Hi, I just bought a new creative zen touch mp3 player and i want to get the best sound that I can. what do you think is the best headphones out there for an mp3 player? the “sleeker” the better. thanks
This probably best suited to IMHO, since “best” is a highly subjective measure. That said, the best 'phones in terms of overall sound quality I’ve ever used are the titanium diaphragm ones that Radio Shack sells normally for $39.99, model PRO-35, catalog number 33-1122.
I’ve spent a lot on headphones in the past, and feel I’ve mostly wasted my money. Either they don’t perform as advertised, or they break within a year.
While I’m sure you’re going to get lots of really expensive hi-fi, noise cancelling answers here, I want to buck the predicted trend and recommend a product that only costs… $9.95.
They’re the cheapest headphones that JVC makes, and they’re fantastic. They’re in-ear buds, model HA-F120A. They’ve got good bass resonance and crystal-clear mid- and top-range. I’ve used them day in and day out for two years, they’ve been all round the world with me, and they’re only just showing signs of wear - the wire insulation is starting to split. Absolutely no degradation of sound quality in that time, mind you. And they’re very comfy.
Before you buy those nifty earbud headphones, you might want to read this:
Hearing Loss? Earbud headphones will do it
Those snug fitting earbud style headphones, although sound great, may be damaging your hearing. According to a study published last year in the journal Ear and Hearing reported results from Dr. Brian Fligor of Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Fligor investigated a variety of headphones and found that, on average, the smaller they were and the deeper they fit in your ear canal, the higher their output levels were at any given volume control setting. For example, the white headphones sold with the iPod, will increase sound levels by up to 9 decibels. Although 9 decibels don’t sound like much, that is about the difference between an alarm clock and a lawn mower.
The other part of the problem is that insertable headphones don’t block background noise as well as larger over the ear style ones, this ups the chance of you wanting to turn up the volume.
By Fabio Pilato, MobileMag.com
=====
Bose makes awesome-sounding headphones, but they cost a fortune, and are bulky.
Pardon?
Just to give you a starting point, here’s the headphones Amazon sells, sorted by sales rank: bestselling first.
Of course, this is more of a popularity contest - it just means people, for whatever reason, are buying those at the top of the list more than the other models. It could just be the result of a clever advertising campaign.
However, if you’re the kind that would trust an “ask the audience” answer on “Millionaire”, it could be a good place to look.
Hmm, I’ve seen an option for other items on Amazon to “sort by customer rating”, but that option isn’t offered for headphones, for some reason.
I made a similar request a few weeks ago. Didn’t get many replies, but you might want to check out a few of the recommendations.
HE SAID YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ THIS!
Eh? The knight warms his penis?
The light harms the peaches? What? Speak up, child! You’re not making any sense!
Stranger
That’s not true. The cheap earbuds that rest in your outer ear don’t block noise. However, some of the ones that actually go in the ear canal, such as Etymotics, offer tremendous isolation.
The better in-ear monitors come from Shure, Ultimate Ear and Etymotic. Some ~$25 ones to look at are the Sony EX81 and Panasonic HJE50. Earbuds aren’t usually very good.
For open-backed portable headphones, the Koss KSC-75 is supposed to be good and only $13 at Amazon. The Sennheiser PX-100 is around $50. The AKG K26p is closed-back.
For full-size headphones, Sennheiser and Grado are good, and maybe Koss or AKG.
The PX-100 or HJE50 would be the “sleekest.”
Yeah, be careful with the volume, and also be careful about using closed headphones if you might need to hear what’s going on around you.
Young people these days they speak like they’ve got a mouthful of marbles. I SAID THEY DON’T SPEAK PROPERLY.
I’ve got Koss PortaPros, and they are absolutely excellent. And they are generally very well reviewed. They can also fold up to be carried easily. Excellent headphones.
SEconded on the Koss PortaPros. I haven’t had any in some time but I went through two pairs and loved them.
Presently I’m using a pair of Denon AH-D700 monitors and they’re fabulous. Resonant bass, crisp highs, good midrange and clear separation between them. This is the second pair of Denons I’ve owned (the other pair is used for my home computer). I generally tend to prefer on- or over-the-ear phones because they’re far more comfortable and don’t irritate my ears like most buds do.
That said though, Shure e2c buds are a little pricey but they offer extremely good sound and even come with three different sizes of cushions to fit different ears. Shure’s been a big name for decades though – once upon a time they made the best ribbon microphones money could buy. My dad still has one. 
I 3rd that … very nice earphones very good bass response … def. one level above the “typical” 49 bucks blister-packed phones on best-buy, etc… (and cheaper, too)
cheers
alfred
I’m a big fan of Sennhiser EH2200’s, very very comfortable and good sounding. They are somewhat biggish, however.
Moved to IMHO.
-xash
General Questions Moderator
I use Sony MDR-EX71 sound-isolating headphones - they list for $50. I gave my pricier Shure headphones to my wife; they were too bulky for my tastes.
One researcher postulated that sound-isolating headphones are better, as without background noise, one doens’t need to turn up the volume as much as one might with in-ear headphones. I just like that I no longer hear the subway proseltyzers and philosophers, even when they are yelling from 3 feet away.
I have a pair of expensive Sennheiser HD280 Pros which I’m supposed to use in the house, and a pair of Sony MDR-EX71s that I use when I’m out and about.
In actuality, I use the Sonys for absolutely everything.
The Sennheisers are supposed to sound better – and I agree, there is definitely more detail. Sounds don’t seem to get lost beneath each other.
However, the bass on the Sonys is far better than my Sennheisers, even after “breaking them in” and getting the “perfect seal” (which is stuff I’d rather not bother with, to be honest). They give you a natural bass boost, which I feel gives the music more ‘drive’ or ‘roll’. The other side of the argument is that it makes the music sound ‘muddy’. At any rate, the bass is round and punchy, unlike the flat distorted sound that software bass boosts seem to produce. The treble and mid-frequencies seem pretty normal (and at any rate, compressing music tends to mess up treble more than your headphones will).
The Sennheisers may be better, but there’s so little difference in most practical situations that they were a bit of a waste of money. Furthermore, they’re about fifty times the size of the Sonys! I feel they’re better for ‘listening’ to music, but the Sonys are much better for enjoying it.
Sorry, forgot to add that the Sennheisers are much better at dealing with Classical music. The Sonys definitely make Classical sound a bit muddy. I suspect cheaper earbuds are designed with Rock/Hip Hop/Dance type music in mind.