I tried all three of these, and found I liked the Sennheiser MX 500 way
better than the other two. As far as Sonys go, the 888s are a noticable bit
better than the EX70s, although go for another 10$. The koss I didn't like,
didn't like the way they fit in my ear, didn't like the heavy bass for
IDM... definitly over emphasized
I'd still recommend the Sennheiser MX 500, I'm using one right now with my
Archos and have had no problems with the addition of the volume control. On
sites I've read it breaks fairly quickly, I've had mine for 6 months with no
problems (I don't use it much, but when I like it for quick volume
adjustments). It's 15$ for the headphones, it's not exactly a big deal to
replace them when they're as good as 60$ Sonys. They don't provide any noise
cancellation, which sucks, mostly because the foam covers that come with the
headphones are REALLY bad... they come off easily and don't provide any real
comfort in the ear. Just buy any standard replacements for the foam from
another manufacturer (forgot to mention that in my previous posts).
And if you get a chance to try out the etymotics, let us know what you
think... if they're good enough for 250$, I might consider grabbing a pair.
I haven't gotten a chance to try them out yet, don't know any normal stores
that sell them.
Chris
From: "SE/30" <grindingbassline@hotmail.com>
To: <idm@hyperreal.org>
Subject: [idm] Portable Headphone Review
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 19:01:35 -0800
i have 2 recomendations for iPod headphones.
these recomendations are based on the following criteria (in order of
importance):
-pocket sized (this pretty much dictates in-ear "earbud" style)
-ability to deliver adequate fidelity (including low frequency response)
-efficiency (for adequate volume with relatively low power)
-cost
My 3 recomendations (in order of preference) are:
1) Sony EX70's - met all criteria extremely well.
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/pcsound/285955.html
pros:
-fidelity : provided exceptional fidelity when used with thebuiltin "Bass
Reducer" EQ setting on the iPod.
-cost : ~$50 - much less than earbud headphones of comparible fidelity
such as the Etymotic ER4S's (
http://www.epinions.com/elec_Audio-Headphones-EBrand-ER-ER-4S/display_~latest_prices
) and with better bass response (in my
opinion.)
-single input cable to left bud with smaller guage cable going to right
channel (allows routing behind the neck and out of the
way. also when headphone cord is inadvertantly "yanked", the angle of the
pull usually put less strain on the ear so it was less
tramatic.)
-more "cable rub noise" than normal earbuds.
-not much of a "pro" point, but comes with interesting extremely compact
case to hold the in-ear portion of the phones.
2) Koss CS15's - met all criteria relatively well.
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/pcsound/285955.html
pros:
-cost: ~$10 - arguably the best value earbud on the planet.
-sturdy cushion made of some soft butyl material... washible and will
probably last indefinately. comes with two sizes.
-extremely efficient bass response : (almost too much so)... requires a
custom EQ profile (setup in iTunes) in order to tone down
the extremely fat lower octaves. those searching for reproduction of
"trunk-thumping booty music" look no further.
cons:
-"mute" button on cord easily hit during activity, resulting in audible
muting of program material. after a month or more of
usage, the contacts of unit became "dirty" and would cut out intermittantly.
although i would still recommend them for anyone who
wanted budget headphones they wouldn't cry about being destroyed by dragging
through the escallator mechanics at the Embarcadero
BART station (yes, that is the voice of experience) i would recomend
modifying the headphones to eliminate the mute button by
soldering the momentary disconnect closed.
-"y" cable design (like most earbuds) would occasionally get in the way
of activity.
-foam compression cushions appear to break down rather easily and would
probably only last a year or so, although it does come
with a set of replacement cushions, they are larger than the stock ones so
they may require modification for use with a "normal"
sized ear.
-foam compression cushions (again) are made of material much like
standard disposable earplugs and ideally require washing hands
before "rolling" to compress them for maximum longevity.
-again, "cable rub noise" is rather high for all of these in-ear phones.
3) Sennheiser MX 400 - met most criteria fairly well
http://www.epinions.com/elec_Audio-Headphones_Sennheiser_RS-Sennheiser_MX_400
(fyi, not a single of the dozen or so standard earbud style phones that
rest in the cup of the tragus produced adequate fidelity.
across the board, the bass response was lackluster at best. however, if you
cannot stand the style of "ear plug" type earbuds, or
you require the ability to hear surrounding environmental sounds with ease,
then these in-ear style are not for you. if that is the
case, i would recommend the sennheiser MX 400. i DO NOT recommend the MX
500. it is the MX 400 with the addition of an in-cord
volume control. avoid it like the plague.)
pros:
-cost: ~$15
-low "cable rub noise"
-comfortable if you cannot wear in-ear style
cons:
-marginal coupling for lower octave frequency response (this is a
byproduct of the design and seems inpossible to overcome for
any non-direct coupling earbud headphone
-"y" cable design gets in the way during activity
these are opinions people. 'don't like them, make your own :)
-=dave
----- Original Message -----
From: EggyToast
To: idm@hyperreal.org
Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2003 6:03 PM
Subject: Re: [idm] Headphones recommendations (perhaps with iPod)
At 12:04 AM 3/1/2003 -0800, you wrote:
>Hi -- could use your advice
>
>So, for the most part I like IDM and Experimental
>music.
>This is already unique itself since it is the "quality
>over quantity" of music I dig the most.
>
>I will be getting an iPod soon, thus need a
>replacement for those crappy earbuds they come with.
>
>Any recommendations as to headphones (perhaps noise
>cancelling) that would make my idm and experimental
>tunes sound "great"?
You don't need noise cancelling, as they tend to not be of a very high
quality anyway and it's more of a "gimmik" than a real solution.
You just need a really clear headphone with a complete range.
I'd recommend Sennheiser headphones. Me and a half-dozen other people
continually recommend them to anyone who asks on the IDM-Making list, and
so far, no one's been displeased with their purchase. They make an
exceptional headphone for all budgets.
derek
-------
eggytoast.com
-------
coming soon: eggtastic.com
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