Friday, August 15, 2008

Headphones Compared. My Top 10 list.

Always on the lookout for a better audio experience, I've been collecting headphones to see how they differ. Published specifications for headphones don't always reveal how well they reproduce the highs and lows in your music. I've got at least 10 sets of earbuds that came with the media players I've evaluated. I can't find them all. The best in this bunch are the ones that came with my Zune 80. They're the in-ear type with braided cord shown below. The second best came with my Philips player, and are also in-ear. Both are passive noise cancellers, meaning they naturally shut out external sounds that distract from the music. I've got two different wrap around bluetooth headsets. Insignia's from Best Buy, and Wireless Gear from Target (possibly discontinued). Both $50. Very convenient, yet neither do low frequencies very well. Both are better sounding than any of the earbuds. My wired headphones include Sony CD30, Sony MDR-V150, JVC HA-NC80 Noise Cancelling, Maxell NC-11 Noise Cancelling, Philips SBC HN110/37, and Sennheiser 595s.Three are noise cancelling. Of these the Philips HN110s are the best. Second comes the Maxell NC-11s, and the weakest is the JVC NC-80s. The Sony CD30s are my oldest pair and also the worst of the bunch. Sony's V150s are next. Both suffer from very poor bass reproduction. My top three are the Philips, Sennheiser, and the Maxell in that order. Sound reproduction is amazing in both the Philips and Senns. Two reasons I rated the Philips higher is because they were 1/3 the price of the Sennheisers and include noise cancelling that does an excellent job of cancelling background noise.

The last of my collection is the Sony DR-BT50 Bluetooth headphones. Smaller than they appear in photos you'll find on the web, the BT50s don't quite surround my ears. Sound quality from my Samsung P2 is easily as good as from the Philips wired headphones. The Sennheisers completely cover my ears, and are more comfortable, but the Sonys are far more convenient. With no apparent loss in sound quality over the best of my wired headphones, no wires to contend with, and remote control of the player directly from the headphone, the Sony DR-BT50s win my vote as the best headphones in my collection. Just like all my bluetooth headphones they have volume control, FF/RW, Play/Pause, and will also pair with any bluetooth cell phone. Sony throws in an additional Folder +/- command, although none of my bluetooth players utilize it.

My top ten list, beginning with the best:
1. Sony DR-BT50
2. (tie) Sennheiser 595 and Philips SBC HN110/37
4. Maxell NC-11
5. JVC NC-80
6. Sony MDR-V150
7. Sony CD30
8. Insignia NS-BTHDP
9. Wireless Gear 4PR918
10. Zune 80 earbuds.

The Best value in a wired headphone goes to the Philips SBC HN110/37. With noise cancelling, a comfortable fit, and a low price they win hands down.

The Best value in a Bluetooth headset goes to the Sony DR-BT50. Yes, it's 3 times more expensive than the other two contenders. Far superior sound quality and comfort makes it a better bargain, though.

There are hundreds if not thousands of other headphones out there to choose from. My list is only from the headphones I've actually listened to and compared. I'd love to hear what headphones you prefer. Please leave a comment.

4D

15 comments:

  1. a recommendation for samsung p2 earbuds?... i really need buy another set for better enjoyment of the p2 audio experience??

    hurry!! i will import this in the next houRs...

    pD :: gooD BLó, usefuL BLó

    ReplyDelete
  2. Of all the earbuds I've tied the Zune Premium earbuds sound the best, and they work fine with the P2. You can buy them at Amazon.com. Search for "Zune Premium Headphones"

    ReplyDelete
  3. hey 4D, whats uP?

    "Zune Premium Headphones v2" is better than "Zune Premium Headphones" ??

    in some cases, the price is not equal to quality...

    4D = Good Techie Boi

    ReplyDelete
  4. Zune Premium HEadPhones V2 kicks to Sennheiser CX300-B Earbuds???

    aNSwer Me, ohh big glorious gadgetMen !

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've never tried the Sennheiser earbuds. I'll be surprised if you can find someone who has worn both them and the Zune earbuds for a fair comparison. They "look" decent, but only your ears will be able to tell. Sorry I can't be more helpful. I'm not buying any more earbuds.

    4D

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  6. i love my p216gb, but honestly, the included earphones are not soo good, i buy the zune earphones - following 4dthinker's suggestion - and only waiting his arrive... ¿would be a good choice??

    ReplyDelete
  7. ok ok, im a human... after 4 days using the p2 i can say that included samsung earphones are not soo bad, they are soo good... XD

    ReplyDelete
  8. do you by any chance have the manual for the target wireless gear headphones. i can not find mine so i can not turn it on or sync it. please let me know if you can help me.
    thank you

    ReplyDelete
  9. The Play/Pause button on the Wireless Gear headphones is where all the action happens. Assuming your headphones are charged, press and hold that button for 3 to 5 seconds until you see a blue light. This is ON. Press and hold that button for another 4 to 5 seconds until you see a red light. This is OFF.

    To pair them: From the OFF state press and hold that button for 7 to 10 seconds. The lights will start alternating between red and blue. This is pairing mode, and your media player or phone should search for them while they are in this mode.

    Hope that helps.
    4D

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  10. hola kisira saber si alguien me puede ayudar diciendome la clave o numeo de sicronizacion par los auriculares Wireless Gear 4PR918

    ReplyDelete
  11. Creo que la vinculación código sería 0000. Si estás preguntando cómo pareja, usted tiene que mantener el botón de encendido hasta que el jugador parpadeará en azul y rojo. A continuación, busque con su dispositivo.

    4D. Yo no hablo español.

    ReplyDelete
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