a good pair of headphones for the iPod?

[tzikeh]

I need a new pair of headphones that will work with my iPod. I'd like them to be comfortable, portable, sturdy, something I can use at the gym, and with the best sound quality I can get at a decent price. I *hate* the kind that go inside your ear. I feel that "over-the-head" and "over-the-ears" brands are six of one, half a dozen of the other. If they meet *all* of my requirements with high marks, I'm willing to spend a bit more on them.

Anyone have any good suggestions?

Comments

[absolutedestiny.livejournal.com]

http://www.goodcans.com/

Dayumn

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

wow, those look great for home use, but not like something I could take on the treadmill. I should have been more specific. Editing to fix!

[kassrachel.livejournal.com]

I swear by the Shure in-ear headphones. What goes in the ear is tiny, and comes with an assortment of soft covers -- like the soft rubber of a cellphone earpiece, or an earplug. They block ambient noise and their sound quality is excellent.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Between the fact that they go inside the ear and the fact that they are $500, I think I'll pass. :)

[kassrachel.livejournal.com]

The ones I have only cost $100, which is a lot but seemed worth it in the end. ($500 is ridiculous.)

I find the earbuds that came with my iPod incredibly painful to wear; these don't bother me, I think because they are soft, so they seemed worth suggesting. But they are still in-the-ear, so I can see why the suggestion is less than helpful. *g*

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Can you point to the ones you have?

http://www.shurestore.com/index.html

[kassrachel.livejournal.com]

They're here on Amazon, and here on Shure.com. Mine came with a set of three different earpiece covers: black, clear, and orange foam. I like the orange ones the best.

[par-avion.livejournal.com]

I have these: http://www.amazon.com/Shure-E3c-Sound-Isolating-Earphones/dp/B0001NNLHK/ref=sr_1_21/102-9011698-5320935?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1186370999&sr=1-21

Brookstone has/had a display of the Shure earphones as well as the Brookstone line -- you can plug your ipod in and listen to whatever you want. (It helps to test to a song you know well).

For over the ear headphones, I have a Bose pair that I bought for comfort. I was getting headaches from wearing glasses plus headphones. They probably are overpriced though. They are somewhat collapsible/portable.

[amireal.livejournal.com]

senhauser. They're not 'cheap' in the usual sense, but they have a couple nof versions of the over the ear types that fold down and have a case.

[amireal.livejournal.com]

ack spelled wrong:

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-PX-200-Headphones-Silver/dp/B000089GN4/ref=sr_1_5/103-0799114-3549449?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1186342117&sr=1-5

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

They're not 'cheap' in the usual sense

Actually, when it comes to decent headphones, those are quite cheap. :D I'll bookmark! Thanks!

[amireal.livejournal.com]

Well. Yes. *G*

There's also a slightly more expensive version that comes with a whitenoise black out thingy. But I'm not sure how useful that is forexercising. i.e. how heavy the extra componant is. If you want to wait till I'm in chicago I can bring my pair for you to look at and handle before you buy anything.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

That sounds cool! Thanks!

[nestra.livejournal.com]

I love these, especially the fact that they include three different sizes.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Hm - I should have been far more clear in my post. Going to edit. I really don't like headphones that go *in* your ear.

[nestra.livejournal.com]

I figured. (But I *really* like them, so I tried.)

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

:D - maybe if I can find a place which allows a return for something I've stuck in my ear, I'll give them a try.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

The link now only takes me to the main Apple store page -- can you find them again within the store?

(yeah, replying to an old comment about earbuds - willing to give the in-the-ear a second try)

[nestra.livejournal.com]

See if this works. If not, they're listed as "Apple iPod In-Ear Headphones".

[luminosity]

Sony MDR-G42. About $25. Practically indestructible. Good-to-excellent audio quality. Under your hair and around your ears. The most comfortable headphones I've ever experienced.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_abulafia/]

I like the Sony MDR-V150, a headband model -- they deliver the best sound that I've found (and I've looked!) for under $50, and they actually only cost about $15. I use them as laptop headphones, iPod headphones, and I've found them suitable for long walks through the city (though sweating might become an issue if you take them on the treadmill). The only problem I can report is that it's possible to snap one of the thick hard plastic components around the earpiece if you get incautious and sit or step on them (I do it about once a year). And that only becomes a problem because they're so durable that I find I start to get careless.

Some of the Amazon reviewers (http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-V150-Monitor-Headphones-Reversible/dp/B000092YPR) complain that they squeeze the head, though -- I have a small head, so I don't have any problems on this score, but it might be something to consider. Most of the other complaints are from people who seem to be using these as studio headphones, for serious editing and recording, to which I can only ask, why did you choose $15 headphones for studio use? (They are marketed as studio headphones, but they're also $15! Come on, now.)