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Best over the ear iphone headphones

C

caltino

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 13, 2011
6
0
I tried this before, but let me try again.

I am looking for over the ear headphones with the inline mike and controls. Most recommendations are for in-ear headphones, which fall out of my ears and also muffle the sound so that speaking on the phone sounds strange to my ears.

I tried $150 skullcandy Rocnation headphones and while not bad, did not work for me. They apply a lot of pressure to my ears and did not blow me away with sound quality. A similar headphone is bose ae2i, but it goes up to $180. Any other suggestions?
 
Bose ie2 stays in the ear pretty well with the tips they use. For OE headphones, check out the Klipsch Image One if you're on a budget. They went for $80 on Amazon a few weeks ago.
 
Bose QC3 is $350- at that price, not only does it need to be really impressive soundwise, it also has to do my laundry and cook breakfast.

I'll track the klipsch- right now all outlets show it at $150.

Is the bose ae2i and the i2 (over ear and earbud) about the same soundwise? Any ideas? the i2 has that strange earbud design; I'd like to try but bestbuy does not let you try it in the store.
 
caltino said:
Bose QC3 is $350- at that price, not only does it need to be really impressive soundwise, it also has to do my laundry and cook breakfast.

I'll track the klipsch- right now all outlets show it at $150.

Is the bose ae2i and the i2 (over ear and earbud) about the same soundwise? Any ideas? the i2 has that strange earbud design; I'd like to try but bestbuy does not let you try it in the store.
Click to expand...

I own both the ie2 and klipsch image one. I use the ie2 for working out, sports, etc. They are excellent if you're active. I use them when I warm up in tennis and never fell out. I also use them at the driving range when I play golf.

I am nowhere near a level of an audiophile. I love music though. To me when I tried them on, the ae2i sounds a little better. Only because it seals off more noise.
 
Go to an apple store or best buy and try the Bowers & Wilkins P5. I love mine and they're made for the output levels of iProducts.
 
Sennheiser mm450 - wireless convenience along with commendable sound and mic for phone calls.
 
I really like the Bose QC15

I don't really consider myself an audiophile but for me the BoseQuietComfort® 15's can't be beat. Their the most comfortable set I have ever tried on, sound great and have a remote / mic that works with ipod/iphone.

Without hesitation - Bose!

Chibatastic
 
What sort of headphones do you want? There's a huge variety available for mobile applications. Do you want IEMs (earbuds that you insert) or closed over the ear headphones (circumaural)?

I will give you one word of advice though: buy anything but Bose or Beats.

Also, are you sure that you are inserting the IEMs that you have tried correctly? You really have to jam them in at first; they have different sized tips for a reason.
 
Mee Electronics has some good cheap ones, especially if you want to work out with them. Ive been sweating profusely "into" mine for a few months and they work and sound great. And if I damage them, no big loss, they go for 10-20$ shipped (check slickdeals)
 
I don't know if it's the best...but the B&W C5 is IMHO really goooooood and should be considered one of the best in its price range!!!

My criteria was.....does it fit well? is it comfortable? can I wear it while working out and not have it fall out? and of course..the sound quality.

I also wanted a mic since using with my iphone. tried many...from boss ie2, to sennheisers...but this one tops it.

Obviously it doesn't compare to the one's I use when I perform using a $1500 + custom IEM.....but it's not bad.
 
To the folks recommending IEMs, the topic is for over the ear cans.

So what are good ones? Depends on your range. B&W P5s, Grado Prestige SR 325is, Audio-Technica ATH-M50Ss, are great at the low end, Sennheiser HD 800s are probably the best at the high end.
 
My range is about $150. Before I started this thread, I thought that was a good deal of money to spend on iphone headsets. After all, if I was looking for an audiophile headset, I would probably not limit myself by requiring inline controls and a mike.

From the various suggestions, I am seeing that people spend a lot more money on their headsets than I thought. Some common suggestions have been around $300-350, and some cost even more!

So reframing my question, I'd say I'm looking for headphones with inline controls around $150, comfortable to wear and good (but not necessarily exquisite) sound. I don't need noise cancellation. Portability is a plus, but the other attributes have priority.

I specified over the ear initially because the in ear ones get tangled and pulled from my ear too easily. However if there are some buds that have that hook around the ear lobe or another crazy design like the bose ie2, I'll be happy to try.


There have been good suggestions that I will track here. If anyone has other suggestions or would like to second any suggestions already made, that'd be great.

At the risk of derailing my own thread, here's a question about in ear headsets. I have a sony pair, and when I put them in my ear canal and then speak, say on the phone, my voice sounds strange. If something rubs the cord, I can kind of hear the sound from the friction travel up the cord and be really audiable. I'm guessing it's the way the buds fit and block the ear canal and the sound of my own voice is heard differently by my ear. It's really strange and somewhat bothersome. Are all in ear buds going to be like that, if you understand my experience?
 
Most IEMs are going to add line noise and muffled speech effects, though foam tips help male the former better.

In your range I'd look at Bowers and Wilkins C5 (in ear with loop, $30 over your target), Klipsch S4i (loop over ear or get accessory hooks), Grado SR-80i (on ear), or Audio Technica M50s (on ear). They're all in your range and top notch.
 
njgeek said:
Most IEMs are going to add line noise and muffled speech effects, though foam tips help male the former better.

In your range I'd look at Bowers and Wilkins C5 (in ear with loop, $30 over your target), Klipsch S4i (loop over ear or get accessory hooks), Grado SR-80i (on ear), or Audio Technica M50s (on ear). They're all in your range and top notch.
Click to expand...

The AT M50s do not appear to have inline controls or a mike, am I missing it from what I read?

Same thing with the Grado?
 
Sorry, I thought they had replaceable cables for control talk. My bad.

P5s all the way for on ear iPhone love!
 
njgeek said:
Most IEMs are going to add line noise and muffled speech effects, though foam tips help male the former better.

In your range I'd look at Bowers and Wilkins C5 (in ear with loop, $30 over your target), Klipsch S4i (loop over ear or get accessory hooks), Grado SR-80i (on ear), or Audio Technica M50s (on ear). They're all in your range and top notch.
Click to expand...

IMO, the S4is are a really good option for OP. They have an inline mic and can loop over the ear to cancel out the cable microphonics. Also, they're only $100 and have really solid sound quality.

You can stop the S4is from getting pulled out of your ear if you put the cables over your ear. You just have to flip the headphones (right bud on left ear and vice versa). Shure Olive foam tips can also help to keep them in your ear.
 
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