View Full Version : Headphones Recommendation for 5.5G iPod
Hi there,
I am about to take the plunge with an 80GB iPod but would like to get some additional headphones. My price range is upto £150 ($280) and would appreciate any recommendations. Please only recommend them if you actually own them. I am most interested in sound and build quality.
Also, what does the case that comes with the iPod look like? Is it any good? Cannot seem to find pictures anywhere.
Kind Regards
I have the bose quiet comfort 2 headphones and I love them! They have great sound quality and make working in a noisy environment much more enjoyable. I am sure other people will chime in with headphones they love, but I would check these out. I enjoy mine and they are right around your price range I believe.
torifile
2006-09-13, 14:05
Please only recommend them if you actually own them
Sheesh. Why be a jerk to people offering recommendations?
I'd give you a rec, but since I sold the pair I'd recommend and no longer technically own them, you don't want it.
I'd give you a rec, but since I sold the pair I'd recommend and no longer technically own them, you don't want it.
Haha, great post!
The Shure e2c are recommended a lot, and I also happen to own a pair ;) They have excellent sound quality, and also isolate you from the environment (they're in-ear phones). It takes a bit of time to get used to them, but once you have, you'll love them. And they are easily within your price range ($120-150 or so, probably cheaper).
Sheesh. Why be a jerk to people offering recommendations?
I can see his point. People will offer all kinds of opinions on things they don't know first hand, just because they've read something on the interwebs, seen photos, etc.
Sheesh. Why be a jerk to people offering recommendations?
I'd give you a rec, but since I sold the pair I'd recommend and no longer technically own them, you don't want it.
I meant to write 'own or had owned' actually.
It's been a long day for me, today so you'll have to accept my excuse if I don't manage to precisely phrase every word of English correctly.
Was there really any need to respond like that?
Actually, Dude - don't bother. Don't try to make me feel like I owe you some big favour just because you hammered out a line or two about something you own.
Oh Dear...
:no:
Engine Joe
2006-09-13, 15:36
The Shure e2c are recommended a lot, and I also happen to own a pair ;) They have excellent sound quality, and also isolate you from the environment (they're in-ear phones). It takes a bit of time to get used to them, but once you have, you'll love them. And they are easily within your price range ($120-150 or so, probably cheaper).
I'll second that. I love mine, particularly with the foam adapters (you get rubber ones and foam ones).
Performa636CD
2006-09-13, 16:03
I'll second that. I love mine, particularly with the foam adapters (you get rubber ones and foam ones).
Make me recommender number 3 for those earphones. However, I don't know if they're worth all that money.
torifile
2006-09-13, 16:11
I'd recommend the Shure e3, even though I no longer own them. :p The MSRP is $179, but you can find them for much less if you look around. Like the e2c's but better. ;)
I have the bose quiet comfort 2 headphones and I love them! They have great sound quality and make working in a noisy environment much more enjoyable. I am sure other people will chime in with headphones they love, but I would check these out. I enjoy mine and they are right around your price range I believe.My dad has a pair of those, and I have the Sennheiser HD280 Pro's ($70), and the Bose can't even come close that they performance *or* sound blocking abilities of the Senn's. I don't know the impedance on the Bose QC2 (another reason not to like Bose, they don't publish specifications), but the Senn's are a little high at 64Ω for an iPod. However, I have heard the Senn 280's paired with a Total Bithead (http://www.headphone.com/products/headphone-amps/the-mobile-line/headroom-total-bithead.php) headphone amp and that is an *amazing* combination for right around $220.
$280 buys a lot of headphone, so you should be able to get something great. Here's a list (http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-budget/150-300/) of units in your price range.
torifile
2006-09-13, 16:31
If you (or anyone else) want the Shure e2s, there's an amazon coupon for $30 off. See here (http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_3556222_1/002-5469982-4012832?ie=UTF8&docId=1000003011). I'm not in the market, but it seemed appropriate for this thread. :)
intlplby
2006-09-13, 17:07
do you want headphones or earphones?
if you want earphones it's easy. Go with some Shure's or Etymotics. I recommend buying from www.discountheadphones.com
if you want headphones things get more complicated
if you want headphones do you want an open or closed design?
if you get a headphone you need to consider the impedance. regardless i would suggest an amp, but for some headphones it's absolutely necessary.
what kind of music do you listen to?
tell me more and i can help more... also, don't forget to check out www.head-fi.org
i have Etymotics ER-4s and Grado HP-1000 HP-1s. I have a PPA headphone amp.
I'm looking to pick up some sennheiser HD-650s in the future (or 700s if they are out yet)
Go for a set of Shure's for definite, the deep in the ear thing seems to not agree with some people but I love my E4c's.
These earphones induced the feeling that I needed to re-listen to all my music through these babies thats how good they are for me. I previously have had some Sony MDR-EX71's as well as the Apple In-ear.
Some people think I'm mad when they realise how much I've paid for ear-phones but I feel it was truly worth it.
do you want headphones or earphones?
if you want earphones it's easy. Go with some Shure's or Etymotics. I recommend buying from www.discountheadphones.com
if you want headphones things get more complicated
if you want headphones do you want an open or closed design?
if you get a headphone you need to consider the impedance. regardless i would suggest an amp, but for some headphones it's absolutely necessary.
what kind of music do you listen to?
tell me more and i can help more... also, don't forget to check out www.head-fi.org
i have Etymotics ER-4s and Grado HP-1000 HP-1s. I have a PPA headphone amp.
I'm looking to pick up some sennheiser HD-650s in the future (or 700s if they are out yet)Definitely get a headphone amp. I heard a setup with one once and now I'm saving up to get the Total Bithead I linked to in my earlier post.
I'd recommend the Shure e3, even though I no longer own them. :p The MSRP is $179, but you can find them for much less if you look around. Like the e2c's but better. ;)
Yep, I've got the Shure e3 and love them.
intlplby
2006-09-13, 23:08
headphone amps don't really add a whole lot for earphones at least not enough to warrant the extra weight.....
for headphones they really make a huge difference.... even with low impedance phones like grados (32 ohms) there is a big advantage to an amp....
they can be pricey, but you can pick up a homemade CMoy off www.head-fi.org for like $50-60 or make your own for $20-25 in parts if you already have all the necessary tools.
Grado SR-60s + CMoy is a super super cheap way to enter the world of headphone hi fidelity
Some people think I'm mad when they realise how much I've paid for ear-phones but I feel it was truly worth it.
me too.... i think i have like $1500 in it so far and i still want to pick up some sennheisers....
CoolToddHunter
2006-09-14, 10:50
I, like many others, have a pair of e2c's, but they hurt my ears after a couple of hours. My solution was custom inserts. They block the sound better and are much more comfortable.
intlplby
2006-09-14, 13:04
still need help, jason?
patrickatm08
2006-09-14, 15:30
Well, I have the Shure e4's, like the e2 and e3's, only better. I don't know if they're better, I just wanted to one up you. I use the plastic inserts on them at school in our student union building, which has a piano (accompanied with bad piano players) and inserting the earphones makes them disappear with less than about 1/10 of the "volume bar" being highlighted (if that makes any sense) on my iPod.
digitaldave
2006-09-14, 15:50
I've had a pair of E3, they were pretty good, but I wanted a little bit more bass, so I upgraded to a pair of Westone UM2 - they are a little over your budget at £158 ($299) delivered to the UK from www.earphonesolutions.com, but I think worth the stretch. Good sound, and good isolation.
still need help, jason?
I do, yeah. It's not an easy decision to make. I keep hearing good things about the Shure E4C's but they are £199 on the Apple Store UK.
Umm...what to do?
torifile
2006-09-14, 17:05
Don't order from the Apple Store. They sell at MSRP and that's way overpriced.
Ok, thanks man. I will shop around.
Sorry about yesterday btw...
torifile
2006-09-14, 17:33
Ok, thanks man. I will shop around.
Sorry about yesterday btw...
No worries. I was being an ass. :) I have a tendency to do that from time to time. ;) I emailed earphonesolutions.com to find out how much they charge for the e4s. They advertise them for $399 but say if you email, they'll give you a coupon code.
There are a bunch on ebay for $187. I'm not sure how that affects warranty but you could buy 2 pairs for the MSRP price.
edit: there are a few for as low as $165.
intlplby
2006-09-14, 20:59
yeah... msrp is ridiculous.....
also... where do you plan on doing most of your listening.... if the earphones are mainly for commuting and other noisy environments then go for ones with good sound isolation....
it may be worth getting the cheaper shures and a pair of grado SR-60s and an amp for your budget.....
the headphones for home and office listening and the shures for when you are out and about town....
personally i don't think any pair of earphones is comparable to a good set of headphones and an amp..... far more enjoyable IMHO
torifile
2006-09-14, 21:24
earphonesolutions.com has some GOOD prices on these things. $188 for the white e4s. Free ship. Cheap enough to make me consider them. Of course, I don't need another pair of headphones. But... Damn you Jason! ;)
digitaldave
2006-09-15, 00:13
Umm...what to do?
Get the Westone UM2s ;).
I forgot to mention before that they are a dual driver which gives an improved sound, plus the cable is thinner than the Shure's, so microphonics are virtually nonexistant.
torifile
2006-09-15, 00:32
Get the Westone UM2s ;).
I forgot to mention before that they are a dual driver which gives an improved sound, plus the cable is thinner than the Shure's, so microphonics are virtually nonexistant.
I was under the impression that microphonics (technically, cable noise and occlusion) are reduced with a thicker cable rather than the other way around. Some poking around the intarweb seems to confirm my idea that thicker cables reduce noise.
I don't want to rain on anyone's parade here, but spending hundreds of money on wonderful headphones to listen to *compressed* file formats seems a bit, well, over-engineered. If you're only listening to uncompressed audio or lossless (maybe) that's one thing, but beyond buying something like the Shure e2 or e3 headphones seems a bit gratuitous. If you just want to have cool headphones, that's one thing, but don't pretend that they'll give you greater quality than something middle of the road.
Tools for the job, folks. Tools for the job.
I leave my studio headphones for when (surprise) I'm working in the studio. They work great for catching every last detail of 24bit 96k tracks that I'm laying down.
Of course, if you're jonesing to hear every little digital compression artifact, by all means, buy some in-ears worth a few hundred bucks. You'll get every last nuance of the compression.
;)
P.s. - If you're going to tell me that you can't hear much difference between compressed and uncompressed audio, well, you *definitely* shouldn't be spending the extra cash on high-end headphones.
digitaldave
2006-09-15, 01:42
I was under the impression that microphonics (technically, cable noise and occlusion) are reduced with a thicker cable rather than the other way around. Some poking around the intarweb seems to confirm my idea that thicker cables reduce noise.
In my experience with E3 vs UM2, the thinner cable of the Westones has much less microphonics. YMMV ;).
digitaldave
2006-09-15, 01:56
I don't want to rain on anyone's parade here, but spending hundreds of money on wonderful headphones to listen to *compressed* file formats seems a bit, well, over-engineered. If you're only listening to uncompressed audio or lossless (maybe) that's one thing, but beyond buying something like the Shure e2 or e3 headphones seems a bit gratuitous. If you just want to have cool headphones, that's one thing, but don't pretend that they'll give you greater quality than something middle of the road.
Tools for the job, folks. Tools for the job.
I leave my studio headphones for when (surprise) I'm working in the studio. They work great for catching every last detail of 24bit 96k tracks that I'm laying down.
Of course, if you're jonesing to hear every little digital compression artifact, by all means, buy some in-ears worth a few hundred bucks. You'll get every last nuance of the compression.
;)
P.s. - If you're going to tell me that you can't hear much difference between compressed and uncompressed audio, well, you *definitely* shouldn't be spending the extra cash on high-end headphones.
I agree, but there are other factors that may need to be taken in to account. For example, I commute on public transport, so regular ear buds are not that good, as too much noise gets in and out. So to me, it's worth spending money on earphones that give good isolation. I did that, and got some E3s, but after a while found that I wanted a bit more bass, so upgraded to the UM2s, and again, for me, the upgrade was worth it - I clearly get a better sound from the UM2 than the E3. I know that the limit on my system is the compressed audio files, but getting decent earphones has improved my enjoyment of what I do have available. And like you, if I want to get the best quality, I'll sit at home with my CD or turntable and listen on my HD600s.
:)
Well, I finally went ahead and ordered. They all seem to have pros/cons in regards to build, price, quality, comfort etc.
In the end, I went for this:
80GB iPod
Ultimate Ears super.fi 5Pro
USB Power Adaptor.
My Paul Smith case will have to wait a bit longer. lol.
http://www.paulsmith.co.uk/shop/mens-other-accessories/large-mp3-player-case-a3xa-1559-1500-1/
Thanks everyone who gave advice and recommendations.
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