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zoablive

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 24, 2008
26
0
Hi, Being about to buy some new headphones can any one reccomend a good brand.
ta
 

iTeen

macrumors 65816
Aug 13, 2007
1,256
0
Washington
You should specify how much you are willing to spend...

But these sound really incredible, better than any pair that I have had.
Bose Headphones
 

Michaud68

macrumors member
Jun 10, 2008
59
0
Hi, Being about to buy some new headphones can any one reccomend a good brand.
ta
I have the skull candy which I picked up pretty cheap I thought they would be just ok but to my surprise they were very good with deep base.
 

peapody

macrumors 68040
Oct 7, 2007
3,176
139
San Francisco, CA
Go over to head-fi.org. The ultimate experts in headphones....and sorry to say...wouldn't recommend any of those above.

What kind of music do you listen to? And do you prefer open or closed headphones? earbuds? isolation? Full sized? and what is your price range? There are a lot of possibilities when it comes to getting the best sound out of your ipod, so some more information would be nice.
 

peapody

macrumors 68040
Oct 7, 2007
3,176
139
San Francisco, CA
Go over to head-fi.org. The ultimate experts in headphones....and sorry to say...wouldn't recommend any of those above.

What kind of music do you listen to? And do you prefer open or closed headphones? earbuds? isolation? Full sized? and what is your price range? There are a lot of possibilities when it comes to getting the best sound out of your ipod, so some more information would be nice.


oh yeah and assuming you want something portable since it is your ipod..


canal phones
$50 ultimate ears super.fi 3
$100 westone um1 (extremely comfortable)
$200-300 shure se530 or ultimate ears triple.fi 10 (the two top tier kings)
$300-1100 custom in ear monitors (ultimate ears, livewires, westone, freq - and much more - custom fit to your ears and have different sound signatures and qualities)

earbuds
$20 jvc marshmallows (these are alright for the cheap price)
$40 yuin pk3 from head-direct.com (entry level yuins - audiophile grade earbuds)
$80 yuin p2 (best budget audiophile grade earbud)
$129 yuin pk1
$130 yuin ok2 (probably best sound out there for the price in an earbud - believe me it goes higher)


portable larger
$20 koss ksc75/portapro (cheap clip ons that sound like hundred dollar headphones)
$45 sennheiser px100 (great sound - highly reccomended)
$70 grado sr60 (great for rock..absolutely wow)
$100 denon ah-d1000 (closed headpones great sound for price)
$100 audio technica es7

These are all audiophile grade headphones, and they offer really really nice sound...if you go over to head-fi, they can give you more advice.
 

basesloaded190

macrumors 68030
Oct 16, 2007
2,693
5
Wisconsin
big fan of etymotic. either the er-4p for ~$150 or the little brother the er-6i for about $80. the er-4p though will be the best sounding earphones for that price. i know im not the only one who thinks so, and i can't recommend them enough
 

Cheffy Dave

macrumors 68030
oh yeah and assuming you want something portable since it is your ipod..


canal phones
$50 ultimate ears super.fi 3
$100 westone um1 (extremely comfortable)
$200-300 shure se530 or ultimate ears triple.fi 10 (the two top tier kings)
$300-1100 custom in ear monitors (ultimate ears, livewires, westone, freq - and much more - custom fit to your ears and have different sound signatures and qualities)

earbuds
$20 jvc marshmallows (these are alright for the cheap price)
$40 yuin pk3 from head-direct.com (entry level yuins - audiophile grade earbuds)
$80 yuin p2 (best budget audiophile grade earbud)
$129 yuin pk1
$130 yuin ok2 (probably best sound out there for the price in an earbud - believe me it goes higher)


portable larger
$20 koss ksc75/portapro (cheap clip ons that sound like hundred dollar headphones)
$45 sennheiser px100 (great sound - highly reccomended)
$70 grado sr60 (great for rock..absolutely wow)
$100 denon ah-d1000 (closed headpones great sound for price)
$100 audio technica es7

These are all audiophile grade headphones, and they offer really really nice sound...if you go over to head-fi, they can give you more advice.

:eek:PEABODY, you rock, what a nice detailed post, one of the reason this is the best forum around
 

davidjearly

macrumors 68020
Sep 21, 2006
2,264
371
Glasgow, Scotland
big fan of etymotic. either the er-4p for ~$150 or the little brother the er-6i for about $80. the er-4p though will be the best sounding earphones for that price. i know im not the only one who thinks so, and i can't recommend them enough

Agreed. These ear the best earphones at this price range, simple.

Get the Etymotic's.
 

autumnmike

macrumors member
Oct 12, 2005
72
6
Grado SR-60's. Hell yeah. I used to have a pair of bose $150 headphones, and the Grado's at 1/2 the price are so much better.
 

LeahM

macrumors 6502a
Mar 18, 2008
877
0
I have these, they are kinda big but the sound makes up for it. In my opinion though. I'm not an expert by any means, I just like the sound better then any other ones I've had. I paid... 40-60 for them.

I just would like to suggest that you don't get any of those in ear headphones because it could possibly ruin your hearing. And thats something you can't get back.
 

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davidjearly

macrumors 68020
Sep 21, 2006
2,264
371
Glasgow, Scotland
I just would like to suggest that you don't get any of those in ear headphones because it could possibly ruin your hearing. And thats something you can't get back.

Now there's an ignorant statement if ever I read one. To say that in-ear earphones will detrimentally impact on one's hearing more so than standard headphones is ridiculous.

It is the volume level that counts. For example:

Grado SR-60 with volume too high = bad for your hearing
Etymotic ER-4P with volume too high = bad for your hearing

That said, if it is indeed headphones the OP is after, and not in-ear earphones, then the SR-60's are stunning.

David
 

peapody

macrumors 68040
Oct 7, 2007
3,176
139
San Francisco, CA
I have these, they are kinda big but the sound makes up for it. In my opinion though. I'm not an expert by any means, I just like the sound better then any other ones I've had. I paid... 40-60 for them.

I just would like to suggest that you don't get any of those in ear headphones because it could possibly ruin your hearing. And thats something you can't get back.

:eek:

Sorry, but from my constant research on the topic and in audiophilia, you're statement about in-ears is somewhat wrong.

I agree with davidjearly. In actuality, if you are using open headphones that do not provide isolation, you would have to crank up the volume to listen to music over the background noise of lets say a bus or train or on the street or something. With in ears you do not have to do this because you don't need to, so the volume of your music is lower. Of course there are other dangers with being isolated sonically such as not being able to hear cars, and such. This is portably speaking though. Larger headphones may theoretically give you better bass and more soundstage and are probably preferable if you are going to be stationary. Nothing against going full size in public though. :p


And basesloaded and david jearly caught something I missed. Ety's are fantastic! Great for isolation if you need it.

And thanks cheffy dave! I am sure I missed some on that list, but that is just off the top of my head, and a few of the noteworthy headphones that I have heard a lot about/had experience with.

Right now I am using ultimate ears ue5, a big fan of sr60s. If the sr60s are too big for you, I would reccomend the px100 or the ksc75 for a similar sound signature in a smaller package.
 

dagored

macrumors 65816
Sep 18, 2007
1,440
465
Florida
You can not go wrong with either the Bose or the Shure. I have a pair of each. The Bose for walking or doing things outside. You can still hear things around you. The Shure for quiet times like on airplanes. Boy do they block out sound.
 

peapody

macrumors 68040
Oct 7, 2007
3,176
139
San Francisco, CA
Bose may have good sound, but really OP, there are so many other options out there which delivery comparable sound quality at a better price. There are also more headphones out there that offer different quality sound that may just bring you to audio nirvana. I guess what I am saying is do not one stop shop but consider your options.
 

LeahM

macrumors 6502a
Mar 18, 2008
877
0
Whoa sorry, I'm just going by what the audiologist recommends/advices. They never sat well with me either way because they gave me earaches and headaches.

To the OP have you decided a good pair for yourself?
 

techlover828

macrumors 68020
Jun 28, 2007
2,358
2
Maine
Agreed. These ear the best earphones at this price range, simple.

Get the Etymotic's.

one more for etymotic, have the er-6i's and they're very nice, also I've had them break a year and a half after I bought them and they gave me a free pair, nice company.
 

basesloaded190

macrumors 68030
Oct 16, 2007
2,693
5
Wisconsin
if you were to go to head-fi they would as would i tell you stay away from any bose in ear headphone, for the price, they sound terrible, and stay away from v-moda, they look nice but the sound quality just isn't there either. If you want in ear, go with either shure or etymotics, hands down.
 

.Andy

macrumors 68030
Jul 18, 2004
2,965
1,306
The Mergui Archipelago
if you were to go to head-fi they would as would i tell you stay away from any bose in ear headphone, for the price, they sound terrible, and stay away from v-moda, they look nice but the sound quality just isn't there either. If you want in ear, go with either shure or etymotics, hands down.
Head-fi would also point out that Shure use terrible quality cables.
 

bmwpowere36m3

macrumors 6502
Nov 8, 2007
294
0
I wondering what to choose: I'm looking at UE Super.fi 3 Studio Earphones, Etymotic ER6i Earphones, or Shure E2C. Ever since I bought a mini four years ago, I almost immediately upgraded the earphones. Originally, I had thought Apples' buds sounded awesome compared to what I’ve heard. Then I heard about Shure's quality musician monitors. I ended up getting the original E2's and I was blown away by their performance (compared to just the cheapo buds). They lasted about four years, the cable near the buds started to crack and break down after years of sweat, gym, cold, hot, etc...

I haven't listened to any of the other ones, but I'm not sure about switching since the Shure's fit great, don't stick out like the UE's and they sounded great. I’m looking for under $100
 
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