Headphone suggestions?

[mariahlullaby]

I am in severe need of new headphones. I'm currently abusing my collection by using a pair of $6 headphones I picked up at the drugstore when I was desperate.

What am I looking for? Well, here is the problem. I am kind of picky.

I tend to prefer over-the-ear headphones, but they are impractical. I can't use them in planes or in bed where I may rest my head, because they become really uncomfortable. My music can generally be heard by any neighbors with over-the-ear style. And I need something small (i.e. can fit into my pocket).

What have I been using? Well, I've been through my iPod headphones, and a set of over-the-ear Virgin headphones. A few months ago I invested in some Phillips noise-cancelling earphones, they cost about $45, and work fairly well. They are in-ear, but I've had nothing but problems with them after the first day or two. They hardly fit (hence my problem with in-ear....I have never found a pair that don't fall out constantly, no matter how many times I adjust them). Also, the noise cancelling are bad for any movement, since jostling the control hub causes nasty frequency in the headphones. And the silicone earpads have all fallen off....so I can't really use them because I have no earpads.

So, to sum it up, I need:

1) Great sound, bass, etc
2) In-ear preferably, and ones that seem to have a very tight fit or a variety of pads that are SECURELY attached (I want to be able to stick these in my pocket if needed)
3) Noise-cancelling or noise-isolating if possible
4) I can spend up to $100 (absolute max)

Thanks!

 

[JAT]

You get what you pay for, and Philips is ****. Good in-ear headphones with noise canceling cost 3 times your budget. Personally, I love the sound from the $40 Sennheiser PX100, absolute best in class. But these are regular on-ear types.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I really love my Koss headphones (I'm using my old SportaPros again after an unfortunate accident where I totally destroyed my PortaPros ). But those are over-the-ear style, I just cannot get myself used to in-ear type headphones.

I know Koss also has some very cheap in-ear phones, "The Plug", but those get mixed reviews... I would still have a look at them... I suspect they really are very good value for your money, and that some of the bad reviewers are really looking for something completely different...

 

[weg]

So, to sum it up, I need:

1) Great sound, bass, etc
2) In-ear preferably, and ones that seem to have a very tight fit or a variety of pads that are SECURELY attached (I want to be able to stick these in my pocket if needed)
3) Noise-cancelling or noise-isolating if possible
4) I can spend up to $100 (absolute max)

Thanks!

I ordered the Sennheiser CX 300 yesterday (haven't received them yet, but I read only good reviews so far). They're in ear and come with exchangeable silicon ear tips in 3 sizes. But I guess it depends very much on your ears if they stay in there ;-)

 

[nsbio]

check out one of v-moda models. They look kinda flashy, but they sound good and their customer service is great.

 

[Sesshi]

I'd vote for the CX300. 2 year warranty as well.

 

[Red Belly]

Sennheiser cx-300s

Sennheiser cx-300s are excellent. When you're walking about the cable brushing against your clothing can sound a bit nosiy in-ear but you soon get used to that. On trains, planes etc when you're sitting down they are top-notch.

rb

 

[nitynate]

Shure E2C's.

Just $99 and much cheaper if you know where to look .

3 year warranty, and have served me well for over a year.

I sleep with them every night. And super comfortable.

 

[c.hilding]

Get Technics RP-DJ1210 Headphones. I'm a DJ and mine have lasted 5 years of ROUGH treatment so far and still sound like new, and they are still totally intact! There are only some minor scratches in the plastic. And I've been ROUGH on them, they've been crushed in gig bags and all kinds of bad treatment. I've dropped them several times too, they are rugged as hell. Hey, I've even washed them under water when I spilled beer on them, let them dry and they were intact again! As for the sound, it's excellent. Extremely clear treble, defined mids, and perfect, snappy bass. And since you didn't want sound to leak in, these won't, they are DJ headphones and I can't hear a thing anyone says when I play music in them, and I can barely hear anyone even if I don't have music on. They are that well sealed! Oh, and they're comfortable with big, nice earpads that on any other headphone would be peeling off and broken by now, but these are intact. I don't know what Technics made these headphones out of, some NASA materials perhaps?

 

[iGary]

Shure E3C's.

Worth every penny.

 

[roland.g]

I too am looking for new headphones, preferable in ear of some sort. I am willing to go for suspension around the ear, or neckband style if they fit well and sound good. Sorry over the head is out as I will be using these for snowboarding and working out. Anyone have the Sennheiser LX70 Sport, PMX70 Sport, or OMX70 Sport or something comparable that they really like?

 

[TequilaBoobs]

I have Shure E4c, which Cnet gave the editors choice award. It lists for about 3 bills, but I paid 130 from some vendor on Amazon. Sound quality is awesome, but dont expect heavy bass. The bulky earphones can better simulate bass heavy music.

 

[mariahlullaby]

At the moment, I'm looking at the Shure earphones, after reading a lot of reviews, etc. They seem like they would fit the best too, with all the extra tips, pads, etc.

Can anyone tell me if there is a big difference between the E2c and the E3c? Is it worth getting the former, or should I just wait until I have cash for the latter?

Also, what about the Etymotic Er6i? anyone know anything about them?

Thanks for all the help so far!

 

[TequilaBoobs]

At the moment, I'm looking at the Shure earphones, after reading a lot of reviews, etc. They seem like they would fit the best too, with all the extra tips, pads, etc.

Can anyone tell me if there is a big difference between the E2c and the E3c? Is it worth getting the former, or should I just wait until I have cash for the latter?

Thanks for all the help so far!

Shure headphones are generally head and shoulders better than other brand names, and the difference between the E2c and E3c is trivial, but not trivial to the audiophile. Sounds like for your purposes, you'd be more than satisfied with the E2c.

 

[mariahlullaby]

Shure headphones are generally head and shoulders better than other brand names, and the difference between the E2c and E3c is trivial, but not trivial to the audiophile. Sounds like for your purposes, you'd be more than satisfied with the E2c.

Hey, thanks! I have spent the past few days reading up reviews and all that on headphones, and I'm glad I put it through the "MacRumors Test" haha. I'm definitely not an audiophile, but I use my headphones enough (3-4 hours a day) that I care about sound quality. I think I am going to run over to Best Buy right now and pick up a pair of E2Cs! They are $99 there, which is more expensive than online vendors (Amazon has them for $70), but I need them before I go home on Tuesday (I want them for the plane ride home), and the shipping will bring them close to the $100 mark anyway.

Thanks guys!! I will post on how I like them!

 

[mariahlullaby]

Thanks again for all the advice guys!

Well I am home and in the process of trying out my new Shure E2C's.

They seem great! I wore them almost all the way home (about a 10 minute walk) until my iPod died, and loved them. The first thing I noticed is that they blocked out noise beautifully. I was walking down Broadway on a noisy (lots of traffic, busy Friday night) street and I could have been walking through an empty field. Noise "cancelling" headphones can all go in the garbage.

Sound quality is lovely, very happy.

Right now, I am working on the right fit. I walked home with the smallest, clear plastic tips, and while they started out with a perfect seal, they fell out within 2 minutes. Now that I'm home I'm fiddling with the different pads. I have the foam pad in one ear and it seems to be holding great. Not as comfortable, but it creates a seal that stays. I am trying the clear one in the other ear and it's already fallen out just from sitting here.

And, is there a trick to getting them in your ear right? I am not sure if I am, even after looking at the photos.

Thanks guys!

 

[susannahyork]

I just got a pair of grado sr60s, they're great.

 

[bursty]

Shure E3C's.

Worth every penny.

I was disappointed with my E3C's. I found a pair of Panasonic HJE-70s for sale 50% off on Amazon and picked them up. MUCH more comfortable and sounded just as good, if not better then the E3C's. Only cost about $80 too.

 

[TequilaBoobs]

Hey, thanks! I have spent the past few days reading up reviews and all that on headphones, and I'm glad I put it through the "MacRumors Test" haha. I'm definitely not an audiophile, but I use my headphones enough (3-4 hours a day) that I care about sound quality. I think I am going to run over to Best Buy right now and pick up a pair of E2Cs! They are $99 there, which is more expensive than online vendors (Amazon has them for $70), but I need them before I go home on Tuesday (I want them for the plane ride home), and the shipping will bring them close to the $100 mark anyway.

Thanks guys!! I will post on how I like them!

hey enjoy! my sister is class 2010 at nyu too! did u know the kid from sixth sense goes to your school?

 

[mariahlullaby]

hey enjoy! my sister is class 2010 at nyu too! did u know the kid from sixth sense goes to your school?

Yes, actually. I see him on my floor at the dorm all the time, actually. He's dating a girl on our floor. And we live on a small hall (only about 12 rooms or so). Never spoken to him though, just pass by him.

What school is she in? Do you know what dorm she is in (PM if you want)? Just curious!

 

[TequilaBoobs]

Yes, actually. I see him on my floor at the dorm all the time, actually. He's dating a girl on our floor. And we live on a small hall (only about 12 rooms or so). Never spoken to him though, just pass by him.

What school is she in? Do you know what dorm she is in (PM if you want)? Just curious!

Dunno which school she's in. And since my folks live in Soho, she lives at home... just a few min walk to class.

 

[Diejws]

Thanks again for all the advice guys!

Right now, I am working on the right fit. I walked home with the smallest, clear plastic tips, and while they started out with a perfect seal, they fell out within 2 minutes. Now that I'm home I'm fiddling with the different pads. I have the foam pad in one ear and it seems to be holding great. Not as comfortable, but it creates a seal that stays. I am trying the clear one in the other ear and it's already fallen out just from sitting here.

And, is there a trick to getting them in your ear right? I am not sure if I am, even after looking at the photos.

Thanks guys!

I usually reach over my head and lift up on my ear canal while placing the sleeve in the ear with the other hand. Then I let go of my ear while still holding the earphone in, and it should stay snugly in place. If it's still falling out then you should try a larger size. Personally I use the large black sleeves, but the large orange foam ones fit a little better, but I use my earphones at work a lot and they show dirt badly so I resort to the black ones.

 

[Am3822]

Headphone reviews

I know it's a bit late for that, but a good place to read headphone reviews is HeadRoom.

 

[Sesshi]

Thanks again for all the advice guys!

Well I am home and in the process of trying out my new Shure E2C's.

They seem great! I wore them almost all the way home (about a 10 minute walk) until my iPod died, and loved them. The first thing I noticed is that they blocked out noise beautifully. I was walking down Broadway on a noisy (lots of traffic, busy Friday night) street and I could have been walking through an empty field. Noise "cancelling" headphones can all go in the garbage.

Sound quality is lovely, very happy.

Right now, I am working on the right fit. I walked home with the smallest, clear plastic tips, and while they started out with a perfect seal, they fell out within 2 minutes. Now that I'm home I'm fiddling with the different pads. I have the foam pad in one ear and it seems to be holding great. Not as comfortable, but it creates a seal that stays. I am trying the clear one in the other ear and it's already fallen out just from sitting here.

And, is there a trick to getting them in your ear right? I am not sure if I am, even after looking at the photos.

Thanks guys!

The fit is one of the reasons I didn't recommend the E2c over the CX300 (other problems include a huge chunk of highs missing with the E2c - possibly cutting even into Mariah's range!). The diameter of the tube that has to go into the ear is rather large and those with small ears will have more trouble fitting the E2c, the tips will keep on dropping out as they don't go far enough into the ear canal to get a stable fit.

Compress the foam sleeve and stick it into your ear as soon as possible. Adjust the phone so that the cable goes over your ear. Do the same for the other ear. Now you can either run the rest of the cable down your front or your back. All Shures are more effective if you run the cable down your back, but it's not always practical to do so. If running down the back, you can slide the clear tube up so that the cable locks in a Y shape around the back of your head. This gives you the best fit.

There's an optional set of 'Ultra-Soft Flex' tips which you can get for the E2c which may help.

 

[Chundles]

All Shures are more effective if you run the cable down your back

How so Sesshi? Not arguing, just interested to know why.