# The best aftermarket headphones **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 1, 2006, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-aftermarket-headphones/342565 "2006-02-01T20:34:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-aftermarket-headphones/342565/21 "2006-02-04T04:01:04Z")
I have Sennheiser HD280’s as well. You’re not trying to drive them with an MP3 player, are you? That would explain why you don’t like how they sound. The 280’s and 300’s require a headphone amp to really shine. They’re high impedence and require a lot of power. Even the headphone output on a typical computer or even an average stereo receiver won’t drive them properly. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-aftermarket-headphones/342565/22 "2006-02-04T04:57:12Z")
> [@](#): > > 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. Agreed. I got a set of these for Christmas, and while I’ve always been skeptical of Radio Shack products, I’ve been very pleasantly surprised. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-aftermarket-headphones/342565/23 "2006-02-04T09:46:33Z")
I can highly recommend the [Shure E2](http://www.thottbot.com/?qu=838). I’ve had them for a couple of months now, and the sound great and are almost completely unobstrusive. The wires go over your ears and the earbuds fit snugly and in your ears. yadda yadda yadda hearing loss blah blah blah… if I wanted to hear what these people have to say, I wouldn’t need my mp3 player in the first place. Bo ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-aftermarket-headphones/342565/24 "2006-02-04T09:49:30Z")
OMG the completely wrong link was posted in my previous message LOL [Here is the link to the Shure website.](http://www.shure.com/psm/earphones/default.asp) I should mention that the E2 sells for about $100, but it’s well worth the money in terms of quality sound reproduction and functionality. ---
**Author:** ![Caractacus\_Pott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@Caractacus\_Pott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caractacus_Pott)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-aftermarket-headphones/342565/25 "2006-02-04T21:43:03Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > I 3rd that … \ I fourth the [Koss PortaPro headphones](http://www.koss.com/koss/kossweb.nsf/p?openform&pc%5Ept%5EPORTAPRO). The phones have great but not overemphasized bass, crisp highs, and clear midrange response. Creative isn’t just blowing smoke about sound quality. I listened to my Zen Micro with these phones. I was pleasantly startled to hear background instruments I’d never heard with any dedicated CD player or other MP3 player (including my brand new iPod video). I never had to use the battery-draining equalizer settings to compensate for poor headphone response. (Aside: I don’t know why using the equalizer on some Creative products reduces battery life but it does, sometimes dramatically.) Speaking of battery drain, the Zen Micro could drive these phones and still have good battery life under normal situations. Apparently the amp in the Micro isn’t very powerful; in loud environments I had to almost max out the volume. I’ve had the PortaPro’s since 1998, buying them for their compact size when folded. The band is thick metal and can take a lot of use: they’ve gone over 300,000 airline miles and I don’t remember how many train/bus kilometers with me. Even better, when the pads wore through the replacements were still available! It was just like getting new headphones. Oh, and they’ll take the heat and cold too: from sitting on the car seat in deserts over 120 F to icy near Arctic Circle cold of -45 F. I fear one day I’ll forget to warm them up and get my finger frozen to them. That’ll be an interesting doctor visit! This is definitely a case of “try before you buy.” With the incredible sound quality of your Touch you’ll hear a difference between headphones that you may not detect with an iPod (personal experience speaking, your results may vary). ---
**Author:** ![cherry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cherry)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-aftermarket-headphones/342565/26 "2006-02-05T00:17:41Z")
I own several headphones for different reasons, but my reviews of the models I own are : the Etymotic ER-4s which have really good sound quality. It picks up sounds that other headphones miss. But they are uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. I have a Sennheiser HD 280 pro pair, its bulky but good for recording, excellent sound quality, Sony MDR NC 11’s, these are great for just running around if you like outside running, and I have a pair of Sony’s MDR -vc300, which are not that great for noise cancelling, and my favorite headphones are the Bose Quiet Comfort 2’s which have awesome sound and I love their noise cancelling output, simply the best. The sleekest are the Etymotics in terms of size, if you like ear buds. I like the Bose because they fold and come with a case and surround your ear. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-aftermarket-headphones/342565.md?page=1)