[Dan Frakes]

Post your comments for Headphones buying guide here.

[dominiquejames]

Nothing by Bose?

[k88dad]

dominiquejames, on 24 November 2011 - 06:41 AM, said:

Nothing by Bose?

I see a pair of Bose under the noise-cancelling section.

[k88dad]

i'm a big fan of the Sennheiser lightweight phones. Perfect for exercise and general listening. They're not great where you might disturb others (or vice versa.)

[Welles]

For what its worth I purchased a set of custom tips for Etymotic hf3s and was disappointed. In my ears the sound seal was not as good as one of the stock tips which shipped with the ear buds. I found the silicon fairly ‘hard,’ at least it didn’t live up to my expectations and they became somewhat uncomfortable after only an hour or so. I tried them for a week and took them off permanently.

I’ve recently started using the Comply foam tips. If you care for them, understand that they will wear out more quickly than other types of tips and may seem expensive you’ve hit the downside. The upsides are great sound seal (I can ride on city busses and never hear a thing except music) and exceptional comfort even during really long usage. I’ve worn them while working in a wood shop for eight hours at a stretch with no discomfort at all. To my ears they are the best solution I’ve found.

[Paul67ht]

I have a pair of NuForce "canalbuds", and I absolutely LOVE them! Amazing sound quality that only cost me $65.

[hayesk]

dominiquejames, on 24 November 2011 - 06:41 AM, said:

Nothing by Bose?

In my (and several others') opinion, Bose is terribly overpriced for the audio quality.

For headphones, Sennheiser, BeyerDynamic, and Grado are the brands to focus on. My household has a set of BeyerDynamic DT-235 and Sennheiser PX100s. The BeyerDynamic was cheaper but has better sound quality. The downside is I found them quite loose fitting compared to the Sennheiser. They slipped off a little too easily.

[mc4o1993]

so FYI, the clicker on Apple's headphones will also operate the camera shutter.. awesome hint.
http://hints.macworl...111122123156930

[ptrondsen]

I think Bose are the best sounding...the new Bose On Ear Headphones are the best sounding cans I've owned.

[flosofl]

I'm not seeing any Shure on the list. I have some SE-530s which are, without a doubt, the BEST headphone I've heard short of professional studio cans. 3 drivers in each ear.

The model has been replaced with a refresh (you can swap out the cable now, a design choice long needed), but I believe the basic set of drivers is identical.

Fantastic and above all FLAT response (well, as flat as you can get with micro drivers like that).

[AikiDavid]

I'm amazed you didn't mention the Bose in ear 'earbuds.' I have bought, worn and tried dozens of different earphones/earbuds over many years since the first iPod came out. The Bose (Bose® MIE2i Mobile Headset) are by far, to me, the best earphones I've ever gotten (they cost a bit-at $130, but are worth it.) They have the greatest advantages of earbud type devices with the least disadvantages.

Here's how they play out: 1) Super Comfortable. I wore them once at work for an entire 8 hrs workday, and when I went to scratch my ear at the end of the day, wondered what my hand had hit. Then I realized I had worn them all day long, and they were so comfortable, I had Forgotten I Was Wearing Them! Can't do better than that! This is due to the way they are held in, which is by a very soft silicone piece that extends above the 'ear hole' and contact the inside of the upper ear curve. 2) They sound great. 3) They keep you alive in traffic! That is, since they do not completely disrupt the ear canal, you can hear traffic noises like cars honking at you, or sirens, so you don't get in the way of the police, etc. 4) They (for the same reasons) allow you to hold a conversation or talk to a friend or store clerk without having to take them out every time.
The one disadvantage of these earphone/buds is that if you are planning to wear them somewhere noisy, and you just want to shut out all external noise and don't care if you occasionally need to remove them to be able to carry on a conversation, then these will not do that, since they do not block the ear canal completely.

For comparison, the Apple ear buds that come with the iPods/iPhone, etc. are all trash. They sound OK, but they keep falling out of your ear (unless you have enormous ridges in your ear so you can turn your head without dumping them out). The Apple In-Ear Headphones for $79 are much better, sound better, are more comfortable and usually don't fall out, however, they have a little of the same problem of other in-ear buds, namely they shut out a certain portion (most) of outside noise, and they have to be pulled out every time you want to talk to someone you work with or to a sales person if you are in a store and need to ask a question. (Not to mention, pulling out at least one, if you want to drive safely, so you can hear horns, sirens, screeching brakes, etc.) All in all, I think the Bose are the best overall for multi-uses. Otherwise, the Etymotics may be the best absolute sound quality when you want to cancel out all outside noise, only they don't have the ability to hit a pause button and stop the music without pulling out your iPhone or iPod from your pocket.(Unless they have recently added this feature. They didn't have any pause type button when I bought them years ago.)

hope this helps some of you!

[mattwardfh]

Welles, on 24 November 2011 - 07:35 AM, said:

For what its worth I purchased a set of custom tips for Etymotic hf3s and was disappointed. In my ears the sound seal was not as good as one of the stock tips which shipped with the ear buds. I found the silicon fairly ‘hard,’ at least it didn’t live up to my expectations and they became somewhat uncomfortable after only an hour or so. I tried them for a week and took them off permanently.

I’ve recently started using the Comply foam tips. If you care for them, understand that they will wear out more quickly than other types of tips and may seem expensive you’ve hit the downside. The upsides are great sound seal (I can ride on city busses and never hear a thing except music) and exceptional comfort even during really long usage. I’ve worn them while working in a wood shop for eight hours at a stretch with no discomfort at all. To my ears they are the best solution I’ve found.

I love Comply tips, but I love the Ety custom tips from ACS more. If yours didn't work well the first time, get in touch—they might need to make you another set, or you might need new impressions. But they should take care of you. No reason to let that investment go to waste!

[Dan Frakes]

Welles, on 24 November 2011 - 07:35 AM, said:

For what its worth I purchased a set of custom tips for Etymotic hf3s and was disappointed. In my ears the sound seal was not as good as one of the stock tips which shipped with the ear buds. I found the silicon fairly ‘hard,’ at least it didn’t live up to my expectations and they became somewhat uncomfortable after only an hour or so. I tried them for a week and took them off permanently.

The issue could be that the audiologist didn't get a good mold. They should provide a good seal and fit well. You should contact the audiologist who did your molds and see if you can get them retaken.

flosofl, on 24 November 2011 - 08:37 AM, said:

I'm not seeing any Shure on the list. I have some SE-530s which are, without a doubt, the BEST headphone I've heard short of professional studio cans. 3 drivers in each ear.

The SRH440 are in the list. We had a couple in-ear-canal models in last year's guide, but those models have since been discontinued.

AikiDavid, on 24 November 2011 - 09:12 AM, said:

I'm amazed you didn't mention the Bose in ear 'earbuds.' I have bought, worn and tried dozens of different earphones/earbuds over many years since the first iPod came out. The Bose (Bose® MIE2i Mobile Headset) are by far, to me, the best earphones I've ever gotten (they cost a bit-at $130, but are worth it.) They have the greatest advantages of earbud type devices with the least disadvantages.

We reviewed the version without the inline remote (which is otherwise identical), and while we did find them to be very comfortable, we weren't impressed by the sound quality, especially considering the relatively high price.

Quote

the Etymotics may be the best absolute sound quality when you want to cancel out all outside noise, only they don't have the ability to hit a pause button and stop the music without pulling out your iPhone or iPod from your pocket.(Unless they have recently added this feature. They didn't have any pause type button when I bought them years ago.)

Both recommended Etymotic models include the inline remote/microphone module.

[mattwardfh]

flosofl, on 24 November 2011 - 08:37 AM, said:

I'm not seeing any Shure on the list. I have some SE-530s which are, without a doubt, the BEST headphone I've heard short of professional studio cans. 3 drivers in each ear.

The model has been replaced with a refresh (you can swap out the cable now, a design choice long needed), but I believe the basic set of drivers is identical.

Fantastic and above all FLAT response (well, as flat as you can get with micro drivers like that).

We haven't gotten to test out the new line yet—hoping to do so soon. I expect good things, but we didn't have enough to go on to recommend them without hearing them.

I agree—replaceable cable is a great feature, especially since there's a cable available with a remote/mic.