[Happytab]

for home & office use mainly - listening to rock/pop - want to spend as little as possible in order to acheive a noticable difference from the stock ipod buds.

Thanks for your help.

 

[skudmunky]

Koss KSC 75, PortaPro, Sennheiser PMX 100, PX100. Cheap, ('specially the KSC75) sound excellent, huge upgrade.

 

[Happytab]

Of the Koss KSC75 & PX100 - which leaks more, goes louder, is more comfortable ?

 

[mattg3]

Absolutely love my ksc75 but it probably leaks more than px100.I had px100 for a very short time and returned it for comfort reasons.I dont even know the 75 is on my ears.

 

[PeeeMeS]

K701 straight out of iPod(They look like they were made for each other... and sound that way too)

Does very well with flat non bass boosted music
Pretty cheap already, but you can go even lower in price with the K601s



HD580, also great straight out of ipod

 

[konis]

also consider Audio-Technica ATH-FC7

 

[Fizban]

I prefer px100 to ksc75.

To me, px100 is far more comfortable...like it's not there. Ksc75 pinched my ears.

Sound-wise, px100's bass is far more boomy, but i feel ksc75 has brighter highs.

In fact, i feel px100 is similar to hd485 while ksc75 leans more towards like grados sr60.

Haha

 

[skudmunky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeeeMeS K701 straight out of iPod(They look like they were made for each other... and sound that way too) Does very well with flat non bass boosted music Pretty cheap already, but you can go even lower in price with the K601s HD580, also great straight out of ipod

True, but you might want to ask if he wants to spend 180-300 on his first pair og headphones.

 

[Alu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeeeMeS K701 straight out of iPod(They look like they were made for each other... and sound that way too)

Ditto that.

I heard the e2c, didn't find them too bad, but 100€ might be too much?

 

[LaBreaHead]

For an inexpensive upgrade, consider the Creative canal phones (should be under $40 with shipping; I like these in their category). For a still reasonably priced (and more significant) upgrade, consider the Etymotic ER-6i's (should be under, or right at, $100 with shipping; is good isolation OK for you at work? ... I've grown to like the foamies).

I've suggested in-ears, while others have suggested "real" headphones. You didn't stipulate a need for portability or isolation. I can say that the PortaPro 2's sound surprisingly good, considering the low price -- you won't look very managerial or serious at the office with them on, though, if that's an issue for you ... but they're really light and portable. The Sennheiser px100's look "professional" enough -- I haven't heard them, but they get good user ratings here. Or you could consider the closed AKG portable DJ 'phones -- I haven't heard them, either, but there are some good things said about them, although not to the extent as for the open Sennheisers.

 

[Happytab]

How much ambient noise do the like of the Koss and the PX100's let in compared with standard ipod buds- if its the same I can live with it - anymore and I might have an problem ?

Thanks

 

[BushGuy]

I like using Etymotics er-6i w/ Shure grey soft-flex tips. You can turn up the volume to block out exterior noise, or if kept at lower volume you can hear colleages - ergo the best of both worlds. The Ety's are highly detailed and if you add amplification they gain bass impact that you never suspected (and virtually never mentioned here).......the Shure tips make them very comfortable, and their poor isolation are what allow communication at low volume..........and IEM's minimize - well, you know the THAT look.

 

[ilovesocks]

You'll probably want to specify a budget.

Regardless of what your budget is, the KSC-75 is awesome. Can't stress that enough. There are probably dozens of threads here documenting people considering selling their cans worth hundreds of dollars because the KSC-75 comes so close for less than $20. Supposedly, they also improve with an amp! I'll be finding this out myself soon.

Other Koss cans that use the same drivers are the KSC-35 (black clip-on version that sounds slightly different than KSC-75. Some claim it's not as comfy), PortaPro (has a tension adjustment and costs $30+), PortaPro 2 (similar, but no tension adjustment for ~$20), and Sportapro (behind-the-head version ~$20).

It should let in the same amount of sound as the stock iBuds.

 

[Uncle Erik]

The best iPod "mod" I did was to put some ALAC (lossless) files on there. They take up more room, but to have 5-10 of your favorite albums in lossless on there doesn't take up that much room. You'll enjoy it more and you won't have to spend anything.

 

[devwild]

Based on your statement I would say absolutely the KSC75s. I've had "dang that sounds good" moments with my 50s (similar) while out walking, despite all the stuff I have at home.