Headphone Reccomendations
One of the odd things about being a podcaster is that people are always asking you about sound stuff. I'm not really an engineer, but I have taken the time to review the market, and consider the various options.
If you're a Jordan, Jesse GO! listener, you probably already know how much I like my Zune (though if I was going to spend $300 rather than $90, I would have bought an iPod, which is maybe marginally better).
But what about headphones?
If you're looking for something pretty inexpensive and lightweight, I heartily recommend the Koss Portpro (pictured above). They cost about $40, they're light, they fold up, and they sound fantastic. Great bass response and really clear through the spectrum. Wonderful headphones. They also come with a pretty much unconditional lifetime guarantee.
If you're looking for higher-end listening headphones, the brand most people know is Sennheiser. I have nothing against Sennheiser -- in fact, my on-air headphones are Sennheiser (they were on sale), but they're a bit expensive for what you get, no matter what your price range is.
If you want amazing, rich, beautiful sound for a shockingly low price, check out Grado. The SR-60 and SR-80 are headphones that will shock you with the warmth and richness of their sound. You can get either one for less than $100 -- the SR-80 is a bit bigger, which enhances bass response. These are headphones that aren't about marketing, they're about sound, and boy do they sound great. They probably don't sell Grados at your local Best Buy or Circuit City, but you can of course get them online (try Audio Advisor), and they're also available at Cambridge Soundworks and other stereo stores. Seriously, listening to music on headphones like this is an entirely different experience. The only downside is that since iPods are designed to drive those tiny earbuds, they don't generate a big signal, so if you choose to use them with your iPod, you might have to give up loud listening. Or get a little headphone amp.Labels: electronics
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posted by Jesse Thorn at Wednesday, February 20, 2008
9 Comments:
I have the Koss Portpro. I like them because they look ridiculous and sound pretty good. Seriously though, they do look ri-god-damned-diculous.
Avi
Thanks, Jesse. I was just thinking about getting some new cans. What about comfort, though? I like the look of the Portpros, but can you wear them for a long time?
I certainly wouldn't go running in them, but have found them very comfortable.
I have a pair of Etymotic ER6i earbuds for on the go listening. Then I have a pair of Sennheiser 595's for at home listening.
A decent pair of at homephones are definitely worth it. I had my last pair of Sennheisers for 6 years.
The Grados are amazing, I wear SR80s all day at work, the only downside is that I can't really go back to cheap headphones. One note, however, is that the Grados are open headphones, they don't screen out ambient noise so they're not well suited to listening in a noisy environment such as the train or a bus. Also, because they're open, those around you can hear what you're listening to if you have the volume cranked up.
I had a pair of Grado SR-60s. They were awesome for at-home listening through the stereo or with my discman. Sadly they fell apart before I ever got an iPod. They're not poorly made by any means, but not the most durable. Then again, I was throwing them in my bag all the time and crap.
Headphone.com has a pretty good SR-60 page. They're technically a store but they have some good recommendations for stuff. That's where I heard about Grados originally.
What I need are some better ear buds for walking around with. The $13 Sennheiser ones I've had for a while are good (esp for the price), but only a little better than the stock iPod buds. They're certainly more comfortable. But I feel I should be getting better sound out of my iPod Touch, given its cost.
I also use ER6i's on my iPod and Sennheisers at home. Etymotic's the only solution I've found that gets decent sound out of an iPod. They really block out ambient sound, though - use wisely.
If you want quality for cheap, then I can heartily recommend the MDR-XD200s from Sony.
They've got switches on both sides to adjust for "music" or "movies". It's really just a bass switch that turns it up for the "movies" setting, but it's great for any listening (not too much, but not too little).
They've got adjustable cups and band, they're comfortable, and they have an 11-foot cord. But most of all, they sound great. They're circumaural, of course. They also come with a 6.3mm jack adapter.
When I got mine, I started hearing instruments in songs that I didn't know existed. And that's not an exaggeration, they were just that clear.
And on top of that, they're just $20. You can find them on Newegg.
p.s. Jesse, there are plenty of better mp3 player options than iPod. anythingbutipod.com is a good place to do some research on that front.
Grados are great and a sound bargain- I have them on in my cube at work. I think the open air part is fine for most reasonable volumes.
I travel a bit these days and would say that good in-ear buds are the shit. You don't look like a skymall/Bose douche and they block out enough sound to listen to podcasts at a safe volume. My choice was the Westone UM1s(~$100) but I'm guessing others are pretty good too. The only downside is they are hard to "try out" without being kind of gross.
thanks,
ajds
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