Headphones & Earphones - Opinions?

Slice

Just wondering about people's opinion on headphones and what they look out for when purchasing? And also if I can get some advice...

I just went for sound quality only last time when purchasing only to be stung with poor reliability (the rubber grips fell off after three months on earphones costing €130+). Also, I didn't find fit/grip to be all that great and irritatingly enough my earphones kept falling off (the added weight of the extension cord connection didn't help)...

From alot of reviews I read it seems that reliability and fit were way down in most people's opinions when judging headphones/earphones or didn't really feature at all.

Anyone got any recommendations for a reliable make of phones and also types of earphones that provide good grip (I'm not that hot on headphones so earphones that aren't poxy is what I'm in need of).

I'm not too hot on those eptomawhatever earphones that totally block out all external sounds - I'd like to know if I'm about to be hit by a bus...

Are the following type any good for grip? The necklace ones, the clip-ons and the round-the-back-of-the-neck yokes?

iFight

i just buy cheap pairs(20 Euro Mark- ish) and use them till they break...sounds fine nd easy to replace!!

TommyGun

I still have'nt found the correct pair to use. To me the fit is more important than the sound. There is nothing worse that them falling out the whole time.

Slice

Yea I feel the same about the whole thing - Sound doesn't really matter much so long as it's not awful - but good fit is so hard to come by...

Any one any experience of the iPod in-ear headphones...?

padi89

For portable headphones yes fit is important but saying sound quality isnt that important?????? OP i suggest you ignore the previous 3 replys and go post your questions at Head-fi.A great site with a great community,you will get best advice there.
I think myself IEMs would suit your needs best.They are inserted into the ear canal and with foam tips they create a seal blocking out external noises but also stay in your ear alot better.It can take getting used to but after a week youll be fine.Companies such as Shure(E2C are crap),Ultimate Ears,Westone Etymotic all do these types.
Sennheiser do the CX300 ,i think its a deep fitting earphone,might be worth a look.

TommyGun

padi89 wrote:

For portable headphones yes fit is important but saying sound quality isn't that important?????? OP i suggest you ignore the previous 3 replys and go post your questions at Head-fi.A great site with a great community,you will get best advice there.
I think myself IEMs would suit your needs best.They are inserted into the ear canal and with foam tips they create a seal blocking out external noises but also stay in your ear alot better.It can take getting used to but after a week youll be fine.Companies such as Shure(E2C are crap),Ultimate Ears,Westone Etymotic all do these types.
Sennheiser do the CX300 ,i think its a deep fitting earphone,might be worth a look.

If read the the post correctly,

If the earphones does not fit right you don't get to hear the quality....

I don't know if my ears are funny, but i find it very hard to get an in-ear phone that fits, it falls out all the time, and wrecks my head.

So fit is the most important as if that is not right the rest is irrelevant.

padi89

TommyGun wrote:

If read the the post correctly,

If the earphones does not fit right you don't get to hear the quality....

I don't know if my ears are funny, but i find it very hard to get an in-ear phone that fits, it falls out all the time, and wrecks my head.

So fit is the most important as if that is not right the rest is irrelevant.

Earphones never really fit properly no matter how many pairs you try.Most have just the one standard fit with no extra types of tips to get a perfect fit.So maybe one type may fit better than the other but its unlikely you will ever get a perfect fit.
IEMS on the other hand come with rougly 9 types of tips for you to try to get the perfect fit.The seal is the most important as without a proper seal they suck.You insert them properly with the correct tip i guarantee the wont fall out unless they are tugged out.
I just find it bizarre that some people have said that SQ isnt that important.Its like saying "I got a HDTV but im running VHS,picture is fine not that important anyway".

TommyGun

padi89 wrote:

Earphones never really fit properly no matter how many pairs you try.Most have just the one standard fit with no extra types of tips to get a perfect fit.So maybe one type may fit better than the other but its unlikely you will ever get a perfect fit.
IEMS on the other hand come with rougly 9 types of tips for you to try to get the perfect fit.The seal is the most important as without a proper seal they suck.You insert them properly with the correct tip i guarantee the wont fall out unless they are tugged out.
I just find it bizarre that some people have said that SQ isnt that important.Its like saying "I got a HDTV but im running VHS,picture is fine not that important anyway".

Fair point.
Of course quality is very importent.

Put i think the quote is - "I got a HDTV and its playing HD picture but i cant see it because my glasses keep falling off"

padi89

TommyGun wrote:

Fair point.
Of course quality is very importent.

Put i think the quote is - "I got a HDTV and its playing HD picture but i cant see it because my glasses keep falling off"

LOL:D A better quote.

Slice

Well, after being stung with an expensive pair of earphones costing me well over €100 several months ago that turned out to be 1) not the best sound quality for the price I paid, and 2) not very durable since they gave in on me about three months in I ended up going with the Koss Sparkplugs which only cost €30.

They fit perfectly and I'd imagine they would for most ear types since it's a sponge fit thing going on with them - there's no annoying 'remote' or anything hanging off the lead that increases weight and pulls them out of the ear. The sound quality is decent if not amazing. Will have to give it a few months before durability is established though.

Check em out...
http://www.koss.com/koss/kossweb.nsf/p?openform&pc^eb^SPARKPLUG

As for the fact that they block out most noise - I still find it a bit disconcerting that I can't hear anything while walking down the street except the music in my ears, especially the passing traffic

4Xcut

Got these in peats. They're really comfortable and sound is very good. Plus they're only €40.

JuncoPartner

I was never really too pushed about getting good headphones as i break them a lot from having volumes up full and wearing them to bed and under my motorcycle helmet and things...
But a few years ago I got a pair of these
PMX60 the very same 4xcut is using.

From using bog standard headphones and trying these I was blown away. Since then I have never bought a brand other than Sennheiser and have never been disappointed.
As well as the PMX60 I also currently have
EH250
PX100
MX550

I would recommend any of these, I use different ones for different purposes and they are all excellent.
In general from my experience Sennheiser make top quality headphones

Prezatch

I have a pair of Sony EX-51's which isolate the sound slightly and prevent a certain amount of outside noise. But the really great thing about them is the sound quality and comfort. They come with 3 different sets of rubber thingys that expand slightly in your ear when you stick them in. They rarely fall out unless they're pulled and the sound quality is great. Pretty cheap too in comparison to Shure alternatives.

Headphones wise, I have a pair of Sennheiser HD25 SPs. They cost around €120 so i only really wear them around the house. I bought them because they are closed headphones which is a must have for me. Other people in the house would go crazy if they were open headphones and they could hear all the crap I listen to. Perfect sound and I can easily drive them with my iAudio5 (a flash mp3 player) so they don't need much power.

conjon

Slice,

I know you said you didn't want a pair that completly blocks out external noises. However, having such a pair means you can listen at a reduced volume which is better long term for your hearing. Personnally, I have Shure EC3s which come with 4 (i think) different types of sleeves. I use the foam ones which means they're a perfect fit. I can't recommend these highly enough.
I got mine in a sale on MicrophoneSolutions.com


Conor.

Prezatch

I buy a lot of equipment from http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

Slice

Slice,

I know you said you didn't want a pair that completly blocks out external noises. However, having such a pair means you can listen at a reduced volume which is better long term for your hearing. Personnally, I have Shure EC3s which come with 4 (i think) different types of sleeves. I use the foam ones which means they're a perfect fit. I can't recommend these highly enough.
I got mine in a sale on MicrophoneSolutions.com


Conor.

Thanks Conor, I discovered that for myself with the ones I ended up getting - they also fit perfect - very pleased with them though sound quality could be a bit better - I wouldn't say that's a criticism so much though as it's not poor either. Who would've guessed that there are so many things to consider when buying earphones - I must have been totally ignorant beforehand

rabbitinlights

Sennheiser MX550 for the normal type earbuds. €25

Sennheiser PX200 for the over the head folding type. €55

mechanic75

I got a Sennheiser Headphonesfrom www.iAccessorise.ie a few weeks ago. I went for the MX550's and also a set of RS130's for home.

Both sound great and are good value.