Ask Engadget: What are the best headphones to use with the iPod?

Alright, this week's Ask Engadget reader question comes from Peter A. who asks:

What are the best headphones for my iPod? I bought the upgrade headphones from Apple, they sound great, it's just that I have to keep pushing them in to get any bass. Needless to say, I am getting pretty tired of doing that…so what should I get instead?

We're big on the Sennheisers we picked up last year, but what would you guys recommend?

[Adam @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Sony's MDR-V700 are the best... unless you're swimming.

[Paul Hung @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Second that on the V700. 50mm neodymium drivers provide the heavy bass that DJs would normally require in an ear deafening club.

[Janice @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

The Grados you have in your picture are great. Grado SR-60 headphones cost about $70, and the sound is really tremendous. They're not necessarily ideal for all kinds of listening, because theirs is an "open" design, which means as much sound leaks out as goes into your ears. So in an tightly-packed office environment, you might bother your neighbor. Also, they don't provide any sound isolation, so if you're in a loud environment, you may not be able to hear your music without turning it up.

But you will definitely be pleasantly surprised with the sound quality. They're an enormous bargain.

Find them online at Headroom, http://headphone.com , or do a Froogle search, http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=grado+sr-60&btnG=Search+Froogle .

[plong @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

$59 online incl. shipping

[Josh @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Unless your a really big audiophile what's wrong with the ones that come with the iPod? I think they're some of the best earbuds I've ever used.

If you feel like being snobby you can always pick up anything from the Bose line...those headphones are slick as hell.

[Lars Groeger @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Although out of production i liked them ( Koss KSC 35 ) the most in connection with their pricing. Very deep warm bass and a good compromise between portability and sound phattness. KSC 55 Have a much more stylish design and the same technic but somehow they are not that firm to the ear and therefore loose a bit in sound .

By the way I cant use no more in ear headphones, cause i have a slight tinitus and I am a bit sensitive for too much and intense heights. Maybe thats why i appreciate the so called "muddy" or " too bass emphased" sound of the Koss series.

[DigitalBill @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I've been using both the Shure E2c and E3c models ($100 - $150), and think they're the best in-ear phones I've found to date, including Sony, Koss and others. These are the "little brothers" of the Shure E5c models ($499 without custom molds) used by pro musicians for custom ear mold ear monitors you see on stage.
As in-ear phones they give you great isolation and pretty great bass. I've found I can run my (3G) iPod at about 30% lower volumes and still get great sound. In fact they're so good, I have to take one out to be able to carry on a conversation!
Just make sure you try all the ear tips they give you, to find the best fit for your ear, thus insuring superior sound. In fact, you might have to use different size tips for each ear, depending on your ear.
=DB

[ejdmoo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

The Shure E2/E2C (the C stands for consumer) is a great pair if in-canal buds. They go great with a small mp3 player, as they don't ruin the size advantage.

http://www.shure.com/earphones/index.asp

[TManno @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

For those of us who want in-ear phones (buds, I guess), and who don't have either the cash or the desire to pay a fortune for those others, Koss's "The Plug" are pretty nice. They're comfortable, cancel a decent amount of outside sound, their sound quality is good, and they're only 13-20 dollars. For those of us who also seem to: lose our 'phones or twist and break wires, replacement is not so painful.

[Ben @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Bang and Olufsen A8s--they fit great,will last forever (5 year warrantee helps) and have a full rich sound. Nice bass, but rich treble also.

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I agree... my Bang & Olufsen headphones sound great!

[Todd Johnson @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I've fallen in love with the Shure E3C's - they fit incredibly well and have awesome range of sound. The comment regarding the amount of isolation they provide is spot-on; I think they do a better job of it than actual 'noise-cancelling' headphones. I paid 180 bucks for mine and have not regretted it one bit.

[Paull @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I am quite happy with the Sony in-earplugs (MDR-EX71SL) that I bought a few months ago.
Comes with 3 pairs of sillicone plugs of various sizes to fit perfectly inside yr ear, almost against the eardrum. Those sillicone plugs exclude all external noises. The headset gives a much richer sound and deeper base then other small headsets like the cheaper sonys or even the senheiser sets.
I only had to get used to the weird way your own breathing sounds (mine is pretty heavy, since i'm a smoker). Just put yr fingers in yr ears and you know what I mean.
To please iPod fashionados the Sony set is also available in white, at least in japan they are.
I paid about �35 ($43) for my black set (i'm an iRiver guy), which is much more affordable then the superior Etymotic ER-4P which uses the same in-ear princible.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000092YQW/qid=1092956865/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl147/002-7235000-1278442?v=glance&s=pc&n=507846

At Home, especially late at night when I like to work with my Roland Digital Studio (VS-1680, almost antique), I prefer using my Philips HP 890, a huge, very comfortable and very good sounding headset. Especially high tones keep very clean, so you can wear the headset a long time without becoming tired of the hiss-sounds.
But I would never ever wear this set in the streets.

A long review at: http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/archive/index.php/t-9790.html

[Scott Laird @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I'm very happy with both Grado SR-60s and Shure E2cs. I use my Shures all the time (like, right now)--they're perfect for any time that you want to cut out background noise, like the office, gym, bus, train, mowing the lawn, whatever.

[Randy Phillips @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

www.etymotic.com - hearing aid manufacturers who've gotten into in-ear stage monitors. I use the ER4Ps, one of their high-end models, but they're coming out with the ER6i, a version specifically for the iPod and its ilk - $149 for those.

[anonymous @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I use Etymotic ER-4S's with my iPod. Hands down best combo, but a little pricey. Then again, so is the iPod.

[McGroarty @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I'm with Randy on the Etymotics, although as an owner of the ER6 and the ER4P with silicon molds, I have to say that the cheaper ER6 are just as good. That said, I've never been happy with the Etymotics for long-term use. They're fine for a few hours, but not something that feel comfortable in your ears all day. (Because they go -deep- in your ears, which eventually gets a little squicky no matter how long you've had them.)

For something comfortable for long-term use, I'm going to be a heretic and suggest something cheap and not at all trendy. The Yamaha Rh-5Ma are delicious. They're cheap (for high end headphones) at $40 or so. They're comfortable even if you've got a large head. And they're in the class of the Etymotics headphones, which is leagues beyond anything you find on the shelf at the Best Buy.

[Geoffrey Smith @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Another vote for the Koss KSC-35 clips (if you can find them) or the newer versions. For true earbuds, go with the Sennheiser MX-500s. Also, the iPod's headphone out will drive most of the Grado line well, due to their low impedence, but these really need a dedcicated amp to sound their best. Go here for more than you ever wanted to know on this subject(not affiliated other than being a member):

http://www.head-fi.org/

[MD @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I saw this earlier in the year and bookmarked it:

http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07479

[Rat @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

as a sound engineer in Sydney, Australia.. ive used almost every cunsumer / pro headphone available on the market, and even before i bought my 3G 40GB iPod i was ranting about the B&O A8's, they are a beautifully engineered micro-speaker, using rare earth magnets.. and unlike sony, they leave their EQ alone, so unless you alter the EQ, you hear it as the artist intended.

All in all the A8's are a comfortable, beautiful, and professional quality headphone.. you're deaf if you settle for any less.

[Orthodontic Jake @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I bought a pair of Grado SR-80's (which price in at about $100) and i've never looked back to my cheap Radioshack pair. The audio quality is astounding. As for a quality difference between the 60 and 80 models, I can't help you.

[Benn @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I agree with TManno that Koss' The Plug ear buds are great. They are much easier to get good sound out of than the Apple In-Ear earbuds (and way better all around than the iPod stock earbuds), and very comfortable to wear. Very decent, VERY cheap. My bro got a pair of Bose Tri-Port headphones, and I couldn't justify their bulk compared to The Plug because the quality was comparable.

[rob hafer @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I've tried 6 pairs of headphones and found the Koss KSC-35's were the most comfortable and best sounding cans in the bunch. They're light, portable, have great bass, and very inexpensive. Problem is that they're no longer available and the newer models seem to be heavier & less comfortable.

[Tom @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Very cool -- except for the part about going to the ear doc to have him squirt foam in your ears to make the mold . . . (www.ultimateears.com)

[purplepeopledesign @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

If you are listening to an MP3, then don't bother changing...but if you are listening uncompressed, then try Audio-Technica, Beyer or for best value, Fostex headphones. The problem with Sennheisers and Grados are that they are just too costly for the performance they give.

[purplepeopledesign @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

If you are listening to an MP3, then don't bother changing...but if you are listening uncompressed, then try Audio-Technica, Beyer or for best value, Fostex headphones. The problem with Sennheisers and Grados are that they are just too costly for the performance they give.

[Jeff @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

... don't know the model. Cost about $40 at Frys.

[-sS @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I personally HATE the stock apple earbuds. My ear must be abnormal because they never seem to stay on, and they sound really really tinny. I love using my Grados, but they're not the most fashionable headphones in the world, and their extra thick cord is a pain to manage.

[Fatlimey @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Another vote for the Sony MDR-V700s. Had mine for three years and they are perfect - transportable, foldable, rugged as hell, great cable length, bass out the wazoo, but with one niggle: the plastic breaks in a predictable fashion at the "twisting" joint. This can be fixed by wrapping them with 10 turns or so of polyester thread and supergluing them down. Basic design weakness solved!

[Fatlimey @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Another vote for the Sony MDR-V700s. Had mine for three years and they are perfect - transportable, foldable, rugged as hell, great cable length, bass out the wazoo, but with one niggle: the plastic breaks in a predictable fashion at the "twisting" joint. This can be fixed by wrapping them with 10 turns or so of polyester thread and supergluing them down. Basic design weakness solved!

[Les Posen @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I have a 2G 10GB iPod purchased 12/02 and went through 2 OEM headphones very quickly, replaced under warranty. Not wanting a third set, I located here in Australia a gray import of white Sony MDR-EX71SL. For general non-critical listening they do a great job, good bass, stay in the ear, and relatively-fatigue free. Excellent choice for flying since they also block engine noise. I was impressed enough to write a lengthy review a year ago here:
http://www.minidisc.com.au/product_reviews_info.php?products_id=193&reviews_id=226

[KossRocks @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

If you can find them the Koss 35s are a great match for the iPod. Actually if you can find them I'd love to know where from> :^)

[faisal @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Anything from Etymotics or Shure will be a huge improvement over what you have
in my experience ear buds from Sony, koss, Sennheiser �etc are at best on par with the apple in ear buds
Check out head-fi.org if you want to get even more confused.

[Naru Sundar @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Grab the sennheiser HD580/585s.

The 280s are also pretty good.

I detest the MDR-V700, its got a really uneven response, too bass heavy, and more importantly, it sits horribly on my ears and causes pain after an hour.

[Bill T. Cat @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I have a pair of Ultimate Ears and they are amazing! Yes, they're expensive and you have to have them custom molded for your ears but ohhhhh the dynamic range! Oh yeah, they feel like they're directly connected to your ear drum as well. Cool.

[Mike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

The E2C's list for $100, I found them online for $70. The Ultimate Ears I'm looking at list for $700 but the great thing is that have little clippy telephone type connectors. You can replace the wires for $30 or so and still have the ear buds. The wiring on ear buds is always what goes out. I'm on my second pair of E2C's and at $70 that's fine. But if I'm going to pay big bucks for ear buds I want to make sure they last. The E2C's are FANTASTIC! They are orders of magnitude better than the stock ones. I haven't listened to the Ultimate Ears yet nor talked to anyone who has a pair. It's hard to imagine that at 10x the price they will sound 10x better but I'm anxious to find out.

[Jonathon Robinson @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I second the comment regarding these incredible earphones. When I first bought them, I didn't have them fitted well enough to my ears and they sounded incredibly tinny. $150 wasted on nada, I thought. But after choosing the right ear buds (six types included, I think) and seating them firmly within my ear canals I was totally blown away.

The quality of these buds is so good I had my entire 160-192kbps rip library re-encoded at 224kbps (by RipDigital in New York) and the difference was not only noticable, but awesome.

[Ty @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Hey, another vote for the Koss KSC-35.

I have four sets of headphones right now: koss the plug, ksc35, sony v7506, and grado sr125. The grados sound the best, but I can't listen to them at work because they leak too much sound, and they're too big to carry around everywhere, so I hardly ever listen to them unless I'm at home late at night and don't want to wake anyone up by turning on the stereo. The v7506's are great if you want some closed headphones with nice bass, but they're bulky and hard to take around, and to me are uncomfortable after wearing for a while - they might be nice to leave at work. The plug sounds like crap, and it's not worth it to get it jammed in your ear canal just right. The ksc-35's however, are just the right mix of portability, durability, affordability, and sound quality to take with you everywhere and enjoy the sound.

Other's to consider that I haven't tried that should fit the portability/sound quality requirements: the sony canal phones (mds71 or something), or any of the phillips, panasonic... lookalikes seem to be provide good sound and are affordable. The shures and etymotics are supposed to be great, but they're expensive. So yeah - just a warning - make sure you know when and where you'll be listening the most and get something to fit that style, be it portable, big, open or closed.

[Vasu Tummala @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I second the hatred for the V700. They are easily driven by anything, go loud, isolate and seal well, but have many problems. The great bass people mention is plentiful but is not quality .. very bloated, muddy and messy; it also drowns out vocals/mids and highs. The highs are non-existant by the way, and crisp is the last word you'd use to describe them. They're also fairly heavy and the headband is very heavy and sits real hard on yoru head and is really uncomfortable. The cheap plastic housing around the swivel hinges also cracks and breaks and snaps after a year or two of use. So after 2 years of having them, and warranty being over, your $150 headphones are now useless.

If you want earbuds, The Sony MDR-EX71 are probably for you, a little bass heavy, but still good and you wanted bass. The Sennheiser MX500/550 are also really good earbuds and probably the best sounding under $100. Over $100 there are a myriad of ear canal headphones from Etymotic and Shure that are really nice.

For open air headphones (sit on your ear but are unsealed) look into Sennheisers and Grados, which are all generally very good. For sealed headphones, Sony's MDR-V6 (not V600, the even worse brother of the V700), Sennheiser HD280, and a few others from AKG, Beyerdynamic and Ultrasone.

The Koss KSC-35/50/55, PortaPro and SportaPro are also really good headphones under $50 that you wear over your head.

[Fazal Majid @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

The Apple earbuds simply don't fit in my ears, and drop off at the earliest opportunity. I mostly use my iPod when flying, where the isolation from the Etymotics is very welcome. In most other situations, it is dangerous (i.e. when crossing the street), and the B&O are better for that purpose. Their short cord also prevents snagging.

[Matt Young @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Shure E5Cs with custom molds... love em and have tried a million different kinds of headphones. The etymotics were uncomfortable and not quite right in the bass department for me. The Shure's are incredible. I use them to DJ in the club and use them with my iPod and can do so at much lower volumes than with any of the Sony's or Sennheisers I've ever owned.

[Eion @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Another vote for Shures - I use a pair of E5s with my 3G ipod and they work fantastically. I have Sennheiser HD-600s for home but the Shures sound at least as good (although with a bit less 'presence'), and the HD-600s are too big to carry around and aren't loud enough for my tastes. I'd love to try a pair of Ultimate Ears UE-10s though.

[Dallas @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

but their the best Phones Ive ever had... they have increadiable range of tone... deep bass... and great noise cancelation...

http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/audio/69b9/

[Will @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I need two pairs. One for every day use (city walking, working out, etc) when I want to be aware of sounds around me and another pair that cancel noise for the air plane.

My every day Phones are the B&O A8's. They sound amazing, are incredibly comfortable and chicks dig them. They can also be picked up for a lot less over seas than in the US so If you hapen to be abroad keep an eye out.

For noise canceling I have not found the perfect pair. The Bose are fine I guess, but I am not a big fan of the company, they cost too much and are huge. I have been using a pair of much cheaper and smaller panasonics which are fine, but probably not my last stop on the headphone train.

[Rx Bandit @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Im a Sony EX71 user and i know some people hate them with a passion but i love mine because its so comfy and also because im a basshead and the bass kicks butt. Again, for those people who are into headphones/amps/portable audio/ etc. or want to find out more about them, go to www.head-fi.org

sorry about your wallet

[Khoi Vinh @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Well, really the Sony MDR-7506 are the ones to get. These headphones are some of the most professional popular studio headphones in the world. When you see TV footage of musicians in the studio, 2 out of 3 times they'll be wearing these. But the only difference between the MDR-7506 and the cheaper MDR-V6 model -- aside from a level of sound quality that only true audiophiles will be able to detect -- is that the latter has a silver tip instead of a gold one. It's a great bargain. I wrote about it on my weblog; you can get write to the entry by clicking on my name above.

[Ali @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

What brand and model are the headphones that Apple has in store, for showing off the IPod? Those seem really nice.

[Richard Heard @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I have a pair of these, and they are insane. With an ipod, md, DAC unit or set of deck's the sound is fabulous, there closed cell to which means that outside noise does not interrupt your listening and there what heaps of our sound reinforcement guy's swear by.

see here. http://www.djstore.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.pl?item=senhd25&t=r

[Pete Barr-Watson @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I used to have a pair of E3's but lost them pretty quickly :( so, I bought a pair of E5c's from a friend of mine and they are *miles* better. The sound is incredible, and like one of the previous posters, I also re-ripped my music library at higher bitrates to take advantage of them. Once they're in, outside sounds are virtually cancelled completely - you really can't hear a thing. Perfect for travelling, but also it gives you a total 'quiet' zone when you're just laying on the couch listening to some tunes... E5c's are perfect.

[EdZ @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

They may not be the Best Sounding Headphones Ever, but they certainly are the best in-ear ones. They are extremely comfortable (soft flexible rubber is what holds them in, instead of hard plastic) and the sound range is incredible. Sure, you can get better sounding headphones, but they will be both massive, and massively more expensive.