iPod Headphones

apc

Can't stand the earbuds that it came with it. They hurt my ears before too long. From a comfort point of view, which brand and model do you prefer?

brettw22

I use the Sony Fontopia's. They're super light and fit within the ear canal so you don't have to listen as loud, and they block out external sounds. They're EXCELLENT for an airplane, but might be a bit too quiet for walkin around the city.

Demiurge

Yeah, the earbuds that come with it suck. They keep falling out of my craw, even when walking.

If you're going to be out and about you can get something that wraps around your ears so they stay put, but if you're doing at home listening get a pair of Sennheiser or Nady.

dbnh

Try going to Head-Fi and perusing the headphones and portable audio forums. There's some very nice IEM and other phones out there, depends on how much you're willing to spend.

Also, I'd recommend a portable amp. There's also lots of information of that. I use a Xin SuperMacro3 V6; could also recommend Ray Samuels' Hornet and SR71, various amps from HeadRoom, etc. Again, the question is: how much do you want to spend?

apc

The Sony Fontopia's look inviting as well as the Ultimate Ears super.fi 3 and the Etymotic 6i Isolator™ Earphones. All around $100 depending where bought. I'd appreciate any reviews which would key on comfort. At this pricepoint the sound quality would have to be a step up or more from OEM.

PS - I am intrigued by the amp option, but more for home (Senn HD595) use than portable. Thanks for the info and links!

Refefer

The Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 sound very very good for their price range, but are still earbuds (which I've always found get annoying after awhile, no matter how "comfortable" they are).

As for headphones for portable audio, I prefer the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro. They run for $99 or so, and I use them because I find them very comfortable, though not an earbud but a wrap around enclosure. They also sound very very nice while providing very good sound isolation. Another benefit is that they sound great without an amp and thus can be driven easily by most portable (I use an iRiver because I like my music in FLAC and OGG).

Happy hunting.

apc

What is FLAC and OGG?

Demiurge

FLAC = Free Lossless Audio Codec

OGG = Open multimedia bitstream container format

bobman1235

apc wrote:

What is FLAC and OGG?

FLAC is a lossless compression algorithm. OGG is similar to MP3, some people say better quality.

Toxis

If you want good headphones for the money, check out the Technics RP-DH1200 studio monitors. Can be found for $110-150 depending on the site.

mulveling

For sound quality, comfort, portability, and value, it's impossible to beat the Koss PortaPro. Small and lightweight so they'll work well with an ipod on the go. Don't need an amp to sound excellent, though they can improve with one.

The styling is from 1984 (literally; they've been in production since then) so make sure you look before you buy

faster100

100 -150 to listen to an ipod? Come on.. Home phones if i were into them easily or more.. Ipods, NO. Just IMO

brettw22

I guess if he was asking "what do you think about me spending around $100 for headphones", that reply would be relevant.......but he wasn't...........so it's not.

faster100

I was stating my opinion on the cost of phones for Ipods.. don't like my opinion don't respond.. simple

Holydoc

This entire area of Ilounge is dedicated to the discussion of the good and bad about IPOD headphones. Have fun reading:

http://forums.ipodlounge.com/forumdisplay.php?f=43