[Dazed&Confused718]

I'm trying to give a gift to a couple friends...i figured since they like music y don't i just give them some headphones ...they seem content with the apple default earbuds that come with the touch and the Nano...but I Want to change that so i figured i take a trip to my j&r and purchase something for them as a christmas gift

Which TWO out of these Choices would be a MAJOR , DRASTIC and COMPLETE Upgrade from the Stock Apple Buds --


Sennheiser CX-250
Audio Technica ATH-CK1
Sennheiser PX100
Koss KSC75
Altec Lansing UHP106NP/UHP206
Acoustic Research ARE09
Sennheiser MX660s
JVC Marshmallows

 

[kjk1281]

I can only comment on the ones I've tried, but I would say that the CX250, KSC75, MX660, and Marshmallows all sound far better (to varying degrees) than the iBuds. My PX100 is still in transit from Amazon, but I'm pretty sure they're better too.

Anyway, what do your friends prefer? Without knowing and if I had to choose, the two I would pick are the CX250 and the KSC75 for their excellent performance for the money.

 

[slntdth93]

i say stick to earphones (earbuds and IEM's) just for a convenience reason (not many people like carrying headphones around)
ive only tried the marshmallows out of that set and theyre fairly good

 

[CrackBerry9000]

I have the PX100II and it is a fantastic set of headphones. I like them better than my IE6 buds that cost 3 times what the PX100II's cost. If keeping things compact is a concern than I would go for the Senn 660 since you can get them for 35 dollars at Newegg.

 

[aconteceu]

Sennheiser PX100

 

[BLOX]

PX100 and KSC75

 

[GrindedDown]

ADDIEMs off ebay for like $30-40? They might like that its apple, they prob won't like that they are not new, but they'll like that they are significantly better headphones. That and they are IEM's which is prob all I would consider for them. They need something super portable and regular headphones won't cut it (just based off them using ibuds and owning nanos).

 

[sonnybobiche]

+1 for Apple's IEMs. They're good, relatively inexpensive, and there's the familiarity of the brand and style to get them to think "Hey, maybe this actually is better than what I'm using now."

 

[Dazed&Confused718]

I've decided to definitely purchase the:

UHP106's
&
Koss KSC75's

So how much better do they sound than the ibuds? how are they for commuting?

 

[Evil_Spork]

ksc-75 are awesome. i got a set for $10 online. $5 shipping for 2 sets, one for a friend.

I love those headphones. the bass is shockingly present for open clip-ons, and the mids and highs are clear and present. they offer no real noise isolation, but if youre in a reasonably quiet environment(not an airplane) they sound wonderful.

from what i understand they use the same drivers from a larger set of Koss headphones that sell for about $100. given the cheapy construction they are still absurdly inexpensive for what you get. the construction is not great, and you have to bend the ear clips a bit to make them comfortable, but they will not fall apart or break on you. the ear clips will pop off before any damage can be done.
i would say get a set for yourself if nothing else. theyre cheap and sound wonderful.

cliffs: kcs-75s are cheap but solid construction with great sound quality. extremely inexpensive.

edit: i can confirm the 75s are a very big step up from ipod buds.

 

[torpy]

The KSC75s are better than many of the fullsize headphones I've heard. For its price, there isn't a single other 'phone that beats it, not a single one.

 

[mark2410]

at a guess how about the M6?