Headphone recomendations

I am really in need of a new pair of headphones. I have two pairs of Sony headphones, niether of which are too good. One pair came with my walkman in 2001 and the other pair came with my Mum's CD Walkman in 2002. I think I may be due a new Walkman in the future as the headphone socket on mine seems to have problems.

The best pair of headphones I have are the ones that came with my Mum's tape Walkman in the mid nineties. Unfortunately one of the speakers decided to stop working.

Does anyone have any recomendations for in ear headphones that sound good and arn't too expensive?

BTW, I am not looking for anything that does noise cancelling or anything as I like to be able to hear people talking to me (sometimes :p)

Thanks
Steve

I just get the Matsui-type ones from HMV, about £6.99, whenever I need a new pair. I have a very acute trained musical ear and they still do the job nicely.

For a long time my favourite headphones were the ones that came with my original monochrome Game Boy.

Now I've got some of those sony ones that have the rubber cups that wedge in to the ears. Great sound, possibly a bit too bassy but that's OK for me as I like bass. Because they plug the ears, eating with them in is totally out, and they block out most external sounds. These, and the price (between 20-30 quid) probably mean they aren't for you, Steve. They are MDEX71s I think (off the top of my head).

Best headphones to get are from Sennheiser. It doesn't matter if they are in earbud or larger types. They all sound great and even the smaller headphones they produce have decent bass response, unlike most that tend to sound a bit tinny.

The earbud ones I have are Sennheiser MX500's.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...PL._SS500_.jpg

And as you can see, Sennheiser earbud headphones also come in a really cool useful case that is circular and lets you wind the cable up neatly, using an underside winding system, so it never gets tangled up or in a mess.

And while retail price is £19.99, Amazon co.uk currently have them for £5.99.

But if you wanted to get really great sound then I highly recommend the larger full Sennheiser headphones. I have some Sennheiser PX 100's and they sound amazing. The bass and clarity of sound is amazing compared to other headphones I've owned in the past. These are not noise cancelling and are foam pad open design (not cupped) so you never get that pressure feeling as you can with full cupped sealed headphones.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...VL._SS500_.jpg

These PX100's also have a really cool fold up design, allowing you to fold the headband down in a cross over way much like glasses folded, and the headphone part folds 45 degrees, and they then fit in the included case which is the same size and shape as a glasses case. So they are quite portable.

These are however more expensive at about £29.

Sennheiser also do a CX earbud range that are more like the Sony one's JT mentioned.

Take a look at the official site here.

Is £20 quite a lot to pay for headphones then? I'd have quite happily paid that. I will definately have a look at the senheiser ones. Thanks for the recomendations.

I personally think those Sennheiser are good enough to be worth the full retail price. However, being able to get them cheaper is always good.

For portability I use a pair of Sony's MDR-410 - these are foldable like the Sennheiser's Harrison mentioned and retail for about £15 I think.

When size isn't an issue, I use a pair of Sennheiser HD202. Way too bulky for what you want, but I'd definately consider a pair of mini-headphones over earphones if you can.

I always used Sennheiser, they're great quality, although I never used earbud ones, only used some from Sony, and even Bose.

I opted for the HD202s to use at home and the CX300 for portable ones. The HD202 have excellent sound quality, although they could be a bit bigger. I got the CX300 as I decided that the noise cancelling would be quite useful. The don't sound as good as the HD202s.

I use the Senheizer PX 100's that Harrison has posted a pic of.
They truly are the best set of headphones ever made :D

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Originally Posted by woody.cool

I use the Senheizer PX 100's that Harrison has posted a pic of.
They truly are the best set of headphones ever made :D

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Definitely, Sennheiser are the best!

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Originally Posted by Submeg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by woody.cool

I use the Senheizer PX 100's that Harrison has posted a pic of.
They truly are the best set of headphones ever made :D

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Definitely, Sennheiser are the best!

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Sennheiser all the way ;)

Unfortunately my CX300s broke, so I've been using the ones that were included with the new Walkman that I bought a while back.

I would quite like the noise cancelling back.

These are quite tempting: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Etymotic-Res...4307160&sr=8-2

Not sure I could justify the cost though for something that might break quickly.

I might have a look at Sennheiser's current ones and see if they have anything that will give better sound than the CX300.

I have also been looking for alternatives to the HD202s that I got. The sound quality of the HD202 is fantastic, but after a long period of use, they get a bit uncomfortable.

I guess the thing with earphones is that you have to wind them up and put them back in the carry bag, otherwise they get damaged. I've taken care of these ones, and I've had them for over a year now. I think they will last me a while!

That's one advantage of Sennheiser ones that come with the wind up storage system.

I got Sennheiser CX 500 Headphones when they were £13.99 on play.com last year. They're great, they're in-ear and really cut out the noise. I was listening to a spoken-word mp3 the other day and I could hear birdsong in the background during the quiet bits, ever so quietly but still distinct. They fit so well I can hardly deel they're in there. They come in a natty leather pouch and have about 6 different types of rubber shapes depending on your preference/ear shape.

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Originally Posted by burns flipper

I got Sennheiser CX 500 Headphones when they were £13.99 on play.com last year. They're great, they're in-ear and really cut out the noise. I was listening to a spoken-word mp3 the other day and I could hear birdsong in the background during the quiet bits, ever so quietly but still distinct. They fit so well I can hardly deel they're in there. They come in a natty leather pouch and have about 6 different types of rubber shapes depending on your preference/ear shape.

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Same here :)

I've just ordered the Etymotic ER6i headphones from Amazon for £70.

I hope they are worth the money. I will report back when I get them.

That is a mad price for some earphones. Hope they really are worth the money.

I thought you didn't have much spare cash Steve?

Apparently the noise isolation on the Etymotic headphones is excellent :).

Regarding finance, I am £50/week better off on Jobseekers allowance than I was prior to signing on. But as I have a job starting next month I will have a lot more money in July. I also still have quite a bit of money from christmas/birthday etc saved up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stephen Coates

Apparently the noise isolation on the Etymotic headphones is excellent :)

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Stevie, aren't you listening?? My headphones eliminate external noise by creating a seal between the outside world and my eardrum, at £60 cheaper!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by burns flipper

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stephen Coates

Apparently the noise isolation on the Etymotic headphones is excellent :)

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Stevie, aren't you listening?? My headphones eliminate external noise by creating a seal between the outside world and my eardrum, at £60 cheaper!

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Pretty sure he can't hear you, seeing as the headphones are noise canceling and all :whistle:

:thumbs:

The expensive Etymotic earphones have done very well over the last 18 months. The sound quality is much better than the CX300s (less bass), and the noise isolation is also excellent. Unfortunately they can be a bit difficult to get in and out and can get uncomfortable after an hour or so, so for everyday use when I want to take them in and out a lot, I got another pair of CX300s.

I am now looking to replace the HD202s. Whilst the sound quality is excellent, they get uncomfortable after a while. I've been pondering either the HD448 or the HD555.