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iPod What Headphones?
- Thread starter Spario
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Shure headphones are awesome. You can find a pair of e2c (i think thats the pair in this price range) for around $100.
What type of listnening will you be doing? I don't know much about ear-buds or lighter traditional headphones but if you are looking strictly for sound quality Grado and Sennheiser are the best, IMO. The Grado SR-60s or SR-80's would fit into your price range. I've owned SR-60s and currently have the SR-125's and they are excellent - but are definitely only feasible for leisure listening at home or at work. I use my 125's several hours a day at work with my iPod. These types of headphones are not for working out or even for walking around town - they are large over-the-head phones.
Shure's are good, so are Sony's. I just bought a big clunky pair (reminiscent of the headphones worn in the 70's). Love em. If you're spending more than $70 on a pair, you're being ri
Stay away from Bose. And any yuppy that tells you that Bose makes awesome A/V equipment, tell them an A/V Industry Slogan: "No highs, no lows, hell, it must be Bose."
Bose suck. Everything they make sucks. Like Ford. Or Dell. Stay away from it.
Edit: Spell Check. Window's Sucks.
Stay away from Bose. And any yuppy that tells you that Bose makes awesome A/V equipment, tell them an A/V Industry Slogan: "No highs, no lows, hell, it must be Bose."
Bose suck. Everything they make sucks. Like Ford. Or Dell. Stay away from it.
Edit: Spell Check. Window's Sucks.
I just got a pair of Sennheiser MX-400s for $15 that I would recommend, but they are under your price range.
rockthecasbah said:
I really like the Fontopias too, I've used them for 4 years now (one of my pair died after an obscenely cold winter night where the left headphone stopped working (it was -40 celcius outside)) and I don't know why I'd switch. I'm happy with the sound quality and especially with the noise cancelling. For the price you can't go wrong with them!
My friend recently got the Shure e4c and he loves them extermely suitible and great quality, i am borowing them at the moment
Well I've decided that I want a new pair of headphones...
I'm trying to decide between the Er-6i's and the Grado SR80's. They're definitely two different types of headphones (one's in ear, one is over the head style). I haven't ever listened to any headphones other than those that came with my iPod and my logitech gaming headphones.
I know that both the etymotics and the grados will be a big step up from what I've been used to. I just don't know how comfortable the in-ear phones will be. Plus they're more expensive. I'm leaning towards the grados SR80's. I wish there was a place nearby where I could listen to them first hand, before purchasing.
I'm trying to decide between the Er-6i's and the Grado SR80's. They're definitely two different types of headphones (one's in ear, one is over the head style). I haven't ever listened to any headphones other than those that came with my iPod and my logitech gaming headphones.
I know that both the etymotics and the grados will be a big step up from what I've been used to. I just don't know how comfortable the in-ear phones will be. Plus they're more expensive. I'm leaning towards the grados SR80's. I wish there was a place nearby where I could listen to them first hand, before purchasing.
I've never listened to high-end ear plugs and I know the etymotics are alot more comfortable than the cheap stuff but I just don't care for the thought of having something jammed in my ear for a long time. I use the Apple pack-in ear buds with my Shuffle when I work out or go for walks and they are fairly comfortable for short periods of time but after about an hour my ears get uncomfortable and sore.Capt Underpants said:
I've listened to the SR-60s 80s and 125s quite a bit over the years and find all of them exceptional. I think the 80s are the best for iPod usage as they are all around a bit better than 60s, particularly with the bass but still have the mini-jack. I went for the 125s when upgrading from my 60s and I thought the 125s sounded significantly better than the 80 to justify the cost but in retrospect I would have rather have gotten the 80s because my 125s have the 1/4" jack, so I have to use a converter with my iPod - kind of clunky for such a small device. Good thing I almost exclusively listen to them at work, safely sitting behind my desk.
My friend is a long-time Sennheiser fan and has had several different sets of their headphones and I find them to have a better design and are a bit more comfortable (not by a lot) but I prefer the sound of the Grado's - it seems more "open".
Your two choices for phones are quite different. I'm sure both will sound good and be more comfortable than what you have been using. To me the biggest issue in deciding if you should get in-ear or traditional headphones is what is what activities you'll be doing while using them. The ear-bud style is better for active use, obviously. Secondly, you have to consider what style is more comfortable for you.
There are two or three Grado dealers in my area where you can go in and listen to them. I would check your area for hi-fi/audiophile shops and call around to see if any of them carry Grado and if you can listen to them in the store. I'm not sure if etymotics sells in retail shops.
Good luck.
My experience
I've had two pair of Grado SR80's go bad on me in the first month of ownership. The first one I chalked up to chance and I got a replacement pair for free, sending back the others. But when the second ones did the same thing, in the same time frame, I just chalked it up to a loss. I didn't treat them rough, in fact, they never left my desk.
I'm not speaking to sound quality here, as many of the other people in the post are right, they sound great, but as for quality, I can only give a thumbs down.
Again, I'm not knocking anyone's opinions here, I'm just speaking from my own, and possibly rare, experience with them.
Good luck with your choice either way.
I've had two pair of Grado SR80's go bad on me in the first month of ownership. The first one I chalked up to chance and I got a replacement pair for free, sending back the others. But when the second ones did the same thing, in the same time frame, I just chalked it up to a loss. I didn't treat them rough, in fact, they never left my desk.
I'm not speaking to sound quality here, as many of the other people in the post are right, they sound great, but as for quality, I can only give a thumbs down.
Again, I'm not knocking anyone's opinions here, I'm just speaking from my own, and possibly rare, experience with them.
Good luck with your choice either way.
Sorry to hear about your experience. What exactly went wrong with them? I've had a pair of SR-60's that have been going strong for over 5 years, although I've replaced the ear pads on them. My 125s are about 3.5 years old and I haven't had problems with them. Based on my recommendation four of my coworkers purchased the SR-80's - they've all had their headphones at least a year and none of them have had any issues either.afsammie said:
I'm not invalidating your negative experiences, if I were you I'd be done with Grado too but from my experiences there are six pairs of headphones that sound great with no issues. The original poster can form their own opinions though. I am curious what problems you had with your SR-80s.
I own a pair of the Sennheiser HD280 headphones and they are excellent. Great highs, midrange, and superb bass for headphones. After I got them, I stopped using my regular 4.1 speakers altogether!
I'd definitely recommend anything made by Grado. I've got a pair of RS-2s, but a friend of mine has a pair of SR-80s and he loves them.
If you can spare it, I would go for the Shure E3cs. They are fantastic. I have heard less than good reviewws from the Shure E2cs, so I would advise you to stay away from them. I think that in this price range, your best bet will be the Grado SR-60s, the Senn. 497, and the Beyer 237 (I think). I believe that the real question we should be asking is what type of phone? Canal, can? We could probably give more help if you answered that one question...
If you're willing to spend a little more than you said, you can get the Shure e3cs for $120 + shipping brand new in box on ebay. Throw in an extra $70 and you can get the new ones (e4cs) which are supposed to be amazing . I have the Shure e3cs and they are fantastic.