are these good headphones?

[alexsan]

Sennheiser MX 200 (http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icm_eng.nsf/root/05247)
I want a good pair of ear buds for my iPod. The ones that came with the iPod are getting annoying.

[Larry]

Get these (http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icm_eng.nsf/root/04854?Open&print=) instead of the MX200. MX500 is only 16 bones at most online retailers, and from what I hear they're really good. A lot of people were having a problem with them falling out of their ear, however a few guys found that if you put them in upsidedown they stay in better. Either way, look towards those.

From J&R Music and Computer World
# SENNHEISER MX-500 -- Most of us are on the move more or less continuously nowadays. These lightweight, comfortable earbud style headphones fit the contemporary tag-and-run lifestyle perfectly. Wide dynamic range: 18Hz-22kHz
# 32 ohms nominal impedance for high volume potential
# Dual sided, highly conductive OFC copper cable
# Connects easily to personal hard drive jukeboxes, flash memory digital audio players, CD players, personal stereos and other audio sources
# Integrated volume control
# Metallic blue color
# 2 year guarantee

I'm using the Sennheiser MX-500's exclusively with my new 4G 20GB iPod. I purchased these because I've repeatedly heard that the Apple earbuds were pretty underwhelming. I have not tried the Apple earbuds, and they're still in the anti-static sealed bag.

Before I had these I was using an older pair of Sony MDR-A34 headphones. Those are the buds that enter the ear perpendicular to the side of your head, mounted on a foldable above-the-head band. As a reference, I considered the Sony's to not be so great.

The first thing that you'll notice is that the Sennheiser's give you fantastic detail. With the Sony headphones, I wasn't able to hear as much detail... I also couldn't tell the difference between the AAC files and MP3 files on my iPod. While the MP3 files sound better than before, I can clearly tell that the AAC files are higher quality (yes, they are the same bitrate as MP3).

However, with the increased clarity and detail, I have noticed that the bass isn't great. I can still hear the bass, but it isn't so powerful. This isn't a real problem unless you listen to hip-hop or classical jazz. I listen to a pretty good variety of music, and haven't been bothered by this on a lot of other genres. I particularly like the sound of live music, classic rock, and vocal-intensive music with these earbuds.

I've read a lot of other reviews, and will comment on other features:
- cord length is sufficient but could be longer.
- the volume slider is very small, and very convenient. Another reviewer made the comment that it's a "linear" volume switch. To clarify, the switch slides along a linear axis; it is not a knob or dial, which helps keep the size small. However, the volume is controlled by a logarithmic potentiometer, not a linear potentiometer... This is good, because humans hear on a logarithmic scale. Just a friendly clarification for any other EE's out there who might care.
- the buds seem to fit my ears, but I probably have big ears.... I definitely have a big melon.
- the protective case works well, but isn't a special feature.

At the end of the day, I'm very happy with the ~$16 I spent on these. I highly recommend these to anyone who wants something inexpensive and highly portable.

[alexsan]

Get these (http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icm_eng.nsf/root/04854?Open&print=) instead of the MX200. MX500 is only 16 bones at most online retailers, and from what I hear they're really good. A lot of people were having a problem with them falling out of their ear, however a few guys found that if you put them in upsidedown they stay in better. Either way, look towards those.
I'll get those nextime I am at the mall :)

[agn]

I just got these 20 dollar sony headphones, ahh.. they are comfy. Its hard to find a good pair of headphones because everyones ears are different.

[Larry]

That's definitely a factor AGN. I was reading on some audiophile site that there's these headphones where they have a person come to your crib and put shit in your ears to make an exact copy of the ear canal. Then they make the earbuds custom to your ear canal. I think it cost something like 200 bones in total .. way too much for headphones.

[Burr]

Ear buds always fall out on me. Also it scares me that something that potentially loud is right in my ear canal. At least if you wear headphones you can yank that shit off quickly, which tends to be the first impulse instead of turning it the fuck down for whatever reason..

[Larry]

I hate when you're listening to something and accidentally hit the volume switch and turn it REALLY FUCKING LOUD. My usual impulse then is to jump a good 10 feet off the ground then frantically search for the volume control. See, I'm too lazy to rip the cans off my ears so I'd rather endure the pain to avoid anymore physical work than I need to do.

[Burr]

What I hate more is when one song somehow has way more volume than anything else on the playlist so you get this unavoidable blast every time it starts playing.

Worst MP3 I have like is Bomb Factory - Exciter.

[Larry]

Hahah I have the opposite end of the spectrum. All of the music I download from iTunes' Music Store has really low volume. The sound quality is good, it's just that even with my iPod's volume cranked all the way the songs are a little bit above normal listening levels. You can imagine how frustrating this is in a noisy environment, trying to listen to those songs.

[DrunkenMasterFu]

Speaking from retail/personal experience, earbuds are basically the worst kind of phones to use... unless you're trying to be sneaky in school or something. If not, I would go with a completely different set.