[dragonlong]

Hi, everyone!

I'll admit that I'm relatively a newbie concerning headphones. I do have a pair of ER-4P that I use with my PocketPC. It sounds great and I might be a little spoiled by its quality. However, honestly, it is a bit troublesome to use since it can easily fall out of my ears and I can hear undesirable noise whenever the wire hits my shirt.

Anyway, I'll planning on purchasing the Rio S35S today. Hopefully it's not sold out at the Futureshop closest to my place. I'd like to get a new pair of earphones to use with that since the ER-4P isn't very good to wear on the go.

Here are the "requirements" of what I'm looking for:

1. Very good, high quality, clear/crisp sound (both treble, mid, and bass)
2. Comfortable
3. Won't fall out of my ears
4. Not bulky/ultra portable (does not take up much space, easily put away)
5. Won't make noticeable noise when the wire hits my clothing
6. Doesn't look bad/stupid (I'll be wearing it outside)
7. Good sound without an amp

Budget-wise, not too bad. I won't mention any specific numbers since I want more info on the headphones themselves first, and then finally decide if I can afford them, so feel free to suggest relatively expensive headphones too if they are worth it.

Well, I realize that's a lot of requirements, and most of these are what people want for their "dream" headphones but might not be able to get. Again, I'm spoiled by my ER-4P and I'm relatively a newbie since that's the only high quality pair of headphones that I've used, so I don't really have anything else to compare to.

I'm thinking of getting a pair of earbuds, but I realize that they might be limited in their sound quality since they're so small, so if there aren't any that would satisfy most/all of the "requirements", feel free to suggest other types that aren't too big that are good too. Maybe I shouldn't go for earbuds at all since they can all fall out of the ears easily, unless there are some special types that I don't know of, but I wouldn't be surprised if the manufacturers came up with something that remedies this issue.

I've seen much written about the MX-500's, but I'm not sure if those are for me. How well do they stay in the ears? Is the quality that good or is there always something "missing" in the sound when listening carefully (as mentioned in one review in Head-Fi).

Again, the headphones don't have to be earbuds. I'll settle for something a little bigger if they can satisfy most of the "requirements". I run to catch the bus and I also turn my head often to look at traffic so that I don't get run over on the road. My current headphones will loosen or fall out if I'm not careful while turning my head.

OK, I think I rambled long enough. I got a few things to do, so I'll check back here again later. Please provide me with any comments and advice that you may have. There's no "wrong answer", especially since I'm a newbie and I might not even know it. LOL

Thanks in advance and keep up the informative discussions here (not that you need me to encourage you to do that anyway).

 

[Watchdog]

You have heard that Sonic has filed for bankruptcy haven't you? Don't know if I'd believe you'd get any warranty from a bankrupt company.

 

[dragonlong]

Yes, I heard. They're actually selling parts of the company to other companies, which might or might not continue to provide support. Nevertheless, I'm still looking for a good flash MP3 player, and either the Rio S35S or Rio S50 are the best ones for me. I want something solid-state (0% skip), very small, and light, so I can't get an MD player or a HD MP3 player.

In any case, I didn't get the S35S today. Futureshop had one for the past few days, but they didn't have it today, and the guy who was trying to find it for me said that there isn't even any info on it from their warehouse, which possibly means that they weren't supposed to carry it and they probably got it by mistake as something that was supposed to be shipped to another company but somehow fell into the Futureshop shipment. Bad luck for me, I guess I should've gone yesterday or earlier before they found out that it's not theirs. LOL

Regardless of which MP3 player I eventually get, what headphones should I be getting for it that can allow a lot of movement? I'm thinking about the MX 500 or the KSC-55, but any other suggestions would be good. Unfortunately, I really don't like the look of the KSC-35 though.

Also, what's a good place within CANADA to buy good headphones? I don't wanna buy from the US since shipping is very expensive, especially if I buy a cheap pair (shipping might cost me the same amount as buying the headphones themselves!).

I live in Ottawa, and anyone who's been here would know that it's not the best shopping place in the world (not even close).

 

[Watchdog]

I have run about 100 miles with my MD since I bought it. Not a single skip, ever.

I used to own a flash player and I have over 1,000 songs on my hard drive. I stopped using the flash player because it was a pain to always put new music on it. I eventually stopped using it. I bought the MD and have never looked back. I use it almost every day commuting or exercising.

As far as headphones, the best deal out there remains the Koss Porta Pros from www.koss.com with coupon code 617A

If you live outside the U.S. they'll take your order and put it on hold pending shipping charges. They'll notify you how much shipping is and at that point you can refuse, in which case your order is cancelled. If you accept your order gets shipped.

They charged me $8 US to ship TWO sets of headphones to Vancouver. I would guess it's cheaper to send to Ottawa.

For roughly $50 - $55 Cdn. (including shipping and taxes) I think the Koss Porta Pros are the best deal out there. I think you'd be hard pressed to get better sound for less money.

 

[dragonlong]

I didn't realize MD were that good. How's the form factor though? I'd like to get something extremely light and small too, maybe something I can hide in a shirt pocket.

What models of MD would you recommend? I guess we're going a bit off topic now since this is a headphones forum. I'll have to do more research on the MD on my own then, I suppose.

I'll definitely take a look at the Porta Pros then since so many people have mentioned it on the forum. Thanks for all the info. If I find the Porta Pros suit my needs, I'll definitely get it.

Cheers

 

[Sugo]

Quote:

Originally posted by dragonlong I didn't realize MD were that good.

 

[Watchdog]

Quote:

Originally posted by dragonlong I didn't realize MD were that good. How's the form factor though? I'd like to get something extremely light and small too, maybe something I can hide in a shirt pocket. What models of MD would you recommend? I guess we're going a bit off topic now since this is a headphones forum. I'll have to do more research on the MD on my own then, I suppose. I'll definitely take a look at the Porta Pros then since so many people have mentioned it on the forum. Thanks for all the info. If I find the Porta Pros suit my needs, I'll definitely get it. Cheers

Just post over in the portables forum. There are a lot of MD fanatics like myself who'll gladly answer your questions.

What I'd recommend depends on your needs and how you intend to use it. Since you're jogging I'd recommend looking at www.tunebelt.com check out the MD/mp3 player belt. It's quite useful, I just wish they had the version with the extra pocket when I'd bought mine.

As you say we're getting off topic, but post a new topic in the portables and you'll get all the info you need.