[LHH]

Hi everyone, this is my first post.

I posted this question on another hifi forum, however I thought I'd post it here as well since you guys are the experts in this field.

I'm looking for an inexpensive (preferably under $100) pair of in-ear/ear-bud style headphones for use with an iPod Nano. Some noise attenuation would be an advantage, but I don't want active sound cancellation (don't want to carry the extra battery pack). I'd also prefer that they have a relatively short cable (left or right side slightly longer so that the cable goes behind the neck), and no in-line volume control.

After a net search I've found a few of products that look semi-promising, but I haven't heard any them before, so am interested in hearing from anyone who has heard any of them (or ideally compared them). Also if you have other suggestions that would be great, however I live in New Zealand so they would need to be available in NZ or Australia as otherwise the postage just gets silly.The current possibles include:

Sennheiser CX300/400
Denon AH-C351/551
Koss KEB24

AKG also appear to make a number of models that might be suitable?

In the past I have enjoyed the Sennheiser sound for their higher end phones (HD595 HD650 etc), but not so much for their portable phones (PX100 etc), and the AKG sound for their portable phones (K416P etc), but not so much for their higher end phones (K701 etc). I remember hearing a range of Koss phones a while ago and being rather indifferent to them, and I have never heard any Denon phones at all.

As far as music goes, I enjoy a huge variety: chamber, classical, jazz, folk, blues, rock, electronica, trip hop etc. I am about to depart on a backpacking trip around the glob so these will be my only source of music during this period. I don't expect them to compete with a full sized headphone (and don't want to pay for something that does), but on the other hand if they are as horrible as the throwaway headphones which come with an iPod then I won't end up listening to anything.

Anyway, thanks in advance.

In-ear headphones. Which ones?

 

[chinesekiwi]

Under $100NZ, I'd go the C551's. They're $99 Buy Now on Trademe.

 

[digivate]

The C551 is definatley the best out of your choice of three. The only downside is that they don't have the j cord that you want - they have a y cord instead.

 

[jonathanjong]

x3 551s. They come with a short cord, so you can put your DAP in your shirt pocket. If you use the long cord, get a shirt clip. I use the clip that comes with plastic nametags. I'll post a pic if you want.

 

[LHH]

Thanks guys.

Looks like the 551s are the way to go... which leads me to my next question. If I was able to get some 751s for a good price, would they be worth spending, say, an extra $50 on? Are there significant gains to be had? Or are the differences not going to be particularly noteworthy or noticeable when wandering around or sitting on a train/bus etc?

Thanks again.

EDIT: jonathanjong, would be great if you could post a pic of what you mean.

 

[DrBenway]

I had a pair of the ER6s (the standard version, not the iPod oriented 6i) which I thought sounded very good. Very neutral freq balance, and solid bass when properly inserted.

 

[LHH]

So, after the advise here, I've ordered a pair of AH-C551s. They should be with me in a week or so.

 

[ljcii]

551s.
no cx-500.
Can't comment on the koss.

 

[chinesekiwi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LHH /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks guys. Looks like the 551s are the way to go... which leads me to my next question. If I was able to get some 751s for a good price, would they be worth spending, say, an extra $50 on? Are there significant gains to be had? Or are the differences not going to be particularly noteworthy or noticeable when wandering around or sitting on a train/bus etc?

The c700's (which you can get off Trademe again, I got mine off the same guy 'HiFiOnline') have far more detail in the highs but have less bass reproduction (2-4 dB). Both have the same nice deep bass reproduction but the c551's just have more of it.

 

[LHH]

A lovely new pair of Denon AH-C551 in-ear headphones arrived today.

First impressions:

They are very well made for portable headphones, the aluminum housing looks very classy, while still being lightweight, and the included hard-case is a nice touch, being the perfect size for the headphones and an iPod shuffle. The advertised "gold coating" on the plugs is just about non-existent, but this is no big deal IMO. Of much more importance, the cable is thick enough to avoid tangling when you shove it in your pocket, which is a problem with some other portable headphones.

The headphones come with a short cable attached and a longer extension cable. This is a great idea, but unless you are enormous the extension cable is too long. Without the extension cable attached, the cable is just about the right length for you to put your portable player in your top jacket pocket. However if you are wearing a t-shirt, or something else without a pocket, you will probably want to put your portable player in your pants pocket. Unfortunately, with the extension attached, the cable dangles down to your lower thigh and then loops up to your pocket, meaning the you need to stuff the excess cable into your pocket, which is exactly what the two piece cable is designed to avoid. Obviously everyone is a different size (I'm small), so if you are very large the cable might be the perfect length for you.

How about the sound? Well, as mentioned above, this is first impressions and the headphones have only been running for a couple of hours, so I expect them to change a bit as they run in. However, current impressions are these: The bass is excellent, it has plenty of depth, and it tight enough not to intrude or sound disconnected from the rest of the music. The midrange is smooth and perhaps slightly recessed, but I expect it to open up a little as the headphones run in. The highs are a little disappointing, they sound quite rolled off, but again I hope this will improve as the headphones are run in a bit. One advantage of the rolled off top end is that everything sounds "fine" regardless of the recording or compression. Unfortunately nothing sounds fabulous. Having said that, these are a relatively inexpensive pair of headphones and they give great performance given their size. I'd recommend them happily as a "ultra-portable headphone", which is what they are designed for.

 

[downbc1]

cx300. They have less irrititating treble and good bass