[hughmass]

I need headphones to go with my 15G ipod. I live in a city, and the city noise messes with my ability to hear the music. I think I need closed, over the ear headphones that work well with the ipod, and don't look too bulky. Anyone have suggestions for a good pair of headphones, possibly under $50 (although up to $100 is a possiblity)? I made the mistake of buying an album from the music store, and the quality was so good (choral blending of many voices) that I just have to be able to hear the increased quality. thanks

[CrecenS]

You bought an album in a store? How much? Was it not available online?
Earphones do different things and come in many shapes and sizes. Do you want to shut everything out, or do you want to shut most stuff out? Do you want 2lb. princess leah headphones or something light?

[TempleOwls]

My vote would be the Sony Ear Buds, not sure of the exact model number, but they come with 3 different sizers, fit comfortably in your ear, and shut out must noise around you. Sony also make a noise canceling ear buds, havent tried them. My ear buds were about $50, and the best thing I ever bought, well besides my iPod /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Ren]

Sony EX-71 are not too bad. they might sound better than anything you've heard so far. But they are still considered crap... (make sure you get the 71s, not 70s)
if you can stretch your budget a bit more you may want to check out Etymotic ER-6 - if you buy from headroom you can check them out for 30 days...
Even more cruel on your purse are the ER-4P. Read about them here or check this head-fi.com forum for more opinions on headphones.
/forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Ren]

thanks for the interest.
I am not at all experienced with the er-6. I think in plain non audiophile English it means that the ER-6 sound really good, but will sound even better if driven by an (dedicated) amp (which is true for every headphone). I went and listened to both the ER-6 and the ER-4p. It only took a few minutes of Vivaldi to make up my mind.
The iPod of course has an amp built in, quite a decent one as i've read on head-fi.
I had a similar question, I wanted the most music for my money. the Er-6 are lots better than any sony cans out there (according to head-fi forums ). If you plan on getting even more music from them you can upgrade to an amp. but for the additional $ that an amp costs I could buy the ER-4P. Thats what i did. Now I use them without an amp. I may buy one some day later. But for now I have nothing to complain about music wise...

[hughmass]

I spent four hours reading about headphones and ipods and amps. Thanks for the links. I find myself kind of glad I am able to wait awhile, because I need time to figure this out. Sure are a lot for under $100. Sony, Sennheiser,etymonics, grado, phillips, jvc, etc. If I can find a perfect deal maybe the sennheiser 477 or px200. Still interested in personal references from folks.
I also had reinforced for me just what an asset the web is. Shopping around I found some great deals, but am uncomfortable spending money without actually seeing the headphones.
I just spent an hour walking along a quiet bikepath, listening to a talking book. Ipod and I are friends for life. Wish I had bought the 40 GB.

[Dan Frakes]

In reply to:

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I think I need closed, over the ear headphones that work well with the ipod, and don't look too bulky.

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If you're not set on "over the ear," you also have the option of canal-phones.

In terms of "over the ear" headphones that are under $100, not too bulky, and can be driven by the iPod, there aren't too many that are really good. The best, in my opinion, are the Sennheiser PX 200, which are lightweight, very comfortable, and sound great. The sell for around $50. They fold up and store inside a hard case. They don't completely cover the ears, but cover them enough to block out a decent amount of noise. The only issue with them is that because they have small earpads, you need to position them right to get a "seal."
The Sony MDR-V6 (not the V600, which aren't nearly as good and cost a lot more) and the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro are both great closed headphones, as well, and both are around $70. However, both are studio monitors, which means they're pretty bulky (especially the HD 280 Pro).

Canal-phones fit inside your ears like earplugs and block out a good deal of external sound -- more than any over-the-ear or noise-canceling headphones. The only drawbacks are that you can't hear hardly anything external /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif and that some people find them uncomfortable.
In your price range (up to $100), there are only a few good choices:
The Sony EX70/EX71 are around $50. I'm not a big fan, but a lot of people like them.
The Shure E2c are $99, and are significantly better than the Sony models, in my opinion. I've got a pair right now that I'm reviewing.
* The Etymotic ER-6 are a bit over your budget, at ~$120, but are also much better than the Sony models.
Koss sells a model for around $20 called "The Plug," but I'd stay far away from them /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

If you want some more iPod headphone info, I wrote the following article for TidBITs:
http://db.tidbits.co...cgi?tbart=07012

If you want to try out most of these models, check out HeadRoom (http://www.headphone.com/), which offers a 30-day evaluation/return policy. (Disclosure: I've done ad copy and editing for HeadRoom; however, I was first a satisfied customer /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif )

P.S. The Sennheiser HD 477 you mentioned aren't closed so they don't offer any isolation.

[hughmass]

After another several hours of research, I did buy the px-200 from Sennheiser. They seem to fit my needs, including my limited budget. I am new to buying stuff off the internet, but got them from Amazon, so it should go well. Thanks again, I have learned to ask for advice before buying, it tends to help me avoid costly mistakes. Problem with research though, is that I found at least five "cans" that would be wonderful to own, all above my budget. Anyone know a winning lottery number?