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Looking for the impossible - good headphones with built in player

post #1 of 24
10/15/09 at 7:45pm
Thread Starter 
This is what I want: good quality wireless lightweight headphones (closed) with built in MP3 player, SDHC (or microSDHC) slot... and... this is important... an actual ON/OFF switch! (I absolutely hate the stupid "press & hold" concept.) Loading of files should be simple drag & drop from any computer without requiring OS-specific software or formats. It must have the ability to play randomly (shuffle).

I have seen a few headphones out there like the Skullcandy Double Agent and numerous cheapo Chinese headphones, but they all basically suck - and don't have the features I want.

If nobody sells what I'm looking for (which is likely), I'm considering "constructing" my own. I'm thinking of finding a good headphone with removable or retractable cord and getting a very small MP3 player and sticking it to one side with a very short cable to plug it in. Any suggestions? (Sansa Clip + with AKG K450?)
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post #2 of 24
10/16/09 at 4:51am
sansa clip plus wireless headphones.

otherwise get out there and make it. good wireless quality isnt cheap; most of it kinda sux. only ones that are any chop are A2D2 and the sleek wireless system IMO.
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post #3 of 24
10/16/09 at 6:50am
Thread Starter 
By "wireless" I don't specifically mean wireless communication (bluetooth or RF), but that the thing doesn't have dangling wires - it's all together in one unit. I don't really want to have a bluetooth headset and have to carry around the transmitter and player in my pocket. That seems like an inefficient waste to me. I want the freedom of having nothing in my pocket (or not having to have a pocket at all) and I don't want dangling wires. Doesn't anybody else want this sort of thing?

So, I could technically use any wired headphones and stick the player on one ear cup, but I don't want to have to bundle up the cord and tape it to my head. That would look silly. I thought headphones with a removable cord (on one side) would be best because I wouldn't have to cut the cable to make it short. Unfortunately there are very few good reasonably small headphones with removable cable. There is an Audio Technica headphone with retractable cable which might do nicely, but I'd like to hear if there are any others I should look for.

Is the Sansa Clip small and thin enough to stick it on a headphone ear cup? Would it look bulky? Has anybody else done what I'm trying to do?
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post #4 of 24
10/16/09 at 7:00am
What your asking is not practically possible if needs to of just reasonably quality and battery life time etc.
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post #5 of 24
10/16/09 at 7:02am
Sonys NWZ-W202 might solve your problem
A Clip+ attached to a headphone would look pretty ridiculous IMO.
If you have a phone with Bluetooth, you might want to look into buying Bluetooth headphones, since you're probably carrying around a phone anyway.
But really, could you not just be happy with a Clip+ and decent iems? Thats super portable anyway, your jeans couldn't be THAT tight.
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post #6 of 24
10/16/09 at 7:26am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mogeansai View Post
But really, could you not just be happy with a Clip+ and decent iems? Thats super portable anyway, your jeans couldn't be THAT tight.
Well that would mean I would have a dangling wire from headphones to player. My main reason for wanting this is not to have dangling wires. I've tangled and violently ripped earbuds and headphones off my head more times than I can count. I'm tired of it. I'm surprised everybody doesn't want headphones with built in player.

The ultimate test for a portable setup... can it be worn naked? (....not that that's a specific goal of mine, but it's a bit tedious to carry a "brick on a string" and have to carry it in a pocket or clip it somewhere)

Quote:
Originally Posted by mogeansai View Post
Sonys NWZ-W202 might solve your problem
I've seen those. They don't have enough capacity (or SD slot), they're a bit ugly and they're Sony - and I'm boycotting Sony at the moment. (my last 5 Sony products were absolute crap)
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post #7 of 24
10/16/09 at 7:39am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gamerphile View Post
What your asking is not practically possible if needs to of just reasonably quality and battery life time etc.
If a company properly designed it, it is very possible. The player would add a bit of width to one ear cup and the second ear cup could be balanced by putting the battery there. There is plenty of space to put a reasonably sized battery - certainly more space than in an iPod. They could even put a thin battery along parts of the headband. It could have huge battery life. I just don't see why nobody has done it yet. I've been wanting something like that since 2002!
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post #8 of 24
10/16/09 at 8:04am
In the past I've played with the idea of taking a pair of portable headphones like the Denon d1000 or similar and modifying one of the cups to hold a sansa clip. It would take a bit of work but the result would be really cool.
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post #9 of 24
10/16/09 at 8:23am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Punnisher View Post
In the past I've played with the idea of taking a pair of portable headphones like the Denon d1000 or similar and modifying one of the cups to hold a sansa clip. It would take a bit of work but the result would be really cool.
Yes, that's the exact combination I was considering. I gave up on the Denon because the cable is not detachable and is on both sides. I suppose I could loop the wire from one side up over the headband and trim it. The back of the ear cups are rounded though and there's nowhere else you could attach a player nicely.

I'm glad to hear that at least one other person in the world thought this was a neat idea.
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post #10 of 24
10/16/09 at 8:41am
Yeah it would be an amazing, liberating device to use.

I remember now why I haven't done this. It's partially about many good headphone candidates having dual entry cable.

Ultrasone cans look like good modding platforms but they are so large that I would never be seen wearing them in public, at least while walking around. There comes a point where the size of the headphone defeats the purpose of such a headphone, and ultrasones would be past that point.
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post #11 of 24
10/16/09 at 9:19am
Thread Starter 
Yes, that's why I thought maybe the AKG K450 would be good. It's small and has a detachable cable on one side. The ear cups are flat. I don't know about sizes. I wonder if the Sansa Clip would fit on the side. In pictures, the Clip looks pretty small.

I've read some bad reviews about the K450 though.
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post #12 of 24
10/16/09 at 9:56am
Monster Cable iFreePlay AI SH HPHONE Cordless Headphone - AISHHPHONE - Buy.com

sounds like you're describing this; not closed though.
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post #13 of 24
10/16/09 at 10:21am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by VARO View Post
Monster Cable iFreePlay AI SH HPHONE Cordless Headphone - AISHHPHONE - Buy.com

sounds like you're describing this; not closed though.
Thanks for the link. I saw these a few years ago. I considered them, but I was worried about the quality (and back then I still had hope that somebody made a better integrated player). I liked the second generation Shuffle (and it has an actual ON/OFF switch), but 2Gb was too small. I waited for 4Gb, but then they released the utterly stupid new Shuffle.

Maybe if I can find some cheap 2Gb second generation Shuffles I'll try it.
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post #14 of 24
10/16/09 at 10:40am
Another vote for the NWZ-W202. It doesn't do everything you want, but what it does do, it does great.
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post #15 of 24
10/16/09 at 11:04am
Thread Starter 
Aside from my Sony boycott, I just read this review:

"I've now spent two hours on the phone trying to get a reasonable response from Sony regarding expedited replacement of my second NWZ - W202. I was told by their tech support that these are being returned by the dozen. My intuition is that the open mini-usb port on the headset allows sweat to wick into the unit... not a very slick design element for something specifically designed for the gym. Please heed my advice - this is a no go..."

I don't think I'll go for it. Besides, I'd rather have headphones than earbuds.
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