[Macworld]

Post your comments for Klipsch to offer headphones for new iPod shuffle here

[tericoid]

That was fast!

[smilling]

$100 headphones for an $80 device? Really?

[pixelpeer]

Smilling beat me to it. I imagine they will be good headphones, but still this seems ridiculous to me. I'd much rather have a nano with a decent $30 - $50 pair of headphones.

[applecrate]

So I have to wait months and pay a hundred bucks?

Pass.

Good for Klipsch, but nay on the Shuffle.

[oblongata]

This is completely asinine.
$100 premium is one helluva price to pay just to use a pair of headphones other than Apple.
I won't say this is criminal, since Apple can do whatever the hell they want, but sweet baby jesus come on, this design decision reveals the extend to which Apple is in bed with the peripheral manufacturers.
Apple can keep their VoiceOver technology. I won't be giving them any of my money for such an ill-conceived device.

[alterbentzion]

I assume these headphones will work with other iPods, too - in which case they wouldn't be such a foolish investment. Let's say you've got an iPhone, but you want a shuffle to use when you're working out...

[palane]

With all due respect to the cheapsters, it's not out of order to spend $100 for a good pair of headphones. I had a pair of Stax a long time ago that were significantly more expensive. I've since moved onto Grado headphones, which used to start around $70 (I have a somewhat more expensive pair).
Comparing the price of the headphones to the price of the iPod isn't relevant. It's the quality of the speaker for the price that should be considered. The transducer (speaker or headphone) does the hard work of converting electricity into sound and that's where the distortions arise.
Klipsch isn't charging you $100 so you don't have to use Apple ibuds. It's making a $100 pair of headphones that incorporate a Shuffle-compatible remote. You're paying $90 for the headphones and $10 for the remote.
BB

[smilling]

$100 for earbuds is always a foolish investment.

[oblongata]

And those earbuds stay put while you work out, eh? Jogging/Running? Bench press? Situps? Unless you duct tape them to your friggin' skull, those overpriced white rabbit turds are always fallin' out. The Sony over the ear model I use for working out stay put no matter what I do, and cost $20....3 years ago. I'd have to have 5 iPods/iPhones in order for the $100 price to be "reasonable".

[oblongata]

bq. "Klipsch isn't charging you $100 so you don't have to use Apple ibuds. It's making a $100 pair of headphones that incorporate a Shuffle-compatible remote. You're paying $90 for the headphones and $10 for the remote."
If that were the case then they'd have announced two products instead of one.

[oldjohn]

I won't be buying one of these shuffles until there is an "extender cable" with remote control that will go between the shuffle and my choice of headphones and speakers. And should be less than $20.
oldjohn

[tritisan]

I own a pair of Klipsh The Image earphones. They cost $300, but are by far the best sounding 'phones I've ever heard.
One caveat: You really need a good headphone amp to appreciate what a great pair of 'phones can offer: enhanced bass, more detail, improved imaging, more "life"." All portable music devices, and even most home audio gear, have crappy headphone output stages. You can find many good, home-built headphone amps on Ebay for less than $50. Or get a better one and couple it with something like the iPod/iTouch/iPhone Line-Out-Dock cable. Even with "lossy" mp3s, the resulting sonic improvements can be astounding.

[trip1ex]

What? No one is allowed to make $100 earphones now?

The $10 and $20 earphones are coming too. Don't worry.