Daily Headphone Purchase Advice thread (2016-04-24)

Budget - ~$100, willing to go higher Source - Laptop and phone Requirements for Isolation - Probably a lot, I will be using them on the street and subway in NYC Will you be using these headphones in public? - Yes Preferred type of headphone - IEM Preferred tonal balance - Balanced/neutral if the isolation is good enough. Past headphones - Etymotic ER4-PT. Absolutely loved them, felt I treated them well, but possibly shouldn't have used them on the go. I had tons of problems with the cable binding itself up where it isn't braided, putting undue stress on it, and it was also longer than I needed for walking around. The sound cut out due to the cable failing around the jack during the warranty period, which I had repaired by Etymotic, and then again the cable came apart where the braided headphone cables split from each other, this time out of the warranty period. I could send them in again for repair and testing for a little more than the budget I have posted here, but I'd rather not if my headphone usage is incompatible with their build. Preferred Music: Varied, but largely Hip-Hop and electronic music, though that's been changing lately, and I also listen to a ton of podcasts on the train, so I'd prefer being able to hear the podcasters talking rather than the tourists arguing if they're on the right train. What would you like to improve on from your set-up - Isolation, clarity. Of course, my current set-up since the Etymotics broke has been a pair of iPhone earbuds, which I have gotten used to again, so it won't take much to improve my experience.

I'm considering buying ATH M50x's for home use, as I'm starting to look into producing music, and possibly for use on the go if they aren't too inconvenient, but I would like some IEM's for everyday commuting and running use. So really, isolation and durability are probably my highest priorities for these.

/r/headphones Thread