NewSc2
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2002
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A couple people wanted reviews on this headphone... so here it is.
Intro: With the new iPod Nano, Apple quietly released a new stock headphone to be included with the new 2G iPod nanos and new iPod Videos. In fact, I wasn't even aware of this until I went to Apple's site to find the earbud's model number and saw reviews about the new headphones on their site
(i hope that link works for everybody).
Banter:
Even though I've been wanting to buy a nice pair of IEMs for a while, my bank account hasn't been at the point where I could see myself saying good-bye to $200 for a nice Shure E4c or ER4P. Besides that, I'm pretty happy with my Sennheiser HD580's and Grado SR60's, and I've fallen in love with my Dynaudio monitors since my first listen.
I mainly use my iPod nano (1st Gen) when I'm working out, reading, or at the beach, so I guess I'm not too picky about sound in these scenarios. I was one of those who actually liked the iPod stock earbuds, so much so I've gone through 5 of them (bought a couple on eBay, one came with my Nano, one came with my 1st gen iPod, friend gave me hers). This has been over 4 years or so, and they mostly die when free weights tangle up the cord (actually, all 5 have gone that way). The stock ones weren't great, but they were cheap, fit with the whole iPod thing, and convenient.
I'd rate the stock earbuds around a 4 - 4.5 (out of 10). Bearable, and pretty good for being stock.
Ever since my last iPod earbuds broke about half a year ago, I've been using my Grado SR60's to work out with, and the Grado cord actually broke my last iPod (1st 20GB model) by putting too much strain on the headphone jack. The nano seemed to take the headphone strain better but the Grados aren't the most convenient headphones to work out with anyway. Hence, my desire for some new headphones.
Review:
See pictures and another review here
If the stock earbuds were a 4.5, then I'd give these new earbuds a good 5.5 to a 6.
I went to the Apple store near my house to purchase the new earbuds, and they had some on display. I played with the only 2 songs that was on the iPod (the other iPods had Bose headphones and 1 had a Sony), and one was a No Doubt song, and already I was pretty impressed.
Comfort/Fit: First off, the fit was much, MUCH better. I didn't have too much of a problem with the old earbuds, but they did tend to hurt after a while if the foam sleeves weren't on. The new iPod earbuds just glide into your ears and fit. Sound isolation is better, and... well, what else could I say? They don't hurt.
Sound Quality: The clarity was actually pretty good. From all the years of listening to the stock earbuds, I always felt they were a bit tinny, but these had presence. High-end is definitely more detailed and clear. I never thought the mid-range of the older iPod earbuds were that bad, and the newer model does the job on mid-range.
I couldn't get a good bearing on the bass for the No Doubt track and the other track (a sort of jazzy pop/rock song), so I actually had my iPod Nano with me. Techno (not trance, not breakbeats, not electro) is the genre of music I write, and what I listen to. I guess I listen to and produce some House too.
So in goes Richie Hawtin/Plastikman... and... meh. 808 Bass Drums were medium thumps (not BOOMs), subbass lines weren't very clear. Where's that EQ... (adjusts to Bass Booster)... ahhh.... there's the bass!
I didn't have to do this with the SR60 (everybody raves about the "rock" sound but I love its bass), so the new earbuds lost points on this. Just for poops and giggles, I tried the other Sony DJ-style headphones that were right there.. and well, they weren't much better either. They were circumaural, so I did get more of a thump from the driver, but other than that the bass was about the same.
In the meantime I switch to Daft Punk's "Homework" and Kraftwerk's "Tour de France Soundtracks" album and I actually find myself pretty pleased. Richie Hawtin's music usually has tons of sub-bass going on in the background... Daft Punk and Kraftwerk not so much so. The earbuds go up again in my book, and I switch my Nano over to the Bose headphones.
First impression of the Bose? Wow, there's the bass. After 10 seconds? Where'd all the clarity and treble go?
Yep, this just about sealed the deal for me. If I had to actually pick between the Bose and these new stock earbuds, it'd be a tough decision, without the money factor.
The last determining factor for me was to put on my only "rock" album -- Depeche Mode's "Violator". I plug my iPod back into the new earbuds, and press play. First thing that popped into my mind was "man, these mp3's are horribly encoded." That was the final blow -- I probably couldn't hear the mp3 tails that quickly using the older stock earbuds, and even with the SR60's it'd be a bit hard to tell (the SR60's seem to just make mp3's sound better encoded... maybe it's the trebly-ness).
So I bought the headphones after that epiphany. I wasn't looking for something to replace my HD580's, and I was looking for something that was at least close to my old KSC35's (which bit the dust a while ago). Having an Apple store nearby to replace these for 1 year warranty service if these bite the dust was a nice plus.
After I enjoyed a nice workout and came back home, I (just for the reading enjoyment of you head-fiers) crawled under my desk and plugged my new earbuds into the back of my PC (Santa Cruz sound card).
Been running a few reference songs through (lame encoded 320kbps mp3's) of the traditional reference CD's -- Miles Davis - Kind of Blue and Pink Floyd - Dark Side (also a bit of Meddle and Animals) and I'm fairly pleased. I must say that some passages of Dark Side get a bit muddy with a lot of voices (Great Gig in the Sky when the band + the vocalist is moaning) but Miles Davis sounded great. Paul Chambers' bass had none of the aforementioned bass-drop, and the overall album was smoother and clearer than on the older iPod earbuds.
For all subjective purposes, I guess I should outline my scale of 1-10 (these are only headphones I've owned/spent a lot of time with). This is only a scale based on sound:
$1 JetBlue earbuds: 0.5 (they barely work)
old stock iPod earbuds: 4.5
Sony D66L "Eggos": 4.51 (I *really* didn't like these)
new iPod earbuds: 5.75
Koss KSC35: 6.75
Grado SR60: 7.5
Sennheiser HD580: 9
Summary:
Treble: 7
Midrange: 6
Bass (for rock, i.e. bass guitar, etc.): 6
Sub-Bass (I guess < 40-50Hz... you probably wouldn't hear these frequencies unless you're listening to electronic music): 5.5 w/ EQ, 4 without.
Price: $30
Pros: Great fit, noticeable sound quality improvement over previous version (less distortion, not as "tinny"), cheap/free. Convenient, easy to store. The Apple Store's there to replace these if they start breaking down.
Cons: Bass is mediocre, but bearable for techno (with bass boost EQ), price might be a bit expensive.
Bottom Line: Noticeable upgrades over the previous model, with a very comfortable fit. Don't expect it to outshine the Grado SR60, but it does admirably well.
Disclaimer: As stated before, I actually kinda liked the iPod's former stock earbuds. On top of that, my headphone audiophile side has not been very prominent lately... after I bought my Dynaudios my HD580's been collecting dust. Also, keep in mind the situations I'm listening to my iPod (basically when I'm concentrating on other things).
Intro: With the new iPod Nano, Apple quietly released a new stock headphone to be included with the new 2G iPod nanos and new iPod Videos. In fact, I wasn't even aware of this until I went to Apple's site to find the earbud's model number and saw reviews about the new headphones on their site
(i hope that link works for everybody).
Banter:
Even though I've been wanting to buy a nice pair of IEMs for a while, my bank account hasn't been at the point where I could see myself saying good-bye to $200 for a nice Shure E4c or ER4P. Besides that, I'm pretty happy with my Sennheiser HD580's and Grado SR60's, and I've fallen in love with my Dynaudio monitors since my first listen.
I mainly use my iPod nano (1st Gen) when I'm working out, reading, or at the beach, so I guess I'm not too picky about sound in these scenarios. I was one of those who actually liked the iPod stock earbuds, so much so I've gone through 5 of them (bought a couple on eBay, one came with my Nano, one came with my 1st gen iPod, friend gave me hers). This has been over 4 years or so, and they mostly die when free weights tangle up the cord (actually, all 5 have gone that way). The stock ones weren't great, but they were cheap, fit with the whole iPod thing, and convenient.
I'd rate the stock earbuds around a 4 - 4.5 (out of 10). Bearable, and pretty good for being stock.
Ever since my last iPod earbuds broke about half a year ago, I've been using my Grado SR60's to work out with, and the Grado cord actually broke my last iPod (1st 20GB model) by putting too much strain on the headphone jack. The nano seemed to take the headphone strain better but the Grados aren't the most convenient headphones to work out with anyway. Hence, my desire for some new headphones.
Review:
See pictures and another review here
If the stock earbuds were a 4.5, then I'd give these new earbuds a good 5.5 to a 6.
I went to the Apple store near my house to purchase the new earbuds, and they had some on display. I played with the only 2 songs that was on the iPod (the other iPods had Bose headphones and 1 had a Sony), and one was a No Doubt song, and already I was pretty impressed.
Comfort/Fit: First off, the fit was much, MUCH better. I didn't have too much of a problem with the old earbuds, but they did tend to hurt after a while if the foam sleeves weren't on. The new iPod earbuds just glide into your ears and fit. Sound isolation is better, and... well, what else could I say? They don't hurt.
Sound Quality: The clarity was actually pretty good. From all the years of listening to the stock earbuds, I always felt they were a bit tinny, but these had presence. High-end is definitely more detailed and clear. I never thought the mid-range of the older iPod earbuds were that bad, and the newer model does the job on mid-range.
I couldn't get a good bearing on the bass for the No Doubt track and the other track (a sort of jazzy pop/rock song), so I actually had my iPod Nano with me. Techno (not trance, not breakbeats, not electro) is the genre of music I write, and what I listen to. I guess I listen to and produce some House too.
So in goes Richie Hawtin/Plastikman... and... meh. 808 Bass Drums were medium thumps (not BOOMs), subbass lines weren't very clear. Where's that EQ... (adjusts to Bass Booster)... ahhh.... there's the bass!
I didn't have to do this with the SR60 (everybody raves about the "rock" sound but I love its bass), so the new earbuds lost points on this. Just for poops and giggles, I tried the other Sony DJ-style headphones that were right there.. and well, they weren't much better either. They were circumaural, so I did get more of a thump from the driver, but other than that the bass was about the same.
In the meantime I switch to Daft Punk's "Homework" and Kraftwerk's "Tour de France Soundtracks" album and I actually find myself pretty pleased. Richie Hawtin's music usually has tons of sub-bass going on in the background... Daft Punk and Kraftwerk not so much so. The earbuds go up again in my book, and I switch my Nano over to the Bose headphones.
First impression of the Bose? Wow, there's the bass. After 10 seconds? Where'd all the clarity and treble go?
Yep, this just about sealed the deal for me. If I had to actually pick between the Bose and these new stock earbuds, it'd be a tough decision, without the money factor.
The last determining factor for me was to put on my only "rock" album -- Depeche Mode's "Violator". I plug my iPod back into the new earbuds, and press play. First thing that popped into my mind was "man, these mp3's are horribly encoded." That was the final blow -- I probably couldn't hear the mp3 tails that quickly using the older stock earbuds, and even with the SR60's it'd be a bit hard to tell (the SR60's seem to just make mp3's sound better encoded... maybe it's the trebly-ness).
So I bought the headphones after that epiphany. I wasn't looking for something to replace my HD580's, and I was looking for something that was at least close to my old KSC35's (which bit the dust a while ago). Having an Apple store nearby to replace these for 1 year warranty service if these bite the dust was a nice plus.
After I enjoyed a nice workout and came back home, I (just for the reading enjoyment of you head-fiers) crawled under my desk and plugged my new earbuds into the back of my PC (Santa Cruz sound card).
Been running a few reference songs through (lame encoded 320kbps mp3's) of the traditional reference CD's -- Miles Davis - Kind of Blue and Pink Floyd - Dark Side (also a bit of Meddle and Animals) and I'm fairly pleased. I must say that some passages of Dark Side get a bit muddy with a lot of voices (Great Gig in the Sky when the band + the vocalist is moaning) but Miles Davis sounded great. Paul Chambers' bass had none of the aforementioned bass-drop, and the overall album was smoother and clearer than on the older iPod earbuds.
For all subjective purposes, I guess I should outline my scale of 1-10 (these are only headphones I've owned/spent a lot of time with). This is only a scale based on sound:
$1 JetBlue earbuds: 0.5 (they barely work)
old stock iPod earbuds: 4.5
Sony D66L "Eggos": 4.51 (I *really* didn't like these)
new iPod earbuds: 5.75
Koss KSC35: 6.75
Grado SR60: 7.5
Sennheiser HD580: 9
Summary:
Treble: 7
Midrange: 6
Bass (for rock, i.e. bass guitar, etc.): 6
Sub-Bass (I guess < 40-50Hz... you probably wouldn't hear these frequencies unless you're listening to electronic music): 5.5 w/ EQ, 4 without.
Price: $30
Pros: Great fit, noticeable sound quality improvement over previous version (less distortion, not as "tinny"), cheap/free. Convenient, easy to store. The Apple Store's there to replace these if they start breaking down.
Cons: Bass is mediocre, but bearable for techno (with bass boost EQ), price might be a bit expensive.
Bottom Line: Noticeable upgrades over the previous model, with a very comfortable fit. Don't expect it to outshine the Grado SR60, but it does admirably well.
Disclaimer: As stated before, I actually kinda liked the iPod's former stock earbuds. On top of that, my headphone audiophile side has not been very prominent lately... after I bought my Dynaudios my HD580's been collecting dust. Also, keep in mind the situations I'm listening to my iPod (basically when I'm concentrating on other things).
