[Matthew Attoe]

Hello,

I'm looking to buy some headphones to use with my european 15gb ipod.

I have a budget of arund £35ish. I'd prefer non in-ear ones, as I find in-ear types uncomfortable - certainly after 20mins or so with the supplied apple ones anyway. However, perhaps some of the aftermarket in-ear headphones are more comfortable, so perhaps that is not a real concern.

I hope someone can help,

Many thanks in advance,

Matthew

[neilo]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...712666-5086851
give these a try

[NicolasB]

Sennheiser MX500. Or Sony MDR-EX70LP.

And please learn how to use the search facility. Previous threads on the subject may be found (among other places) here, here, and here.

I use Sennheiser PX100. They're 30 quid and just had a very goof review in Hi Fi News.

Regards,

Jules.

[stevej]

I've had the ones neilo recommends for 2 years now, after trying loads. They block out exterior sound and have the best bass by far.

[stevej]

...anmd they're comfortable; they have different size 'caps'.

[gilesm]

I use Sennheiser PX200 with mine - and they're great, they really block out noise from outside, and they fold away quite neatly into - well what looks a bit like a glasses case. I got mine for 45 when they first came out but reckon they should be cheaper now. They're also alot more comfortable (imho) than the neck type headphones - especially sitting on a train.

[Matthew Attoe]

Thanks for all the help so far. I appreciate it very much.

I found these on richersounds.co.uk, reduced from £70 to £30. Are they any good?

http://www.richersounds.co.uk/index....l.php&p=202014

Matthew

[pwiles1968]

I occasionally use the Sennheiser PX200 with my Creative JB3 I think they cost £36 from HI-Fi Bitz they are quite discreet , comfortable, give good isolation and excellent sound especially after 10 or so hours running in. Oh and they look cool when you fold them out of their sunglasses type case.

With regard to Neilo's recommendation the "Sony MDR-EX71SLB Fontopia Headphones" - I have a set and I am less than impressed.

The fact that they block out exterior noise is pretty good but you have to get used to them being right inside your ear - and I don't know if it's just me but the little buggers keep working themselves lose which leads to constant fiddling.

As for sound I would say they're distinctly average - there is a lot of bass which is nice but at the expense of any detail at all in mid range. There is also a lot and I mean a lot of sibilance on certain fequencies in the top register and certain sounds - symbals sound dreadful on a lot of recordings and any songs with a lot of hard "s" sounds will be ruined IMO. I use the 71's on a minidisc using the default/top quality compression

[rct]

Matthew, for headphones certainly look at the SennheiserHD477 or if you prefer the convenience of earphones, Sony E888 if you do a search on Google you'll see that these are highly regarded and much sought after (especially considering they aren't available in the UK any more). I have a pair of E888s and they are easily the best ear# phones I've ever come accross also with a 16 ohm impedance you'll get the most out of your iPod's volume. I actually bought mine from the store in question so no worries there.

[tomson]

another vote here for the Sony MDR-EX71SLB - been using them on my ipod for a while now and am pretty pleased. I did switch back to the supplied 'phones for a quick blast not too long ago and the Sonys do have a slight edge over the Apple ones - nothing major but certainly noticable.

Where the Sonys are really useful tho is on my commute to work by tube - they certainly keep a lot of the noise out.

I use a pair of Sony MDR-V300 DJ phones with my NV1 minidisc. They are closed phones with very comfy pads and decent bass as you'd expect. Lightweight, non-fatiguing and with a very long lead so you can hide your iPod in a beach bag and trail the lead to your sunbed whilst basking in the sun. Beer in the hand, bird on her back and tunes in your head. Heaven or what?

I'd go with rcts reccomendation of the Sony Eggos.. they're a great lightweight can that sound excellent, should be able to pick them up reasonable enough from amazon.

Alternatively the Sennheiser PX200s are very good also.

On the Sennheiser note the MX400 & 500 are excellent sounding earbuds (best I've heard anyway), and with the foam covers are quite comfortable.

If you don't mind looking a bit strange Koss Porta Pros (they're hella ugly) have a huge following over on head-fi.org.. meant to be one of the best sounding cheap & portable cans available.

Oh and avoid the Sennhesier HD210s!! They're reduced for a reason (they're absolutely terrible). Let me repeat that: Avoid!

Definite thumbs up for the Koss PortaPro's, they're very very good indeed, but like Kali says their looks are somewhat of an acquired taste - comfortable in use however.

So, so much better than MDR-EX71SLB's. I still however use the latter while my PortaPro's gather dust in a darw at home

[sp4rc]

This is a VERY old thread, but was wondering if anyone has any upto date opinions. I've been looking at the following:

• Shure SE310 in-ear sound isolating earphones
• Etymotic ER-6i sound isolating earphones
• Ultimate Ears Super.fi Pro 5 in ear sound isolating headphones

Any comments on the best headphones for use with an iPod?

[sheffsteel]

Out of those 3 phones the ones that seem to get the best user reviews are the Ultimate Ears super.fi 5.

It's a pity you can't trial these before you buy because if you're spending alot of money the you need to get it right. You might be best finding a supplier with a good returns policy.

Just something to bare in mind. I might have been in a similiar position to you.

I.e. I really enjoy music and I'm willing to pay for the best sound for the pound. Everyone says the stock Apple ear buds are rubbish, so you should upgrade.

I intended to spend about £100. However about 3 years ago I bought the Shure E4c's for about £140 off Amazon. They had very good reviews so my expectation were quite high. I was initially underwhlemed with the Shures. Thye sound pretty ordinary but they grow on you over time. It's only when you go back to listening with the stock Apple ear buds that you realise how good the middle range Shures are.

Recently upgraditus struck again and I keep reading fantastic reviews about the Ultimate Ears 10 Triple.fi's. I wasn't satisfied with the 3G Nano, love the size and style but the SQ is ordinary/average.

Last week I decided to fork out £175 for the triple.fi's from Amazon. Obviously I was worried because when you spend £175 on a headphone you should expect to be blown away.

Well I must admit, within 5 seconds you can tell that the UE 10's are much much better than the Shure's. My Nano is now really detailed and vibrant. The volume goes much louder and I feel like I'm stood next to the artists on stage. The UE's provide a very strong bass, but its a qulaity bass and not muddy. It also provides a very strong treble, the shimmer of cymbals is crystal clear. The intrument separation is really good and there's also a bit of a soundstage.

As you can guess I'm really please and given the choice of spending £140 on the Shure E4c or £175 on the UE 10 triple.fi then it's such an easy decision.

The UE10's seem a bargain and are great value compared to my Shures.