Headphones for portable player

[Nomad01]

I have about $30 to spend on headphones for my mp3 player. I take my mp3 player everywhere, so they cant be the big kind. It would be good if they could block out the noise on my bus ride to school. What headphones do you reccomend? Thanks.

 

[The Monkey]

Sennheiser MX-500. Not much isolation, though.

 

[Canman]

The Koss KSC-35 would fit the ticket. Again, doesn't block much outside noise but it will be fine in the bus.

 

[gshan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nomad01 I have about $30 to spend on headphones for my mp3 player. I take my mp3 player everywhere, so they cant be the big kind. It would be good if they could block out the noise on my bus ride to school. What headphones do you reccomend? Thanks.

Panasonic RP-HJE50 canalphones ($20 amazon, etc.)

You won't block out everything, but for the price and sound you should be happy with them.

 

[IEATTEFLON]

I tried a set of those panasonics from amazon. It sounds pretty good and comfort is a godsend compared to my iriver supplied mx400.

 

[Nomad01]

What about the Koss SPORTAPRO, KSC55, or KSC17? Do they all sound the same? Do the headphones that fit in your ear sound better than the regular kind? Can they take the sound levels the regular kind can take? Thanks

 

[Damage]

In-Ears does not equal better Sound Quality. Take the Plugs by Koss. Bass and nothing else really.

If you can find Sony's E-9XX line of earbuds, give those a try, they sound heck of a lot better than most earbuds (or for that matter, most of Sony's). Though, I'd suppose that's not really saying much, I find most earbuds to be lacking for the most part. Senn's line of MX-3/4/5xx buds are supposed to be good, though it's been ages since I had one. You'll want a set of foam covers from your local Radio Shack ASAP for comfort.

If size doesn't matter, Sony's MDR-XD200 ($30) does nicely as a set of portable phones... excessively long cord and size of the cans aside.

Other than that, I can't really recommend much from $30 range, since they sound either harsh or just bland. You might get lucky and find Koss Porta Pro 2s for around $30 if they're on sale (they usually retail for $35-40 at Circuit City).

You can do a lot worse for $30 than those suggested.

 

[Nomad01]

how about in the $40-$50 range? I'm not that big of a fan of in ear headphones.

 

[zaack]

KSC55 - Good price, semi-good to good sound (bass is a bit messy though), better with a 75-ohm adapter (bass improves with this)..
Fit is tight though (some careful bending will loosen them up).
but for some (like me) secure fit and the lifetime warranty is a big plus..

Over all: Just Good. It could have been better if it wasnt for the fit..

 

[Nomad01]

Is the KSC75 better than the KSC55? What is a 75-ohm adapter?

 

[zaack]

The 75s are better in the fit department.. they're much more comfortable with the same sound as the 55s (they say a bit less bass though due to the fit, nothing to fret about though)...

but the:
1) dual entry cord (one per headpiece, i've had bad experience with dual entry cords..)
2) No headband (for some reason i need them)
is a minus for me.
For some it's still very good though, To you it might be too..

75-ohm adapters add impedance to your headphones (much like the Etymotics P-S adapter). You could build one yourself easy.
Search the forums for how-tos. (since they're going to be better than would-be-my explanation).
Also, it decreases the volume (significantly), and (IMO) it's only going to be better with an amp present. So you might want to use them without it first..

 

[Spiritboxer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nomad01 how about in the $40-$50 range? I'm not that big of a fan of in ear headphones.

Koss Porta-Pros. I carry these along with a pair of E3's nowadays, switching back and forth depending on my environment.