New headphones to replace ipod crud

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Vesuvius

Weaksauce
Joined
Nov 16, 2004
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I'd like to get some portable headphones to replace the headphones I currently have. The Ipod headphones are just bad. I own some Sennheiser PCX150's and I love the sound they produce, but the noisegard stick it bulkly and I don't care for all the wires. I was considering getting some Senn, MX series headphones or some foldable PX series on ear headphones.

My main wants are good full sound of course, portability (either folding headphones or buds/plugs). I also don't want to use a headphone amp. I sold my Ipod 3rd gen for the shuffle if that gives you any idea how small and simple of a setup I want.

I've looked at:
Sennheiser MX's
Sennheiser PX's
Shure ExC's (E3C's would be the absolute MAX I would be willing to spring for)
 
E3C all the way, but whether youd see much of an improvement over the PX100s i dont know, do yourself a favour and dont get the PX200 the sound is no better, and worse in some respects than the 100s, dont get the MXones unless you need cheap earbouds, over head ones sound so much better.

If you can afford the E3Cs, you might want to look into a pair of Grados, SR80/SR125
 
sony e888's are the best ive heard and can be picked up for about $60, not bass heavy headphones by any means but the sound is very smooth and detailed, great for rock and acoustic material, however i used them for techno trance and house genres and they still shone with it.

great phones.
 
If you don't like canalphones too much, you have a lot of options, the greatest of which are:

Grado SR60/80
Koss KSC75 (clip-ons, but AWESOME sounding, and way, way underpriced)
Sennheiser HD280


Check www.head-fi.com . My personal choice would be the Grados. Just search Grado on head-fi and see how much praise you find :D
 
As per that selection wizard, I'm going to have to recommend against the Audio Technica ATH-CM5s. The design is horribly awkward and hangs on your earlobe. A cool part of the design is that the cord breaks in the middle, so it sorta makes it easier to just put in your pocket and tear the phones themselves off...well, that would be the case if the cord wasn't ridiculously long (something like 9 feet). Plus, the distances between the right earphone and the junction, and the distance between the left earphone and the junction are totally skewed for some reason. That is to say, the cord for the right earphone is just about twice as long as the cord for the left earphone, which results in all of the pressure from the cord being exerted on one ear, which makes it impossible to get a good sound while you're walking, because the only thing holding the earphone in is your earlobe. Decent sound when you're just sitting around, but stupid design makes it worthless.

So yeah, my recommendation is to not get the ATH-CMx series. :)
 
The Koss Portapro is a very typical reccomendation. Try to find a pair in a quality retail location and buy, audition and return if unsatisfactory.
 
Etymotics ER-6i. It's got more detailed mids and stronger, clearer bass compared to the E3C, but its high-end can be slightly fatiguing. I also prefer the fit of the Etys compared to the Shures, but this is really up to the individual. They go for $77 at Buy.com right now until 5/31.
 
i've owned 14 pairs of headphones

10 of which cost more than $100 msrp

and i've sold them all except the koss ksc35

without a doubt the best bang for your buck

check em out on headfi
 
Spetsnaz Op said:
Panasonic HJE50. Duh! :)
Click to expand...

x2, for $25

Sharp MD33 for $50

There's no doubt the e3cs will give you great sound, but you won't get powerful bass from them. Just really good mids, and accurate bass. You'll get more bass with Sonys/Panasonics/Sharps or the e2c. PX200 are also great, but I don't think the isolation would be adequate for you.
 
I think im leaning heavily towards the koss portapros, KSC-35's, or the Senn PX100's. I think on/overear headphones are much less fatiguing. I know all these would probably sound better with a little MINT but will they still be good straight off a little Ipod Shuffle un-amplified?
 
Do you want in ear or clip ons? Ive owned the sony ex71's, koss 35's, shure e3c's, and sharp md33's. The shures didnt sound nearly as good as i thought it would be. My favorites are the koss 35's and the sharp md33's. I prefer the sharps the most though. They have very tight punchy bass but its not overpowering. The koss 35's sound clearer but lack bass so it sounds thin. My fav store is www.audiocubes.com
 
Vesuvius said:
I think im leaning heavily towards the koss portapros, KSC-35's, or the Senn PX100's. I think on/overear headphones are much less fatiguing. I know all these would probably sound better with a little MINT but will they still be good straight off a little Ipod Shuffle un-amplified?
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I will still suggest the Sharp MD33s.

All above mentioned will run fantastic straight out of a portable, especially a shuffle. In order of comfort with mentioned phones above, PX100 > PortaPro > KSC-35 imo.
 
I have the Senn PXC 150's I'm assuming they're just like the PX200's (closed) only difference being noisegard. If it wasn't for the damn Noisegard stick I would LOVE them. They sound very good IMO, they're comfortable, and fold very nicely.

Do the PX100's sound a lot better being open? I don't really think that I care much about outside noise, and I don't use them in class or anything, just on the go.
 
I purchased the Koss KSC-35's and all I can say is "damn" I paid $19.99 and they sound as good as, maybe better than my Sony MDR-V7506 and my Senn PXC-150's. My only complaint is that the ear clips are a tad, sharp and uncomfortable. Any suggestions from current Koss sportclip owners? I'll probably open a new thread on this subject.

Danny
 
xonik said:
Etymotics ER-6i. It's got more detailed mids and stronger, clearer bass compared to the E3C, but its high-end can be slightly fatiguing. I also prefer the fit of the Etys compared to the Shures, but this is really up to the individual. They go for $77 at Buy.com right now until 5/31.
Click to expand...
I second the recommendation for Etymotic ER-6is. I used them for about 3 days before they were sent overseas w/ an iPod to a family member. I own a pair of ER-6 (the original model) and love them. Apparently the ER-6i has been optimized for DAP - probably a lower impedance - haven't seen the specs in a while, but both work well on portable players.


Also, if you're not into canalphones the Sony MDR-E888s that someone mentioned earlier are pretty good too, those were my favorites for a long time.

Good Luck
 
Vesuvius said:
I purchased the Koss KSC-35's and all I can say is "damn" I paid $19.99 and they sound as good as, maybe better than my Sony MDR-V7506 and my Senn PXC-150's. My only complaint is that the ear clips are a tad, sharp and uncomfortable. Any suggestions from current Koss sportclip owners? I'll probably open a new thread on this subject.

Danny
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Hey Danny. Those Koss KSCs you got are uncomfortable by design. Try the Portapro, you won't be disappointed. And they roll up into a neat little ball :) I think the drivers may be the same, or at least they use the same magnet or something. The PPros seem to have a bit more bass tho- maybe it's the way they sit? Either way you can't go wrong with either one for sound. PX100s are also quite good, and look WAY more modern. But I've only read about those and comparisons tend to show the portapros slightly better at sound reproduction, but the PX100s come with a hard case... PX200's actually cost more than PX100 and on all the reviews I read show that the PX100 wins hands down. Wierd!
Almost everyone who sees the portapros either loves them or hates them styling-wise. If you're a retro type of guy go with the Portapros. Otherwise grab PX100s. Do you still have the KSCs packaging and reciept??
 
GodsMadClown said:
The Koss Portapro is a very typical reccomendation. Try to find a pair in a quality retail location and buy, audition and return if unsatisfactory.
Click to expand...


It was mentioned...

:p
 
i personally have never heard a better sound out of earbuds then my Sony Fontopia headphones. i haven't been on here long enough to know what everyone's reaction is going to be when i recommend sony, but geeze, they just sound beautiful to me and cut out a lot of sound. i know some companies flat out lie about specs, and idk if sony is one of them, but their supposed to do 6-23,000 Hz and have a 100 dB/mW sensitivity level. their bass is extremely impressive for 9mm drivers :D
 
CrypticInsight said:
i personally have never heard a better sound out of earbuds then my Sony Fontopia headphones. i haven't been on here long enough to know what everyone's reaction is going to be when i recommend sony, but geeze, they just sound beautiful to me and cut out a lot of sound. i know some companies flat out lie about specs, and idk if sony is one of them, but their supposed to do 6-23,000 Hz and have a 100 dB/mW sensitivity level. their bass is extremely impressive for 9mm drivers :D
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The sound quality leaves something to be desired... i own these phones.. the bass is overblown and muddy, mids are non existant, highs are there, but often times distracted because of the bass...

But then again, you don't really notice 'til you've heard something better.
 
But then again, you don't really notice 'til you've heard something better.
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That is kinda like saying:
being run over by a bus doesn't hurt until it actually happens to you. :p
 
I've been using the KSC's for about two weeks now. And they've grown on me in all areas. They're not the most comfortable phones at first, but after you get used to them you can't even tell that you've got anything on your ears, the ear clips don't hold them to your ears very tight, and they're extremely lightweight. They're ability to image sound is amazing. Music does not sound like its coming directly from the phones. I can see why the KSC's are so highly recommended.

About the PX100's vs the 200's. The 100's are an open design which usually wins for sound quality. The 200's are closed headphones so they isolate more sound, and generally cost more.

The KSC's are the first open headphones I have purchased and they are way less fatiguing and sound much better. I would say unless you don't want other people around you hearing your music or your in extremely loud environments stick to open designs. A great driver like those in the KSC's is more than suffecient for even moderately noisy environments.
 
Svperstar said:
I'll have to recommend the Sennheiser HE90, sounds good out of an Ipod.
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WHOA!!! You're recommending a Sennheiser headphone that makes my HD650s look like peanuts??!! HHAHAHAH

Check out the 200$ ipod with the $10,000 headphones! That would be a site!

A site for a mugging. :)
 
By all means get the HE90s, the orpheus headphones may cost a little bit more, but the sound quality is improved. If you don't want to stretch the minute amound of money, you can always look into the Sony Ex-71.
 
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