How are the Senn 439s in comparison to the 380s? I tried on the 419s at B&H, and wasn't too impressed - dark, boomy bass, sounded very consumer oriented.   Inexpensive is all well and good, but I'm willing to spend more for cans that I can keep on my ears for 2-3 hrs at a time, both from a...

Had some time to run to B&H Photo Video last night to try out a few options. They didn't have the HD380 or NXT on display, but the 280s and 440s were up. Right now, the 440s sounded better, but I found them really uncomfortable. The 280s indeed had harsher treble than the 440, but I could barely...

Thanks for the input. Amazon has them for <$140, so I guess I can throw them into the running.   HeadRoom likes the Shure SRH440 - $100, closed back, one of their 10 best. Any thoughts on that one?   I think, basically, what I'm looking for is a Grado sound, without everybody in the office...

Thanks. Are the HD380s that much better than the HD280s? One of my concerns about the HD280 is that I've heard that they're difficult to drive with portable devices - is this still the case with the 380?   Also, I'm not stuck on Sennheiser, I'll gladly take other recommendations, too!

Hi all,   It's been a while, but it's time for new headphones. My office just moved, and the new setup is no good for focusing on work. Too much background noise and stuff going on. I have my cheapie IEMs (JVC Marshmallows) that I use for commuting on the subway and at the gym, but while the...

Thanks guys. I'll look more closely at the RE0 and the HF5s. If I go non Ety (RE0), will I be able to use my stash of Ety foamies? For that matter, will I get the same kind of noise isolation? I ride the NYC subway every day, and the more noise isolation I can get, the better!

After nearly five years and four continents, and a trip through the wash, my ER6is have finally died. The cable next to the plug doesn't pass signal reliably, and I have to twist it around to get the right monitor to pass sound. It's fine for when I'm commuting to NPR, but it's maddening when I...

Actually, Coinstar's free if you change it to an Amazon gift card. Pretty nice considering Amazon usually has reasonable prices for everything. If you want cash, take it to a bank- Coinstar charges 8.9%... The ER6is should be here next week!

Thanks. Looks like I'll be going for the ER6i then, as the thought of carrying another box (and worrying about more cables and another set of batteries) with my iPod(s) is not a tasteful idea considering I often listen when I'm actually on the go (walking to classes etc). Of course, having...

Thanks for your response - another question: which of the two is better unamped? I don't plan on carrying an amp with me when I bring my iPods around, so this is a very important factor to me. And yeah, I realize I have a typo in the title. oops. sorry!

Hi, I bought a set of Sharp MD-33 IEMs a year and a half ago and they broke a few months ago. Considering I've been practically broke since then, I've been limping along with my stock iPod headphones... until now. Is the MD-33 still a good choice for the price ($50 shipped)? Or should I...

128 Kbps music and IEMs... if you have stock headphones, anything from a set of EX51s or EX71s on up should be an improvement. However, plan on being more discriminating with your music in the future if you plan to go expensive. Buying a CD and ripping it at 192 or 256 AAC (or better) is the...

I got to -45 db on my 12" PowerBook and HD497 setup (Fast Car and 6" driver setting). I was on my way to better than -24 db on my Monsoon MM-1000 multimedia speakers until my roommate walked in and ruined the test. Up through about -24 db I could tell the difference in the bass lines between...

I'm listening to my MD-33 hooked up to my 4G iPod right now. If they're a little bass heavy, try smaller tips- it worked for me. The bass is more accurate now, and much tighter, and the earphones still stay in my ears. I actually drape the cord between my t-shirt and whatever i'm wearing...

The iPod earbuds sound better than people here said they did. I'd call that bang for the buck... but we'll see how the Sharps work out... already loving the isolation...