Re: MD: MZ-R70, Best Earbuds
las [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: There seems to be a unanimous opinion that the Etymotic ear plugs are the finest you can get and many people believe that they are even better than any of the full sized headphones. But at $269.00 (USD), there must be a set costing under $100 that some one makes that are close?? Nope, not even ;) Seriously... $269 seems a kind of outrageous price to me for a set of headphones! You can buy a very decent pair of speakers for that price. Just as you can buy a $3000 pair of speakers that will sound amazingly better than a $300 pair of speakers, you can buy a $269 set of headphones that will sound amazingly better than a $50 pair. I personally owned a pair of Etymotics for a few years, and I can say that apart from the Sennheiser 580s (full-sized headphones that used to retail for $300, but are now around $175), I've never heard a pair of headphones come close to the detail, accuracy, and simply *enjoyable* sound produced by the Etymotics. I made an impulse purchase of a par of Koss ear buds that have these soft "rubber" cones that slide over a tube and cost $19.99. I can't remember the name They are yellow, black and blue with a mute switch (why not a true volume control?). In my opinion they sound really bad and are only suitable for spoken word. Yes, those are "The Plug" -- simply one of the worst headphones on the market. Headwize has a tutorial for how to improve the sound by replacing the earbud pads, but even after that they are still not worth the cost of the new earpads, IMO ;) But there must be something out there for about $75 dollars that comes close the the $269.00 Etymotics?? NO?? Well, not "close" but there are several that are pretty good. The consensus is that the next-best earbuds are the Sony 888s, at around US $75. They don't isolate external sound at all (the Etymotics block EVERYTHING), but they have very good sound for earbuds. After the 888s, the "next-best" really depend on your needs. If you need isolation, the Sony EX-70 (around US $40) are the way to go. They have a pretty good seal on your ear, and good sound, including impressive bass. The highs are a bit unbalanced, and for some people the bass is a bit overemphasized, but nonetheless the sound is quite good. If you do not need isolation, go with the Sennheiser MX-500 (US $20). These have better overall sound than the EX-70s, but don't provide the same isolation or extra bass response. Apart from the four models listed above, I personally wouldn't buy any other earbud -- because of their physical limitations, it's difficult to build an earbud that actually produces good sound. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MZ-R70, Best Earbuds
There seems to be a unanimous opinion that the Etymotic ear plugs are the finest you can get and many people believe that they are even better than any of the full sized headphones. But at $269.00 (USD), there must be a set Nope. They are **that** good. The closest thing to great sound you might get for 100 USD are the Grado 60s ($70), the Grado 80s ($95), or the Sennhesier 495s ($95). The closest thing you can get for less than the Etys price are the Sennhesier 580s ($199). But don't expect anything near what the Etymotics can offer. Francisco. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MZ-R70, Best Earbuds
I have to start off by saying that I respect Len's opinions very highly. A few years ago in a personal correspondence between us, he correctly predicted the success of solid state players over the Mini Disc. I still don't comprehend the stupidity of the American consumer, but it is an unfortunate fact that so called MP3 players are selling very well while you can't even buy a Sony 900 in the US. There seems to be a unanimous opinion that the Etymotic ear plugs are the finest you can get and many people believe that they are even better than any of the full sized headphones. But at $269.00 (USD), there must be a set costing under $100 that some one makes that are close?? $269 seems a kind of outrageous price to me for a set of headphones! You can buy a very decent pair of speakers for that price. I made an impulse purchase of a par of Koss ear buds that have these soft "rubber" cones that slide over a tube and cost $19.99. I can't remember the name They are yellow, black and blue with a mute switch (why not a true volume control?). In my opinion they sound really bad and are only suitable for spoken word. But there must be something out there for about $75 dollars that comes close the the $269.00 Etymotics?? NO?? Len never abuses this site. Even though he has a business that offers many products that are of use to us, he only suggests things when people are looking for a specific item that he sells. And he contributes much more to this list in advice that offer's him no financial gain. Larry Len Moskowitz wrote: Chris Smart [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Ok, a related question, what are the *BEST* earbuds, forgetting all about cost? ... In my opinion, the Etymotic ER-4S, ER-4B and ER-4P in-ear 'phones are among the best available at any price (including the Grado RS-1, HP-1 and Sennheiser HD-600). I hope this helped! Len Moskowitz Binaural and StealthMics (tm), Cables, Interfaces Core Soundhttp://www.stealthmicrophones.com Teaneck, New Jersey http://www.core-sound.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel: 201-801-0812, FAX: 201-801-0912 - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MZ-R70, Best Earbuds
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === The Etymotic ER-4 is worth every penny of the $269 (or more) that you spend on it. Them, especially the 4S version, are extremely accurate, but not at the expense of easily causing fatigue. This easily distinguishes it from a bunch of other headphones. Also, the level of isolation it provides is great. This is very handy for bus and plane rides, and easily outperforms any "active" noise-cancelling headphones IMO. An important thing to consider with the ER-4 is that it's NOT for everyone. Not everyone sees the point with such a relatively complicated phone (that you definitely need the manual). The ER-4, being a canal phone, is also different in terms of bass. You don't feel it, but hear it. In a nutshell, the ER-4 is heaven, but it's not what you automatically assume/understand heaven to be. I personally don't use my ER-4S all the time, but love it all the same. And no, there is no good all-rounder that is immediately cheaper than the ER-4. The EX70 excels in convenience - putting the EX70 on is no sweat, they're comfortable and don't fall out. The EX70 actually sounds all right. There's a definite sense of soundstage. However, it can be very shrill-sounding, unbalanced as it is. If you check out the forum at Headwize, people have come up with some fix for that. I have modified my EX70 and find it much nicer. Leon on 3/31/01 5:26 PM, las at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I have to start off by saying that I respect Len's opinions very highly. A few years ago in a personal correspondence between us, he correctly predicted the success of solid state players over the Mini Disc. I still don't comprehend the stupidity of the American consumer, but it is an unfortunate fact that so called MP3 players are selling very well while you can't even buy a Sony 900 in the US. There seems to be a unanimous opinion that the Etymotic ear plugs are the finest you can get and many people believe that they are even better than any of the full sized headphones. But at $269.00 (USD), there must be a set costing under $100 that some one makes that are close?? $269 seems a kind of outrageous price to me for a set of headphones! You can buy a very decent pair of speakers for that price. I made an impulse purchase of a par of Koss ear buds that have these soft "rubber" cones that slide over a tube and cost $19.99. I can't remember the name They are yellow, black and blue with a mute switch (why not a true volume control?). In my opinion they sound really bad and are only suitable for spoken word. But there must be something out there for about $75 dollars that comes close the the $269.00 Etymotics?? NO?? Len never abuses this site. Even though he has a business that offers many products that are of use to us, he only suggests things when people are looking for a specific item that he sells. And he contributes much more to this list in advice that offer's him no financial gain. Larry Len Moskowitz wrote: Chris Smart [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Ok, a related question, what are the *BEST* earbuds, forgetting all about cost? ... In my opinion, the Etymotic ER-4S, ER-4B and ER-4P in-ear 'phones are among the best available at any price (including the Grado RS-1, HP-1 and Sennheiser HD-600). I hope this helped! Len Moskowitz Binaural and StealthMics (tm), Cables, Interfaces Core Soundhttp://www.stealthmicrophones.com Teaneck, New Jersey http://www.core-sound.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel: 201-801-0812, FAX: 201-801-0912 - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MZ-R70, Best Earbuds
payvand [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: i read here the other day that the MZ-R70 is not a good unit. can someone that knows the score, tell me exactly what its limitations are? It depends what you plan to do with it. The Sony MZ-R35, -R37, -R70, -R90 and -R91 have a common problem that makes them less than desirable for live concert recording: they do not have a low sensitivity setting for the mic pre-amp. So if you record loud music, the mic pre-amp will tend to overload and distort. For that reason we recommend other Sony models: the older MZ-R55, -R50 and R30; and the new -900. And the -R70 is a bit slow and noisy. (By the way, they're all fine for ripping tracks from CDs.) But in general (and except for the Sony -900), for concert recording, the Sharp MD recorders are better choices. The Sharps allow you to change recording levels while you're recording -- the Sony's require you to go into "Pause." We'd strongly recommend the Sharp MS-722, -821, -831 or -SR60. If budget is a strong consideration then we'd recommend the Sharp MT-15, MT-20 or MT-66 -- they lack the automatic gain control, have 10 second (rather than 40 second) buffers but are still good, reliable recorders. Chris Smart [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Ok, a related question, what are the *BEST* earbuds, forgetting all about cost? ... In my opinion, the Etymotic ER-4S, ER-4B and ER-4P in-ear 'phones are among the best available at any price (including the Grado RS-1, HP-1 and Sennheiser HD-600). I hope this helped! Len Moskowitz Binaural and StealthMics (tm), Cables, Interfaces Core Soundhttp://www.stealthmicrophones.com Teaneck, New Jersey http://www.core-sound.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel: 201-801-0812, FAX: 201-801-0912 - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
