In-Ear Headphones and Open Headphones

[Hawk12346]

I'm looking for a good pair of earbuds. I'm not not on a budget, because if it is truly beautiful enough to save $300 for, I'll do it. I'm looking for ones that have isolation so I can play my drums with them, but will also be good for using on the go. Another thing, I just bought the Audio Technica ATH-A900's, and I was told that I should also look at Open headphones if I'm just going to be relaxing and listening. I've done a lot of reading/researching/looking, and I can't truly decide. Any help for either of these questions would be appreciated.

[drzygn]

hmmm. so what type of environment will you be listening to music in?

[Hawk12346]

Mostly in my room where it's calm and quiet, but also outside if I'm doing something or on my way somewhere. Which is why I want earphones.

[drzygn]

hmm but naturally headphones have better sound quality than in-ear phones, or even noise cancelling ones. but it really depends on the person using it i guess, for me I'm fine with either, lol i have both... just that headphones are abit bulky to carry around...

[Balling like a fool]

Headphones : Skullcandy

Everything is great quality, they have a pair of earbuds for 10-20 bucks that pretty much blows away the entire earbud competition. Then they go up from there. I have some expensive headphones, I'm not a fan of earbuds, but I swear by this brand.

Great warranty too. Even the wording on it is awesome lol

Q-What does the Skullcandy warranty cover?

A-Your skullcandy headphones are covered one of two ways, Aggressive Listening, which is defined as:

Aggressive Listening: Skullcandy products that fail or break due to a crazy crash on the mountain or a violent head-banging session... or any other reason that is not a product defect, we will still hook you up! Send in whatever remains of your product, and we will send you a coupon good for 50% off any product in our Online Shop.

OR

Defective Product Replacement: Which is defined as any Skullcandy product that is still in one piece and not working properly or any product damaged in shipping.In this case you will receive a brand new replacement product at no charge. In either case you will need to complete our warranty form.

[thammuz]

I would recomend getting open-back over the ear headphones, if it is going to be for personal (in your own room) listening. AT the moment I am personally looking at the AT-700 open backs (currently my first choice), Sony 7506's, and the Sennheiser HD-280's... I got a chance to try them out (minus the AT) while I was in Akiba, and they were really nice and comfortable. If you use an iPod or and other portable media player and do not have/ want to use an amp, the Sony's have better impedence. I am looking at those because they are around $100... I can't justify $200+. (just noticed you mentioned wearing them during drumming... Something like the HD-280s or the Sony v6, 7506s should be good).

I do have a pair of Everglide headphones (gaming headphones) that I got from woot for $20... And they are actually really nice. The bass is perfect for the downtempo/ drone music I listen to. And to be honest if I tried them side by side with the Sennheiser HD550s I tried in Akiba, I probably wouldn't be able to tell the different other than the ear pad feelings. (HD550s were nicer on my dumbo ears).

If you are looking for something more "audiophile" grade, something that isn't neutral, you're most likely going to pay a little more for that luxury.

I currently own a pair of UE Super.fi 3 Studios and they are great. I got them for about $80 from Walmart.com (cheaper than Amazon)... Their sound is really nice and neutral, hence the "studio monitor" title slapped on them. If you like bass... Steer away from these and give the Shure 110 or 210's a try (heard they have more bass). Pertaining to drumming with a pair on; I believe they were the Epytomic e6 or something like that, that protect your ears from higher decibels than the best gun ear plugs.

I used them on my 13 hour plane trip and it worked perfectly... If I used normal earbuds I would've had to crank the volume up all the way to hear my music, with the super.fi's I had it set at a nice 20%-25% volume.

I did have one problem with the super.fi's... My left ear piece's wire crapped out on me (two months after having them), so a quick call to UE and they sent me a replacement wire for free; took three-four days.

When I begin to look for a different IEM, I will most likely try to find one I can easily sleep with... Since the Super.fi 3's (and 5) make you look like Frankenstein (which doesn't bother me since most people here use the default crap from Apple) and aren't very comfortable when sleeping on your side. Also, mentioning Apple; they now have their own IEMs, which I've read work rather well for the $80 price tag.

I was considering getting the Skullcandy FMJ for $25, it wouldn't have been a big deal if they sucked... I have read (for the most part) that they are the best IEM's they offer even though most of the Skullcandy IEM's go bad after a few weeks.


I'm still pretty new to the high end hi-fi stuff, and most of this stuff (if not otherwise noted) came from a decent amount of research. Try asking google your questions and you'll get links to head-fi forums.