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[Willco]

I don't know what the hell they're called, but they are these earbuds made by Sony. I normally hate earbuds, but they've got like some kind of rubber/silcon thing for your ears and - by god! - they are so goddamn comfortable.

Sound pretty good too.

 

[demon]

I can NEVER get earbuds to stay in my ears. Pisses me off. Otherwise I'd pick up some nice ones.

 

[Willco]

I can NEVER get earbuds to stay in my ears. Pisses me off. Otherwise I'd pick up some nice ones.

That's the thing, these come with like, three different sizes and the silicon/rubber fit to your ear.

 

[Great King Bowser]

MDREX71SLs I assume.

Shure e2C > EX71s. I own both.

 

[Willco]

There is only one drawback to these awesome headphones.

... the iPod doesn't sound as good anymore.

 

[Particle Physicist]

i want sex in my ear.


i thought better headphones would make the ipod sound better??? maybe you should rip the songs at a better bit rate?

 

[Willco]

i want sex in my ear.


i thought better headphones would make the ipod sound better??? maybe you should rip the songs at a better bit rate?

A lot of my songs are from Apple's damn store!

 

[Ford Prefect]

I need some good ear buds, what's the model?

 

[sc0la]

That is really funny because I am leaving to buy those headphones this morning for my iPod (had them in hand last night but the line was super fucking long and I was going to miss tip off if I didn't high tail to the arena)

I was hoping this thread was about them :lol I have used them once, they are quite awesomeness.

getting them in white to match the pod because I am a whore.

 

[Suerte]

They're great, you can pretty much block out ALL the sound around you without having to put the volume up too high.

 

[Aruarian Reflection]

As someone mentioned, the drawback to getting quality headphones is that the iPod sounds like crap :lol. If sound quality matters to you, go with the iRivers

 

[Blackcherry]

They're great, you can pretty much block out ALL the sound around you without having to put the volume up too high.

The kind of earphones i've always wanted! btw, how much?

 

[TheQueen'sOwn]

Seems to be $80 CDN.

 

[demi]

As someone mentioned, the drawback to getting quality headphones is that the iPod sounds like crap :lol. If sound quality matters to you, go with the iRivers

The earphones that came with my iRiver are great! I can't really think of anything else to add to this statement. The end!

 

[GG-Duo]

These are "in-ear" phones, though.

So you wouldn't be able to use them in a work or street sort of environment.

Also, can you imagine taking out a waxed-up pair of earphones while shopping? That's pretty much my biggest concern.

 

[Blackcherry]

These are "in-ear" phones, though.

So you wouldn't be able to use them in a work or street sort of environment. Can you imagine taking out a waxed-up pair of earphones while shopping? That's pretty much my biggest concern.

Yeah, not earing any sounds around you, when the volume is even not at is maximum, it might be troublesome.

 

[Fixed2BeBroken]

the only reason they sound good is because the sound gets pushed closer and deeper into your ear so the bass response increases....plus it attenuates higher frequency sounds outside of your ear.

if it wasnt for the rubbery part of the earbuds theyd be just like every other crappy earbud....

earbuds are bad for your ears by the way.

peace

 

[Lemurnator]

I don't know what the hell they're called, but they are these earbuds made by Sony. I normally hate earbuds, but they've got like some kind of rubber/silcon thing for your ears and - by god! - they are so goddamn comfortable.

Sound pretty good too.

I have the exact same thing. Favorite headphones I've ever had.

They're $50 though, so I have to take really good care of them.

 

[Great King Bowser]

God damnit why was no one aware of my pimping of Shure e2Cs?

I bought the EX71SLs before my Shures and in the end realised I should have bypassed them altogether and saved myself some money. The sound quality of Shures > Sony's aritficial bass and crappy treble anyday. You can get a pair of E2cs for like $65 as far as I'm aware in the States. I paid £50 for mine for christ's sake. GO GO GO.

 

[WHOAguitarninja]

God damnit why was no one aware of my pimping of Shure e2Cs?

I bought the EX71SLs before my Shures and in the end realised I should have bypassed them altogether and saved myself some money. The sound quality of Shures > Sony's aritficial bass and crappy treble anyday. You can get a pair of E2cs for like $65 as far as I'm aware in the States. I paid £50 for mine for christ's sake. GO GO GO.

This is good advice, people.

 

[Friend]

I have to admit, they did sound pretty good....while they were working that is. One day, my left earbud's driver stopped producing any sound. Apparently, it's a common problem with this set so buyer beware.

 

[Willco]

Those Shure earbuds don't look stylish.

I will stick with my free, awesome Sony earbuds.

 

[COCKLES]

God damnit why was no one aware of my pimping of Shure e2Cs?

I bought the EX71SLs before my Shures and in the end realised I should have bypassed them altogether and saved myself some money. The sound quality of Shures > Sony's aritficial bass and crappy treble anyday. You can get a pair of E2cs for like $65 as far as I'm aware in the States. I paid £50 for mine for christ's sake. GO GO GO.

Bowser my man...are they that good? I was tempted to buy a pair today in Tot Court Road for my Archos? (using a pair of £15 quid Toshibas at the moment...which already shit over the pack-ins).

 

[Fixed2BeBroken]

judging by the massive amounts of ipods i see being used in new york....and other portable music devices....i think i shall invest in hearing aids... should be a great money maker in the future.

 

[lexy]

earbuds are bad for your ears by the way.

Care to explain?

 

[whytemyke]

I got some big ol' Koss UR-20 headphones a few years ago. I'm still using them, and they're by far the best headphones i've ever purchased. only 30 bucks, too.

though I'm considering getting some of those surround sound headphones. those'd rule, if I had the dough to drop on 'em.

 

[GG-Duo]

Care to explain?

It's true.

Anecdotal experience: during December, I felt my right inner-ear was "convulsing". It literally felt like my ear canal was squeezing and releasing itself rapidly for a few seconds. I suspected it was due to my prolonged use of ear-phones that led to this. So over the Christmas holiday (ie. 2 weeks or so), I just avoided using ear-phones altogether and the condition went away.

However, it's important to note that before December, I was listening to music for about 5 hours per day with $20 phones, at a low-to-medium volume. So that could also be the cause of it.

 

[Great King Bowser]

Bowser my man...are they that good? I was tempted to buy a pair today in Tot Court Road for my Archos? (using a pair of £15 quid Toshibas at the moment...which already shit over the pack-ins).

Yeah I'd definitely recommend them. How much were they quoting in tottenham court road? I remember one of the shops quoting £65, and that was after I haggled the bugger. In the end went the ebay route and got a new pair for £50 delivered.

So yeah, go for it. There are of course better, more expensive headphones out there. But the quality to price ratio starts getting worse the more you spend. But you'll definitely hear a vast improvement over those £15 Toshibas.

And about the style factor; people in college are always asking me about my headphones, and if I'm some sort of musician which is awesome. Shure went consumer after providing professional audio equipment for years after all. The E2cs are convenient because they go behind your back, keeping them out of your way, so great for jogging and the like. They run up your back, then each earbud loops over the top of your ear and then in. Keeping them nice and secure. This in itself AVOIDS the annoying unbalanced feel of the EX71SLs with the one shorter than the other, loop round your neck method. One side's always going to get tugged out which irritated the hell out of me.

E2Cs are cool.

But anyway, I can't say for sure you'll love them as much as mine, as it's all objective. But I reckon you will. Oh, 2 year warranty as well which is nice.

EDIT - Damnit, I'm not done pimping. The E2Cs also have a low impedence, which means it takes less to power them, meaning you don't have to turn the volume up as much. My own personaly experience using my iRiver, with all mp3s normalised with mp3gain (lossless afaik) is that with EX71SL I need the volume at least 20-25, whereas with my E2C I have them at 10-15 (40 being maximum volume). Not sure if this is in anyway true, but I guess that'll help you squeeze more battery life out?

 

[Fresh Prince]

Over the top all the way- clip-on's or headbands.
In-ear phones seems to cause more ear-infections for me- I think a doctor actually advised me to stop using them.

There are better phones than the Sony it's probably they're the most widely available and cheapest.

 

[Mad Hatter]

I got some big ol' Koss UR-20 headphones a few years ago. I'm still using them, and they're by far the best headphones i've ever purchased. only 30 bucks, too.

though I'm considering getting some of those surround sound headphones. those'd rule, if I had the dough to drop on 'em.

Alright, I wanna do some whoring for the Koss KSC line, soo... I hope you're not using those big honkers for portable use. You should consider the KSC35/75s. THey use the same driver and are only $15(amazon)! They are clip-ons and sound absolutely incredible. Rivals even the Grado SR60s. Also, from what I've read, the Sony EX series has terrible boomy bass and screeching highs. Which is quite dissapointing. I would second Bowser's recommendation.

 

[whytemyke]

Oh no, I aint using these huge things for portable headphones. But as for cheap things to use at my computer, the sound is unequalled as far as I've seen, especially for the price I paid. also, I'm not really knowledgeable about different types of headphones. I wish I was, and I'm gonna start learning myself on it, but nothin' yet.

 

[Fresh Prince]

www.head-fi.org is a good place to start though like any site has their fairshare of fanboys and zealots.

 

[Fixed2BeBroken]

seeing all the people and thier portable music devices and witnessing this thread, urges me to invest in hearing aids.

im gonna be rich in the future.

 

[fart]

haha feder has a penis in his ear

 

[aoi tsuki]

These are "in-ear" phones, though.

So you wouldn't be able to use them in a work or street sort of environment.

Also, can you imagine taking out a waxed-up pair of earphones while shopping? That's pretty much my biggest concern.

i love shopping while listening to music using earphones (Sony EX71SLs here), especially when shopping at Walmart. Granted, it means a loss of awareness, but it literally makes you feel like you're in another world when listening to music with earphones.

i was originally using my MD with the remote, so the Shure's were out of question for me (they only come with a long length cord), but i think i'll invest in a 2GB Memory Stick and play music off my PDA, and pick up the Shure E2Cs. i've seen them as low as $65 via links from Techbargains.

 

[Great King Bowser]

Sound isolating headphones are awesome for the reason Aoi mentioned. Complete isolation from the outside world. Sitting on the bus, annoying schoolkids surround you, but all you can hear is your music. Hell, if I'm really bored I'll fill in their conversations in my head to the theme of the music I'm listening to. Good times. :lol

The E2C cable indeed is too long if you want to use a remote, but I never use the remote on my iRiver so that's cool.

I did find a use for the EX71SLs that I had in my drawer the past few months though, they're now my PSP headphone of choice as I can use them along with the remote. So a happy ending all round.

 

[AlphaSnake]

My cousin just picked up Shure E2Cs for $100 (cost price) and wow, they're pretty damn good.

 

[Fixed2BeBroken]

isolated headphones are mostly for recording purposes (so sound doesnt leak into mic signal)...i find it funny people use them with thier portable ear killers.

 

[Fresh Prince]

Only if they're too loud. Anyway I like my headphones open I can still listen to announcements etc while being concious of how loud I'm listening to my music.

 

[fart]

isolated headphones are mostly for recording purposes (so sound doesnt leak into mic signal)...i find it funny people use them with thier portable ear killers.

they're for any monitoring situation. musicians use them as personal monitors during live performances as well. they make perfect sense for recreational use because noise pollution from outside a playback device degrades the quality of the sound heard by the recreational listener, not to mention listeners tend to not turn up the intensity of a playback device if the earphones provide isolation, which reduces the overall intensity the ear sees, which is kinder on the inner ear.

ps, fuck off.

 

[Fixed2BeBroken]

they're for any monitoring situation. musicians use them as personal monitors during live performances as well. they make perfect sense for recreational use because noise pollution from outside a playback device degrades the quality of the sound heard by the recreational listener, not to mention listeners tend to not turn up the intensity of a playback device if the earphones provide isolation, which reduces the overall intensity the ear sees, which is kinder on the inner ear.

ps, fuck off.

:lol

you mad? why are you mad?

They dont make perfect sense for recreational use because sometimes you need to hear what is going on around you....and if you can barely hear anything thats going on in the outside world, then you can endanger yourself.
hope he isnt in new york, mess around and get hit by a car.

by the way, most musicians dont use them for live performances with the exeption of drummers who dont use them much either....they usually have regular monitors for themselves that the foldback will be in control of.

and engineers at live venues have specialized ear Plugs to attenuate sound frequencies high and low so they dont damage thier ears and and they wear no headphones at all. plus you get no real sense of reverberation and localization of sound with headphones so theres a urge to want to boost effects to high...hence....foldback and foh engees dont use headphones to monitor in live situations as well.

and they arent really great for "any monitoring situations."
i mean of course thier are advantanges for using them as monitors....but...good engees dont rely on them.

<edit> I will agree that they are better to use than other headphones BECAUSE of the fact you will keep the volume lower because of all the attenuated sound from the outside as you said....being that the main reason people can get hear damage from in-ear or superaural headphones rather than circumaural is because they tend to turn the volume up OVER all the sound coming from the outside (even a subway train that might be screeching into the station at about 85 dbspl)....BUT....that wasnt my point....

ps, so how about you "fuck off"

 

[fart]

who wouldn't be a little bugged at such obvious trolling.

even i noticed it and my first post was about (my) dick in feder's ear canal (OH SO HOT)

the fact remains that people do use them as monitors (studio and live), and they make some pretty good sense for those who do. yes some people opt for plugs live but this is a stupid argument.

the point is they DO make sense for home use, they're extremely UNLIKELY to permanently damage someone's hearing, and no one really wants to hear about it if you think they do.

 

[Fixed2BeBroken]

who wouldn't be a little bugged at such obvious trolling.

even i noticed it and my first post was about (my) dick in feder's ear canal (OH SO HOT)

the fact remains that people do use them as monitors (studio and live), and they make some pretty good sense for those who do. yes some people opt for plugs live but this is a stupid argument.

the point is they DO make sense for home use, they're extremely UNLIKELY to permanently damage someone's hearing, and no one really wants to hear about it if you think they do.

no, they make NO sense for a foldback/foh eng live. im sorry...but it would only worsen the situation....and if one does, then he must be inhuman.

yea they are used in studios, but mostly for recording (so there is no sound leakage so you get the cleanest mic signal)...but engees dont really rely on them for themselves for multiple reasons that i could go into detail about...but dont really feel like it.

and you say "home use" and thats not what I was referring to, once again, tottally misunderstanding me, and i dont care if you THINK that "others" dont really want to hear what I think, because hey.....others dont really want to hear what "fart" thinks.

 

[fart]

yea they are used in studios, but mostly for recording (so there is no sound leakage so you get the cleanest mic signal)...but engees dont really rely on them for themselves for multiple reasons that i could go into detail about...but dont really feel like it.

i'm genuinely curious why this is so. (go go thread hijack)

i mean, you should get cleaner sound from in-ear monitors than closed circumaural ones right?

 

[Fixed2BeBroken]

i'm genuinely curious why this is so. (go go thread hijack)

its good for hearing suttle changes and yes its cleaner since you will have no room interaction and there will be no phasing due to head movement, not only that its consistent in every room and affordable...unlike a pair of mackie hr28s....

but...the stereo image is too wide in headphones..and there is NO room interaction so youll end up cranking up reverb effects when you shouldnt the localization of the sound is not in front and youll also have the tendancy to want to add more effects.

id only see an eng using headphones just to hear how the mix sounds in headphones, or if he is working in a place where he cant pump up the volume of his monitors (although its better to mix at a low volume anyways)

oh back to my point about live sound....an eng, whether foldback or foh, would never use them except for trouble shooting.

i mean, you should get cleaner sound from in-ear monitors than closed circumaural ones right?

i dont know what you are talking about here....

in-ear monitors can leak sound even if its 1db spl of sound, it still can leak...but not only that...the bass frequency cant be monitored realistically as they can in circumaural and circumaural wont leak no matter how loud you crank the sound up.

 

[tetsuoxb]

The only great sony earphones are MDR-888s when properly broken in.

The only Shure earphones I would touch are e3cs.

However, the headphones I currently when I am going on a trip and not just on the bus are my DJ headphones. Pioneer HDJ-1000s. If you listen to dance, you owe yourselves these headphones.

 

[Diablos]

Sex in your ear, you say? You must be going deaf!

 

[Hitman]

Sennheiser MX400/MX500 are better.

 

[CurlySaysX]

in ear earphones are great.. not only do you get the purest of sound entering your ear you also dont bother the person next to you or around you with your music.

the sony N.u.d.e 71s are superb, clean rich bass, nice mids and clear trebble.

9 out of 10.

 

[Brannon]

I too would like to experience acoustical copulation in my aural region, but without the invasive earbuds. Where can one get some Dolby Digital headphones on the cheap?