugs.com/product-range/

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