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Mallrat · Sep 9, 2005, 12:12 AM

What headphones do you use? I like the apple ones, but I was looking try to another pair since everyone in NYC has those white headphones and it would be cool to, well be different.

And maybe there's a better sounding headphone out there too.

budster101 · Sep 9, 2005, 12:19 AM

Get these, they are the best:

Well up there with the best at least.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPL....7.1.1.0.1.0.3

Randman · Sep 9, 2005, 12:21 AM

Grados

Shure EC3s

Sony Nude 71s.

toffe · Sep 9, 2005, 01:06 PM

I use the standard. But i guess here it's differend. People are just starting to recognize iPod headphones here (in Helsinki, Finland). They make you look cool

urbatronik · Sep 9, 2005, 01:34 PM

Sony MDR-EX51

GSixZero · Sep 9, 2005, 02:06 PM

shure e2c

SSharon · Sep 9, 2005, 04:20 PM

I use the stock earbuds and the sennheiser hd 280s

ccrider · Sep 9, 2005, 04:31 PM

Go big or go home- that's what i say...

Etymotic ER-4

your ears will love you.

dampeoples · Sep 9, 2005, 06:20 PM

I use a pair of $15 Koss phones I got at a Borders. I want a pair of Sennheiser phones, but the cable always gets hung on stuff at work, so I use cheaper phones.

JustinD · Sep 9, 2005, 10:19 PM

I go through inexpensive (for me that's $40-$90) earbud-style headphone like underwear, until I got a pair of Audio Technica earbuds:

http://www.audiocubes.com/category/H...Earphones.html

They don't make the ones I have anymore, but rest assured any of their 'buds in the $60-$150 range are well worth the price. The sound is better than the best Sony and Sennheiser 'buds I've owned, and while they may not be as good as Shure or Etymotic ear-canal 'buds, if you're uncomfortable with sticking things in your canals then these are the way to go. (I'm paranoid about inner-ear headphones like those since I one got a pretty horrible ear infection from them - I feel that you gotta be paranoid about keeping them clean or else...) Plus I live in NYC so I like to be able to hear at least a little of what's going on around me.

I found the Sony NUDE 'buds with the inner-ear sheath to be extremely uncomfortable - and I've got decent size ears.On the other hand their E888 Fontopia/Fontopid phones are pretty good but a bit fragile.

I've also got a pair of Sony Eggo MDR-D66SL heaphones:

http://www.audiocubes.com/category/H...eadphones.html

These babies are insane for the price. If you dont mind the headband screwing with your hair then there's no other pair of headphones to get. Grados and most Sennheisers in that pice range can't mach the response and depth of the sound. Sony's fluke headset - I find most Sony headphones to be lacking overall in sound reproduction.

~

Overall though, I've become a HUGE fan of Audio Technica headphones, both the 'buds and the high-end ones. You won't be disappointed.

kauffee · Sep 9, 2005, 10:28 PM

Ultimate Ears UE-5c

www.ultimateears.com

rhythmicmoose · Sep 9, 2005, 10:36 PM

I second the Sony MDR-EX51's and the MDR-D66SL's. Both are fantastic and will not demolish your wallet. Honorable mention to any of the high-end Sennheisers (my friend has a pair of HD580's... phenomenal).

Paco500 · Sep 10, 2005, 12:05 AM

Shure EC3s

like 'em just fine.

Cadaver · Sep 10, 2005, 09:21 PM

Believe it or not, I like the Apple in-ear earbuds (not the standard ones, but the in-canal ones).
The small tips fit me well and they sound much better than the stardard ones.

kugino · Sep 10, 2005, 10:17 PM

straight out of the iPod i like the grado sr60 and etymotic er4p. my wife likes her etymotic er6i.

at home or in the office i like to use a headphone amp. use the dock or a sik din line out into a headphone amp...then i use the etymotic er4s or grado sr200. the ipod is capable of sounding really good...

Cadaver · Sep 10, 2005, 11:02 PM

Originally Posted by kugino

straight out of the iPod i like the grado sr60 and etymotic er4p. my wife likes her etymotic er6i.

at home or in the office i like to use a headphone amp. use the dock or a sik din line out into a headphone amp...then i use the etymotic er4s or grado sr200. the ipod is capable of sounding really good...

What codec are you using then?

teknopimp · Sep 10, 2005, 11:12 PM

Sony TMR-RF960R (wireless), MDR-V250, Fontopoid

none are the greatest, just good. someday i'll have the MDR-V700. fontopoids sound and fit better than apple's earbuds. must have black and/or silver.

Tesseract · Sep 10, 2005, 11:37 PM

Sony MDR-EX51LP earbuds.
Not the greatest - they were around $40 - but better than the stock iPod headphones for both audio quality and staying in my ears. Actually, I bought them to use with my CD player before I owned an iPod.

I had an MDR-V250 once, until the inline volume control thing went bad and started introducing static into the signal.

kugino · Sep 11, 2005, 04:38 AM

Originally Posted by Cadaver

What codec are you using then?

depends on the kind of music...i like to listen to jazz and classical at really high bitrates, usually encoded via LAME or for some tracks, apple lossless. most rock and pop music is LAME VBR (normal or standard)...as you may know, the quality of headphones makes it easier to tell the difference between different bitrates or different formats...

harrisjamieh · Sep 11, 2005, 08:01 AM

I use the Bang & Olufsen A8 headphones, they are awesome, at least 10 times better than the iPod white ones

Pendergast · Sep 11, 2005, 08:59 AM

I use Grado SR 225 and Sony MDR EX 71.

The Grados are for the bed. The Sony are for running and cycling. When running, I used to hear the thumping of my foot in contact with the ground, but I don't hear it anymore.

I am lurking towards the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro now, the black ones, to go with the black nano I purchased.

Phat Bastard · Sep 11, 2005, 10:58 AM

This discussion is very useful but I wanted to ask people to post pictures of the earbuds/headphones they're using.

I just bought a black Nano and I'm looking for some slick black earbuds, does anyone have any suggestions?

volcano · Sep 11, 2005, 12:50 PM

I use Sony MDR EX 71s as well. I initially purchased them with my MiniDisc player about 1 year ago, but started using them with my iPod mini (RIP) when I purchased it in late March of this year. I really dislike the fit and sound quality of the standard earbuds.

Phat Bastard, just copy the numerous model numbers/names posted here into a search engine or image search engine and you'll see what they look like in an instant. The MDREX 71's I use are black.

I'm going to buy the MDR-EX 51s in white ASAP, though, because I find the cord with the 71's is way too long when I'm walking or running with my iPod. They're perfect for home use (lying in bed, etc) but just too long for me otherwise. Plus, I need a pair to match my iPod now.

kugino · Sep 11, 2005, 01:15 PM

Originally Posted by Phat Bastard

This discussion is very useful but I wanted to ask people to post pictures of the earbuds/headphones they're using.

I just bought a black Nano and I'm looking for some slick black earbuds, does anyone have any suggestions?

phat bastard - the ultimate ears super.fi 5pro comes in black and looks pretty sleek. they sound great, too. http://www.ultimateears.com/superfi/..._prod-979.html

there are other slick black earbuds that bang&olufsen and audio technica make, but they don't sound as good as comparable ones from ultimate ears or shure or etymotic, IMHO. the shure e4 (the black version of the e4c) is also really nice.

kauffee · Sep 11, 2005, 07:37 PM

The UE super.fi 5Pro do come in black... but if you want the best of black earphones, get the UE5c in black. You can see a pic of someone's here:
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=134502

You can get the cord in black, too. I'm guessing they're a lot more than you were looking to spend, but you would never regret it.

kugino · Sep 11, 2005, 09:25 PM

the UE5c are great and i would certainly recommend them to people who love IEMs, but the only drawback is that if you get them and you don't like them, it will be difficult to resell them b/c they're customized to your ears. but for comfort and sound, they're fantastic...

kauffee · 11:44 PM

It's not difficult to resell them... it's impossible. They will only fit your ears and nobody else's. Still, there's really no way you'll be disappointed in the sound. They're head and shoulders above any universal-fit in-ear phone (and I've had most of them). As far as them not fitting, UE guarantees the fit... they'll make as many pairs as you need until one fits. Assuming you go to a good audiologist and get a good set of impressions (and it's not rocket science), you'll almost surely get a good fit. Mine were perfect on the first try, and UE told me that less than 5% of customers need fit adjustments.

greenG4 · Sep 11, 2005, 11:34 PM

I use Panasonic noice canceling headphones: model RP-HC100. They're pretty nice, and the noice cancellation works fabulously.

Dale Sorel · Sep 12, 2005, 01:02 AM

Originally Posted by Cadaver

Believe it or not, I like the Apple in-ear earbuds (not the standard ones, but the in-canal ones).

That's nice to hear... I have a pair on order and they should be in my hands this week. The standard headphones didn't agree with my right ear.

If this thread is still active when I get them, I might post a mini review

phantomo · Sep 12, 2005, 05:07 AM

Sony MDR-EX70SL --> Sony MDR-EX71SL --> Apple In-ear --> Sony MDR-EX81SL

Brien · Sep 13, 2005, 01:26 AM

Bose Triports. Great sound.

adamjh · Sep 13, 2005, 04:48 PM

I have the Sennheiser PX100. They sound REALLY good. They cost around $50, and they fold up (a feature I use a lot). I've beat them up quite a bit in the 1.5 years I've had them, and they still sound awesome. Highly recommended.

Pendergast · Sep 14, 2005, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by Pendergast

I use Grado SR 225 and Sony MDR EX 71.

The Grados are for the bed. The Sony are for running and cycling. When running, I used to hear the thumping of my foot in contact with the ground, but I don't hear it anymore.

I am lurking towards the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro now, the black ones, to go with the black nano I purchased.

I'll use the er6i instead.

They have better press and better for my wallet.

;o)

serranot · Sep 14, 2005, 09:39 PM

I see lots of different opinions. However, I use my iPod almost exclusively for exercise, and I sweat--a lot. Plus, I'm bald and the sweat runs into my ears. Any particular models that are good--or not so good--for exercise, i.e., water resistant, staying firmly in place, etc. Advance apology for the thread hijack.

Daracle · Sep 15, 2005, 08:33 AM

I use the Phillips SBC HN110.

Needed headphones and bought thses kinda spur of the moment for like $100CAN
So far they have treated me well and I really like the noise cancelling. Seems that after about 2 months use though and using the foldup option very often (Every night when I get home from work and finihsed using them) they kinda seem like they are "loose", for lack of a better word.

http://images-jp.amazon.com/images/P...9.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

bells0 · Sep 15, 2005, 08:43 AM

Sennheiser PX-200 for me, nice closed design for cutting out outside noise, sound awesome and fold into small case too.

Pendergast · Sep 15, 2005, 09:03 PM

Originally Posted by serranot

I see lots of different opinions. However, I use my iPod almost exclusively for exercise, and I sweat--a lot. Plus, I'm bald and the sweat runs into my ears. Any particular models that are good--or not so good--for exercise, i.e., water resistant, staying firmly in place, etc. Advance apology for the thread hijack.

Headband?