Best Headphones 2009 for ipod Touch :)

JaysAddict43 said:

Hey guys, well xmas present coming up and I am looking for some headphones for the ipod. I am willing to spend a maximum of 350 dollars.

I listen to almost everything and have a diverse playlist.

I want a bit of eye-appeal, good bass and outer-ear.

Can anyone recommend me a top-notch set (I use original CD songs so they are not diluted down or anything)

Oh and no DJ'ing or anything so yeah. Thanks a bunch, have been searching a TONNN and not too much luck wondering if you guys can help me out

Click to expand...

I like my Bose QuietComfort 15 headphones. They run $299 have great noise canceling and have good sound.

i like my bose QE3 for when i'm traveling. The Beats by Dr. Dre are good, but i like my bose better.
I'm more of an earbud fan... (don't like the clutter )

do you want in ear or over ear?

i have the beats by dre studio's and would def recommend them... i'm not an audiophile, but do appreciate decent sound..

the beats are overpriced - similar to apple products, but, you do get 2 cables, a hard case etc...

just go into your local best buy and try them out..

Do not get Bose. Do not get beats. Both are highly overpriced, and the bass in the Beats is overblown.

Get a pair of Grado 225i and a Headroom Total Bithead amp. Total cost: $200 ('phones) + $150 (amp). The sound is better than anything you've heard. If you want noise cancelling phones get a pair of shure se530s, they're about $290 from amazon. They're like earplugs except they have three speakers per ear, and they're the best earphones you can buy before getting customs.

Muncher said:

If you want noise cancelling phones get a pair of shure se530s, they're about $290 from amazon.

Click to expand...

The Shure SE530s are noise isolating, not noise-canceling. HUGE difference. My thoughts, including the difference between canceling and isolating, can be found here. My current favorite is the Shure SRH840.

Don't buy Bose or Monster, it's just overpaying for a product that doesn't replicate sound very well. Getting an amp is going to be key, I wouldn't get the Grados or the Shures without an amp, so use your budget that way. Chances are any of the headphones above a hundred dollar are going to require an amp to even begin to allow you to hear what they can do. Spread your budget that way and check out head-fi.org.

thegoldenmackid said:

The Shure SE530s are noise isolating, not noise-canceling. HUGE difference.

Click to expand...

Oh, I know. I just wanted to make a more direct comparison to the far inferior Bose. But yes, isolating (in every sense of the word) is the correct term.

Don't buy Bose or Monster, it's just overpaying for a product that doesn't replicate sound very well. Getting an amp is going to be key, I wouldn't get the Grados or the Shures without an amp, so use your budget that way. Chances are any of the headphones above a hundred dollar are going to require an amp to even begin to allow you to hear what they can do. Spread your budget that way and check out head-fi.org.

Click to expand...

You can easily drive the IEM shures without an amp. I usually put my iPod volume below 1 notch when listening in a quiet room. But for anything bigger then your pinky finger you'll definitely need an amp.

JaysAddict43 said:

Bose Quiet Comfort ? I have heard that those are good . How are the Beats by Dre worse or better then Bose. How about Senheisers or shure

Click to expand...

I mainly use my Bose for classical music and audiobooks and they sound great. I tried the Beats but there is way too much base.

Muncher said:

Oh, I know. I just wanted to make a more direct comparison to the far inferior Bose. But yes, isolating (in every sense of the word) is the correct term.

Click to expand...

(Active) canceling implies a technology that many, including myself, dread. Here's some thoughts as to why buy Shure over Bose:

Well first and foremost isn’t it great that we live in a day of age where people have these great choices. Form-factor, our earphones break down to a very small little carrying pouch that fits in a briefcase very easily. Even the most compact of noise-cancellation headphones have a much larger carrying case. When it comes to sound quality, everything is subjective; but, the facts are noise-cancelation: requires a battery, it induces artifacts into music, many people won’t hear those artifacts, so it’s probably not a factor for a lot of folks. But purists, anyone who is really concerned with the accuracy of their signal, would probably never chose anything with an active circuitry geared towards cancellation and that’s the market that we really cater to. To spend more, you are getting a much smaller form factor, hopefully a much superior audio quality, I cannot really speak to the build quality as a real reason, but with any Shure product you are going to be backed by a pretty robust warranty period and a great service experience if there are any problems.

Click to expand...

More can be found here.

Muncher said:

You can easily drive the IEM shures without an amp. I usually put my iPod volume below 1 notch when listening in a quiet room. But for anything bigger then your pinky finger you'll definitely need an amp.

Click to expand...

That was my bad. To power over the ear headphones you are going to want an amp most likely. The SE530s don't need it by any means.

Go to http://www.head-fi.org and use search in the headphones forums. Noobies ask questions like this every day so don't bother to start a thread of your own. Predetermine your price range, whether you want in-ear, on-ear, or around-ear. Also, the type of music you listen to will affect what headphones will be best for you. You can spend anywhere from $10 to over $1000 so be careful out there.


Mooch

Moocher said:

Go to http://www.head-fi.org and use search in the headphones forums. Noobies ask questions like this every day so don't bother to start a thread of your own. Predetermine your price range, whether you want in-ear, on-ear, or around-ear. Also, the type of music you listen to will affect what headphones will be best for you. You can spend anywhere from $10 to over $1000 so be careful out there.


Mooch

Click to expand...

Just beware, ask a question like this and you'll get as many different opinions as posts. Look for the people with lots of stuff in their signature, they usually know what they're talking about.

Muncher said:

Just beware, ask a question like this and you'll get as many different opinions as posts. Look for the people with lots of stuff in their signature, they usually know what they're talking about.

Click to expand...

I completely disagree. Look for thorough posts and then do further research. I could claim to have a pair of Grado PS1000s (which I do) and a Rolls Royce (which I do not, on second thought... I'm pretty sure I have a Rolls Royce Hot Wheel Car somewhere in the house)... Research is key.

Well I can't speak for anyone else but here is my two cents.
I purchased a good pair of Bose headphones and thought they were a great upgrade from my previous Sony headphones. I used them for about 3 weeks until one side stopped working, figuring I just got a lemon, I returned them (thankfully I had purchased the extended warranty) and exchanged for the same pair. Same story, two more times until I finally gave up and asked if I could have a different set when I took them back the third time. This time I exchanged them for a pair of Sennheiser. Immediately I was impressed at how much better sounding the new pair was, I was very happy until a month later they stopped working too. Back to the store! It turned out that they didn't have any more of the model I had and so I got a pair of Shure instead. Again, big difference! I have had the same ones for a few months now and am still very happy with them. The build quality on the Shure I have found is much higher than either Bose or Seinnheiser, the cord is very thick and malleable, as opposed to the other two which felt slightly cheaper. I did however find the Seinnheiser to be slightly more comfortable than the Shure and both to be miles ahead of the uncomfortable, awkward feel of the Bose. On top of that, I found it nearly impossible to get the Bose to actually stay in place.
So for my personal experience it has been Bose<Seinnheiser<Shure

But one thing I have to say.... GET THE EXTENDED WARRANTY REGARDLESS OF WHAT BRAND YOU GO WITH! It's definitely worth it for an expensive pair of headphones!