iPhone/BB earphones

[resistanze]

I'm just curious to what kind of earphones people use with their iPhone of BB for music? Stock? Or 3rd party?

The first one got were the V-moda Vibe II.
http://www.ilounge.com/assets/images/reviews_vmoda/vibeii/2.jpg
Very good sound quality/noise isolation, but shitty build quality. They would break within 2 months (either cosmetically or functionally). not to mention they cost $120 US at the Apple Store.


Currently I'm using the Lenntek Sonix 3. I got them for only $35 from Amazon, they're a steal.
http://www.ilounge.com/assets/images/reviews_lenntek/sonix3/2.jpg

[Cry Havoc]

I have a few sets of headphones.

Full size are the cans in my avatar: Ultrasone HFI-780s. They are excellent headphones, most well-suited to rock, hip-hop, acoustic music, and alternative, due to the very forward sound they produce. Listening to Incubus or your favorite acoustic artist of choice (Iron & Wine in this case) produces a fantastic, intimate sound that's instantly enjoyable. They isolate very well for circum-aurals, although not as well as IEMs or canalphones, are modestly comfortable, and have a incredibly potent bass with good crisp highs. It really feels like you have a sub on your head, only it's extremely tight bass, so it sounds excellent with most music. Some people might be turned off because of just how forward they are, but I love that I can listen to an artist and feel like they are in the same room with me. They're big headphones but unless I need to travel light I take them just about everywhere with me.

My second set of headphones are my Denon C-700s. These are canalphones and actually have a musical signature that's very similar to the Ultrasones. They don't have quite the soundstage, but they have an impossibly surprising amount of bass for such a small headphone. I have compared them extremely favorable to the "4" series from Shure headphones, which cost around $150 more. The highs are noticeable and seem to "sparkle" as if they are set off by a separate driver, only it is a single dynamic driver in the Denons. They are not very balanced either, as they are extremely forward and thus less viable for classical music or anything that demands a lot of air and spacing to fully appreciate the experience. They isolate well, although you can still vaguely hear what's going on around you.

My third pair of headphones are Altec Lansing iM716 IEMs. They are based on the Etymonic's Er4p headphone drivers. They are absolutely the opposite of the above two headphones. They deliver a stark, analytical sound of whatever music you are listening to. It's strange to say, but I listened to Daft Punk with these in while on the Chicago's El transit system and thought I was in heaven. I could hear absolutely nothing around me except the music -- these IEMs sit waaaaaay into your ears with the standard config. But as a benefit, if you're on a noisy commute, you will hear every detail of what you are listening to. However, the soundstage and presence of the music isn't really conveyed as clearly as in the above headphones, these hit you with something that I can only describe as a wall of sound. It's like a painting -- you can pick every single detail out of the music and hear things you cannot in other headphones -- but it's a flat image.

I have probably listened to 70-80 different pairs of headphones, including some that cost in the thousands of dollars per pair. There is a kind of diminishing returns that applies here -- once you start paying +$400 for headphones, you're getting into very specific domains of sound -- but at the same time, you really do get what you pay for. Once your ears experience and grow accustomed to a more robust, detailed experience that comes with a high quality pair of headphones, you really don't want to go back. The caveat I would like to enter here is that Bose headphones are extremely overrated. I would rate both the Ultrasones and the Denons I mentioned to be MUCH better quality than Bose, and even the Altec Lansings blow Bose out of the water in detail and clarity.

Good headphones can be had for affordable prices, but you have to ask yourself... if you're paying $300 for an Mp3 player and have probably a few thousand dollars worth of music/CDs/records, why are you only spending $10 on headphones from Walmart? Even $300 for headphones might sound preposterous at first, but when you consider they could easily last you 10 years, that translates to only paying $30 a year for an incredible jump in quality. /rant

I haven't tried the headphones you mention, but they sound intriguing. :)

[ManuTP9]

I just use Skull Candy headphones.

[23LeBronJames23]

those earphones are gey they make your ears hurt after you listen to them for an hour and they break within a month. And totaly not worth the price they are.

[Sense]

Don't have any decent ones but if I had the money I'd get

http://www.beatsbydre.com/images/products/3808/product_3808.jpg

[Heath Ledger]

Ive got the bluetooth Motor Rokr from Motorolla.

They were $79 and when I took them to the register they rung up as $9.99, oopsie on best buys part. I went back and bought the two remaing pairs and sold them for a quick $50 each.

[resistanze]

I have a few sets of headphones.

Full size are the cans in my avatar: Ultrasone HFI-780s. They are excellent headphones, most well-suited to rock, hip-hop, acoustic music, and alternative, due to the very forward sound they produce. Listening to Incubus or your favorite acoustic artist of choice (Iron & Wine in this case) produces a fantastic, intimate sound that's instantly enjoyable. They isolate very well for circum-aurals, although not as well as IEMs or canalphones, are modestly comfortable, and have a incredibly potent bass with good crisp highs. It really feels like you have a sub on your head, only it's extremely tight bass, so it sounds excellent with most music. Some people might be turned off because of just how forward they are, but I love that I can listen to an artist and feel like they are in the same room with me. They're big headphones but unless I need to travel light I take them just about everywhere with me.

My second set of headphones are my Denon C-700s. These are canalphones and actually have a musical signature that's very similar to the Ultrasones. They don't have quite the soundstage, but they have an impossibly surprising amount of bass for such a small headphone. I have compared them extremely favorable to the "4" series from Shure headphones, which cost around $150 more. The highs are noticeable and seem to "sparkle" as if they are set off by a separate driver, only it is a single dynamic driver in the Denons. They are not very balanced either, as they are extremely forward and thus less viable for classical music or anything that demands a lot of air and spacing to fully appreciate the experience. They isolate well, although you can still vaguely hear what's going on around you.

My third pair of headphones are Altec Lansing iM716 IEMs. They are based on the Etymonic's Er4p headphone drivers. They are absolutely the opposite of the above two headphones. They deliver a stark, analytical sound of whatever music you are listening to. It's strange to say, but I listened to Daft Punk with these in while on the Chicago's El transit system and thought I was in heaven. I could hear absolutely nothing around me except the music -- these IEMs sit waaaaaay into your ears with the standard config. But as a benefit, if you're on a noisy commute, you will hear every detail of what you are listening to. However, the soundstage and presence of the music isn't really conveyed as clearly as in the above headphones, these hit you with something that I can only describe as a wall of sound. It's like a painting -- you can pick every single detail out of the music and hear things you cannot in other headphones -- but it's a flat image.

I have probably listened to 70-80 different pairs of headphones, including some that cost in the thousands of dollars per pair. There is a kind of diminishing returns that applies here -- once you start paying +$400 for headphones, you're getting into very specific domains of sound -- but at the same time, you really do get what you pay for. Once your ears experience and grow accustomed to a more robust, detailed experience that comes with a high quality pair of headphones, you really don't want to go back. The caveat I would like to enter here is that Bose headphones are extremely overrated. I would rate both the Ultrasones and the Denons I mentioned to be MUCH better quality than Bose, and even the Altec Lansings blow Bose out of the water in detail and clarity.

Good headphones can be had for affordable prices, but you have to ask yourself... if you're paying $300 for an Mp3 player and have probably a few thousand dollars worth of music/CDs/records, why are you only spending $10 on headphones from Walmart? Even $300 for headphones might sound preposterous at first, but when you consider they could easily last you 10 years, that translates to only paying $30 a year for an incredible jump in quality. /rant

I haven't tried the headphones you mention, but they sound intriguing. :)

:tu Good stuff - thanks for sharing some of that knowledge. I have to agree with that you get what you pay for. For me, I try to strike the balance between good quality and affordability. I was willing to spend $200 on earphones - my only issue was not being able to try out most of these earphones before buying them. I also use my iPhone built-in mic and remote a lot, so my choice are probably limited from the get-go.

I heard Etymotic Research make really good earbuds. I'll think I might consider investing into those after I pay off tuition :lol

[Fpoonsie]

http://www.bose.com/assets/images/shop_online/ie_mobile_headset/ie_mobile_headset_bl_lg.jpg

Still not sure if they're worth the price I paid, but they sound great. The BIG selling point was that they actually STAY in my ears. I have the damndest time tryin to find earbuds that don't fall out.

[mrsmaalox]

http://www.bose.com/assets/images/shop_online/ie_mobile_headset/ie_mobile_headset_bl_lg.jpg

Still not sure if they're worth the price I paid, but they sound great. The BIG selling point was that they actually STAY in my ears. I have the damndest time tryin to find earbuds that don't fall out.

I have the damndest time finding some that don't hurt no matter how much they cost. The iphone ones were the most painful of all.

[Cry Havoc]

:tu Good stuff - thanks for sharing some of that knowledge. I have to agree with that you get what you pay for. For me, I try to strike the balance between good quality and affordability. I was willing to spend $200 on earphones - my only issue was not being able to try out most of these earphones before buying them. I also use my iPhone built-in mic and remote a lot, so my choice are probably limited from the get-go.

I heard Etymotic Research make really good earbuds. I'll think I might consider investing into those after I pay off tuition :lol

Well, what kind of music do you like to listen to? I could make a personal recommendation, but if you want the best advice and don't mind wading through some posts, head over to head-fi.org

They have people there who actually work in the industry. Some of the more prominent members own 30 or 40 pair of headphones at any time. It's basically where I have gone for all my audiophile knowledge -- they helped me pick out headphones, amps, even my floorspeakers for my home theatre came from a Head-Fi recommendation! They really do go out of their way to help you, but if you'd prefer I could offer you personal advice in the way of $200. That's a perfect amount of money to spend on your first pair of "real" headphones. The first day or two you use them, don't expect to hear a world of difference (or maybe you will, it depends on what your brain wants to listen for) but after a while you will hear things you never thought possible in headphones. Details like individual brush strokes on the cymbal, the tiniest vibration of a guitar string in the distant background, or once in a while on live recordings, the drummer dropping a stick or a string breaking on a guitar.

One thing I would recommend is to check out audio stores in your area. Some of them probably do have demo setups so that you can test out some headphones to see which really suit you.


http://www.bose.com/assets/images/shop_online/ie_mobile_headset/ie_mobile_headset_bl_lg.jpg

Still not sure if they're worth the price I paid, but they sound great. The BIG selling point was that they actually STAY in my ears. I have the damndest time tryin to find earbuds that don't fall out.

One of the reasons you're happy with the tri-ports is because they're your first decent quality headphones at a premium price. Any headphone you pay more than $80 for is going to sit in your ears better than the $20 set you'll find at Wal-mart. Heck, the Altec-Lansings I bought came with 4 different ear attachments.

Anything under $80 is probably not going to be a very comfortable IEM/Canalphone if you have problems with your ears. However, there are some amazingly comfortable headphones in the $150 range -- some of them you won't even feel if you leave them on.


I have the damndest time finding some that don't hurt no matter how much they cost. The iphone ones were the most painful of all.

Bleck, hard plastic is never going to be comfortable in your ear-canal.

[NoOptionB]

Earphones are such a pain in the ass I just spend money on cheap $30 ones until they break. I've tried all kinds and they always fall out during lifting weights. I just leave them off and turn the volume up :lmao

I've got some BeyerDynamic DT770Pro 80ohm cans I used to use for gaming, but now just for music.

[Thunder Dan]

I have these with the foam covers. I don't use them for my Phone to because they don't have a mic, but if I'm listening to tunes this is what I use


http://www.audiosquare.net/img_server/co_img1/audio110/user/0090y/se420_b.jpg

[leemajors]

i have some of the ultimate ears iPhone earbuds. they are nice, but I wouldn't have got them at full price.