Earbuds / Headphones

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bencho

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Sep 15, 2007
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Hey,

What's the recommendation for earbuds or headphones that are good for PC and Ipod Touch use? For the PC I'm sure I don't need a preamp or anything but should I be wary of lack of power to drive the speakers? I'm looking at AKG K701s or their earbuds or Sennheiser?
 
I just got a pair of Shure SCL3 for $59 for my Ipod Touch. IMO it is hard to beat for the price.
 
701s NEED and amp to sound good. and they are not portable at all...the ER6i's are good earbuds, might also want to look at the SR60/80 they sound good unamped keep in mid the Grados are open (so are the AKGs) so sound isolation is next to nothing.

might also wanna check out the d1001or d2000, d1001 more so for portable use.
 
bencho said:
Hey,

What's the recommendation for earbuds or headphones that are good for PC and Ipod Touch use? For the PC I'm sure I don't need a preamp or anything but should I be wary of lack of power to drive the speakers? I'm looking at AKG K701s or their earbuds or Sennheiser?
Click to expand...

You won't be able to drive the K701's without an amp. Sennheiser earbuds are decent, but there are better ones out there. Also, depending on whether or not you want closed or open headphones there are a lot of Sennheiser models that will work.

Personally, let us know what your budget is and how serious you want to get with the purchase. If you just want a decent set of earbuds I would recommend Shure, Sennheiser, and Etymonic. Just stay away from anything Bose and don't spend money on over-priced Sony stuff unless there are rave reviews about them.

As far as headphones. If you want to use them without an amp, you need to get some headphones with an impendance of 80 ohms or less. Let us know what you are looking for and we can help you out more.
 
You can't just use ANY amp with the K701, either. Gotta get a good one.

What's your budget? Retail value of K701 (~$250)?

Hard to find a good headphone at above $200 that doesn't require a good amp. Earphones/IEM might do the trick. You ok with IEM?
 
Zoson said:
Shure SE530's are the best of the best.
Click to expand...

Ehhh... also, impedance isn't the only thing to look for in a headphone's amp requirements. K701 is low impedance but requires quick, fast, steady voltage swings from the amp.
 
Wow... good stuff so fast.

Uhh... I'm currently using PSP ear buds.... I don't like the ipod ones. I guess I'm looking for in ear but not the ear canal ones with the soft rubber inserts.. I find them very uncomfortable. I guess I'm not looking to spend more than $50~ Probably going to be earbuds for portability then.
 
The 701 do need ample power to sound their best, but you will still enjoy them out of your computer headphone jack. I was very suprised how well they sounded.. Compared to my 400 amp, there was no night and day difference at all.
 
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What about earbuds? Shure is way out of my price range.
Any comments on Sennheiser buds or the AKG buds?
 
I haven't heard the AKG buds, the Senn buds are nice. However, I would spend the extra money on the Shure earbuds. From all the earbuds I have heard they are not only the most comfortable, but also the best quality.

Good luck with your search.
 
The Shure SE530's may be out of your pricerange, but how about the Shure 110 or 210 series? If you look hard you can find the dual and single driver Shures for fairly cheap.

The 530's are so pricey because they have three drivers.

Also, I don't use an amp with my Shures and they sound fine on both my iPhone and PSP.
 
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